US President George W. Bush issued an ultimatum to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein late Monday, demanding that Saddam and his sons leave Iraq within 48 hours or face a US-led war.

In the televised speech to the nation, Bush also said the United Nations Security Council failed to enforce its resolutions on Iraqi disarmament.

With the ultimatum, a war without the authorization of the UN Security Council is imminent and the Iraq crisis is at a critical moment, the article noted.

The international community is deeply concerned about the escalating Iraq crisis, as peoples around the world and in most countries wish peace rather than war, the 15-member UN Security Council is stepping up its efforts to seek a political solution and the UN weapons inspection in Iraq is making headway, the article said.

It is common knowledge that the United Nations was created after World War II to maintain the world peace and security. If war against Iraq were to take place without the support of the United Nations, its legitimacy would be questioned, the article noted.

The principle of national sovereignty is the cornerstone of contemporary international laws and international relations. Ignoring it or even resorting to force to meddle in the internal affairs of other nations will severely damage the international relations and undermine the world peace, security and stability.

The article said China has persistently advocated peaceful and diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis within the UN framework, and China will continue its diplomatic efforts so long as there still exists a gleam of hope for a peaceful solution.

Leaders from France, Russia and Germany have reiterated that the Iraq crisis should be solved within the framework of the United Nations, saying the diplomatic efforts to avoid the war should continue till the last minute, it said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a war against Iraq would be "a mistake and would generate severe consequences" while French President Jacques Chirac said the ultimatum to Iraq was an " unilateral decision" and ran counter to the will of the United Nations Security Council and the international community."

Many countries around the world, including Brazil, Malaysia, Iran, Syria, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Romania, have expressed their opposition to a US-led war on Iraq without the authorization of the Security Council. The Arab League has also flatly rejected the US ultimatum, saying such a final warning was issued "outside international legality."

Peace is a necessary precondition for all the countries in the world to co-exist and is a basic but lofty wish of the mankind, the article concluded.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2003)