UNITED NATIONS, November 21: United Nations arms inspectors, including Americans, arrived back in Baghdad today, according to Cable News Network (CNN).

CNN said a UN plane carrying around 70 inspectors landed at Habbaniya airport near Baghdad. The inspectors had flown from Bahrain.

Following late night talks between Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States in Geneva, Iraq formally notified the United Nations Security Council that all UN weapons inspectors could return to Iraq, declaring that the three-week crisis was over.

``We think that the crisis is over,'' Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon told reporters here after he delivered a letter to the Security Council President detailing Iraq 's decision to allow the inspectors' return.

Hamdoon said that Baghdad was inviting the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) ``back in its usual teams to go back to Iraq and start working, effective today.''

``We've invited UNSCOM in its entire membership, including Americans,'' Hamdoon said.

Baghdad expelled six American inspectors on November 13, saying they were spies. The UN chief arms inspector pulled out the whole team the next day.

Hamdoon, who went to the Security Council following an official announcement in Baghdad, said that Saddam reversed his decision after Iraq aired its grievances and obtained a ``better hearing'' of its position.

``We hope that there will be a better climate now for more cooperative relations between Iraq and the UNSCOM people,'' Hamdoon said, adding that this should lead to the early lifting of the crippling oil embargo which is linked to the disarmament issue.

Hamdoon also said that UNSCOM chairman Richard Butler of Australia would travel to Baghdad to discuss arrangements governing inspections of sites deemed sensitive by the Iraqi Government. But no details were immediately available.

Iraq has blocked the UN inspectors from visiting the sensitive sites which the United Nations believes may contain evidence of Iraq's prohibited germ warfare or chemical weapons programmes.

Butler on November 13 decided to pull out 76 weapons inspectors from Baghdad, after Iraq carried out its threat to expel six US nationals working for the Special Commission.

The US warned on Thursday that the UN-Iraq showdown could only be fully resolved when the inspectors return to work with full access to Iraqi sites.

Following Geneva talks involving ministers of the five permanent Security Council members, US Ambassador Bill Richardson told reporters here: ``The news out of Geneva is a step forward, an opening, but it's not a resolution of the issue.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.