An Iraqi woman stands under a big crater in the ceiling of Amiriya Shelter in Baghdad

SINGAPORE, September 30 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Asians are not convinced that the evidence released so far by the United States and Britain is sufficient to mount a war on Iraq, according to a regional poll published Monday, September 30.

Asians remain skeptical despite the 50-page dossier released by British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week, as well as recent U.S. accusations that Iraq has links with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, the Straits Times reported.

An overwhelming 85 per cent of the lawmakers, academics and business leaders interviewed in the Straits Times AsiaPoll said they opposed military action against Iraq without a U.N. mandate, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

The poll was conducted last week when British Prime Minister Tony Blair released a 50-page dossier accusing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of hiding weapons of mass destruction, and the United States said Iraq has helped train members of Al-Qaeda in chemical weapons development.

More than 80 percent wanted more convincing evidence against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

But opposition to a war falls significantly if Iraq refuses a return of U.N. weapons inspectors. While 85 per cent oppose an attack currently, only 36 per cent would object to a military strike if Iraq blocks weapons inspections.

The Straits Times said its bureaus in 10 Asian cities spoke to about 100 lawmakers, senior government officials, diplomats, think-tank experts and chief executives to assess Asian views on the U.S. push for a “regime change” in Iraq.

It found most have yet to be convinced by the evidence presented so far, and if there is to be war, it would not have full Asian backing if the U.S. attacked without a U.N. mandate.

There was a reluctance to use force, even though about half the respondents expressed doubts about Saddam’s sincerity when he agreed to allow weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad.

“Unilateral U.S. action against Iraq would invalidate the power of the U.N. And if the US does it, other countries can follow suit,” said Rizal Buendia, the political science department chairman at De La Salle University in the Philippines.

“The U.S. is acting too much like a bully.”

Asians fear an attack on Iraq will have several negative consequences - among them more terrorist attacks, a global economic crisis and an increase in religious tensions.

Those polled were also anxious about the loss of innocent lives in the Middle-East and beyond, as well as an increase in anti-American sentiments in the region, the Straits Times reported.

“Now Iraq is much weaker. Saddam can barely keep things together, and he just cannot be an aggressor,” said Indonesian legislator Suryadharma Ali.

If the U.S. shows an attitude that is unfair towards weaker countries, then terrorism will rise.

“Using terror tactics is the only way for weaker countries to fight back against stronger military and economic powers.

“This will of course spark other types of tensions and other problems.”

It was the second regional poll by the newspaper on the Iraq issue. In the earlier survey published on September 1, respondents said they might drop opposition to an attack if there was irrefutable evidence that Saddam was developing weapons of mass destruction.

Blair has since released a fat filed claiming Iraq’s pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons is “active, detailed and growing.”

Iraq dismissed the charges as “baseless” and biased.

It also denied as “lies” and “very stupid” accusations by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Washington had “solid evidence” of top-level contacts between Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network and Iraq going back a decade, including possible chemical weapons training.

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