United Nations ? Announcing that U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq will likely resume on Nov. 27, chief inspector Hans Blix on Friday started his journey to Baghdad with a warning to Saddam Hussein that the Security Council won’t tolerate “cat and mouse” games.

Saddam’s government told Iraqis on Friday they must welcome Blix and other inspectors who are scheduled to arrive Monday after a nearly four-year break. While the government said it hoped to spare Iraqis from war, it warned them to prepare for the worst.

President Bush insists Iraq must disarm or face almost certain war.

“You do not want Saddam Hussein, who is a homicidal dictator, armed with a nuclear weapon in the Middle East, which is the most volatile region in the world,” National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Friday.

Blix told a news conference Friday the Security Council was offering Iraq “a last opportunity” to declare all its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and he urged the Iraqi government to examine its archives, storage facilities and stocks before submitting its declaration to inspectors by Dec. 8.

In a letter Wednesday accepting the council’s tough resolution on the return of inspectors, Iraq said it will prove to the world that it is free of weapons of mass destruction.

Blix said Iraq still has a few weeks to change its position. He urged the United States or any country with knowledge of secret Iraqi weapons programs to hand over evidence to inspectors. The United States believes Iraq has been illegally rearming for several years.

Once inside, Blix’s team will conduct searches to determine the accuracy of reports that Iraq has hidden banned weapons underground or on trucks.

Omissions in Iraq’s declaration could be reported to the Security Council, as could delays in gaining access to sites which could give the Iraqis time to hide documents, vials, and other banned weapons material.

“Certainly, cat and mouse is something that I’m sure will not be tolerated in the future,” he said.

Iraqis pose for pictures in front of a giant statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. U.N. weapons inspectors are due to arrive Monday in Iraq after Saddam's government accepted a new U.N. resolution.