STATEMENT BY SERGEI LAVROV
RUSSIAN PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
TO THE U.N.

RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

March 27, 2003

Unprovoked military action has been taken against Iraq, a sovereign state and a member of the UN, in violation of international law and in circumvention of the Charter of the United Nations. Human casualties and destructions are growing, and the threat of a humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe is impending. The adverse consequences of this illegal military action are already having an effect on other countries of the region, on the Islamic world and on the general state of international relations.

Russia together with other states had been making energetic efforts to prevent war and arrive at a political settlement of the Iraq problem. The unanimous adoption in November 2002 of SC Resolution 1441 in combination with other measures of influence on Baghdad had opened a real way for disarming Iraq by peaceful means in complete accordance with the UN decisions.

Most regrettably, this possibility was ruined exactly when Iraq was ever more actively cooperating with the inspectors and when UNMOVIC and IAEA had presented to the SC their work programs, the implementation of which allowed for giving a conclusive and objective answer to the question whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or not.

The military actions of the US and Britain against Iraq in violation of the SC resolutions can in no way be justified. These countries were never able to furnish proofs of their assertions about the presence of WMDs in Iraq, about Baghdad backing international terrorism or, for that matter, about any threat emanating from Iraq for countries of the region or international security. Neither in the course of the military action have any evidences been found confirming those accusations. To all it is clear that the use of force against Iraq is being accomplished with the aim of changing the political regime in a sovereign state, which runs directly counter to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

The entire course of events bears out the assessment made by the Russian leadership of the war in Iraq as a serious political mistake. The military action has already gone beyond the framework of local conflict. Not only the population of Iraq is suffering from it, but also that of neighboring countries. It has become a potential source of destabilization in the Middle East and in the world as a whole.

The humanitarian situation in Iraq is cause for serious concern. We support the efforts being undertaken by the Secretary General in cooperation with UN humanitarian programs and funds to meet the Iraqi population's needs.

Russia is making a contribution to these efforts. In cooperation with the governments of the appropriate countries and with the OHCR, measures are being taken to render humanitarian aid to Iraqi refugees. It is borne in mind to set up in Iranian territory a hospital for 5,000 persons, and then two more hospitals and a refugee camp. In addition, the creation of refugees camps in the territory of Turkey is being planned.

I want to especially stress the necessity of complete compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to which the forces occupying the territory of Iraq are to bear responsibility for the solution of the humanitarian problems of the population in that area.

Of course, all the parties should observe also all the other rules of international humanitarian law, especially those concerning the treatment of the wounded and prisoners of war, the protection of civilian persons, the preservation of life support facilities for the population and the prevention of the use of means of combat inflicting excessive damage.

Taking into account the exceptional circumstances in which the Iraqi population has found itself, we are ready together with other SC members to deal also with the question of a temporary change of Oil for Food program procedures to satisfy the Iraqis' humanitarian needs in the situation where the international personnel of this program was evacuated because of the war. But we shall not support efforts to readjust the humanitarian program mechanism for the purposes of the military scenario. This is not a technical matter.

For all the importance of the humanitarian problems there is currently no more urgent task than to try to stop the war and to get the situation back on the political settlement track in the framework of the Security Council. Most participants of our debate have come out in favor of this.

Striving for this purpose, we will continue to oppose attempts directly or indirectly to legitimatize the actions of force against Iraq or to shift off the responsibility for them on to the world community as represented by the UN. It is from this vantage point that we will approach work on any decisions of the Security Council with regard to Iraqi settlement. The major principles that must lie at the base of this entire work were formulated yesterday by the Secretary General: they are respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Iraq, and the right of the Iraqi people to decide their own political future and exercise control over their natural resources.

The Russian leadership is engaged in intensive contacts with a wide circle of nations, including the SC members, with a view to finding a political way out of the crisis. The objective conditions remain for this to be achieved. The potentialities of the UN are far from exhausted, and even supporters of a force-based solution acknowledge this.

We are open for dialogue with all and are convinced that the differences on the Iraq problem should not become a cause for sliding towards confrontation in world affairs. For however the situation may evolve around Iraq, we cannot get away from the necessity to jointly search for effective answers to the new threats and challenges and to reinforce the UN mechanisms necessary for this purpose. The objective interest of the world community in a mutually beneficial collective solution of global problems cannot become hostage to the situation around Iraq. However on the extent to which we shall all be able by concerted actions to minimize the damage from the Iraq crisis, it directly depends in what kind of world we are going to live further - in a world based on the supremacy of international law or in the conditions of chaos and the arbitrariness of military force.