IRAQ: US swims against world current, says UAE paper

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Att.Editors: The following item is by the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI, Mar 8 2003 (IPS) - A United Arab Emirates (UAE) paper today lambasted the United States and Britain for their warmongering and casting aside many positive steps made by Iraq and sticking to negatives.

– Reports by Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohammed El Baradie on Iraq’s compliance with UN disarmament resolutions have not only mentioned numerous positive aspects on Baghdad’s cooperation with inspectors but also refuted allegations about its capability of developing weapons of mass destruction," wrote the Arabic daily ‘Al Khaleej’ in its editorial.

The top UN inspectors yesterday told the UN Security Council that Iraq was largely cooperating with disarmament demands.

The paper questioned Washington and London’s rush to war and their insistence to look at the negatives and turn a blind eye to positives on Iraq’s cooperation with UN resolutions.

ôNegatives can be tackled if more time is granted to the inspectors and if Iraq is given a chance for the sake of reaching the aspired goals," the paper said.

ôThe US is rushing to war for reasons that are far away from what it is trying to sell – disarmament, democracy and regional stability," the paper charged.

War, the paper added, is what Washington is preparing for, in defiance of the whole world except Britain, Spain, Israel or mercenary countries and those who are afraid of the US.

ôFrance, Russia, China and Germany along with Arab, Islamic and international organizations say no to war. Peoples across the globe were and are still protesting the war against Iraq but their voices fell on deaf ears while the US is fabricating pretexts to wage its aggression on Iraq. The Bush administration is swimming against the current of human principles," concluded the paper.