IRAN CONDEMNED WAR ON IRAQ AS ILLEGITIMATE
TEHRAN 20 Mar. (IPS) Iran, in its first official reaction to the start of the American and British military operations against Iraq, condemned the attacks, describing it as "illegitimate" and called on Washington "halt to the attacks", thus joining China and other capitals opposed to the war.
"American military operations on Iraq are unjustifiable and illegitimate", the Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister said, quoted by the Press and Information Bureau of the Ministry.
President George W. Bush ordered Wednesday the start of military
operation in a five-minutes speech broadcast at 10 PM local time, (04.00 central
European time), assuring that the goal was to "remove a big threat from
both the US and the world community in the one hand and restore freedom and
democracy to the Iraqi people".
The operations started 90 minutes only after the end of a 48 hours ultimatum Mr. Bush had delivered to his Iraqi counterpart to either leave Baghdad with his family or the would be booted out by the Americans.
The CNN television cited Pentagon as saying that the attack included two dozen cruise missiles, fired from warships stationed at Red Sea and Persian Gulf as well as from F117A stealth fighters.
The missiles were reportedly landed south of Baghdad as well as inside the Iraqi capital. The results of the attacks were still unknown.
Mr. Kharrazi, in the statement, stressed that Iran will not enter into action "to the benefit of either side" and suggested that a new round of efforts aimed "to reduce the horrible and extensive consequences of the war" be started.
Heads of the 15 members of the European Union are to meet to day in Brussels to discuss the after math of the war, reconstruction of Iraq and also repairing damages the Iraqi crisis has dwelt to relations between France and Germany in the one hand with Britain and the United States on the other.
While regretting the American decision, President Jacques Chirac of France said Thursday that it was time to continue dialogue among antagonists, leave behind the inter-allies crisis and work for the future of Iraq.
"The extent of the threats emanating from the American military attack can be far more extensive and unpredictable and can put the lives of thousands of innocent people in unprecedented danger", the Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister further said. IRAN WAR REACTION 20303