1.1 | UK
Iraq strategy 1990 to 2000
co-operation
from Iraq that the former Special Commission provoked
large-scale
strikes by
the United States and Great Britain against Iraq in December
last
year,
circumventing the Security Council”;
•
introducing
a “clarification … to the effect that progress on the
remaining
disarmament
tasks – not their virtual completion – would be grounds
for
assessing
the conditions necessary to the suspension of sanctions”;
vague
wording in
an earlier draft would have “provided certain members of the
Council”
with “an
opportunity to … require virtually full completion of the key
disarmament
tasks … and
then, on that pretext, to postpone suspension
endlessly”;
•
removing
wording about “control of the financial aspects of the
suspension,
which
essentially predetermined the continuation of the sanctions regime
in
another
guise”; and
•
spelling
out more clearly the reference to Chapter VII “so as not to provide
any
legal
grounds for unilateral actions of force against Iraq contrary to
positions
held in the
Security Council”.
822.
Russia could
not support the draft resolution because of “deficiencies of the
draft
resolution
and some hidden dangers that remain” and it would “not forget that
certain
countries
still have their own agendas with respect to Iraq that may be at
variance with
the
collective position of the Security Council”. The Council had
“never authorized the
establishment
of the ‘No-Fly Zones’”, nor had it authorised “subversive acts
against
the Iraqi
Government”. If the Council sought “truly new approaches … to a
long-term
settlement
in the Gulf, such illegal, unilateral actions must
end”.
823.
But Russia had
decided “not to hinder” adoption of the resolution
because
“serious
changes” had been introduced which offered “an opportunity to break
the
Iraqi stalemate”.
“The fact
that we are not blocking the adoption of this imperfect draft
resolution
should not
be taken to indicate that we are obliged to play along with
attempts
to impose
its forcible implementation …
“… Judging
from existing objective assessments, Iraq is already no threat
to
international
and regional peace and security. In any event, no concrete proof
has
been
submitted to the Council in recent years.
“It is now
up to the Security Council to act objectively and in an unbiased
way …
“… it is
important that … it has been possible to avoid a split … and to
confirm the
key role of
the Council in the political settlement of the most important
problems of
the world
today … Russia will continue to do its utmost to strengthen that
role.”
825.
Mr Hasmy
stated that the issue before the Council was “not just … asserting
its
authority
and reclaiming its credibility … but equally importantly …
restoring confidence
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