"Do what's right for you and your country. Inform coalition forces immediately of the location of the mass destruction weapons of the former regime," coalition radio said in a statement broadcast in Arabic.

The alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction by the regime of president Saddam Hussein was cited as one of the main reasons the coalition went to war against Iraq in March.

But despite ousting the regime on April 9 and occupying Iraq since, the United States and Britain have yet to come up with proof of their pre-war allegations.

"Those who provide reliable information will receive rewards of up to 200,000 dollars as well as protection against possible retribution by members of the former regime," the radio said.

"Those who prefer not to reveal their identity can contact the coalition through intermediaries ... We promise confidentiality to those wishing to cooperate" with the US-British coalition, it said.

"The former regime developed chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction and unless we find them quickly, they will pose a threat to you, your family, your neighbors and the Iraqi people as a whole," the coalition added.

The coalition called on anyone who "participated in producing, transporting and guarding these weapons" to pass on all the information at their disposal."

A similar appeal had been broadcast by the radio on Wednesday.

The Pentagon, which has preferred to search for Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction itself, has until now blocked the return of UN arms inspectors who were charged before the war with ridding the regime of prohibited weapons.

Several senior officials connected to Iraq's former weapons program have surrendered to, or been captured by, the coalition since it occupied the country.

They include Saddam's scientific adviser General Amer al-Saadi; the former heads of Iraq's biological warfare program, Rihab Rashid Taha and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash; Taha's husband, Amer Mohammad Rashid, an ex-oil minister and top weapons adviser to Saddam; and General Hossam Mohammad Amin, who was head of the National Monitoring Directorate and chief liaison with UN arms inspectors.

WAR.WIRE