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Iraq’s Defiance of the United Nations

The intelligence material collected over recent times, to which Australia has contributed, points overwhelmingly to Saddam Hussein having acted in systematic defiance of the resolutions of the Security Council, maintained his stockpile of chemical and biological weapons and sought to reconstitute a nuclear weapons programme.

Given the strong and critical language of the Blix Report, the nations which comprise the Security Council face a stark and difficult choice.

The Council must either act to ensure full compliance by Iraq with resolution 1441 or, through either excessive delay or indifference, risk crippling its own authority.

To emphasise the weight of responsibility, which rests upon the current members of the Security Council, it is worth recalling to the House some brief history of this matter.

In 1991, the United Nations Security Council wanted to ensure that the Iraqi President was no longer in a position to launch any more unprovoked attacks on his neighbours. It resolved that Iraq must declare and then destroy all of its chemical and biological weapons and any materials or facilities connected with Saddam's attempt to achieve nuclear capability – his weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was prohibited from ever again possessing such weapons.

Saddam Hussein agreed to disarmament - to allow the United Nations to supervise and record the destruction of his arsenal of chemical and biological weapons and his nuclear capacity.

On this basis, and this basis alone, the world community agreed to cease hostilities against Iraq in April 1991. Iraq was allowed to maintain a conventional force – no one questions Iraq’s right as a sovereign nation to protect itself by maintaining conventional defensive weapons.

The cease-fire effectively was conditional on Iraq continuing to comply with the terms laid down by the Security Council – including, and importantly, the commitment to renounce weapons of mass destruction. To ensure compliance, the UN determined to continue economic sanctions against Iraq.

For 12 years the community of nations has tried to cajole and encourage Iraq to honour the Security Council resolutions.

For 12 years the international community has tried to contain his ambitions and limit his capacity to keep or manufacture weapons of mass destruction.

For 12 years Australian navy personnel have supported the Multinational Interception Force in the Persian Gulf, which enforces sanctions against Iraq - the crew of the HMAS Kanimbla, which was farewelled on 23 January last, are our most recent contribution to this important operation.

For eight years the Iraqi President obstructed the weapons inspection teams, who were charged with verifying his compliance with the UN resolutions. And for the last four years, until last December, he refused them entry to Iraq.

Iraq has not complied with 24 out of the 27 provisions contained in successive Security Council resolutions. Over the last 12 years the Security Council has passed no fewer than nine resolutions condemning Iraq’s non-cooperation with weapons inspectors. Iraq has had a lot of time and plenty of opportunities to get it right.

The government has consistently argued that the United Nations needs to deal with Saddam Hussein’s continued defiance of the Security Council’s authority.

This was the view I put to President Bush shortly before his address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, in September last year. I then argued to him the merits of working through the United Nations.

That has been the steady theme of a strong diplomatic effort by Australia, ably led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

We have supported a leading role for the United Nations in addressing this threat. Our close relationship and our ready access to the US administration has meant that our views are heard and respected.

We approached Security Council members in capitals and in New York to encourage a constructive resolution. We recently sent an envoy to South East Asia to consult key partners in the region and inform them of Australia’s position.

The Foreign Minister’s consultations in Europe last week demonstrated we are not alone, neither in our concern, nor in our preparedness, ultimately to act if necessary.

On 8 November last year, the Security Council passed resolution 1441. The nations which comprise the Council, large and small, from all the regions of the world, of almost every faith and political persuasion decided, unanimously, that Iraq had been, and remained, in breach of its obligations. In particular they drew attention to Iraq’s failure to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors and to complete the required disarmament actions.

The resolution puts Iraq on notice – the consequences of non-compliance will be serious.

If the compelling terms of this last resolution are not enforced, then the Security Council’s deeds will have failed to match its rhetoric and serious long-term damage will have been done to the United Nations.

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