South Africa is to urge Iraq to co-operate pro-actively with United Nations weapons inspectors, Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said on Monday.

"It is in the interest of the Iraqi people... the region and...peace and Stability that they explain to us what their own reading and interpretation is of the inspectors' report and how they will co-operate."
Pahad is to go to Iraq soon as part of South Africa's efforts to avert a war.

He told reporters in Pretoria his basic message would be: "There are accusations that there is not enough pro-active co-operation.

Can there please be pro-active co-operation with the inspectors?"
That meant Iraq should answer the questions the inspectors had posed, he said.

The outcome the South African government wanted was the acceptance by the UN Security Council that all weapons of mass destruction had been destroyed and that the need for war was therefore averted.

"That is the only success. The alternative to that is war."
Asked whether it was correct to say that the South African government was against war under any circumstances, Pahad said it wanted a peaceful solution.

"Any solution has to go through the ambit of the Security Council. If the Security Council decides, then its a Security Council decision that is binding on everybody. It's not whether you accept it or not," he said.

"Then you have to go to Cabinet... if you are interested to participate in the implementation of the Security Council's decision. That's when we have to start beginning to discuss whether we are able to participate or not."
Pahad said he believed there was acceptance that UN Resolution 1441 -which sets down the terms for the current arms inspections in Iraq - was not a basis to go to war; there had to be another resolution.

He added: "I don't know of anybody who says consciously war has to happen, but every day that passes we are getting closer and closer to a possible war."
South Africa was one of the few countries to have eliminated its own weapons of mass destruction.

"We have a historical and moral principle to argue for a world without weapons of mass destruction and hence our total commitment to this whole region being without (such weapons)."
South Africa's economic prospects in the Gulf region would suffer from a war. "We think a war will open up most catastrophic consequences not only in the region, but throughout the world."
South Africa was in favour of extending the time for inspections. "We've heard... there is not unlimited time. Nobody has told us what unlimited time is..."
Last Thursday former president Nelson Mandela said United States President George Bush's war plans were motivated by his wish to get hold of Iraqi oil.

Asked to comment on that, Pahad said: "I don't want to speculate what the reasons are for going to war. It's not as simple as that."
He believed any anti-terrorism campaign must be kept separately from dealing with any particular country that had been branded as forming part of the "axis of evil".

"(Mandela) feels strongly about solving problems through peaceful means..."
The views of the South African government had been reflected in governmental and presidential statements. Mandela reflected the views of civil society, including many religious leaders, throughout the world, Pahad said.

On Saturday, Mandela said Pik Botha, the former foreign minister, would visit Iraq to warn President Saddam Hussein he was making a serious mistake by not co-operating fully with the inspectors.

"We will hopefully talk to... Botha sometime today to get a sense from him what it is he can bring to the table," Pahad said.

He said the Iraqi trip would happen "within days", as soon as arrangements could be made.

"Any trip must be determined by my being able to see us winning the first game," Pahad quipped, referring to South Africa's cricket team which is playing the opening match of the World Cup tournament against the West Indies on Sunday - Sapa.