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Reactions to Iraq weapons report


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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Less than 15 hours after President Bush said he was willing to dispatch U.S. troops into Iraq with or without U.N. approval, chief U.N. weapons inspectors delivered their assessments Friday of Iraq's steps to disarm.

Hans Blix, executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, and Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, addressed the U.N. Security Council.

Below are excerpts from Security Council members' statements issued in reaction to the weapons inspections reports.

Syria

Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara: The day after our meeting here on the 14th of February, millions of people in more than 2,000 cities around the world took to the streets to say no to war on Iraq. This was an unprecedented phenomena in history. ... France, Russia, China and Germany have repeatedly said with determination that there is no basis for war.... We Arabs and Muslims record with appreciation the repeated appeals of the leaders of churches all over the world to pursue peace and to prevent war. ... It is truly ironic and it is kind of naive that war against Iraq will disclose the undeclared [weapons of mass destruction] in Iraq while inspectors will not be able to find the weapons with all the issuances and facilities given to them. Some believe the buildup of force by itself is sufficient to justify war against Iraq and destroy it because it is incomprehensible, and no one who is realistic will expect that these forces will go back to their barracks empty-handed. If this is the case, are we simply facing a just cause or simply an act of robbery?

United States

Secretary of State Colin Powell: ... Iraq is still refusing to offer what was called for by 1441: immediate, active and unconditional cooperation. Not later, immediate; not passive, active; not conditional, unconditional in every respect. Unfortunately, in my judgment, despite some of the progress that has been mentioned, I still find what I have heard this morning a catalog still of noncooperation. If Iraq genuinely wanted to disarm, we would not have to be worrying about setting up means of looking for mobile biological units or any units of that kind. They would be presented to us. We would not need an extensive program to search for and look for underground facilities that we know exist. The very fact that we must make these requests seems to me to show that Iraq is still not cooperating.

Russia

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov: The Iraq problem has many aspects to it. On the one hand, we all agree we must achieve full and effective disarmament of Iraq in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. On the other hand, it is quite clear that the way in which we resolve this problem will determine not just the future of Iraq. In essence we are now laying the foundations for ensuring peace and security in our time. ... If we succeed in our joint efforts at resolving the Iraq crisis pursuant to the United Nations charter, this of course will have a positive effect on our efforts on settling other conflicts, and most important it will become an important step toward a new just and secure world order.

This is why Russia has consistently and unswervingly been striving to resolve the Iraq problem on the basis of international law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions. And today we have more than ever before grounds for stating [that] this is not only the real but the most reliable way.

France

Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin: Iraq, according to the very terms used by the inspectors, represents less of a danger to the world than it did in 1991. We can achieve our objective of effectively disarming that country. Let us keep the pressure on Baghdad. The adoption of Resolution 1441, the assumption of converging positions by the vast majority of the world's nations, diplomatic actions by the Organization of African Unity , the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement -- all of these common efforts are bearing fruit. The American and British military presence in the region lends support to our collective resolve. We all recognize the effectiveness of this pressure on the part of the international community, and we must use it.

China

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan: Undoubtedly, it is an arduous task for us to ensure the implementation of the relevant council resolutions and the full and comprehensive destruction of Iraq's [weapons of mass destruction]. However, it is gratifying to note that much progress has been made in the weapons inspections, thanks to the unrelenting efforts of UNMOVIC and IAEA. Judging from the reports of the two inspection bodies today, Resolution 1441 has been implemented smoothly on the whole, with progress made and results achieved. It is true that there also exist problems and difficulties in the inspection process. This is exactly why it is highly necessary to continue the inspections. We believe that as long as we stick to the road of political settlement, the goal of destroying Iraq's [weapons of mass destruction] could still be achieved. ... Given the current situation, we need resolve and determination and more importantly patience and wisdom.

United Kingdom

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw: We all agreed that Iraq must be fully disarmed of weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq's failure to cooperate immediately, unconditionally and actively with the inspectors has to be dealt with. As we negotiated 1441, the evidence was there for all of us to see -- that Iraq had been and remained in material breach. And we all 15 members voted to give the Iraqi regime a final opportunity to comply with its obligations. And the first question therefore before this council is, "Has Iraq taken this final opportunity to disarm?" Of course, people have different points of view, but nobody, not one minister before this council in my hearing, has said that Iraq is now fully, actively and immediately in compliance with 1441. ... Iraq has dragged its feet on as many elements of procedural and substantive cooperation as possible.

Pakistan

U.N. Ambassador Munir Akram: We believe that there is no imminent threat to international peace and security. The cost of delay in our view would be much less than the cost of war. A credible force for peace will be worthwhile. As our secretary-general has said, and I quote, "War is always a human catastrophe, and we should only consider it when all possibilities for a peaceful settlement have been exhausted." ... The Security Council's vocation is peace, not war. War would have grave consequences for the Iraqi people, for peace and stability in our fragile region, for international peace and security and for a world order based on the principles of the U.N. charter and the rule of law.

Iraq

Iraq

U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri: It seems that the possibility of a war of aggression being launched on Iraq has become imminent, regardless of what the Security Council decides and regardless of international position, both official and public, strongly rejecting aggression and war and demanding a peaceful solution. ...

Let me affirm that Iraq's strategic decision to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction was indeed taken in 1991. ... This is the central fact of the matter. Since then, nothing has been unearthed to contradict that central fact. It is for the accusers to prove otherwise if they have any evidence in hand. ... The U.S., the U.K. and those standing on their side are unable to present any evidence proving the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They have also not been able to mask their own private agenda in the region and the world.


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