No Decision on Further Military Action Against Iraq: British Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, May 15, 2002

No Decision on Further Military Action Against Iraq: British Official

Visiting British Secretary of Defense Geoff Hoon on Tuesday stressed that there is no decision yet in his country or the United States on any further military action against Iraq.

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Visiting British Secretary of Defense Geoff Hoon on Tuesday stressed that there is no decision yet in his country or the United States on any further military action against Iraq.

However, Hoon, who arrived in Kuwait City earlier in the day for a brief visit, said in a statement that there is an international demand for Iraq to implement the related United Nations Security Council resolutions, adding that Iraq's implementation is important for regional stability and international security.

"We should be confident about what is happening in Iraq as far as the development of weapons of mass destruction," he said, "we will continue to be concerned and suspicious that Iraq is preventing a proper inspection by the United Nations and we will continue to press Iraq to respect decisions by the U.N. Security Council."

Britain remains fully committed to the security of Kuwait and to containing the threat posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to regional and international stability, Hoon added.

On the issue of prisoners of war (POWs), he underlined that " Iraq should fully cooperate on the issue," adding that "Britain will not forget the POWs issue and will continue its work to help resolve this humanitarian tragedy."

Kuwait says Iraq is still holding more than 600 people of its own and other countries' nationals who disappeared during the Iraqi seven-month occupation of Kuwait in 1990 and 90 percent of them are Kuwaitis.

Baghdad has denied any knowledge of them and accused Kuwait of withholding information on the fate of 1,142 Iraqis missing since 1991 Gulf war, which ended with Iraq's expulsion from Kuwait by a U.S.-led coalition of forces.

On a question on whether his country has a plan to increase its military presence in Kuwait, Hoon said that "there is no specific plan for the increase."

However, he said that "the number of the British forces will fluctuate according to circumstances and we have a very strong representation here because of the excellence of our friendship with Kuwait."

During his short visit, Hoon met with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah for talks on issues of common concern.

A statement issued after the meeting by the Kuwaiti army said that the talks covered defense and military cooperation and exchange of military expertise within bilateral security agreements in addition to reviewing the latest regional developments.

Hoon also met with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and other senior officials.

It is Hoon's second visit to the oil-rich Gulf state since he came to office in 1999. His first visit was in Febuary, 2000.

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