BEIRUT, Feb. 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Another French minister blasted U.S. foreign policy in an interview published Wednesday, calling it "Texas-style diplomacy" and saying that law and not force should govern international relations, news agencies reported.

Charles Josselin, minister for overseas cooperation, was commenting in the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat on Washington's sharp reaction to recent criticism by French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Josselin said the U.S. response was because Vedrine had "touched a sore spot". He added that after the September 11 attacks, "there was a danger of Washington justifying its excesses and use of force by its right to defend itself."

"It is Texas-style diplomacy," Josselin said, referring to the home state of U.S. President George W. Bush, famous for its cowboys.

"France for its part considers that the logic of law and not that of force should govern international relations," he added.

In a radio interview February 6, Vedrine said, "Today, we are threatened by a simplism that reduces all the problems of the world to the struggle against terrorism, and is not properly thought through."

He also voiced concern in particular about Washington's Middle East policy and the possibility of a U.S. attack on Iraq, which Bush has branded part of an "axis of evil".

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell questioned French support for the so-called U.S.-led war on terrorism and said his French counterpart "was getting the vapors", as France's ambassador to Washington was summoned to the State Department.

"We understand the anger of the United States after the September 11 attacks," said Josselin, "but American leaders should control it and refrain from letting it guide their foreign policy."

He urged Washington to strengthen consultations with its allies and to refrain from attempting to isolate a number of countries, in an apparent reference to Iraq, Iran and North Korea, which Bush said formed an "axis of evil."

Josselin also warned the United States against carrying out a military strike on Iraq. "Contacts with Gulf leaders showed that they were worried about a certain instability in the region," he said.

"Such worries push us to seek non-military solutions for Iraq," said Josselin, who called on Baghdad to "accept the return of United Nations [arms] inspectors in order to avoid another war."

This comes on the eve of Bush's Asian tour that began in Japan and will take him to China Thursday, February 21.

During his stop in Seoul, Bush called Pyongyang evil and urged it to open the border with the South.

Bush tempered the rhetoric with renewed calls for dialogue with the North, particularly on weapons of mass destruction, and praised South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy" toward the North as a "vision of reconciliation over rivalry."

"I will not change my opinion on [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-il until he frees his people and accepts genuine proposals from countries such as South Korea to dialogue," Bush said after talks with the South Korean president in Seoul. "We're peaceful people. We have no intention of invading North Korea," he added.

North Korea has rejected calls for talks, saying Bush is preparing for war. The North did not specifically respond to Bush's remarks Wednesday, February 20. Bush arrived in Seoul Tuesday, February 19, amid tight security for a 40-hour visit.

Bush's visit was met with protest and demonstrations. South Korean riot police clashed with thousands of anti-U.S. demonstrators in Seoul Wednesday.

No serious injuries were reported, but protesters shouting, "We oppose Bush and war" took control of the park to push ahead with the rally against the U.S. leader as he held a summit in Seoul with President Kim Dae-Jung to discuss North Korea.

Last month, Bush described North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and Iran. He claimed they were developing weapons of mass destruction and aiding groups involved in terrorism, such as those behind the September 11 attacks on his country.

The United States has 37,000 troops based in the South to back up 680,000 South Korean troops.

Bush, who heads to China Thursday on the close of his six-day Asian tour, said at a news conference that he will also press the cause of human rights, particularly religious freedom, when he meets with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Beijing.

According to The Washington Post, China has told diplomats it is prepared to release some prominent political prisoners and negotiate an arms deal to address U.S. concerns about the spread of Chinese weapons technology.

Supporters of a series of prisoners languishing in China's jails appealed to Bush Wednesday to help their cases, after rumored high-profile releases ahead of the trip failed to materialize, AFP reported.

A senior Tibetan religious leader, jailed for leading the search for the reincarnated Panchen Lama, has been released at the end of his sentence but remains under house arrest, a Tibetan rights group said Wednesday.

The partial release of Chadrel Rinpoche, a 62-year-old Buddhist abbot, may have been timed to take place ahead of Bush's visit to China, India-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy said.

Another, whose imminent liberty was rumored, was Liu Yaping, a U.S. resident businessman detained for 11 months in Inner Mongolia. His U.S. lawyer, however, said Wednesday nothing appeared likely.