UNITED NATIONS, March 12: An overwhelming majority of member states, speaking on Tuesday at an open UN Security Council debate on Iraq called for a peaceful resolution of the crisis instead of military action.

The debate was called for by the non-aligned members of the world body to give an opportunity to non-Security Council members to air their views on the impending military action.

Only a handful of nations supported the US-led tough approach on Iraq. South Korea said Iraq had not shown adequate and voluntary cooperation, and urged the establishment of a clear ultimatum for the country’s disarmament.

“In the name of humanity, we appeal to the members of this council not to resort to military action against Iraq,” Zainuddin Yahya, Charge d’Affaires of Malaysia, current NAM president, said, stressing that the Movement’s 116 member states represented two-thirds of humanity.

Mr Yahya said “we believe this is possible without resorting to war. The council should remain conscious of the untold misery that war will inflict on the countries and people in the region.”

Speaking at the outset of the debate, the Iraqi Ambassador to the UN, Mohammed A. Aldouri, reasserted that Iraq was cooperating with UN inspectors and said the goal of the United States and Britain was not disarmament “but rather to put their hands on our oil and control the area.”

Stressing that Iraq had taken the strategic decision to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction, Mr Aldouri said peaceful means, dialogue and cooperation were the shortest and best way to resolve the current crisis.

“My delegation calls upon the international community to prevent a catastrophe which has become imminent and calls upon the Security Council and the secretary-general of the United Nations to shoulder the responsibilities in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and that is to thwart any aggression aimed at Iraq,” he said.

Kuwaiti Ambassador, Mohammad A. Abulhasan declared that Kuwait supported the US-UK-Spanish draft resolution. He said it reflected the council’s determination with respect to Iraq’s challenge to the international community and deserved full support.