US Faces Severe Criticism From Global Leaders |
The US-led invasion of Iraq was criticized by world leaders on Monday, who claimed military action was unilateral, discarded the views of the international population, and would create more problems than it proposed to solve.
European public opinion has been ignored by the US and some of its European allies, the head of the council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Peter Schieder said.
"The views of the majority of Europe's citizens were dismissed, not only by an outside nation (the United States) but also by several states within the council of Europe," he told reporters at the opening session of the 45-member assembly.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladamir Putin announced that the receipt of more than 6,000 messages of support for his stand against the Iraq war.
"The correspondence confirms a sharp stance against the polices taken by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minster Tony Blair," said a statement issued by the Kremlin on Monday.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned that the US military campaign in Iraq would not reduce terror threats to the United States.
"I fear this war will have enormous consequences and lead to an increase in terrorism. When this war ends, there may be 100 Bin Ladens instead of just one."
"The war will have political, economic, and social consequences that will be difficult to face," the president told army officers in a televised address.
In Iran authorities flatly rejected charges made by US secretary of state Colin Powell's stating that alleging that it sponsors terrorists and pursues weapons of mass destruction. Powell's speech was delivered to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington.
"The US forces' failures in Iraq has made them aim their propaganda accusations against Iran time and again," said government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh
Reacting to charges leveled against Iran, and earlier US allegations claiming Syria was supporting Iraqi resistance, Arab League Secretary general Amro Moussa said American military actions against either one of the two states would result in a "mess."
"It would sow havoc all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean, it would reach borders that you can't imagine," he told the BBC on Monday.
Mousa mocked the often repeated notion of the US's intension to liberate Iraqis. "Do you think that democracy will come to Iraq on a B-52? Or on the back of a tank? Or with the armored division?" he said.
The Bush administration's view that the UN might have a limited role in post-war Iraq was also not received favorably.
UN atomic energy agency (IAEA) head Mohammed El Baradei insisted that his mandate to inspect banned arms in Iraq was still valid. He said he expected to return to the country in his previous capacity, which is backed by UN security council resolutions and Iraq's ratification of the nuclear proliferation treaty
"The IAEA is the sole with legal authority to verify Iraq's nuclear disarmament," he said on Monday."The world has learned over three decades that only through impartial international inspections can credibility be generated," he said.
Indonesian Vice president Hazmah Haz said it might be necessary to develop a new or more independent UN.The aspirations of a majority of UN states should be accommodated instead of those of just a few, said Hamah who represents the world's most populous muslim nation.
The head of Indonesia's national assembly, the country's highest legislative body, was less diplomatic. On Monday, he submitted a letter to the United Nations building in Jakarta urging the international body to put Bush and his allies in the war on Iraq on trial.
Mexico took will take over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, saying it was committed to rebuilding consensus and dialogue among its members:
"The Mexican presidency will be very clear that what must be preserved is the institutional integrity of the United Nations, its effectiveness, the search for internal consensus" said Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, the Mexican ambassador to the UN.
"The whole business of Iraq has created constant tension between multilateralists and unilateralists," he said.--- Al Jazeera with agency inputs
Thursday 03, April, 2003
European public opinion has been ignored by the US and some of its European allies, the head of the council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Peter Schieder said.
"The views of the majority of Europe's citizens were dismissed, not only by an outside nation (the United States) but also by several states within the council of Europe," he told reporters at the opening session of the 45-member assembly.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladamir Putin announced that the receipt of more than 6,000 messages of support for his stand against the Iraq war.
"The correspondence confirms a sharp stance against the polices taken by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minster Tony Blair," said a statement issued by the Kremlin on Monday.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned that the US military campaign in Iraq would not reduce terror threats to the United States.
"I fear this war will have enormous consequences and lead to an increase in terrorism. When this war ends, there may be 100 Bin Ladens instead of just one."
"The war will have political, economic, and social consequences that will be difficult to face," the president told army officers in a televised address.
In Iran authorities flatly rejected charges made by US secretary of state Colin Powell's stating that alleging that it sponsors terrorists and pursues weapons of mass destruction. Powell's speech was delivered to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington.
"The US forces' failures in Iraq has made them aim their propaganda accusations against Iran time and again," said government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh
Reacting to charges leveled against Iran, and earlier US allegations claiming Syria was supporting Iraqi resistance, Arab League Secretary general Amro Moussa said American military actions against either one of the two states would result in a "mess."
"It would sow havoc all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean, it would reach borders that you can't imagine," he told the BBC on Monday.
Mousa mocked the often repeated notion of the US's intension to liberate Iraqis. "Do you think that democracy will come to Iraq on a B-52? Or on the back of a tank? Or with the armored division?" he said.
The Bush administration's view that the UN might have a limited role in post-war Iraq was also not received favorably.
UN atomic energy agency (IAEA) head Mohammed El Baradei insisted that his mandate to inspect banned arms in Iraq was still valid. He said he expected to return to the country in his previous capacity, which is backed by UN security council resolutions and Iraq's ratification of the nuclear proliferation treaty
"The IAEA is the sole with legal authority to verify Iraq's nuclear disarmament," he said on Monday."The world has learned over three decades that only through impartial international inspections can credibility be generated," he said.
Indonesian Vice president Hazmah Haz said it might be necessary to develop a new or more independent UN.The aspirations of a majority of UN states should be accommodated instead of those of just a few, said Hamah who represents the world's most populous muslim nation.
The head of Indonesia's national assembly, the country's highest legislative body, was less diplomatic. On Monday, he submitted a letter to the United Nations building in Jakarta urging the international body to put Bush and his allies in the war on Iraq on trial.
Mexico took will take over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, saying it was committed to rebuilding consensus and dialogue among its members:
"The Mexican presidency will be very clear that what must be preserved is the institutional integrity of the United Nations, its effectiveness, the search for internal consensus" said Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, the Mexican ambassador to the UN.
"The whole business of Iraq has created constant tension between multilateralists and unilateralists," he said.--- Al Jazeera with agency inputs
Thursday 03, April, 2003