U.S. and U.K. appeal to Brazil on war

By Carmen Gentile <a href=www.upi.com>UPI Latin America Correspondent From the International Desk Published 4/3/2003 6:07 PM

SAO PAULO, Brazil, April 3 (UPI) -- U.S. and British diplomats in Brazil sought Thursday to justify the war in Iraq and smooth over differences between their nations and their host country, which is an ardent opponent of the U.S.-led attack.

U.S. Ambassador Donna Hrinak and British Ambassador Roger Bone appeared before Brazil's External Relations and National Defense Committee in the capital, Brasilia, to stress how hard both nation's worked with the international community to find a peaceful solution to Iraq's continued defiance of U.N. Security Council measures over the last 12 years.

Quoting in Portuguese to the assembled panel recent remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Hrinak reminded Brazilians that the United States and its allies did not ask for a conflict with Iraq and did everything they could to avoid it.

"In other words, force was not our first choice," said Hrinak. "We worked arduously with the international community to approve U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441, which gave to the Iraqi regime a last chance to disarm. ... The Iraqi regime rejected that chance, forcing the coalition to conclude that force was necessary to disarm them."

British Ambassador Bone concurred with his U.S. counterpart saying Iraq's reluctance was "historically one of constant obstruction."

Hrinak also appeared to also strike a conciliatory tone with the committee saying that in conversations with U.S. officials and the media she has attempted to better explain Brazil's opposition to Operation Iraqi Freedom, now in its 14th day.

"During the previous weeks I have been explaining to my bosses, to the Congress and the U.S. media why Brazil, our essential partner in the hemisphere, is not on our side in the conflict in Iraq," Hrinak said.

"I explained the firm belief of this country in working with the scope of multilateral institutions to solve problems," she said, adding that she had also expressed on Brazil's behalf its concerns about the possible economic impact a prolonged war would have on South America's largest nation and economy.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has repeatedly noted publicly his disapproval of the war in Iraq and even attempted to organize an emergency meeting of U.N. nations opposed to war prior to the first strike in the region on March 20.

Since then, Brazil has continued to call for a peaceful resolution to the fighting and recently denied a U.S. request to expel Iraqi diplomats from all nations with an Iraqi mission.