BEIJING, Nov 29: China on Thursday warned that the war on terrorism should not be expanded at will, reacting to speculation that the United States might add Iraq to its list of military targets.
“We are against expanding the attacks at will,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told a regular press briefing.
Her statement came after US President George W. Bush warned that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must allow UN arms inspectors back in Iraq to prove he is not developing weapons of mass destruction.
Asked what consequences a refusal would bring, the US leader curtly replied: “He’ll find out.”
The cryptic reply fuelled speculation that the regime in Baghdad might be next on Washington’s list of targets after Afghanistan, in a campaign launched in riposte for the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Zhang said that China remained a supporter of the war against terrorism, but reaffirmed Chinese caveats.
“We maintain that the fight should follow the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the relevant norms of international law, and should be based on concrete evidence,” she said.
STRAINS ON COALITION: The international anti-terrorism coalition remained under strain as key partners of US President George W. Bush in Europe, the Arab world and Asia reacted to fears that Iraq could soon be added the list of US military targets.
Veiled threats by Bush that the US could soon turn its wrath on Baghdad have triggered calls for caution from Britain, France and Germany, Bush’s Big Three backers in his war in Afghanistan.
They have also set alarm bells ringing in Arab capitals, amid fears that a military operation against Iraq could destabilise the whole region.
Late on Wednesday Egypt became the latest Arab country to adds its voice to concerns from the region, saying any use of force against Iraq by the United States in a second stage of its war on terror would be a “mistake.”
Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher warned during a visit to Washington that any use of force against Iraq “will have a very negative impact on all of us” and “would pose serious internal problems for friends of the United States.”
“It would not solve the problem and would detract from solidarity,” Maher said. “There should not be an attack on Arab countries.”
Bush warned this week that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a sworn enemy of Washington since the 1991 Gulf War, must allow UN arms inspectors back in Iraq to prove he is not developing weapons of mass destruction.
Asked what consequences a refusal would bring, the US leader curtly replied: “He’ll find out” — a cryptic reply that fuelled speculation that the regime in Baghdad might be next on Washington’s list of targets, in a campaign launched in riposte to the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Since the military operations which started on October 7 in Afghanistan, where number one terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden and top members of his militant al-Qaeda network are believed to be hiding, US officials have made various statements indicating possible other targets, including Iraq, Syria and Sudan.
On Wednesday US officials refused to spell out the full meaning of the president’s words and intentions, adding to the anxiety that has gripped Arab capitals.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that Bush’s statement was “clear, declaratory and not requiring amplification”, while his spokesman Richard Boucher stressed that Washington was watching Iraq “very, very closely”.
Several Arab allies of Washington have already told US officials that a strike on Iraq would have “catastrophic” repercussions for the region and could directly threaten their own regimes.
British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said that extending the action to Iraq was not justified.—AFP
