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Latin American countries reacted to the launch of US-led military action against Iraq on Thursday, with many leaders condemning or regretting the war while a few others voicing their support for it.
As a member of the United Nations Security Council, Mexico rejected the US-led military attack on Iraq and announced that citizens of the Latin American country will collaborate with the international community in undertaking humanitarian relief tasks.
In the first public statement issued by Mexican President Vicente Fox since the start of the US-led military operation, Fox reiterated that his country's position is "definitely not war," and that Mexico always supports seeking a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis.
In Ecuador, the congress presented a resolution to President Lucio Gutierrez condemning the US attack on Iraq and hoping for a road to peace.
The resolution was approved on Wednesday night after an intense debate, said a spokesman of the unicameral legislative body.
The resolution emphasized that Ecuador called for peace and cooperation as a foundation for coexistence and the legal equality of states. It condemned the use of force, or threats to use force, as a way to solve conflicts.
Argentine presidential spokesman Luis Verdi Thursday described as "unwanted" the United States-led military attack on Iraq, which began early Thursday Baghdad time.
Verdi said in a televised declaration that in Ecuador, "a magnifying glass must be used in order to find anyone in favor" of a war on Iraq.
The government had done what it had to, listening to the will and feelings of the Argentine people, he said, referring to Argentine's adherence to its anti-war stance.
Venezuela, the world's fifth largest oil producer, supports a peaceful solution to the Iraqi conflict within the framework of the United Nations, Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton said on Thursday.
"War (against Iraq) is painful, regrettable, and in this case what is left is hoping it will end as soon as possible, with the lowest number of losses and with less suffering for the people of Iraq, Britain and the United States," Chaderton told a local TV station.
He said that the petroleum sector has already started to feel the effects of the Iraqi war.
On the same day, Uruguay expressed its deep regret over the UN failure to peacefully solve the Iraqi crisis, which eventually led to the US attack on Iraq, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The latest developments over Iraq reflect the limitation concerning the international collective security system, and also the failure of the international community to solve the Iraqi issue, said the statement.
The Uruguayan government hopes the Iraqi issue can be settled within the framework of the UN Security Council, and is ready to provide humanitarian assistance for the Iraqi people, it added.
Similarly, the Peruvian government expressed regret over the lack of agreement in the UN Security Council for a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis.
The regret was voiced through a communiqu? issued by the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, which said provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter were not applied in acting on UN Resolution 1441.
However, a Costa Rican official reaffirmed on Thursday his country's position that Baghdad is responsible for the US-led war against Iraq.
Costa Rica's position on the Iraq issue was unchanged from that defined in the statement by President Abel Pacheco and Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar Faja issued on Wednesday, the official from the presidency press office said.
The statement said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is the "only one responsible for the present military conflict in Iraq."
Also on Thursday, the government of Nicaragua expressed its political support for the US military strike on Iraq, while the general public condemned the military action.
The communiqu?, issued by the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry, said that non-fulfillment of the United Nations Resolution 1441 on the Iraqi side had endangered international security.
Nicaragua was ready to offer humanitarian assistance after the military action, which would include sending experts for mine clearing operations and offering medical assistance to victims, said the communiqu?.
The United States launched missile strikes into Baghdad at dawn on Thursday in what US defense officials said were preparatory strikes ahead of a broader war.
It came about 90 minutes after the expiry of a 48-hour deadline set by US President George W. Bush demanding Saddam and his two sons leave or face war.
More than 250,000 US troops are amassed in and around the Gulf region, joined by tens of thousands of British troops, for military strikes against Iraq.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2003)
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