The way to avoid war -- Akahata editorial, October 18The danger of U.S. military strikes against Iraq on the pretext of Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction is increasing.
The war, which the United States has in mind, involves preemptive strikes in violation of international law, the reason being that Iraq possibly has developed or possesses nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. U.S. President Bush's call for the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein government makes such military action totally illegal. World opinion demanding a halt to the U.S. war policy is increasing.
The key to resolving the problem is Iraq's compliance with its own promise to the U.N. and unconditional acceptance of U.N. inspections of weapons of mass destruction. Doing this is crucial for developing world opinion that will isolate the reckless U.S. war policy by depriving the U.S. of a pretext for attacking Iraq.
Promise to JCP representatives
It is important to note that senior Iraqi government officials promised that their country would unconditionally accept a U.N. inspection team, which was made by the speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly and the director of the first political bureau of the Foreign Ministry of Iraq to Japanese Communist Party House of Councilors member and JCP International Bureau director Ogata Yasuo and Morihara Kimitoshi, who are on a tour of Middle East countries in quest of peace in Iraq.
The U.N. and Iraq have agreed on resuming inspections. But inspections have not started yet because the United States at U.N. Security Council meetings showed disapproval of the agreement, saying that unconditional inspections of eight presidential palaces in Iraq are not assured.
In answer to Ogata's question whether the inspections cover facilities related to eight presidential palaces, Iraqi officials said, yes, adding that inspections will be accepted at every place. This statement is the most explicit of all the Iraqi statements on foreign relations. If these words are kept, there will be no obstacle to the resumption of U.N. inspections. Then the United States will lose every pretext for carrying out strikes against Iraq.
However, it happened in the past that Iraq put many questions to U.N. inspections as part of a delaying tactic.
On this point, Ogata frankly pointed out that Iraq in the past has concealed the facts and cheated international opinion, causing distrust among the international community. Iraqi officials attentively listened to Ogata.
Based on the JCP's position of giving priority to diplomatic efforts to prevent war and solve problems by peaceful means, Ogata stated that the problem must be solved in the United Nations based on U.N. resolutions so that the UNSC resolution calling for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to be destroyed will be fully implemented.
Inspections of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are what the international community has called for as a consequence of its criticism of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. If Iraq wants to maintain its position as a member of the international community, it should unconditionally accept inspections, ensure that inspections are thoroughly carried out, and that weapons of mass destruction be eliminated.
In reply to Ogata, Iraqi officials said that they will accept a new round of inspections, make clear that Iraq has no weapon of mass destruction, cooperate with the United Nations, and put an end to this problem as soon as possible.
The JCP representatives visited Iraq at a time when U.S. strikes against Iraq are imminent and held talks with Iraqi government officials to frankly state the JCP's view and push them into promising that Iraq will unconditionally accept U.N. inspections. The JCP's active diplomacy displayed its remarkable ability.
U.N. must implement inspection immediately
Iraq's unconditional acceptance of U.N. inspections does not automatically mean that the United States will abandon its plan of attacking Iraq.
The real U.S. intention in going to war against Iraq is to remove the Hussein government and establish a U.S. puppet regime.
Whether to succeed in preventing a U.S. attack on Iraq literally depends on the future efforts of international politics and public opinion.
The United Nations should ascertain for itself Iraq's intention to unconditionally accept the inspection and immediately implement it. It must start action in order to prevent the planned U.S. reckless attack on Iraq in disregard of the U.N. (end)