BAGHDAD, Iraq (REUTERS) — Iraq vowed Tuesday to produce a full account of its weapons program by Dec. 8 and said U.N. arms inspectors would be given unfettered access to all sites across the country.

“They are working on that declaration, and they will produce it by Dec. 8,” Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said after meeting Iraqi officials in Baghdad.

Under a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted Nov. 8, the first big test is a Dec. 8 deadline for Iraq to submit a full account of all banned weapons programs. By Jan. 27 the inspectors must have given their first report to the Security Council.

ElBaradei and chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix held a second day of talks Tuesday with Iraq’s Foreign Minister Naji Sabri and President Saddam Hussein’s adviser General Amir al-Saadi.

“What we confirm both of us today to Iraq is the need that the declaration of Dec. 8 should be comprehensive, accurate and complete,” ElBaradei said.

Iraqi officials agreed to produce a declaration covering biological, nuclear and chemical weapons as well as ballistic missiles, he said.

Asked if Iraq would submit a declaration Dec. 8, Saadi said: “Within 30 days, as the resolution says, a report from Iraq will be submitted on all the files — nuclear, chemical, biological and missile files.”

“We had very useful and constructive discussions both with Dr. Blix and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, and we have touched upon questions of immediate concern regarding the forthcoming inspections in order to avoid any problems or misunderstandings about those things,” he added.

“We are hopeful. We are, in fact, quite sure that things will work much better than before.”

Asked if the inspectors would have unfettered access to all sites in Iraq, Saadi said, “Yes, that is as stipulated in the resolution and as we have agreed with them.”

Practical Arrangements

ElBaradei, Blix and an advance team of 30 experts returned to Baghdad Monday after a four-year break to search for weapons of mass destruction.

President Bush has said the inspections are Baghdad’s last chance to abandon peacefully its programs to produce weapons of mass destruction. He has threatened war if Iraq does not comply.

“We have touched upon many practical arrangements and been able to agree on those,” Blix said after Tuesday’s talks.

“We had already settled a number of them when we met in Vienna, and we settled more today. We also set up a mechanism through which we can try to solve problems that may arise in future.

“So we look forward to starting inspections in about a week’s time,” Blix said, adding that the Iraqi government was anxious for the inspections to start immediately.

ElBaradei said if Iraq were to cooperate fully in all respects, “we can foresee that we will be able to report within one year to the Security Council that Iraq has fulfilled the requirements of Resolution 1284 for suspension of sanctions.”