The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
completely
certain that there would be monumental political controversy: and
this
ran into
the legal problems which were more hazardous for us than the US. I
was
getting
advice on the domestic legal consequences of such military action
and would
share this
with him [Secretary Powell].”
504.
Finally,
Mr Straw recorded that he had asked whether the military
preparations
were such
that war was inevitable and had been told “emphatically” that they
were not.
Secretary
Powell had told him that, as President Bush got into the issue, he
became
more
nervous of the outcome and he was watching the opinion polls
carefully. Those
showed a
big majority against military action without UN
backing.
505.
An open
debate of the Security Council on 16 and 17 October
demonstrated
the extent
of interest amongst Member States about the provisions of a
further
resolution
on Iraq and concerns about its implications.
506.
Statements
by the five Permanent Members of the Security Council
made
clear their
strongly held and very different perspectives about events since
the
late 1990s;
and the reasons why, in addition to Iraq’s position, there had
been
no progress
in implementing the comprehensive approach towards Iraq
provided
for by
resolution 1284 adopted in December 1999.
507.
The
divergence in their positions on the way ahead
remained.
508.
The
Non‑Aligned Movement (NAM) asked on 10 October for an
“emergency
open debate
on the situation in Iraq”.175
In its
view, all Members States and Permanent
Observers
of the UN should be “afforded an opportunity to air their views” on
the draft
resolution
on Iraq because the issues were “of importance to the entire
membership …
and the
future role of the United Nations in the maintenance of
international peace and
security”.
It was “imperative for the Security Council to hear the views of
the wider …
membership”
before it adopted “such an important resolution”.
509.
An open debate
of the Council, attended by more than 50 Member States
or
Permanent
Observers, in addition to the members of the Security Council, took
place
175
UN Security
Council, ‘Letter dated 10 October 2002 from the Permanent
Representative of South Africa
to the
United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council’
(S/2002/1132).
176
UN Security
Council, ‘4625th Meeting Wednesday 16 October 2002’ (S/PV.4625,
S/PV.4625
Resumption 1);
UN Security Council, ‘4625th Meeting Thursday 17 October 2002’
(S/PV.4625, S/PV.4625
Resumption
2, S/PV.4625 Resumption 3).
290