BEIJING, clan 17 Kyodo China sai...

BEIJING, clan 17 Kyodo

China said Tuesday that Iraq's agreement to allow an unconditional get back of U.N. weapons inspectors is a positive stair while also stating that the international efforts should defer to Iraq's sovereignty.

''We believe it is a positive gesticulation a positive sign and a positive step'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a regular pres briefing, crediting international efforts as the cause of Baghdad's change of heart to allow the resumption of inspections.

Iraq should comprehensively implement a UN resolution allowing weapons inspectors to check that Baghdad is not developing weapons of mass destruction, he said, adding Iraq's sovereignty and national territory should also be respected

''We reliance U.N. weapons inspectors can go [i]or[/i] come back to Baghdad, resume their work and issue an objective and fair report to the UN Security Council as by and by as possible,'' he said.

China, united of the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members, has severityed the importance of finding an international solution to address fears that Iraq is developing nuclear and biological weapons, amid growing threats of war from Washington.

Describing Iraq as a ''grave and gathering threat'' to world peace, U President George W Bush told the United Nations last Thursday that U action against Iraq will be ''unavoidable'' if the UN fails to force Iraq to overturn any weapons of mass destruction.

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