Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said in Beijing Thursday that the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 shows the international community's hope for resolving the Iraqi issue by political means.
Tang made the remark during talks with his French counterpart, Dominique de Villepin.
Iraq submitted the report on weapons of mass destruction in a timely manner and had adopted a cooperative attitude with regard to the weapons inspection, he said.
This situation was not easy to achieve and should be valued, Tang said.
He stressed continuing weapons inspections so as to clear up the issue, and giving complete trust and support for the work of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC)and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
All major issues should be decided in the UN Security Council on the basis of the opinions of all relevant parties, Tang said.
De Villepin said that, on the Iraqi issue, the authority of the UN Security Council should be upheld and that Resolution 1441 should be fully implemented.
He called for full support to the work of the UNMOVIC and the IAEA. Iraq should also actively cooperate with their work, he said.
The minister also stressed the importance of resolving the Iraqi issue in a peaceful manner.
(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2003)
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