Mexico President Pushes for Peace in Iraq, Denies Conflict With United States
By JOHN RICE | Associated Press 02/14/2003
EXICO CITY - On the eve of a new U.N. Security Council debate about a looming war in Iraq, Mexican President Vicente Fox repeated his nation's "permanent, passionate" search for peace."
Speaking to reporters after picking up his voting credential in Mexico City, Fox denied that Mexico's position meant a conflict with the United States, which has warned that it might strike Iraq even without a new, explicit U.N. resolution.
Fox expressed Mexico's "aid and solidarity" in the U.S. struggle against terrorism and "when we take multilateral decisions in the U.N. Security Council." Mexico has a non-permanent seat on the council.
"The search for peace is permanent, passionate. But today the whole world also has a responsibility to combat terrorism and we have a responsibility - through the Security Council - to have Iraq disarm," Fox said.
He repeated earlier calls for dialogue to overcome "different points of view" - apparently a reference to U.S. and British differences with France, Germany and Russia over how urgently Iraq should be prodded.
"I am full of hope that we can achieve a resolution, or a common position, which implies precisely avoiding war," Fox said.
But he added he hoped the measure also "assures ... the disarmament of Iraq so that it is not a constant threat to peace, that assures that Iraq does not support and does not participate in terrorist groups."
"I think there are formulas that can achieve this double goal, and that is what Mexico is doing in the Security Council," Fox said.
Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez was to attend Friday's session of the Security Council.
Mexican newspaper columnists and political commentators have been overwhelmingly opposed to a war with Iraq. Mexico's government has pushed for giving U.N. weapon inspectors more time to help disarm Iraq - while at the same time trying to avoid a confrontation with the United States, its largest trading partner.
One of the nation's major newspapers, Reforma, devoted its top front-page story on Thursday to warnings by U.S. analysts that refusal to back a U.S. attack on Iraq could damage relations with Mexico's northern neighbor.
Asked if there was a confrontation with the United States, Fox replied, "Of course not. There does not have to be." |
