The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
215.
France,
Germany and Russia issued a tripartite declaration on 10
February,
reaffirming
the objective of disarming Iraq as soon as possible but stating
that
potential
of resolution 1441 for peaceful disarmament had not yet been
fully
explored.
216.
Sir John
Holmes described the declaration as “a symbolic act”
which
was “significant”.
217.
In a press
conference in Paris on 10 February, President Chirac and
President
Putin
issued a tripartite declaration on behalf of the Governments of
France, Germany
and Russia
which stressed the alternatives to the use of force, and the need
to give
peaceful
disarmament every opportunity.58
218.
The main
points of the declaration were:
•
Reaffirmation
that disarmament of Iraq in accordance with a series of
resolutions
following
resolution 687 (1991) remained the common aim of the
international
community
and must be achieved as soon as possible.
•
The
solution “must be inspired” by the principles of the UN Charter as
stated
recently by
Mr Annan in his speech of 8 February.
•
Resolution
1441 (2002) offered a framework but its “possibilities” had “not
yet
been fully
explored”.
•
Inspections
had “already yielded results”.
•
The three
countries favoured “the continuation of the inspections and
the
substantial
strengthening of their human and technical capacities by all
possible
means”.
•
There was
“still an alternative to war”.
•
The use of
force could “only be considered as a last resort”.
•
The three
countries were “determined to give every chance to the
peaceful
disarmament
of Iraq”.
•
Iraq had to
“co-operate actively” with the inspectors and “face up to
its
responsibilities
in full”.
•
The
position expressed reflected that “of a large number of countries,
particularly
within the
Security Council”.
219.
Sir John
Holmes, told the Inquiry that the tripartite declaration was: “a
symbolic act
… to say
something very different from what we and others were saying at the
time”,
which “was,
of course, significant”.59
58
Embassy of
the Republic of France in the UK, Joint
declaration by Russia, Germany and France on Iraq,
Paris
10.02.03.
59
Public
hearing, 29 June 2010, page 37.
220