PRESS CONFERENCE BY SPOKESMAN

CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY

June 18, 2002

Excerpt

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Q: US Defense Secretary Rumsfeld suggested giving more power to CIA to facilitate its actions to overthrow the Saddam regime. What’s China’s position on the US policy towards Iraq?

A: On the issue of Iraq, China has always believed that Iraq should earnestly implement relevant resolutions of the UN’s Security Council, yet the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq should be thoroughly respected. We have always maintained that to deal with state-to-state relations, we should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and norms governing international relations. We oppose willful use or threat of force in international relations.

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