Chirac sees Bush war ultimatum as "unilateral" and "contrary to the will of the UN”

PARIS, March 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The ultimatum issued to Iraq by U.S. President George W. Bush was a "unilateral decision" that was "contrary to the will of the UN Security Council," the French presidency said early Tuesday, March 18.

Bush late Monday warned President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq within 48 hours or face a U.S.-led war to topple his "dying regime" and strip Baghdad of (alleged) weapons of mass destruction.

"An ultimatum has been sent to Iraq, without consultations with the United Nations Security Council," the Elysee Palace said in a communique, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"This unilateral decision is contrary to the will of the UN Security Council and of the international community which want to continue the disarmament of Iraq in line with Resolution 1441," the communique said. 

China Says War Should Be Avoided
   
Meanwhile, China's new premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday every effort should still be made to avoid war with Iraq and that the inspection work should continue.

"On the question of Iraq, China's position has been consistent and we adopt a responsible position," he said at a press conference.

"We advocate the Iraq question should be solved diplomatically and peacefully under the UN Framework. Every effort should be made to avoid war."

He added: "The UN Resolution 1441 should be comprehensively and effectively implemented. Inspection work should continue."

However, Wen acknowledged that "The arrow has been placed on the bow.

"It's a touch and go situation, however, so long as there's one glimmer of hope, we will not give up our efforts for a peaceful and political settlement.

"China's position is a clear-cut one. We insist on continued efforts to seek a peaceful solution on the question of Iraq through political means."

Dire Fallout If Iraq Attacked
   
Late Monday, Paris and Moscow warned that a war against Iraq would have dire consequences for the entire world and called jointly for last-ditch diplomatic efforts to avert a near certain attack.

"France regrets a decision which is not justified today and which runs the risk of having serious consequences for the region and the world," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said.

He was referring to a decision by Britain, Spain and the United States to withdraw a UN resolution seeking to disarm Iraq by force.

"Despite the wish clearly expressed by the international community, the United States, Britain and Spain today stressed their determination to resort to force," de Villepin said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also formally disassociated Russia from strikes against Iraq as Washington closed the door to a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.

Putin said a U.S.-led war, which Russia insists has no legal basis, "would be a mistake with the most serious consequences, leading to casualties and the destabilization of the international situation as a whole."

In telephone talks late Monday, Putin and his French counterpart Jacques Chirac reiterated their conviction that UN diplomatic efforts were necessary to resolve the Iraqi crisis, the Kremlin said.

"Both sides stressed the necessity to continue with diplomatic efforts within the UN framework despite the serious escalation in the situation," a statement said.

Russia and France last week joined Germany in a last-ditch effort to avoid war by urging the Security Council to draw up a disarmament task list, binding Iraq to strict deadlines Baghdad must keep to preserve peace.

Paris, Berlin and Moscow said that the inspections process imposed under UN Resolution 1441 last November was working and could be toughened up in order to force Baghdad to dispose of weapons of mass destruction that Washington and London insist it has.

The proposal would come before the Security Council on Wednesday, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by the ITAR-TASS news agency.

UN weapons inspectors confirmed that "Iraq is most active in its cooperation with the monitors, gave them access to lots of documents about the banned weapons it destroyed," Lavrov said, adding that most Security Council members "were disappointed by US and British refusal to continue diplomatic efforts."