New Delhi: Taking a strong note of US President George Bush's belligerence, India
and France on February 7 said Iraq "is not a game and it is not over" and solutions
other than a war should be explored.
They also asked Baghdad to fully comply with UN Security Council resolutions to
disarm.
"I don't think that the game is over. Evidence produced by the US has to be
carefully examined. The weapons inspectors should be encouraged to continue with
their work and make efforts to find out whether any weapons are shielded or not
noticed," Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said at a joint press conference with
French Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
Echoing similar views, Raffarin said, "It is not a game. It is not
over."
The comments came when a French journalist asked about Bush's comment in Washington
that "the game is over" in Iraq and the UN should not permit itself to be defied by
a "dictator".
Opposing any unilateral military action against Iraq, the French leader said "there
are other solutions and alternatives" to resolve the crisis.
Vajpayee said, "I sincerely hope that Iraq will fully comply with UNSC resolution
1441. The Council needs to use all the wisdom of its members to resolve this
matter."
PTI
