U.S. is turning its back on peace and rationality -- Akahata editorial, March 15

The United States has begun hinting at delaying the vote on the revised U.S.-British resolution of the United Nations Security Council until next week, allowing U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq to be cut short followed by the use of force.

Under the Bush administration which has publicly stated many times the possibility of starting a war with or without a U.N. resolution, State Department officials say that the support in the UNSC for the U.S.-British resolution will enhance the credibility of the UNSC. Secretary of State Colin Powell, however, said that there is an option for not seeking a vote on the resolution.

U.S. attempts to blackmail world opinion

The United States has changed its initial position of calling a vote within this week to one of postponing it because voices opposing the war have become a majority in the international community, with little probability that the resolution will be adopted by the UNSC.

The U.S. secretary of state said that the ongoing difficulty in getting support for the revised resolution arises from the lack of understanding by UNSC members that Resolution 1441 of November, 2002 warned Iraq of serious consequences to the country.

Resolution 1441, however, rejects the automatic use of force even in the event of Iraq violating the resolution, stipulating that the UNSC must discuss possible actions. It does not allow inspections to end to pave the way for the use of force.

Based on Resolution 1441, U.N. inspectors are continuing inspections of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The team's report says that the inspections have made substantive progress and achieved concrete results, and welcomed Iraq's cooperation with the U.N. inspectors as "active" or even "proactive." The report states that inspections should continue for several months.

It does not make sense for the United States to use Resolution 1441 only because its revised draft resolution cutting short inspections and starting a war has little chance of being adopted.

The U.S. Bush administration's argument that the credibility of the United Nations will be lost unless the UNSC approves of a U.S. war against Iraq is an attempt to blackmail the international community. It antagonizes the world's peoples wishes for peace.

It is criminal that President Bush and State Secretary Colin Powell insist that the United States will use force even without a U.N. resolution.

Such a way betrays what the international community wants: a peaceful solution to the issue concerning weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

If the United States launches a war against Iraq without the international community approving the new U.S. resolution submitted to the UNSC, the world will definitely brand the Bush administration as criminal.

A Japanese government representative in a UNSC open debate appealed for support for the new draft resolution and its adoption, saying, "(If not), it will arouse critical doubt about U.N. authority and effectiveness." We, as the people of Japan, cannot keep silent.

Prime Minister Koizumi, in one-on-one debates with opposition party leaders, admitted that the new resolution proposed by the United States and Britain is to call off U.N. weapons inspections, but he stopped short of admitting that the resolution allows U.N. inspectors to cut short their activities in Iraq to pave the way for a war.

The Koizumi Cabinet has explained nothing to the Japanese people as to whether the resolution would lead directly to the use of force but repeated the phrase, "international harmony." The Koizumi Cabinet on the one hand attempts to dupe the public and on the other expresses support for the U.S.-Britain resolution using the same scare tactics as the Bush Administration.

Let's stop the war

At any cost, the Bush administration wants to start a war. The world's peace-loving people can now see through, isolate, and contain the U.S. ruse.

Standing firm against a war before it starts, the voices of the peoples have moved the world's governments and brought the Unites States and Britain to a standstill in the UNSC.

Let's lift the voice of reason higher for peace and let's stop the scheme to enter into war. (end)