War Against Iraq Neither Imminent nor Inevitable: US Envoy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, October 23, 2002

War Against Iraq Neither Imminent nor Inevitable: US Envoy

Visiting US Middle East envoy William Burns said in Damascus on Tuesday that war against Iraq was neither imminent nor inevitable, and rather it is the last option.

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Visiting US Middle East envoy William Burns said in Damascus on Tuesday that war against Iraq was neither imminent nor inevitable, and rather it is the last option.

After meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouq el-Shareh, Burns, also Assistant Secretary of State, told reporters that he held "open and fruitful talks" with them.

He said that he conveyed to them US President George W. Bush's vision on Palestinian statehood and the US efforts to establish comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of the Madrid Peace Conference, the land-for-peace principle and relevant UN resolutions, as well as the Arab peace initiative.

He urged all parties concerned to "meet their obligations to alleviate the sufferings of the Palestinian people and bring about peace and prosperity to the region."

"Violence and terrorism must stop. Both the Palestinians and Israelis must meet their obligations," he pointed out.

On the Quartet efforts, the US envoy said "We and our partners in the committee work towards ending the occupation, establishing aPalestinian state alongside Israel and ensuring coexistence and security between the two states."

The Quartet Committee for the Middle East comprises the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.

During his talks with Assad and Shareh, Burns explained his country's position on getting a new UN Security Council resolution to disarm Iraq. "War against Iraq is neither imminent nor inevitable. Rather, it is the final option," he underscored.

Both the United States and the other UN Security Council permanent members insist on the necessity of Iraq's full compliancewith the UN resolutions, he noted.

However, he stressed "no decision has been made on launching a military strike against Iraq."

"We focus our efforts on getting a new Security Council resolution to force Iraq to comply with international legitimacy," he said noting that "the United States is fully committed to Iraq'sstability and territorial integrity and takes into consideration the concerns of all Iraq's neighbors."

Asked about the guarantees for Israel's cessation of violence ifthe Palestinians cease fire, Burns said "We believe that all parties must stop violence.

The US envoy revealed that President Bush, during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington recently, expressed his concerns about the killing of Palestinian civilians and asked Sharon to ease the sufferings of the Palestinian people.

On the Syrian-Israeli track of talks in the light of Israel's cancellation of its peace accords with the Palestinians and its policy of escalation of violence, the Burns said "We insist on building on the hard-won progress that was achieved so far with a view to reactivating a serious political process that could lead tonot only two Palestinian and Israeli states but also a comprehensive peace for all parties."

"All concerned parties should comply with, and build on, the signed accords," he underlined.

Burns arrived here Tuesday morning for a brief visit to Syria.

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