China -- one of five permanent UN Security Council members -- has maintained close ties with all parties concerned and cooperated actively to steer the Iraq question towards a political settlement, Tang said.

"I believe there is a consensus in the international community that the Iraq question should be resolved politically within the UN framework,'' he said.

At this critical moment, the Security Council and international community should continuously work harder in this regard, he said.

On Tuesday, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency presented a report on Iraq's compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions.

"The report said the work of the weapons inspectors had generally been carried out smoothly but that more time is needed to deepen the UN inspection process. I believe this sounds reasonable,'' Tang said.

The Security Council has passed a number of resolutions on the Iraq question, which Baghdad must implement fully and conscientiously, he said.

Tang's remarks were echoed by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue, who said at Thursday's regular press briefing that the UN, especially the Security Council, should play a leading role in solving the Iraq issue.

She reiterated that UN inspectors searching for evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq should be allowed to decide for themselves how much time they need to finish the job.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Government congratulated Dr Lee Jong-wook of the Republic of Korea on his nomination on Tuesday as director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The nomination will be submitted to the 56th World Health Assembly for approval. It is scheduled for May in Geneva.

The new director-general will start his five-year term on July 21, replacing incumbent Gro Harlem Brundtland, according to a WHO news release.

China supports Lee Jong-wook in his efforts to be the WHO's new director-general, Zhang said.

"Mr Lee Jong-wook has a wealth of technical know-how and managerial experience,'' Zhang said. "We believe that the WHO, under his leadership, will contribute more to the undertaking of improving world health.''

In his first news conference following the nomination, Lee said the WHO is not a political forum.

Lee said he will uphold the one-China policy and will not see the Taiwan question interfere with the work of the WHO, the People's Daily reported Thursday.

Taiwan has been seeking to "participate'' in the WHO for years but in vain.

WHO membership is only open to sovereign states and Taiwan, as part of China, does not meet these qualifications, spokeswoman Zhang said earlier.

When asked to comment on the tone of the State of the Union address that United States President George W. Bush made on Tuesday, especially his tough-worded remarks on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Zhang said nations should respect each other.

The spokeswoman reiterated that all disputes should be addressed peacefully through dialogue, and the only effective approach to defusing tension on the Korean Peninsula was to pursue dialogue.

China has always supported a peaceful, stable and nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, she said.

(China Daily January 31, 2003)