International Community Is Seized, US Ambassador

The international community is seized these days by the issue of Iraq. Three times within the last six weeks the Foreign Ministers of Security Council members have assembled in New York to address the issue of Iraqi compliance with US Security Council Resolution 1441,which demands Iraq's complete, immediate and unconditional cooperation with the UN in ridding itself of weapons of mass destruction.

This was the essence of speech of the US Ambassador in Uzbekistan Mr. John Herbst to students and Faculty at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy at Tashkent. On March 7, Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council that Iraqi cooperation with the UN in the disarmament process had improved, but the cooperation was neither full nor complete. At the same time, France, Russia and China have expressed opposition to the resolution that permits, at this stage, the use of force, added the diplomat.

Further he spoke about the countries like Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa and Ukraine who all gave up nuclear weapons and the process did not take 12 years or armies of inspectors. He also told that the initiative and goodwill of these governments something that US never seen from the government of Baghdad. Hence, we believe that the best way to achieve peaceful disarmament is for Saddam Hussein to set down in resolution 1441 and the 13 previous resolutions, added diplomat. It may be mentioned here that Uzbek President Mr. Islam Karimov already told that Uzbekistan agrees with US on Iraq issue fully because chemical weapons of Iraq are like JINN in a closed bottle. Earlier he also added that it is necessary to destroyed at the earliest otherwise it may reach to the hands of terrorists.

Aloke Shekhar Uzbekistan Special to PRAVDA.Ru

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