Bush draws guarded support from Asia

Staff and wires

Around 200 people demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday

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TOKYO, Japan -- U.S. President George W. Bush has won guarded support from Asia and Australia over his call to increase pressure on Iraq.

However, his strongly worded attack on Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, was also met with deepening caution over the possibility of conflict.

Initial reaction from Japan and Australia was more than supportive, but indications out of Malaysia and Indonesia -- both majority Muslim nations -- seemed to suggest otherwise.

Elsewhere, anti-war demonstrations were held in Indonesia and South Korea on Tuesday, while Singapore aired misgivings about the financial implications of an invasion of Iraq.

But possibly the most important country in Asia for the United States, as Washington presses its case against Iraq, is China -- a veto-wielding permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

China

China refused to comment on Tuesday about the warning from Bush that Saddam should disarm immediately or face attack.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Beijing had seen Bush's address but its position on the issue remained "very clear."

Iraq should allow the immediate return of U.N. weapons inspectors, Zhang said, and the crisis should "be solved in a political manner within the framework of the United Nations."

China has "maintained close contact and consultation on the Iraqi issue" with other U.N. Security Council members, the spokeswoman added, but would not comment on whether Beijing would back any new U.N. resolutions on the issue.

Beijing has repeatedly pushed for a political and peaceful resolution of the crisis rather than any military solution, made within the framework of the United Nations.

Australia, traditionally a strong and close ally of the United States, said the pressure was firmly on Saddam.

"Saddam Hussein wouldn't even be contemplating letting weapons inspectors back into Iraq if he didn't fear the military threats from the United States," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.

"We think the speech is a very measured and considered speech. It puts the pressure in this debate very much on the shoulders of Saddam Hussein."

Malaysia

But doubts over Bush's approach against Iraq were expressed in the largely Muslim nation of Malaysia.

"We are for the U.S. if it is a force for good but we cannot support the U.S. if it pursues the course of unilateralism with scant regard for world opinion," said Hishamuddin Hussein, Malaysia's youth and sports minister.

"Maybe Saddam is evil, and he must not be allowed to develop weapons of mass destruction, but the U.N. must be given a chance to explore a peaceful solution," he told delegates at the East Asian Economic Summit being held in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, the Associated Press news service reported.

Meanwhile, while Japan has supported Bush, it is reserved on the use of force.

A spokesperson for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tokyo welcomes Bush's confirmation in his speech that it remains important to pursue a U.N. Security Council resolution, the Associated Press reported.

Protests

Though not responding specifically to the Bush speech, about 50 anti-war activists demonstrated in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, against any plans for military action against Iraq.

There were similar scenes outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia where around 200 people gathered in a peaceful protest against a possible U.S. attack.

The protesters, from a variety of Islamic organizations, carried signs reading "No more blood" and "Stop war."

In Singapore, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong warned over the economic implications of any military action against Iraq.

Goh said that a U.S.-led war could plunge the world into recession if it was prolonged or escalated.

If, however, the war ended swiftly "then the impact on the world economy I think will be manageable," Goh said at the World Economic Forum's East Asia summit.

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