US Gives Canada Preview of New Case Against Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 31, 2003

US Gives Canada Preview of New Case Against Iraq

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham reiterated Thursday Canada's position that the United Nations should decide what to do next.

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Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham reiterated Thursday Canada's position that the United Nations should decide what to do next.

Graham made the comments after a brief meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington.

He also urged the United States not to act outside the UN framework if it decides on military action and hoped US to make multilateral efforts to solve the Iraqi issue by UN.

"The best way to ensure the security of the world and to ensure the security of the United States is through the United Nations because ultimately that is the world saying to Saddam Hussein: 'You have failed to act, here are the consequences'," he said.

Graham refused to comment directly on the latest American intelligence, which Powell intends to present to the Security Council on Feb. 5. The White House insists that Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction and poses a threat to global peace.

"I think what the secretary told me was that he intends to make a persuasive case that Iraq must be compelled to disarm, and Iraq has to understand that if it does not disarm there will be consequences for its failure to disarm," Graham said.

He bristled when some reporters asked him how Ottawa felt about some Americans' perceptions that Canada is "wobbly" about backing its ally in the possible use of force.

"We believe that Iraq has to know from the world community that it must disarm," Graham said, adding that "we all agree that if itfails to disarm,the United Nations will have to take its responsibility to make sure that Resolution 1441 is enforced."

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien told parliament when they discussed Iraq issue that Canada continues to insist that the UN lead any efforts to disarm Iraq.

Canada has refused to join other US allies in declaring Iraq tobe in breach of the Security Council's order to disarm.

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