Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said today that Iraq's decision to allow weapons inspectors back into the country should be rewarded with an immediate lifting of sanctions.

"For agreeing to that we should already take action to lift sanctions," he told a news conference.

"Sanctions are hurting not Saddam Hussein, they are hurting a lot of poor people, old people, pregnant mothers.

"You say that Saddam is a very cruel man, he doesn't care about his people — you are not doing anything good by punishing them for something they are not responsible for."

Unilateral attack

Mahathir has warned that a unilateral attack on Iraq by the United States would fan the fires of Muslim anger and prolong the war on terrorism.

Iraq late yesterday agreed to the unconditional return of UN arms inspectors amid intense diplomatic moves to head off war over Baghdad's weapons programs.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri emphasised that Baghdad's actions were in response to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan saying recently that the inspector's return should be "the indispensable first step" towards "a comprehensive solution that includes the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iraq" after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.