Malaysia will not support any US attack on Iraq

Malaysia will not support any United States attack on Iraq, reported the Malaysian news agency quoting acting foreign minister Mohd Nazri Aziz Thursday.

"Any action will have to be in line with the principles and interests of this country. We will not support the attacks under any pretext," he said when winding up the debate on a motion on US and British attacks on Iraq in Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament.

The motion initiated by MP Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi from the opposition Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) did not want Malaysia to support such action as the attacks amounted to violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq without any clear justification.

The United States and Britain are belittling the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Syed Azman said.

Mohd Nazri said Malaysia would not support any attack on Iraq as there had been no resolution to this effect from the UN, nor would it allow the United States to use it as a base for such attacks.