Iraq said yesterday independent media and individuals should accompany any UN arms inspectors, voicing fears that Washington would otherwise use the inspections as a pretext for war.
In the US, President George W. Bush pressed hard for a UN Security Council resolution to end seven weeks of wrangling and force Iraq to surrender any weapons of mass destruction.
Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan made clear in remarks published by Iraqi newspapers that Baghdad did not trust the US or the inspectors.
"America doesn't want the return of inspectors. It wants to issue a resolution with a [tough] formula in order to be rejected by Iraq and give it a pretext to commit aggression against Iraq," Ra-madan said.
Putting forward the idea for independent media and individuals to accompany the inspection teams, he said, "We will not allow the inspectors to be the sole source [of information] because we don't trust them."
Ramadan said it was wrong to rely solely on the "head of any [inspection] team who would send a report to the [UN] Security Council which would issue a resolution based on that report."
The US, backed by Britain, has been urging the other three veto-wielding Security Council members to back a new resolution to get Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to give up any weapons of mass destruction or face dire consequences.
US officials have called this week decisive but have set no deadline for giving up on the UN. One official said it was remotely possible the matter could slip into next week.
Bush told a political rally in Denver, Colorado, on Monday: "The message from America is this: If the United Nations doesn't have the will or the courage to disarm Saddam Hussein, and if Saddam Hussein will not disarm, for the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom, the United States will lead a coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein."
At the UN, the two men poised to lead the efforts to uncover any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction endorsed the idea of warning Saddam of consequences for failing to cooperate with inspectors.
Chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix and Mohammed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in charge of inspecting any Iraqi nuclear arms, met the 15-member Security Council as it continued its debate on Iraq.
In Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said France would not accept any clause in a UN resolution that included an automatic recourse to military action.
"Recourse to force can only be the last resort," he said.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in comments published yesterday it was too soon to decide whether the Security Council should meet at ministerial level on Iraq.
"It's an option," French newspaper Le Monde quoted Powell as saying in an interview with several newspapers.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
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