Iraq is still studying a UN order to destroy its al-Samoud II missiles and has not yet made a decision, says the country's head of weapons monitoring. General Hossam Mohamed Amin said he hoped the issue would be resolved without the intervention of the US or Britain. In a letter handed over to the Iraqis on Friday, chief UN inspector Hans Blix set a 1 March deadline to begin destroying the missiles. The UN says their range exceeds the limit set after the 1991 Gulf War, and the UN demand is being seen as a key test of whether Saddam Hussein will disarm to avoid war.