Carter: No Reason for War if Iraq Complies

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 09, 2002

Carter: No Reason for War if Iraq Complies

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, arriving in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, said Sunday there was no reason for a U.S. war on Iraq if Baghdad complies with U.N. weapons demands.

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Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, arriving in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, said Sunday there was no reason for a U.S. war on Iraq if Baghdad complies with U.N. weapons demands.

Carter, 78, will be honored in a ceremony Tuesday for his decades of peace efforts around the world, in particular his mediation of the 1978 Camp David peace accord between Israel and Egypt.

When Carter was announced as the winner in October, Nobel committee chairman Gunnar Berge said the prize also sends a message to the Bush administration to avoid war on Iraq �� though the comments raised a flap with some other members, who said the award didn't have such a direct political link.

As Carter landed in Norway, Iraq had submitted a nearly 12,000-page report on its weapons program in time for Sunday's deadline under the U.N. Security Council Resolution.

President Bush has threatened war against Iraq on the belief that it is hiding weapons of mass destruction �� something Iraq denies.

"I think if Iraq continues to completely comply, then I see no reason for the war," said Carter, who for decades has urged dialogue and diplomacy instead of force whenever possible in resolving conflicts.

Carter was accompanied by his wife, Rosalyn, and other family members.

Nobel celebrations start Monday with a news conference by Carter, followed by an evening dinner with the awards committee. Carter is to accept the peace prize at the Oslo City Hall.

Tuesday's festivities also include an audience with Norway's King Harald V, a meeting with 3,000 school children, a parade, a banquet and a traditional Nobel Peace Concert.

The Nobel prizes are always presented on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of their benefactor, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. The peace prize is awarded in Oslo, and the other Nobel prizes in Stockholm, Sweden. The prizes include a $1 million cash award.

Source: Agencies

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