LITHUANIA’S POSITION ON MILITARY CONFLICT IN IRAQ
Created 2003-03-21
Lithuania has always spoken out for peaceful resolution of conflicts. However, we have also stood by the opinion that the UN inspections in Iraq could not go on for indefinite time, if Iraq would not cooperate fully.
Lithuania expresses its regret that Sadam Hussein’s regime did not take the last opportunity made available for it. In our belief, the operation launched by the coalition is the last-resort step aimed at Iraq’s disarmament, which was envisaged by the UN Security Council Resolution 1441.We assure of Lithuania’s readiness to contribute by political and other limited measures to the actions of the international coalition in order to disarm Iraq.
We hope that the military action in Iraq will last as short as possible, which would allow avoiding negative consequences both for the stability in the Middle East and for the economy of the entire world.
In addressing the issue of its contribution to the further settlement of the crisis in Iraq, Lithuania will first of all follow the general principles of humanism. Lithuania is prepared to contribute to the normalisation of the humanitarian situation, closely coordinating its actions with the relevant international institutions.
In our view, during this demanding time it is especially important for the US and Europe to maintain unity, to secure the Euro-Atlantic link, and to jointly seek solutions to the strategic issues.
