BY EDITH M. LEDERER
The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — Iraq's U.N. envoy urged the Security Council on Wednesday to call for an immediate halt to U.S. and British attacks, but a divided U.N. Security Council took no immediate action.
After 15 speeches from supporters and opponents of the military strikes, the council adjourned a formal meeting shortly before midnight without setting a timetable for further talks.
Speaking at the start of a formal council meeting, Iraqi envoy Nizar Hamdoon accused chief U.N. weapons inspector Richard Butler of producing a biased report Tuesday, which concluded Baghdad had not fully cooperated with U.N. monitors and triggered the airstrikes.
Russia and China backed Iraq's claim, but the United States and Britain accused Iraq of failing to give the U.N. Special Commission, which Mr. Butler heads, the cooperation it needs to complete its verification of Iraq's disarmament.
Mr. Hamdoon said Mr. Butler cited only five incidents in 300 inspection operations, and that was used as justification to attack Iraq.
“The exaggerated uproar over the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction is nothing more than a big lie,” he said. “The other lie is that Iraq poses a threat to its neighbors.”
The Iraqi envoy challenged the Special Commission to produce physical evidence that Iraq still has prohibited weapons.
And he called on the council “to fulfill its responsibilities as set forth in the United Nations charter and request immediate, unconditional cessation of the aggression that is under way against Iraq.”
