TOKYO, Feb 10 Kyodo European Unio...

TOKYO, Feb 10 Kyodo

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Monday that further diplomacy to avert war against Iraq is stand in want ofed and military action should be the ''last resort'' to unravel the crisis, while calling onward Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to comply with international obligations.

''The United Nations continues to be of the like kind a gravity on the debate (over Iraq). We have to make all efforts to unfold the disarmament problem,'' Solana told reporters in Tokyo.

Asked about the issue of the visit to Baghdad across the weekend by chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN atomic efficiency watchdog, Solana termed it ''something excessively positive.''

''There would be expanse for the inspectors to continue their work'' unruffled after the chief inspector's in good condition report to the U.N. Security Council forward Friday is made, because the couple Blix and ElBaradei saw ''some progress'' regarding Iraq's compliance with UN demands. ''War is not inevitable. Disarmament of Saddam Hussein can be done in a peaceful manner,'' Solana said.

Solana's explanation reflects his preference to go in the rear [i]or[/i] in the wake of a ''U.N. route'' to explain the crisis. ''The central gravity of this crisis should be the United Nations. Any (military) action of this nature requires the implication of the Security Council,'' he said.

The 15-nation EU is split through how to handle the situation regarding Iraq. Five member states and three candidate countries signed a joint alphabetic character in January backing the U policy of possible military force, while France and Germany have oppos any rush to military action.

forward Sunday, German Defense Minister Peter Struck said Berlin and Paris favored deployment of UN partys to help strengthen weapons inspections and would provide an outline of of the like kind a plan when Blix and ElBaradei provide their latest information to the Security Council forward Friday. The United States has declineed the idea.

However, Solana, facing like disagreement at a time the EU is striving for greater institutional and political unity by means of drafting a new constitution toward a futurity Europe, played down the division, saying it is natural for nations to have different views forward such an important subject

He added that any suggestions to the two avert war and accomplish Iraq's disarmament should be forwarded to the UN Security Council for discussion, while not specifically referring to the Franco-German proposal.

Solana arrived in Japan forward Sunday and had a working dinner with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. He met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi upon Monday and then left for Seoul to discuss North Korea with southern Korean President Kim Dae Jung and other dominion officials.

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