The US administration plans to protest to Beijing about its assistance with Iraqi anti-aircraft systems and to urge the Asian country to abide by the United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding sanctions on Iraq, a senior administration official was quoted by the Washington Post newspaper as saying.
"We're concerned about the apparent involvement of the Chinese with fiber-optics," national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said in an interview with the paper.
She added that "under the sanctions regime, there appears to be a problem."
Her comments followed last week's bombing by US and British forces on Baghdad.
An early report by the paper said that the raids were purposely carried out on Friday to avoid casualties among Chinese construction advisers working in the Iraqi capital.
US officials said the fiber-optic cables provided by the Chinese would have linked Iraqi anti-aircraft systems and endangered US and British pilots enforcing no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, according to the Post.
This will be the third time the United States has raised the issue with China, it said.
The United States first complained to China about the aid to Iraq a month ago.
In early January, before President Bush took office, David Welch, assistant secretary of state for international organizations, went to Beijing to raise specific concerns about fiber-optic cables and telecommunications aid provided by Chinese companies, a State Department official told the paper.
China did not respond, even after Secretary of State Colin Powell reminded the Chinese, during a meeting last week at the United Nations, of the need to abide by UN sanctions.
Under the UN sanctions in place for the past 10 years, all Iraqi imports are supposed to be purchased through an account managed by the United Nations sanctions committee, with revenue from Iraqi exports.
The mechanism was designed to prevent Iraq from buying items that would help it rebuild its military machine or develop weapons of mass destruction.
"Obviously we're very concerned about reports that Chinese have provided assistance to the Iraqis regarding their air defense network," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher was quoted as saying.
"We've asked the Chinese government to look into this matter. We're awaiting their response," he said.
US officials, said the Post, suggested China's aid to Iraq appeared to breach UN sanctions, but stopped short of directly accusing China of violations.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Zhu Bangzao, said Tuesday that he had no knowledge of Chinese military and civilian experts helping Iraq's military install underground fiber-optic cables, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Implying that the US allegations were meant to deflect criticism from Friday's air attacks, he said.
"Any practice, any act to mislead the public and divert public attention is merely futile," AP quoted him as saying.
Last week, Zhu condemned the bombing as having "violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq" and "normal standards of international relations."
Meanwhile, Powell said Tuesday that the 10-year drive to contain Iraq had worked, but warned pressure must be kept on Saddam Hussein to frustrate his quest for weapons of mass destruction, according to AFP.
With opposition to sanctions on Iraq building in parts of the Arab world and Europe, Powell said the United States was looking for ways to reinforce its policy against Baghdad.
But he told reporters after meeting German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, the 10-year drive to stifle Iraq's military aspirations had worked and should be prolonged.
"The fact of the matter is that both baskets, the UN basket and what we and our other allies have been doing in the region, have succeeded in containing Saddam Hussein and his ambitions," said Powell.
"Containment has been a successful policy, and I think we should make sure we continue until such time as Saddam Hussein comes into compliance with the agreements he made at the end of the war," he added.
The international approach to Iraq came under new scrutiny on Friday, when US and British planes raided Iraqi air defenses in the first confrontation between the Iraqi President and Bush's new administration.
The operation stirred anger in parts of the Arab world, Russia and Turkey and consternation among some US allies in Europe, including France.
AFP reported Wednesday that French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine will meet his US counterpart Powell in Washington at the end of March, following France's attack on its ally's air strikes on Baghdad.
Vedrine will meet Powell on February 27 at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, and then some time the following month in the US capital, a French foreign ministry spokesman said.
The ministry did not give any details of a possible agenda for the talks, said AFP – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
