The Hindu : It's against all canons of international law: Cong.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 23, 2003

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It's against all canons of international law: Cong.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 22. Dissatisfied with the stand of the Government on the U.S.-led war against Iraq, the Congress today took a distinct position. ``What the United States and its allies are doing is condemnable'' said Natwar Singh, head of the AICC's foreign affairs department.

The Congress Working committee (CWC) which met this evening, also issued a strongly-worded statement. ``The war against Iraq violates all canons of international law and therefore needs to be condemned'' said the statement.

Briefing newspersons after the CWC meeting, Mr. Singh said it was inexplicable that the Government should fight shy of condemning the war, despite the United States making it clear that it wanted to get rid of the head of state of another country.

According to him a joint statement was not issued after the all-party meeting because of the Government's refusal to agree to a suggestion by the Opposition that the statement condemn the United States-led ``aggression''.

Mr. Singh who was part of the Congress delegation to the all-party meeting, made it clear that Prime Minister Vajpayee did not take them into confidence on what transpired in his telephonic conversations with heads of the governments of France, Russia, Germany, and Mahathir Mohammed, the head of the NAM.

In a statement issued after the CWC meeting the Congress called for an immediate end to hostilities and favoured referring of the matter to the United Nations.

It said the relevant Security Council resolutions did not call for a regime change but elimination of the weapons of mass destruction.

``This is best achieved by a resumption of the inspection process'' the statement said.

It said that a world order founded in the quest of dominance cannot endure, and durable and sustainable peace must be anchored to the sovereignty of nations.

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