UAE official says Iraq issue must be resolved peacefully through U.N.

A United Arab Emirates official told a Japanese Communist Party delegation that UAE is in agreement with the JCP in calling for the Iraq question to be resolved peacefully by U.N initiative.

Japanese Communist Party International Bureau Director Ogata Yasuo met with Abdullah Rashid al Noaimi, assistant undersecretary for Political Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi on October 26.

Ogata explained that he has exchanged opinions with government officials or parliamentarians of countries in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region concerning a peaceful solution to the issue involving Iraq.

Al Noaimi said the UAE is calling on Iraq to comply with U.N. resolutions and on the U.S. to respect the U.N. authority and act within the framework of the United Nations.

Stressing that the U.N. Charter and the role of U.N. bodies are essential for world peace, Al Noaimi said that in new resolutions now being discussed in the U.N. Security Council, the U.N. should give the Iraqi government a chance to implement U.N. resolutions, and if Saddam Hussein's government acts against these resolutions, the U.N. Security Council should be the one to decide measures to deal with it.

He criticized the Iraqi government for ignoring U.N. resolutions and the Bush administration for planning military strikes unilaterally against Iraq.

From the JCP standpoint that all countries must adhere to the U.N. Charter and international law, the JCP is in opposition to U.S. attacks against Iraq, Ogata said.

Al Noaimi said that U.S. strikes against Iraq will bring difficulties in international cooperation for anti-terrorism. He said that the UAE has notified the Bush government of the region's sentiments and attitudes and that it warned the United States against any unilateral actions as a threat to international peace.

Prior to the talks, JCP Ogata met with Muhammad Salem al-Mazroui, secretary general of the UAE Federal National Council. (end)