The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
•
welcomed
the Secretary-General’s proposal for a comprehensive
review
and
expressed “its readiness to consider, in a comprehensive review,
Iraq’s
compliance
with its obligations … once Iraq has rescinded its … decision
and
demonstrated
that it is prepared to fulfil all its obligations”.227
565.
Acting under
Chapter VII of the Charter, the Council:
•
condemned
Iraq’s decision which was a “totally unacceptable contravention
of
its
obligations”;
•
demanded
that the decision should be rescinded and that Iraq should
co-operate
fully with
its obligations and resume a dialogue with UNSCOM and the
IAEA;
and
•
decided not
to conduct the review of sanctions scheduled for October and
not
to conduct
any further such reviews until Iraq had rescinded its decision
and
UNSCOM and
the IAEA reported to the Council that they were “able to
exercise
the full
range of activities provided for in their mandates, including
inspections”.
566.
On
20 September, the JIC concluded that:
“Some
biological warfare (BW) production equipment, stocks of agents and
even
weapons are
probably retained by Iraq.”228
567.
Mr Annan
wrote that Sir Jeremy Greenstock, in his capacity as President of
the
Security
Council, was authorised “by all members of the Council” to engage
Mr Aziz on
the terms
proposed by Mr Annan but because of the “fundamental mistrust
between Iraq
and
UNSCOM”, the “standoff continued for another
month”.229
568.
Mr Butler’s
consolidated UNSCOM report of 6 October rehearsed
the
developments
over the preceding six months.230
569.
Mr Butler
reported that the outstanding issues in relation to missile
warheads were:
•
UNSCOM was
“able to account for the destruction of between 43 and 45 of
the
45
operational special warheads declared by Iraq as having been
unilaterally
destroyed”.
That was a “major accomplishment”.
•
The VX
issue needed to be resolved.
227
UN Security
Council resolution 1194 (1998).
228
Review of
Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction [“The
Butler Report”], 14 July 2004, HC 898,
page
49.
229
Annan
K. Interventions:
A Life In War And Peace. Allen Lane,
2012.
230
UN Security
Council, 6 October 1998, ‘Report of the Executive Chairman on
the activities of the Special
Commission
established by the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 9 (b)
(i) of resolution 687 (1991)’
(S/1198/920).
128