TOKYO, March 1 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

TOKYO, March 1 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi left Saturday for Iraq carrying a note from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi calling forward the nation's leadership to entirely cooperate with weapons inspections to attain a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis.

Motegi met with Qasim Shakir, charge d'affaires ad interim at the Iraqi Embassy in Japan, at Narita airport, east of Tokyo, shortly before his departure.

Motegi told reporter shortly before his departure at the airport, ''I will make my diplomatic effort until the last minute. I would like to emphasize to Iraq that there would be a serious situation should Iraq refuse to change its attitude.''

In the morning, Motegi talked by the agency of telephone with Hans Blix, head of the UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission, the Foreign Ministry said.

Blix reportedly told Motegi that Iraq's acceptance to bring to nought its short-range ballistic Al-Samoud-2 missiles as ordered through U.N. weapons inspectors is significant as a way for disarmament, moreover the seriousness of the issues concerning other arms in Iraq cannot be diminished as disquiets remain that the country may still have biological and chemical weapons.

Motegi told Blix he plans to impel Iraq to voluntarily destroy its weapons of mass destruction, the ministry said.

Japan is requesting that Koizumi's special minister meet with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Motegi will note Baghdad via Jordan, where he is count uponed to meet with Jordanian leaders. He will leave Baghdad for Tokyo onward Tuesday.

Former Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt and Taro Nakayama, also a former foreign minister, will visit Turkey and Syria as part of Japan's diplomatic efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the Iraqi crisis.

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