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03/15/03
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Caution:
The article is trying to provide an
objective view of the current international
crisis in Iraq.
It neither promotes nor opposes war. It
is neither another oil-dollar-euro conspiracy
theory nor a warmonger theory. Rather, it is a
short description of the genesis of the current
crisis and the lesson that the world has to
learn from it in building a better international
organization, especially a more effective UN
Security Council in promoting and keeping
international security and peace. For one who is
really concerned about the current crisis in
Iraq, United Nations Security Council
resolutions on Iraq are the “bible”. |
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The
beginning
Iraq
has been on the major news ever since it attacked Iran
on September 22, 1980.
The attack was triggered by border clashes for
many years with Iran of the dormant Shatt al Arab
waterway dispute in 1979. Iraq claimed the
200-kilometer channel up to the Iranian shore as its
territory, while Iran insisted that the thalweg--a
line running down the middle of the
waterway--negotiated last in 1975, was the official
border.
| One
decade later, Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2,
1990 claiming that Kuwait was part of its
territory.
This led to the Gulf War in 1991 when the
UN Security Council adopted Resolution
678 in 1990 authorizing the use of
force to liberate Kuwait from Iraq. The
Coalition forces, led by the United States,
ousted Iraq from Kuwait and subsequently the UN
Security Council adopted Resolution
687 in 1991 concerning the
restoration of peace and security in Iraq and
Kuwait. |
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The
Iran-Iraq war ended in August 1988 when Iran
accepted United Nations (UN) Security Council
Resolution 598, leading to a 20 August 1988
cease-fire.
Casualty
figures are highly uncertain, though estimates
suggest more than one and a half million war and
war-related casualties -- perhaps as many as a
million people died, many more were wounded, and
millions were made refugees. Iraq's victory was
not without cost. The Iraqis suffered an
estimated 375,000 casualties, the equivalent of
5.6 million for a population the size of the
United States. Another 60,000 were taken
prisoner by the Iranians. Iran's losses may have
included more than 1 million people killed or
maimed. The war claimed at least 300,000 Iranian
lives and injured more than 500,000, out of a
total population which by the war's end was
nearly 60 million.
Source: Iran-Iraq
War (1980-1988)
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Resolution
687 has 34 sections and section 8 states that “Iraq
shall unconditionally accept the destruction, removal,
or rendering harmless, under international
supervision, of (a) all chemical and biological
weapons and all stocks of agents and all related
subsystems and components and all research,
development, support and manufacturing facilities; (b)
all ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150
kilometres and related major parts, and repair and
production facilities.
Section
32 states “Requires Iraq to inform the Security
Council that it will not commit or support any act of
international terrorism or allow any organization
directed towards commission of such acts to operate
within its territory and to condemn unequivocally and
renounce all acts, methods and practices of
terrorism”.
And
now…
And
twelve years later, once again, the world is held a
hostage by the crisis in Iraq. All begins when the US
President, George W. Bush, in a speech to the United
Nations General Assembly in New York September 12,
warned that the regime of Saddam Hussein, "is
a threat to the authority of the United Nations, and a
threat to peace."
He
listed a decade of 17 U.N. resolutions that Iraq has
defied and said, "All the world now faces a
test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining
moment. Are Security Council resolutions to be honored
and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will
the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding,
or will it be irrelevant?"
Offering
to work with other nations on a resolution, Bush said
“The Security Council resolutions will be
enforced….We must stand up for our security and for
the permanent rights and hopes of mankind… Delegates
to the United Nations, you have the power to make that
stand…”
The
Bush speech was one day after the memorial of the
September 11 and the Bush administration, in view of
the September 11, was concerned on Iraqi regime’s
commitment on the implementation of section 8 and
section 32 of the Resolution 687. For instance, in his
speech Bush said, “In 1991, the U.N. Security
Council, through Resolution 687, demanded that Iraq
renounce all involvement with terrorism, and permit no
terrorist organizations to operate in Iraq. Iraq's
regime agreed. It broke this promise. In violation of
Security Council Resolution 1373, Iraq continues to
shelter and support terrorist organizations that
direct violence against Iran, Israel, and Western
governments. Iraqi dissidents abroad are targeted for
murder.” Source:
US
Department of State
The
follow up
As
a result, after two months of debate and intense
negotiation among the UN Security Council members, the
UN Security Council adopted Resolution
1441 on
November 8, 2002. Section 1 of the resolution states,
“Decides
that Iraq has been and remains in material breach of
its obligations under relevant resolutions, including
resolution 687 (1991), in particular through Iraq’s
failure to cooperate with United Nations inspectors
and the IAEA, and to complete the actions required
under paragraphs 8 to 13 of resolution 687 (1991).”
Furthermore,
the resolution states that it is “A final
opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations
under relevant resolutions of the Council; and
accordingly decides to set up an enhanced inspection
regime with the aim of bringing to full and verified
completion the disarmament process established by
resolution 687 (1991) and subsequent resolutions of
the Council.”
And
the most debated part of the resolution is "…that the
Council has repeatedly warned Iraq that it will face
serious consequences as a result of its continued
violations of its obligations.”
The
resolution was passed by 15 votes to nothing.
But
only a few months later, the once solid Security
Council in passing the resolution 1441 has already
been divided on the follow up of the resolution. The
US, UK, Spain and Bulgaria insist that the Iraqi
regime has not fully complied with the resolution 1441
and it is in material breach. French, Russia, Germany,
China and Syria stand firm on rejecting the use of
military force in imposing the 1441 resolution and
insist that the inspection regime is working and
should continue. The remaining 6 countries: Mexico,
Cameroon, Guinea, Chile, Angola and Pakistan are still
undecided.
In
his presentation in the UN Security Council on Feb 5,
2003, the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell reminded
the Council that it had voted unanimously last Nov. 8
for a resolution - U.N. Resolution 1441 - that ''gave
Iraq one last chance to come into compliance or to
face serious consequences.''
''No Council member present...had any
illusion...what serious consequences meant,'' he
said. Source:
CNN,
White
House.
Indeed,
in the UN Security Council Resolution
678 which authorized the use of
force to liberate Kuwait the article 2 does not state
the use of military force explicitly.
It states that “Authorizes Member States
co-operating with the Government of Kuwait, unless
Iraq on or before 15 January 1991 fully implements, as
set forth in paragraph 1 above, the foregoing
resolutions, to use all necessary means to uphold and
implement resolution 660 (1990) and all subsequent
relevant resolutions and to restore international
peace and security in the area.”
Split,
Self-interest and Ineffectiveness
Each
country is just one in a world of over
200 countries. Each puts top priority on its own
interests. And the current split in the UN Security
Council on the matter that is crucial to the
international peace and security just proves that
every nation has been tightened up to put its national
interest beyond international peace and security.
Tomorrow:
The US's interest and the UNSC.
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