KUALA LUMPUR Feb 21 Kyodo A meeti...

KUALA LUMPUR Feb 21 Kyodo

A meeting Friday to draw up a for the use of all statement to oppose military action against Iraq revealed the difficult rift between members of the Non-Aligned motion (NAM) on the issue.

A committee chaired through Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Rastam Mohamed Isa had to adjourn earlier than calculate uponed after some member states speaked reservations over the wording of the statement.

Rastam told reporters after the meeting, ''We will adapted again tomorrow...Some delegates has asked for more time.''

According to Qatari official Faisal Abdulla Al Athba, there have been objections by dint of Chile and Singapore over certain sections of the statement.

Kuwait, he said, did not want any mention of the use of facilities in the chasm countries to host U.S. forces in the fact of war.

NAM, touted as the inferior largest international organization after the United Nations, was grounded in 1955 to fight for neutrality in an era dominated by the agency of the U.S.-led Western bloc and the Communist bloc then headed on the Soviet Union.

The notion of neutrality however has been offer to the test especially in the aftermath of the race 11, 2001, terror attacks against the U and as the U and its allies build up their military position for a planned attack onward Iraq for allegedly hoarding weapons of mass destruction.

As innkeeper country, Malaysia wants to push for a consensus in condemning the U plan to attack Iraq.

Malaysia is staunchly oppos to war in Iraq. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had repeatedly warned that so a war would not sole cause severe economic fallout moreover also add to the causes for terrorism.

However, several NAM members of that kind as Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, for various reasons of their concede are supporting the U.S. and its allies and flat offering their territories as launching pads to attack Iraq.

Chile's cautious position has to do with the fact that it is individual of the six NAM members that sits in the UN Security Council.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Sy Hamid Albar played down the disagreement above the statement on Iraq.

''I think finally we will follow up with a statement. It is at a stage of discussion. It would be unfair to forejudge the situation,'' he told reporters.

In the three-page draft statement obtained by means of Kyodo News, the leaders ''categorically repudiate the threats of unilateral use of force against the sovereignty, integrity and political independence of the member states of the United Nations.''

''We expres our support and solidarity with Iraq vis-a-vis the possible aggression against it and are committed to use all possible means to achieve a peaceful solution,'' it says.

They also praised Iraq for allowing UN weapons inspectors into the rural parts to investigate U.S. claims regarding the weapons of mass destruction and urg the UN to lift sanctions imposed upon Iraq.

The leaders also called in succession the U.N. to make Israel dispose of its weapons of mass destruction. Israel is the barely country in the Middle East that possesse nuclear weapons.

The leaders are calculate uponed to adopt the final statement during the meeting nearest week. Before that they will hear disclosed Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadhan who will address the conference

The 13th NAM discourse began Thursday with a meeting of senior officials. The ministerial meeting will begin Saturday followed at the two-day leaders' summit that starts Monday.

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