Beijing: Toughening anti-war stance, Chinese President Jiang Zemin has told his
American counterpart George W Bush that the Iraq issue should be resolved through
the United Nations, even as he called for unity among Security Council members.
"Great efforts should be made to maintain the unity and authority of the UN Security
Council and implement the resolution 1441 well," Jiang told Bush during a telephone
conversation on March 10 night.
Jiang stressed that effective implementation of UN resolution 1441 is the foundation
for resolving Iraq issue.
Bush called Jiang ahead of this week's crucial vote on a second resolution on Iraq,
which the US and Britain hopes the 15-member UN Security Council (UNSC) would pass,
giving authority to Washington and London for a military intervention in Iraq.
China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, has so far opposed a second
resolution and backed a joint memorandum proposed by France, Germany and Russia for
continued and intensified UN weapons inspections in Iraq.
Reiterating China's stance on Iraq, Jiang said nuclear inspections should be carried
on and the issue should be resolved by peaceful means.
The international community does have a consensus on the Iraq issue, he said, adding
that Iraq must comprehensively, strictly and thoroughly carry out the UN Security
Council's resolution and cannot possess weapons of mass destruction.
"The Chinese and US leaders agreed that the two countries should strengthen contact
and co-operation, properly handle the issues they care about, and promote the stable
development of bilateral relations," the official Xinhua news agency reported on the
Jiang-Bush conversation.
Jiang also talked to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder over telephone on March 11
and discussed the Iraq issue, a separate report said.
Schroeder's call came a day after British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Jiang and
sought Beijing's support for the US-UK draft resolution on Iraq.
Jiang told Schroeder that he has been paying close attention to the development of
the Iraq situation in the last few days, noting that at the UN Security Council
meeting on March 7, most member countries and two UN agencies agreed that the
weapons inspections have made progress, resolution 1441 has been effective, and the
work should not be given up half way.
Jiang stressed that most nations in the world call for a peaceful solution to the
Iraq issue, and China will keep in contact with Germany during this crucial time.
Schroeder said the latest reports on inspections in Iraq submitted by UN inspectors
have indicated progress has been made and Iraq has shown its willingness to co-
operate.
He said Germany believes the inspections in Iraq should be continued.
PTI
