- Asians are not convinced that the evidence released so
far by the United States and Britain is sufficient to mount a war, according
to a regional poll.
-
- An overwhelming 85 per cent of the lawmakers, academics
and business leaders interviewed in the Straits Times AsiaPoll said they
opposed military action against Iraq without a UN mandate.
-
- The poll was conducted last week when British Prime Minister
Tony Blair released a 50-page dossier accusing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
of hiding weapons of mass destruction, and the United States said Iraq
has helped train members of al-Qaeda in chemical weapons development.
-
- More than 80 percent wanted more convincing evidence
against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
-
- But opposition to a war falls significantly if Iraq refuses
a return of UN weapons inspectors. While 85 per cent oppose an attack currently,
only 36 per cent would object to a military strike if Iraq blocks weapons
inspections.
-
- The Straits Times said its bureaus in 10 Asian cities
spoke to about 100 lawmakers, senior government officials, diplomats, think-tank
experts and chief executives to assess Asian views on the US push for a
"regime change" in Iraq.
-
- It found most have yet to be convinced by the evidence
presented so far, and if there is to be war, it would not have full Asian
backing if the US attacked without a UN mandate.
-
- There was a reluctance to use force, even though about
half the respondents expressed doubts about Saddam's sincerity when he
agreed to allow weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad.
-
- "Unilateral US action against Iraq would invalidate
the power of the UN. And if the US does it, other countries can follow
suit," said Rizal Buendia, the political science department chairman
at De La salle University in the Philippines.
-
- "The US is acting too much like a bully."
-
- Asians fear an attack on Iraq will have several negative
consequences -- among them more terrorist attacks, a global economic crisis
and an increase in religious tensions.
-
- "Now Iraq is much weaker. Saddam can barely keep
things together, and he just cannot be an aggressor," said Indonesian
legislator Suryadharma Ali.
-
- "If the US shows an attitude that is unfair towards
weaker countries, then terrorism will rise.
-
- "Using terror tactics is the only way for weaker
countries to fight back against stronger military and economic powers.
-
- "This will of course spark other types of tensions
and other problems."
-
- It was the second regional poll by the newspaper on the
Iraq issue. In the earlier survey published on September 1, respondents
said they might drop opposition to an attack if there was irrefutable evidence
that Saddam was developing weapons of mass destruction.
-
- British Prime Minister Blair has since released a fat
filed claiming Iraq's pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons
is "active, detailed and growing."
-
- Iraq dismissed the charges as "baseless" and
biased.
-
- It also denied as "lies" and "very stupid"
accusations by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Washington had
"solid evidence" of top-level contacts between Osama bin Laden's
al-Qaeda network and Iraq going back a decade, including possible chemical
weapons training.
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