China stands firm on Iraq action
By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
CNN Senior China Analyst
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Beijing has reiterated its opposition to military action against Iraq outside the framework of the United Nations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, in New York City to attend today's Security Council deliberations on Iraq, said all parties "should strive for a political settlement of the Iraqi question within the U.N. framework."
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is due to present to the Security Council new evidence that the regime of Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction and hampering the work of U.N. weapons inspectors.
Tang said, however, that the inspectors should be given more time to do their work and that it is too early to come to a conclusion about whether Baghdad had violated U.N. resolutions on dismantling its weapons programs.
He said the Security Council should not come to a decision on Iraq until the inspectors had presented clear-cut findings and views.
The Chinese senior diplomat called on Bagdhad to abide by all U.N. resolutions on getting rid of its weapons of mass destruction.
Tang added that Chinese had always supported peaceful solutions to global issues.
"If there is just one iota of hope for a political solution, the international community should devote 100 per cent effort [toward this solution]," Chinese state media on Wednesday quoted Tang as saying.
Western diplomats in Beijing have said China would work closely with fellow permanent Security Council members France and Russia to prevent the U.S. from taking unilateral military action against Iraq.
The diplomats said, however, that should there be a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorize force against Iraq under certain circumstances, Beijing would likely abstain from voting.
It is understood that while there is an upsurge of media articles in China slamming U.S. "unilateralism" in Iraq, Beijing still does not want a head-on confrontation with Washington over the Middle East.
