March 10, 2003	Monday	Muharram 6, 1424

BEIJING, March 9: Chinese President Jiang Zemin and British Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed the Iraq crisis on Sunday but appeared no closer to agreement, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency said.

“War has no advantage for anyone,” it quoted Jiang as telling Blair by telephone. “Perhaps a political solution to a problem needs more time, but the cost is lower and best suits everyone’s interests,” Jiang said.

Blair said UN Security Council Resolution 1441 had already been in force for four months and Iraq had still not fully complied with it. The United Nations should now “take the next step”, the agency quoted him as saying without elaborating.

The United States, Britain and Spain have circulated a draft resolution charging that Iraq has failed in its “final opportunity” to disarm and could now face the “serious consequences” the council has threatened.

But China supports a joint statement by France, Russia and Germany urging a peaceful solution to the crisis, and believes a new resolution on Iraq is unnecessary.

Jiang said recent reports from UN weapons inspectors showed that their work in Iraq had made progress. China wants tougher inspections as part of a diplomatic solution within the UN framework, Jiang told Blair.

Last week in Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said France and Russia are likely to veto any Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq.

China has not said if it would veto such a resolution, and many analysts believe it is more likely to abstain if a vote takes place.

China and Britain are two of the five permanent members of the Security Council, with the right to veto its resolutions, along with the United States, France and Russia.—dpa