United Nations: The US on March 19 came under fire in the Security Council for its decision to take military action against Iraq, with Foreign Ministers of France, Russia and Germany asserting that the American action does not have the sanction of the Council or the UN charter.

The United Nations charter, they asserted, does not provide for regime change by use of force.

With American military action hours away, the Foreign Ministers stressed that the Security Council has neither failed nor become irrelevant.

It provided the mechanism for peaceful disarmament of Iraq and the weapons inspections were working, they said and stressed that the military action at this point is not justified.

Iraq had started co-operating under pressure, including presence of military force, and inspectors would have been able disarm Iraq peacefully.

They also rejected the American contention that it was taking action as a part of its fight against terrorism asserting that US decision would only destabilize the region, which would then become a breeding ground for terrorists.

They also stressed that the relevance of the Council is very clear from the fact that even the US would have to come back to the Council for a comprehensive solution after its military action.

All the speakers also stressed the need for providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq suffering for more than two decades and urged Secretary General to draw up proposal for the purpose.

PTI