World Reacts Cautiously to Bush’s Speech

In an official reaction to Bush’s address, Yakovenko said Bush stressed "the need for an uncompromising struggle against international terrorism, which is one of the main modern threats."
Speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Russia may toughen its stance on Iraq if Baghdad hampers U.N. inspectors seeking signs of weapons of mass destruction, Yakovenko said that "as before, we see no grounds for any use of military force."
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana welcomed the offer by the United States to share intelligence on Iraq at the United Nations.
"The EU continues to believe the place where this debate should be is in the (U.N. Security) Council," Solana said. "We have to put in place all the elements in order to avoid the catastrophe of war."
Some countries, including China Asia’s only permanent member of the U.N. Security Council had no immediate official response.
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin welcomed Bush’s announcement that the United States will present evidence on Feb. 5 that shows Iraq maintains a secret weapons program in violation of U.N. resolutions.
Once the intelligence is evaluated, de Villepin said it would be up to the United Nations to decide on the next step. France has repeatedly voiced opposition to any unilateral action by the United States against Iraq.
"France has taken a clear position since the beginning and the majority of the world community not only understands this position but shares it," he said in an interview with RTL radio.
In Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo *censored*uda called Bush’s speech "a forceful, strong message" and said disarming Iraq is a concern of the whole world.
Along with concerns over Iraq, many in Asia worried about what Bush’s rhetoric meant for conflicts closer to home.
Bush railed against North Korea as an oppressive regime that leaves its people "living in fear and starvation." He further accused the country of using its nuclear program to extract concessions from the United States.
A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official said Bush’s speech was restrained and balanced.
North Korea blamed what it called Washington’s "hostile policy" for tension on the divided Korean peninsula. Its state-run KCNA news agency said Bush’s approach was "designed to isolate and stifle" the county "by putting it under the siege of closely coordinated international sanctions and pressure in political, economic, military, diplomatic and all other aspects."
India and Pakistan had no immediate official reaction. However in Islamabad, religious hardliners said Bush’s speech was a rehashing of weak arguments for war.
"Opposition to America is increasing at every step. There will be a reaction not only against America but against governments that have become tools in its hands," said Liaqat Baluch, deputy chief of the pro-Taliban Jamaat-e-Islami party.