Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed support Thursday for U.S.-British missile strikes against Iraq, saying that Iraq violated agreements with the United Nations to cooperate with arms inspections by the world body.

The statement issued by Obuchi, who was in Hanoi for talks with Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian leaders, said Baghdad's cooperation with U.N. arms inspectors has been inadequate.

The military actions by the United States and Britain were taken "because of a lack of cooperation by Iraq with the (U.N. Special Commission)," he said.