The United States says it has "very convincing evidence" Iraq possesses banned weapons as a trans-Atlantic rift widens over whether Iraq should be disarmed by force.

US Undersecretary of State John Bolton, Washington's top arms control diplomat, says Iraq has maintained an extensive program for the production of weapons of mass destruction, including long-range ballistic missiles banned since the 1991 Gulf War.

"That is information that we have, and I think that, at an appropriate time and in an appropriate way, we will make the case about Iraq's violations," Mr Bolton said.

Mr Bolton's comments echo those made by US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who says President George W Bush has a "powerful case" against Iraq.

"We have a case grounded in history. We have a case grounded in current intelligence that not only comes from American intelligence but many of our allies," he said.

The campaign by US officials to win support for its stance on Iraq, which points increasingly toward war, comes just days before UN weapons experts deliver a much-anticipated report on the first two months of arms inspections.

It also follows a diplomatic scuffle between the United States and some traditional allies over the pace of the US military mobilisation in the Gulf, and whether inspectors should be given more time to hunt for banned weapons.

Veto-holding Security Council members France, China and Russia have indicated their support for an attack on Iraq is far from assured.

Germany and Canada have also urged the United States to give inspectors more time.

Turkey, which the United States hopes will provide bases for its troops and aircraft in the event of war, has so far been reluctant to commit.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed France and Germany as representing "old Europe" in their opposition to war on Iraq.

He says they are isolated in their positions.

War of words

German and French media across the political spectrum have reacted angrily to the US criticism, as French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin appeal for calm.

That message did not make it to Greece, where an estimated 10,000 anti-war protesters descended upon Nafplio to try to disrupt a European Union labour ministers' meeting.

Officials there are discussing, among other things, the economic impact of another Gulf war.

Iraq is also overshadowing discussion of economics at the Davos, Switzerland, gathering of the global economic and political elite.

Government and business leaders are already concerned about weak global growth.

In Iraq, UN inspectors visited just one site on Friday, the Al Qaqaa missile installation 60 kilometres south of the capital Baghdad.

Chief arms experts Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, who will deliver a report to the United Nations on Monday, have said since returning to Iraq after a four-year absence inspection teams have not found a "smoking gun".

But they have criticised Iraq for failing to fully cooperate.

The US has stressed in recent days that cooperation is the key to whether war can be averted.

It says time is running out for Iraq to abide by UN resolutions demanding they disclose existing weapons programs or provide evidence past programs have been eliminated.

"It's important that people understand that whatever the inspectors were able to find, Iraq for the 12 years since the end of the Persian Gulf War has engaged in a systematic campaign of denial and deception in an effort to conceal its weapons of mass destruction from the inspectors," Mr Bolton said.

Chemical warfare

Meanwhile, the Iraqi armed forces have made new preparations for chemical warfare according to documents passed to the BBC.

The papers were given to the BBC by the Iraqi Opposition.

The BBC says the documents consist of handwritten notes, which the Iraqi National Coalition claims to have obtained from members of Baghdad's military.

BBC journalists say the notes have been verified by experts.

The notes show key Iraqi army units have been issued with new protective suits.

They also show the drug atropine, which counters the effects of nerve gas, are being distributed to Iraq's Republican Guard and other soldiers.

The BBC is suggesting the documents indicate Iraq may be preparing to use drones to spray chemical weapons on coalition troops, while trying to protect its own troops from the consequences.