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In a last-ditch attempt to avert a US-led war on Iraq, France, Germany and Russia on Monday continued to push for a new Security Council ministerial meeting to search for consensus on Iraq.
The decision by the United States, Britain and Spain not to put their draft resolution to a vote gave the council an opportunity to "make last-ditch efforts to find a common approach" to achieving the goal of peacefully disarming Iraq, Germany's UN Ambassador Gunter Pleuger told reporters.
"We're making the last-ditch effort to find a solution on the basis of the joint declaration of the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Russia to finish the disarmament of Iraq in a peaceful way," Pleuger said after the council ended an emergency session on Iraq.
He said the declaration, circulated on Sunday among the council members as a council document, proposed holding a ministerial meeting on Iraq as soon as possible.
So far, there have been no public comments from the pro-war camp. Diplomats said the plan would most likely be rejected by the United States and Britain as the final countdown to war on Iraq has already begun.
Moreover, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Monday that the use of force against Iraq would have "serious consequences" for the Middle East and the world.
"France regrets a decision which is not justified today and which runs the risk of having serious consequences for the region and the world," de Villepin said in a statement.
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2003)
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