1.   Iraq has continued to prevent some U.N. inspection teams from entering sites that may contain nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and materials.

2.   Only two months ago, the inspectors were blocked from entering sensitive sites, and Butler had given a string of media interviews criticizing Iraq.

3.   Last fall, Iraq blocked inspectors from entering sites and then evicted American inspectors from the country, accusing them of bias.

4.   Repeatedly throughout their stay, inspectors said they wanted to set a precedent of entering sites that Iraq had long said were off-limits as symbols of national sovereignty.

5.   Since Monday, Iraq has banned American members of the U.N. inspection teams from entering sites in and around Baghdad.

6.   The U.N. monitors repeatedly had stressed that they wanted to set a precedent of entering sites that Iraq had long said were off-limits.

7.   In the past, the weapons inspectors have been prevented from entering sites but permission was finally granted after negotiations.

8.   But since Tuesday, Iraqi authorities have invoked national security to prevent the inspectors from entering sites linked to the elite Republican Guards.