"The Chinese government strongly appeals to the relevant countries to stop military actions and return to the right path of seeking a political solution to the Iraq issue," said a statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry Thursday afternoon.

China regards Resolution 1441 unanimously passed by the UN Security Council last November as an important base for a political settlement to the Iraq issue.

Resolution 1441 realized the resumption of weapons inspections in Iraq which had been postponed for four years by strengthening inspections of weapons of mass destruction and requiring the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resume inspections within 45 days.

The resolution set a check against war and created a valuable opportunity for a peaceful solution by clearly stipulating that only the Security Council had the right to adopt further policies or measures.

Resolution 1441 was welcomed and accepted by parties concerned as it reflected the unity of the UN Security Council, the international consensus of seeking a peaceful settlement for the crisis, and its consideration of Iraq's reasonable concerns.

In China's view, there were great possibilities of eliminating weapons of mass destruction possibly owned by Iraq without use of force by earnestly carrying out Resolution 1441 that formulated a detailed and practical inspection program.

It was therefore the Security Council's responsibility to judge whether Iraq had implemented or breached the council's resolutions.

UNMOVIC and the IAEA had conducted over 900 inspections at over700 sites in Iraq and questioned about 30 Iraqi experts since Resolution 1441 was carried out.

Iraq also destroyed dozens of prohibited Al-Samoud 2 missiles, which was welcomed and appreciated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

UNMOVIC chairman Hans Blix and IAEA director General Mohamed elBaradei described Iraq's cooperation with the inspectors as "active" and even "proactive" when addressing an open session of the UN Security Council on March 7.

Most member countries of the UN Security Council, UNMOVIC and the IAEA, have agreed the weapons inspections had made progress, that Resolution 1441 was effective and should not be abandoned.

They maintained that the inspections should be continued and the Iraq issue should be settled through political means instead of military action.

French President Jacques Chirac said in a televised address Thursday that France "regretted" the outbreak of war in Iraq, which was "undertaken without the approval of the United Nations", and he hoped the war would end "as rapidly and as victim-free as possible and does not lead to a humanitarian catastrophe".

Russia and Germany expressed similar stances on Thursday.

The Chinese government has consistently upheld an independent foreign policy of peace, insisting that disputes should be tackled through dialogue and consultation rather than the use or threatened use of force in international relations. The Chinese people, together with the world, pursued peace and development, but not war.

The traditional Chinese saying "Peace is the best option" has been the core principle of its diplomatic efforts on the Iraq issue, and China has spared no efforts to avert war. The parties concerned have attached great importance to China's stance featuring fairness, objectiveness and justice.

China's newly-elected President Hu Jintao held phone conversations with presidents of the United States, Russia and France on March 18, stating China's principled stance consisting of appeals for peace. Hu hoped the issue could be solved politically within the framework of the United Nations.

Chinese leader Jiang Zemin have also frequently exchanged views over phone with leaders of the United States, France, Russia, Germany and Britain on the Iraq issue, reiterating China's support for further inspections, so as to avoid war and maintain the unity and authority of the UN Security Council.

The new Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, said on March 18 that even with slight hopes, China would continue efforts to solve the Iraq issue through political means.

Former Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan went to New York four times for meetings of the UN Security Council on the Iraq issue since January. Tang directly exchanged views with his foreign counterparts and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, exerting a positive influence on seeking a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis.

During separate phone conversations with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw late Monday night, China's new Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing called for prudence in deciding whether to start a war and pointed to the common wish of the international community for peace.

During Russia Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's visit to China in February, the two sides exchanged views and issued a joint press communique which elaborated on the common stance and opinions shared by China and Russia on the Iraq crisis.

China also made clear its stance to the United States when the US Secretary of State Colin Powell paid a visit to China in early February.

Meanwhile, China supported the international society's efforts for seeking a peaceful solution on multilateral occasions.

China firmly backed the joint statement made by France, Germany and Russia, stressing the effectiveness of weapons inspections and noting the inspections should be continued and strengthened in a bid to fulfill Resolution 1441.

In the statement, China held that in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq must be respected, and China believed that peaceful means were still available and war would benefit nobody. As long as there was one percent of hope, China would spare no efforts to seek a political solution.

New State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, former Chinese Foreign Minister, said during a phone conservation with US Secretary of State Colin Powell Thursday evening that China was seriously concerned about the outbreak of the war and deeply worried about humanitarian disasters, regional turbulence and other impacts that may be brought about by war.

China called for a halt to the military action to avoid civilian casualties and a return to the right path of seeking a political solution to the Iraq problem, Tang said.

Peace and development are the main themes of the modern world. It is the common aspirations of people all over the world and an inevitable historical trend to maintain peace and promote development.

The reports delivered at the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government work report at the First Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) stated that China would consistently uphold an independent foreign policy of peace, advocate the democratization of international relations and diversification of development models.

The Chinese people would work together with peoples of other countries to maintain world peace and development.

To turn hostility into friendship is the essence of Chinese ancient diplomatic philosophy. At present, the international community is hoping for peace and saying "No" to war.

China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, will watch closely the Iraqi situation, and try its best to prevent the spread of war and military actions so as to contribute to peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2003)