"Their mandate is still valid. It is only suspended because it became inoperable on account of the war," Annan said, responding to reporters' questions as he arrived at UN headquarters.

"I would expect (Hans) Blix and (Mohamed) ElBaradei to be able to return as soon as it is possible, and I think they are the ones with the mandate to disarm Iraq, and when the situation permits, they should go back to resume their work," he added, referring to the heads of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency, respectively.

The United States and Britain say they launched their assault on Iraq last month to enforce UN resolutions banning weapons of mass destruction in the country. Annan has made it clear though that the war does not have UN authorisation.

Since the US-led military campaign began on March 20, no chemical or biological weapons have been reported found in Iraq by US and British forces, who now control large portions of the country.

SPACE.WIRE