http://dapmalaysia.org  

Iraq being a rogue state is no justification for the United States becoming a super-rogue state launching an unilateral war on Iraq without UN mandate and destroying the credibility and legitimacy of the United Nations Suhakam Report by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya,  Friday): Although the United States and Britain want to use the second reports of the United Nations chief weapons inspectors to the UN Security Council later today as the launchpad for an UN Security Council resolution authorizing war against Iraq, they are unlikely to get the necessary votes. At present, only four countries - Britain, the US, Bulgaria and Spain - would vote in favour. The remainder of the 15-member council would either vote against or abstain. There should also be no veto from anyone of the other three permanent members - France, Russia and China - which does not appear to be immediately achievable, whatever the US lobbying, pressures or blackmail. The stand taken by the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that UN Resolution 1441 calling on Baghdad to disarm "contains nothing automatic as far as military force is concerned" is the right and correct interpretation, and deserves the support of the international community. The UN chief weapons inspectors, Dr. Hans Blix and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, are expected to support continued inspections although their reports would raise continued questions about Iraq's compliance with UN disarmament demands. The UN Security Council's second resolution after Resolution 1441 should be to substantially strengthen the inspection regime and authorize a UN-mandated military force to ensure Iraq disarm, instead of "lighting the fuse" for war with a short 48 or 72-hour deadline for full Iraqi compliance. Iraq being a rogue state is no justification for the United States becoming a super-rogue state launching an unilateral war on Iraq without UN mandate, which will de-stabilise the world, fuel international terrorism and cripple for all time order-keeping institutions like the United Nations by destroying their credibility and legitimacy. Opposition to war against any US-led unilateral war against Iraq without UN authority is not anti-Americanism, and this is why the Bush Administration should heed the majority voices of the peoples of the world, as will be reflected by the millions and millions of people world-wide who will take place in "No War" demonstrations in over 350 cities tomorrow. (14/2/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman