Bush Gives Iraq 'Enough Room' to Destroy WMD: Mubarak

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, October 10, 2002

Bush Gives Iraq 'Enough Room' to Destroy WMD: Mubarak

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US President George W. Bush has given Iraq "enough room" to respond to UN Security Council resolutions on the destruction of its weapons of mass destruction, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Wednesday.

Mubarak made the remark in response to Bush's latest speech on Iraq while inaugurating a road in the Mediterranean port city of Rashid, the official MENA news agency reported.

"Bush's speech has a lot of positive aspects," Mubarak said, expressing belief that the US stance is gradually changing.

"All parties are doing their best to reach a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis to avoid any harm to civilians," Mubarak said, adding Iraq would get rid of any weapons of mass destruction it may have.

"The Iraqis have told us that they have no such weapons," he noted.

Mubarak said "British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw came to Egyptto clarify his country's stance on the Iraqi issue, and Britain wishes Iraq would comply with relevant UN resolutions because all countries, including the United States, want to avoid war."

In an address on the first anniversary of the Afghan War on Monday, Bush warned that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must disarm himself or face military actions from Washington.

"While there are many dangers in the world, the threat from Iraq stands alone, because it gathers the most serious dangers of our age in one place," Bush said in the televised speech in Cincinnati,Ohio.

"The time for denying, deceiving, and delaying has come to an end. Saddam Hussein must disarm himself -- or, for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition to disarm him," Bush stressed.

Bush also urged the Congress to show unity by approving a resolution authorizing him to use force against Iraq, saying "approving this resolution does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable."

The United States has accused Iraq of developing weapons of mass destruction, posing a threat to security of its neighboring countries, and threatened to use all tools to topple Hussein. Iraq has denied the allegation.

Egypt, a key US ally in the Mideast region, has said the Iraqi issue must be solved peacefully and within the framework of the international legitimacy and UN resolutions.

Last week, Mubarak warned against changing the regime of a sovereign state, saying any attack on Iraq could lead to a chaos and instability in the whole Mideast region.

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