Iraqi Situation 'not Totally Hopeless': Chinese Envoy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Iraqi Situation 'not Totally Hopeless': Chinese Envoy

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Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Wang Yingfan on Monday expressed China's support for the memorandum by France, Germany and Russia, and its belief that the situation is still not totally hopeless.

He told reporters that he had assured the sponsors that China will study that draft very carefully. "We fully agree with the contents of that memorandum, but I also stressed that despite all the differences we experienced inside the council, however, I still found some common ground like implementation of resolution 1441, disarmament issue in Iraq."

The Security Council met Monday afternoon after the three countries submitted a memorandum calling for a step-by-step disarmament of Iraq through peaceful means.

Meanwhile, a draft resolution, cosponsored by the United States,Britain and Spain to set the stage for war against Iraq, declared that Baghdad has failed to take advantage the final opportunity to disarm peacefully.

The draft, to be introduced formally to all the 15 members of the UN Security Council, set no deadlines but noted that the council has warned Iraq "it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violations of its obligations."

US, Britain, Spain present draft new Iraq resolution to UN

The United States, Britain and Spain Monday submitted a draft new Iraq resolution to the United Nations Security Council, which is holding a closed meeting dominated by the Iraqi issue.

The draft document was formally presented by British UN Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock on the behalf of the three countries.

On the other side, France, Germany and Russia are expected to submit to the meeting their joint counter plan, which recommends astep-by-step program of peaceful disarmament of Iraq.

In a copy of the draft US-British-Spanish document obtained by Xinhua earlier, the United States, Britain and Spain declare that Iraq "has failed to take the final opportunity afforded to it in resolution 1441."

The one-page draft says Iraq has been and remains in material breach of its obligations.

It also declares that the Iraqi arms declaration contained "false statements and omissions" and "has failed to comply with, and cooperate fully in the implementation of, that resolution (1441)," and thus the country constituted "a further material breach.

The draft document does not set any deadlines. But the United States and Britain made it clear they want the UN Security Council to vote by mid-March.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told a regular news briefing Monday that the United States does not expect the Security Council to take many days to discuss a new resolution on Iraq, saying that such a document should be voted on in short order.

"The president (George W. Bush) expects it to be voted on in short order. (But) I think it's impossible to specify an exact date," Fleischer said.

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