U.S.-IRAQ: Bush Heeds Annan’s Call to Resolve Disputes Via U.N.

By Marty Logan Reprint | | Print |

Marty Logan

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 12 2002 (IPS) - The United States joined the rest of the United Nations member countries Thursday in supporting a call from U.N. chief Kofi Annan to resolve disputes through the international body, even as a possible U.S. attack on Iraq loomed.

U.S. President George W. Bush said Thursday, “We will work with the U.N. Security Council for the necessary resolutions” and will appeal to that body to force Iraq to comply with previous resolutions before taking action against that country.

A day earlier, the U.S. armed forces announced that 600 staff members were being moved from Florida headquarters to Qatar, raising fears that military action is inevitable.

In a speech that did not name the United States, but seemed clearly aimed at that nation, Annan reminded delegates at the opening session of the annual U.N. General Assembly that states can only act unilaterally if they have been attacked.

Otherwise, they must take their disputes to the U.N. Security Council, said the secretary-general.

“For any one state — large or small — choosing to follow or reject the multilateral path must not be a simple matter of political convenience. It has consequences far beyond the immediate context,” Annan said.

“The more a country makes use of multilateral institutions — thereby respecting shared values, and accepting the obligations and restraints inherent in those values — the more others will trust and accept it, and the stronger its chance to exercise true leadership,” he added.

The Bush administration has faced strong criticism for its withdrawal from international forums, in particular the Kyoto Protocol on curbing emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and the newly created International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Security Council, meanwhile, has yet to discuss the rising international tension over a possible U.S. attack against Iraq. The body did not meet on Thursday but its 15 members are scheduled to gather Friday.

In the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, triggered by the Iraqi invasion of neighbouring Kuwait, the Security Council imposed an embargo against Iraq, setting a number of conditions for lifting the blockade, including the stipulation that Baghdad must permit international inspectors to monitor its weapons programmes.

Those inspectors left Iraq nearly four years ago after continually being prevented from carrying out their work.

Since then, Bush told the general assembly Thursday, it is likely the country has continued to develop nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

“To suggest otherwise is to hope against the evidence. To assume this regime’s good faith is to bet the lives of millions and the peace of the world in a reckless gamble. And this is a risk we must not take,” said Bush.

“We will work with the U.N. Security Council for the necessary resolutions. But the purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced — the just demands of peace and security will be met — or action will be unavoidable. And a regime that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power,” vowed Bush.

Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Lafer, also took the podium at the General Assembly to add his country’s support for a multilateral approach to international tensions, and the U.S.-Iraqi dispute in particular.

“The tangled interests that form a global web of interdependence can only be managed through authority rooted in multilateral institutions and in respect for international law,” Lafer said.

“In the specific case of Iraq,” he added, “Brazil believes that it is incumbent on the Security Council to determine the necessary measures to ensure full compliance with the relevant resolutions. The exercise by the Security Council of its responsibilities is the way to reduce tensions and to avoid risking the unpredictable consequences resulting from wider instability.”

In addition to his “reminder” against unilateral military actions, Annan hinted that the U.N. also could lose patience with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

“I urge Iraq to comply with its obligations, for the sake of its own people, and for the sake of world order. If Iraq’s defiance continues, the Security Council must face its responsibilities,” he said.

In his address before the General Assembly, Bush set out a number of conditions, based on previous Security Council resolutions, which Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein must meet in order to avoid such action.

“If the Iraqi regime wishes peace, it will immediately end all support for terrorism and act to suppress it, as all states are required to do by U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Bush said.

It must also disclose and destroy all of its weapons of mass destruction, cease persecution of Kurds and other minority groups in the country, account for all prisoners of war from the 1991 Gulf War and end illicit trade occurring outside of the U.N.-imposed “oil for food” programme, he added.

“If all these steps are taken, it will signal a new openness and accountability in Iraq. And it could open the prospect of the United Nations helping to build a government that represents all Iraqis — a government based on respect for human rights, economic liberty, and internationally supervised elections,” said Bush.