Give Iraq inspectors time to do their work--Canada
( 2003-01-23 10:52 ) (7 )

Canada on Wednesday followed the lead of Germany and France by saying UN inspectors should be given enough time to carry out a proper probe into whether Iraq had any arms of mass destruction.

Paris and Berlin, standing firm against US pressure, said the inspectors under Dr Hans Blix might need several months to complete their work as required by UN Security Council resolution 1441.

"We're seeing Resolution 1441 being worked out on the ground by an credible inspection team of Dr Blix. We believe that process must be given a chance to work," Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham told a news conference.

US President George W. Bush is expressing impatience with his allies' hesitancy over an intervention in Iraq amid increasing speculation about an imminent attack.

Polls show a vast majority of Canadians oppose the idea of backing a US-led attack on Iraq without UN authorization. But Graham said it was too soon to predict what action Ottawa would take.

"It's early at this point to say what one country is going to do or not do in certain circumstances that haven't developed yet," he said.

"President Bush has indicated his determination that Iraq be disarmed. We are equally determined that Iraq be disarmed."