16 October 2002

Mr. President,

It is always a pleasure to see you preside over this Council. We are also pleased that the Deputy Secretary-General, Madame Louise Frechette, has also joined us this morning. We particularly wish to express our appreciation for the Security Council's positive response to our request for an emergency meeting on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait. We are pleased by the decision of the Council to begin this meeting by hearing the views of the wider United Nations Membership.

We come before you, Mr. President, because we believe that the Security Council is being asked to consider a matter that has important repercussions for the entire United Nations. The United Nations was, according to its Charter, founded with an explicit determination "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." We are here to voice our concerns regarding the possibility that the United Nations is now being asked to consider proposals that open up the possibility of a war against a Member State.

The situation between Iraq and Kuwait must be addressed comprehensively by the United Nations so as to allow the Security Council to lift sanctions against Iraq, which continue to have dire humanitarian consequences. Iraq should comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, including the provisions relating to the repatriation of all Kuwaiti and third country nationals and the return of all Kuwaiti property. All the Member States are bound by Security Council resolutions and no Member State should be exempted from carrying out obligations as determined by this Council.

We therefore welcome the announcement by the Government of Iraq to allow the UN weapons inspectors to return without any conditions. We believe this offers the prospect for a peaceful resolution of this matter. We would urge the Security Council to allow the inspectors to return to Iraq as soon as possible.

Mr. President,

We called for this meeting to offer our encouragement to the Security Council to seize this opportunity that can possibly lead to a lasting peaceful solution to the long-standing matter between Iraq and Kuwait.

During the UNGA57 General Debate, the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement were seized with the debate on Iraq. They welcomed the decision by the Government of Iraq to allow the unconditional return of weapons inspectors in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. They further stated that "in this regard, we wish to encourage Iraq and the United Nations to intensify their efforts in search of a lasting, just and comprehensive solution to all outstanding issues between them in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions."

The Ministers re-affirmed the respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Iraq and Kuwait in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. They emphasised the urgent need for a peaceful solution of the issue of Iraq in a way that preserves the authority and credibility of the Charter of the United Nations and international law as well as peace and stability in the region.

The Ministers reiterated the Non-Aligned Movement's firm rejection of any type of unilateral action against any Member State of the United Nations.

Mr. President,

We welcome the agreement of 01 October 2002 between the Government of Iraq, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the practical arrangements necessary for the immediate resumption of inspections in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Security Council resolutions. The timetable for the return of the inspectors that has been presented to the Security Council by Dr. Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC and Dr. El Baradei, Director-General of the IAEA, is also welcomed. It would therefore be inconsistent with the spirit and letter of the United Nations Charter if the Security Council were to authorise the use of military force against Iraq at a time when Iraq has indicated its willingness to abide by the Security Council’s resolutions.

In our view, the way has now been cleared for the immediate return of the UN weapons inspectors to Iraq. We have full confidence that Dr. Blix and the UN inspectors would undertake their duties with utmost professionalism. We hope that the Security Council shares our confidence in the abilities and credibility of UNMOVIC and the IAEA in carrying out this task. We would urge that the Security Council allow the UN inspectors to return to Iraq to resume their important work without delay. It would be tragic if the Security Council were to prejudge the work of the inspectors before they set foot in Iraq. There will be enough time for the Security Council to review the work of the inspectors since Dr. Blix and his team is required to report progress to the Security Council.

Mr. President,

We have followed with interest the public discussion on the elements for a possible resolution on Iraq. It has been brought to our attention that the significant consultations are limited to the Permanent Members of the Security Council and their Capitals. There have even been suggestions that Permanent Members should be given new and exclusive roles in dealing with the resolution of the Iraqi issue.

It has always been a source of comfort and satisfaction for those of us who are not in the Security Council that there are ten elected Members who we chose to represent our views. We believe that these elected Members have their own special role to play in the Council's deliberations because they bring credibility and balance to the decision-making within the Council. We are therefore concerned if elected Members are excluded from consultations on the most pressing issues before the Council. This can only lead to the erosion of the authority and legitimacy of the Security Council.

The Security Council represents our collective security concerns and should ultimately be accountable to the entire United Nations. The maintenance of international peace and security is a core function of the United Nations. Therefore, the Security Council cannot be party to increasing the humanitarian suffering of civilians who are caught up in conflict situations. Nor can the Security Council allow itself to agree to decisions that will subject and condemn large numbers of innocent civilians to conditions of war in efforts to enforce its resolutions. Through the UN Charter, we adopted a system of collective security and we now have to act with resolve to protect our rules-based system of international relations. The norms and fundamental principles of international law must be our basis to establish the conditions for peace, justice and human dignity.

The Security Council should ensure that there is consistency in the way it acts to enforce its own decisions and avoids subjectivity and vagueness in its resolutions. The Security Council should be explicit and clearly define the objectives of its resolutions and set clear, implementable benchmarks for compliance. This would facilitate the efforts by Member States to fully comply with their obligations.

Mr. President,

Open-ended sanctions regimes imposed by the Security Council are counter productive in so far as they exacerbate the humanitarian situation. In Iraq, eleven years of sanctions have brought endless suffering to the ordinary people. We hope that the Security Council would dispatch the inspectors to Iraq as soon as possible and allow the people of Iraq to focus their attention on rebuilding their country.

Thank you