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Western Coalition warplanes Hit Iraqi Targets in the Southeast - 2003-01-10


Western coalition warplanes have attacked five Iraqi military targets in the "no fly zone" in southeast Iraq.

The U-S Central Command says the aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target a military command and control site and four cable repeater sites, all southeast of Baghdad.

A Centcom statement says today's (Friday's) airstrikes were carried out after Iraq fired anti-aircraft artillery at planes patrolling the southern no-fly zone.

Meanwhile, top officials of the European Union say war with Iraq is not inevitable and that any decision on war must be left to the U-N Security Council.

Speaking to reporters in Athens, E-U Commission President Romano Prodi and Greek Primen Minister Costas Simitis said European countries are determined to seek a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis. They said Europeans are waiting to see the results of U-N weapons inspections in Iraq.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reiterated his country's stance that Germany will not take part in military action even if the Security Council decides in favor of it.

U-N weapons experts searched more sites in Iraq today, one day after top inspectors said Baghdad is not completely cooperating with the U-N inspectors. The inspectors visited a pharmaceutical company, a missile plant and two warehouses in the capital area.

In Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said he has given U-S military personnel permission to inspect Turkish ports and air bases in preparation for a possible war with Iraq.

The inspections were delayed for more than a month, reportedly because of a dispute over whether members of the inspection team would be subject to Turkish law during their mission.

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