Briefing the Security Council on his visit to Baghdad last week, head of the UN weapons inspection team in Iraq Hans Blix sought to reassure members on the effectiveness of the inspection process. He said that by the end of the year there would be at least 100 inspectors at work, and that he has already informed Iraqi officials of his intention to search Saddam Hussein's presidential compounds, expand the team's Baghdad headquarters and demand the names of officials associated with past and present weapons programmes.