Do not repeat the Iraq lies-----to start a war...CHINA.
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Remember bogus U.S. excuses for Iraq war before attacking Syria: China's Xinhua
Via Reuters.
An attack on Syria would be dangerous and irresponsible, and the world should remember the Iraq
war was started by U.S. allegations of weapons of mass destruction
which turned out to be false, China's official state Xinhua news agency said
on Tuesday.
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The United States has served
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad notice that it believes he was
responsible for chemical weapons being used against civilians last week.
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Military
chiefs from the United States and its European and Middle Eastern
allies have met in Jordan for what could be a council of war, should
they decide to punish Assad, who has denied using chemical weapons and
blamed rebels for the attacks.
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Xinhua
said that Western countries were rushing to conclusions about who may
have used chemical weapons before U.N. inspectors had completed their
investigation.
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"Such rhetoric, as
well as the recent flurry of consultations between Washington and its
allies, indicates that they have put the arrow on the bowstring and
would shoot even without a U.N. mandate," Xinhua said in an
English-language commentary.
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"That would be irresponsible and dangerous. For starters, the current scenario is reminiscent of the lead-up to the Iraq War, which the United States staged with allegations about weapons of mass destruction that later turned out to be false."
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Xinhua
commentaries do not carry the same weight as government statements, but
they can be read as a reflection of official Chinese thinking.
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China
has urged all parties not to jump to conclusions about the results of
the U.N. probe, and has urged calmness in dealing with the accusations.
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"In
the heat of the crisis, all parties concerned should keep their heads
cool, especially those impatient to take military actions without a U.N.
mandate," it said.
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"It is
imperative that the Unites States and like-minded countries refrain from
hasty armed invention and let the U.N. play its due part in determining
how to act accordingly."
Russia,
Assad's key ally and arms supplier, says rebel forces may have been
behind the attack and has urged Washington not to use military force
against Assad.
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Moscow and Beijing have both vetoed previous Western efforts to impose U.N. penalties on Assad.
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But China
has been keen to show it is not taking sides and has urged the Syrian
government to talk to the opposition and take steps to meet demands for
political change. It has said a transitional government should be
formed.
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(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)