A U.N. plane left Baghdad yesterday with voluminous documents of a report on Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear programs that a senior Iraqi official described as accurate and comprehensive. He challenged critics to come forward with proof otherwise.

　　"It's accurate, comprehensive and truthful," General Amer Saadi, presidential science adviser, told reporters. He said that if others, presumably the United States, "have anything to the contrary, let them come forth with it."

　　Saadi said the report "will embarrass some nations and companies" cited asshavingsassisted in Iraq's efforts to build weapons of mass destruction, which Baghdad insists it no longer holds.

　　"But the entire world said yes to (U.N.) Resolution 1141 and they realize the consequences of this resolution," he said.

　　Saadi said the document was so complete that if the council makes it all public, "this means that the Security Council is participating in the proliferation of materials" relating to prohibited weapons.

　　The U.N. plane carrying the report landed on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus,swheresit was transferred in couriers' luggage to two commercial flights. One left Cyprus at midmorning taking two sets of the Iraqi documents to U.N. headquarters in New York via Germany and one leaving direct to Vienna, headquarters of the U.N. nuclear agency, later yesterday.

　　In New York, the Security Council gets one set, and the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission - the other.

　　A day earlier, Saddam grudgingly apologized to Kuwait for his 1990 invasion. That invasion and seven-month occupation ended only when a huge, U.S.-led force drove Iraq out in February 1991 and led to sanctions and U.N. demands that Iraq give up weapons of mass destruction.

　　Saddam's letter to Kuwaitis, read on state television by his information minister, was obviously timed to coincide with the presen-tation of the "tell-all" arms documents. Although he apologized to the Kuwaiti people, Saddam also repeated Iraqi charges that it was the Kuwaiti government's anti-Iraq oil policies that justified the invasion.

　　Today, Saddam charged, the Kuwaiti government was working "with foreigners" who have aggressive designs on Iraq. Thousands of U.S. troops in Kuwait, based there since the 1991 war, would likely play an important role in any new U.S. attack launched to punish Saddam for allegedly stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

　　Kuwait's information minister, Sheik Ahmed Fahd Al Ahmed Al Sabah, rejected Saddam's apology.

　　While Saddam's apology was unexpected, his arms declaration was long-awaited.

　　The U.N. resolution requiring the declaration be filed by yesterday also called on Iraq to declare any stocks or programs in chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. The Baghdad government says it has none.

　　U.S. President George W. Bush rejects such Iraqi denials. Reacting to the delivery of the giant report on Saturday, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said Washington will analyze Iraq's claims and work with other countries to end "Saddam Hussein's pursuit and accu-mulation of weapons of mass destruction."

　　In Britain yesterday, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said his country would not rush to judge Iraq's arms declaration, but added he remained skeptical about the document.

　　Russia said Iraq has shown it wants to cooperate with the United Nations.

　　"Iraq's timely submission of its declaration, parallel to its continued cooperation with the international weapons inspectors, confirms its commitment to act in compliance with" the latest Security Council resolution on Iraqi arms, the Russian Foreign Ministry said yesterday in a statement issued in Moscow.