U.S. Increasingly Isolated Over Iraq
Russia, China Join France, Germany in Opposing War Now
Reuters, January 23, 2003

The Bush administration faced new problems today in its confrontation with Iraq as China and Russia joined U.S. allies France and Germany in rejecting early military action.

The nations neighboring Iraq also convened a key meeting today in Turkey aimed at finding ways of averting a war.

The stand taken by Paris, Beijing and Moscow means a majority of the five veto-wielding permanent members on the U.N. Security Council are against rushing into war. The other two members are the United States and Britain, who continued their military buildup in the Gulf region today.

The Bush administration has indicated it could launch military action without Security Council backing.

In Berlin today, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vowed he and French President Jacques Chirac will do all they can to avert war. "War may never be considered unavoidable," he said.

In Athens today, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said there were no grounds to use force at the moment. ... (more)
- posted by ARYABHATT @ 6:37 pm