World IN BRIEF : IRAQ : U.N. Official Seeks Better Cooperation

Rolf Ekeus, the U.N. official in charge of hunting down Iraq’s most destructive weapons, met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Hussein Khudayer in Baghdad in an effort to improve cooperation after a tense standoff between Iraqis and U.N. nuclear inspectors. Iraqi officials accused the U.N. inspectors of spying on Iraq for the United States. In another development, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tarik Aziz accused President Bush of “arrogantly exceeding” the terms of Gulf War cease-fire resolutions by calling for Saddam Hussein’s ouster. Aziz’s comments followed Bush’s earlier remark: “ . . . Let me reiterate, we want him out.”