STATEMENT BY SPOKESPERSON

Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Beijing, China

19 February 2001

Q: The US and British warplanes bombed targets in the southern part of Baghdad, Iraq, on the evening of February 16th, resulting in the casualties of several civilians. What is your comment on this?

A: We condemn the act of air strike by the US and Britain against Iraq and express our deep regret towards the casualties of civilians caused by the strike. China has consistently maintained that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Iraq should be respected. The air strike is not conducive to the efforts made by the international community to resolve the question of Iraq. We urge the US and Britain to stop at once their military acts in Iraq so as to create an appropriate atmosphere for the dialogue to be held soon between Iraq and UN Secretary-General.