An increasing number of countries on the UN Security Council support “robust monitoring” as an effective and peaceful alternative to war in Iraq.
Reacting to Secretary of State Colin Powell’s speech at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin called for a doubling or tripling of the number of UN inspectors in Iraq.
“With the choice between military intervention and an inspections regime that is inadequate for lack of cooperation on Iraq’s part, we must choose to strengthen decisively the means of inspection,” de Villepin said. He suggested the establishment of an international intelligence gathering clearing house and a specialized body to keep under surveillance the areas already inspected. De Villepin concluded his remarks by asking, “Why go to war if there still exists an unused space in Resolution 1441?”
UN Resolution 1441 of 8 November 2002 is the most recent Security Council resolution addressing the question of how to disarm Iraq. The Resolution calls for “an enhanced inspection regime with the aim of bringing to full and verified completion the disarmament process established by resolution 687 (1991).”
Joschka Fischer, Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, came out equally strong in favor of robust monitoring. The United Nations needs “tough, intensive inspections that can guarantee the full, lasting, disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction,” Fischer argued. “By tightening the inspections, we are creating an opportunity for a peaceful solution,” he went on.
Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Igor Ivanov and Tang Jiaxuan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, also advocated measures that would render the inspections more efficient. Ivanov concluded that the information provided by Secretary Powell indicated the need for continued inspections, and that intensified inspections alone could help the Security Council find the best possible solution to the crisis.
In total, ten out of 15 UN Security Council member states favored the continuation and strengthening of weapons inspections in Iraq. Angola and Mexico called for “strengthened” and “intensified” inspections, while Cameroon promoted monitoring “in a more robust manner.” Chile, Pakistan and Syria proposed to “continue,” “enhance” and “endorse” the UN inspections.
For the official UN Press Release, go to http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sc7658.doc.htm.
For a GSI Brief about “Robust Monitoring,” go to http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/GSI_Robust_Monitoring.pdf.
CONTACT: Dr. Urs A. Cipolat – (415) 775 6760 or urs@gsinstitute.org