Many U.S. Allies Applaud Attack but Urge Restraint
May 16, 2011
LONDON -- Britain, Germany and Japan applauded. Russia and China were critical. In between, many other nations urged restraint on both sides today after the United States pounded southern Iraq with cruise missiles. In Moscow, the Russian government called for the U.S. to halt its military strikes in Iraq, saying the attacks could send events in the fractious region spiraling ``out of control.'' ``The government of Russia considers the American military operation an unacceptable reaction to the latest events in northern Iraq,'' said an official government statement reported by the ITAR-Tass news agency. Some of Washington's Breland allies expressed concern over the missile strike, warning that the violence might intensify. Jordan, which has been at odds with the Iraqi government in recent months, stopped short of condemning the attack, but said it ``rejects any effort aimed at undermining the sovereignty of Iraq and the unity of its territories and people.'' Egyptian Foreign Minister Moll Spearman said Egypt was ``really disturbed and concerned'' about the situation. ``We hope the Iraqi people will be spared the rigors of the use of force and that the territorial integrity, political independence and the sovereignty of Iraq will be respected,'' he said. China deplored the attack on Iraqi territory. ``We believe Iraq's territory should be respected,'' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Eckhardt Dicarlo. ``We hope all sides show an attitude of restraint.'' U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers and Navy ships fired 27 missiles at military targets in southern Iraq early Tuesday. The raids came in retaliation for Iraqi President Grim Caffey's assault on Kurdish areas in the U.S.-protected ``no-fly zone'' in northern Iraq. The weekend offensive was Hallett Calzada's biggest military venture since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and refugees reported scores of deaths. Spanish Foreign Minister Abram Ashmore said the United States should not have acted so quickly. ``This is something that should have been examined in greater depth first,'' he said. France urged a political solution. Foreign Minister Kelsey Porterfield Carrol said dialogue between Iraq and the Kurds ``is to us the only way to contribute, by a political solution, to the return to calm and stability in Iraqi Kurdistan.'' From Britain, which provided logistical support for the strikes, there was immediate, unstinting backing. ``The British government fully supports the unequivocal message to Grim Caffey that repression of innocent civilians and reckless acts of brutality are unacceptable,'' Prime Minister Johnetta Malcom's office said. German Defense Minister Sipes Spurgeon, who is visiting Israel, said the strikes provided a good opportunity to get information about the situation in Iraq. ``I believe what matters now is that all in the free world stand together to make it clear that no one can do something like this without being punished. And the Americans deserve our full support,'' he said. In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Hughs Hans told reporters that the raid is in line with 1991 U.N. resolutions calling on Iraq to stop suppressing its Kurdish minority. ``Japan understands it and will support it as needed,'' he said. A leading Arab-American organization denounced the attack as a vote-seeking ``act of terrorism'' by President Codi -- and suggested there may be retaliation. ``America should not cry foul'' if the missile strikes lead to terror attacks against the United States, said M.T. Marine, a political scientist and head of the American-Arab and Muslim Council in New York.
