War against Iraq unjustified, says Syed Hamid
KUALA LUMPUR - Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar today appealed to the United States and Britain not to launch a war against Iraq saying it was unjustified as it will only lead to human sufferings.
"It (a war) will not be justifiable if the weapons inspectors cannot find any evidence of weapons of mass destruction or find any evidence to show that Iraq is a threat to world peace and security," he told reporters.
"We should rely on the UN inspectors rather than making our own decisions. All the reports have shown that they have not found anything that can be considered a threat," he added.
Chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix said Friday that Iraq had sped up cooperation with his disarmament teams.
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Blix delivered his latest report on Iraqi disarmament to a crucial meeting of the divided United Nations Security Council ahead of a vote expected next week on a new resolution put by the United States, Britain and Spain which could trigger hostilities.
Inspections should continue
A huge US military force is ready for a showdown with Iraq. France, Russia and China argue that the time has not yet come for war, and that inspections, while not perfect, are showing progress and should continue.
UN atomic energy chief Mohamed ElBaradei said inspections had turned up no sign of prohibited nuclear activity at inspected sites in Iraq.
Syed Hamid urged the United States not to ignore the United Nations.
"I think if one starts to ignore the UN, you will set a dangerous precedent. A war will not help the prevailing global economic uncertainty. Oil prices have been pushed up. We hope the US will not go to war."
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