The terms of Friday's Iraqi proposal are, if anything, worse than before.

Ramanna was shocked and scared by the Iraqi proposal.

A spokesman said, nevertheless, that the Kremlin still hoped that the Iraqi proposal could become an opening to a political settlement.

The two met in an office in Knightsbridge for about two hours to discuss the Iraqi proposals, the men said.

Iran has dismissed an Iraqi proposal for reviving peace talks between the two countries as "a new campaign of public deception," Iran's official press agency said today.

This would be a rehash of the phony Iraqi proposal that everyone withdraw from everywhere, but a Christmas wrapping would provide a pretext for delay.

He did not refer to the Iraqi proposal for a joint committee, made two days after he made public Iran's shift.

Under the Iraqi proposal, Mr. Aziz said, each side would select dates for the visit to their capitals simultaneously.

The United Nations special commission charged with eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction tonight debated how to react to the Iraqi proposal.

The Iraqi proposal came as diplomats said that some Western citizens were being moved to potential military targets to serve as human shields.