Statement by

H. E. Dr. Javad Zarif

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran

before the Security Council

New York, 11 March 2003

…………………………………

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. President,

May I first congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of March. Allow me also to express my appreciation to Ambassador Gunter Pleager of Germany for the dynamic and productive way he conducted the work of the Council in February. I am also grateful for the timely convening of this important meeting. Here, I shouldn’t fail to thank the UN weapons inspectors, skillfully led by Dr. Hans Blix and Dr. Mohammad ELBaradei, for their professionalism and the comprehensive reports they have thus far presented to the Security Council.

Mr. President,

The unanimous adoption of Security Council resolution 1441 and the deployment of international weapons inspectors in Iraq have demonstrated the ability of the international community, represented by this Council, to act together in the interest of attaining a common goal. The big question mark, now, hanging over us is as to why the course the Security Council wisely embarked upon should be prematurely aborted. At a time when the chief inspectors have recommend that they be given relatively short time to complete the work mandated by this Council, the persistent question is why there should be a rush to war.

It is true that the disarmament of Iraq should not have dragged on for 12 years. It is also true that the Iraqi Government should have fulfilled its obligations much earlier and the fragmentary and grudging cooperation on the part of Iraq is a main cause of the current crisis. As the victims of one of the wars of aggression, the major victim of harboring of terrorism and the only victim of these weapons of mass destruction, we certainly understand the frustration of the international community. But as a country that in the span of two decades has had to suffer directly from one war and face the enormous consequences of another, we know that yet another war in our region is not something that one could easily and hurriedly make recourse to. Two wrongs will not make it right. When it comes to a devastating war, in which thousands upon thousands of Iraqi innocent civilians would undoubtedly perish, it would be morally and politically unacceptable if considerations such as hot weather, moonless nights, troop fatigue and the like were to take precedence.

Mr. President,

I don’t think that I need to recall how high the stakes are. We all have an idea of the unparalleled disaster that a possible war could bring about. The humanitarian crisis in Iraq and in the neighboring countries might take catastrophic dimensions. The threat of disintegration of Iraq and instability in the region is significant. The fact that extremism stands to benefit the most from a war is undeniable. There are worrying signs that the right of the Iraqi people to self-determination may be among the casualties of a possible war. Neither the Iraqi people nor the international community can accept any encroachment on the sovereignty and independence of a UN Member State, no matter how short some may claim it to be at the outset.

Moreover, the stakes have already gone far beyond Iraq. The rush to war has already placed the current functioning international system on the line. It is quite irresponsible to rejoice over the fantasy of “the post UN world” as a hawkish columnist did yesterday. We fully support the warning issued by the Secretary-General yesterday and again today in his thoughtful article in the Wall Street Journal. My Government is equally gravely concerned over the outright attempts underway to undermine the United Nations system and the achievements that humankind has incrementally accomplished over a very long period of time in institutionalizing the rule of law at the international level.

Mr. President,

Against the backdrop of any realistic scenario, all of which would amount to no less than a real nightmare, any chance, even as slim as it may look, should be seized. War is such a dangerously imperceptive solution, particularly when innovative proposals and ideas for strengthening of the inspections, setting of clear targets to remove the regional and international anxieties about Iraqi behavior and guaranteeing the right of Iraqi people to self-determination, while maintaining Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are already on the table.

In this context, it is first and foremost incumbent upon the Iraqi Government to take irreversible steps to reassure its neighbors and the international community that it genuinely wishes to live in peace and fully implement all its obligations under various Security Council resolutions, starting with continuing and expanding active cooperation with the weapons inspectors.

Mr. President,

While Members of the international community, including my Government, are unanimous on the need for fully implementing the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, the rush to war is clearly undermining the momentum built for bringing this issue to a successful end. The division and tension it creates is alienating the world public opinion and the great majority of governments, thus creating serious doubts about the agenda behind it. The different and some times conflicting reasons invoked to justify a premature recourse to military action can’t but strengthen the doubts. And this is a new layer of doubts that adds up to previous layers resulting from selectivity in enforcing UN resolutions and treaties on nonproliferation. Allowing the Security Council to have the final word in bringing the current crisis to a successful conclusion would certainly be a significant step in the right direction.