Statement on Iraq Before the United Nations Security Council
Ambassador John D. Negroponte, Permanent Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York March 27, 2003
Mr. President, we have listened carefully to our colleagues. We share many of their concerns. We welcome the
expressions of support. We join many in looking to the future to a better Iraq and we disagree profoundly with those who
still avoid the central issue. The responsibility for the current situation lies in the hands of the Iraqi regime, a
regime which launched two bloody wars and which has refused for 12 years to give up weapons of mass destruction and join
its neighbors in peace.
Iraq has repeatedly refused to respond to diplomatic overtures, economic sanctions, and other peaceful means, designed
to bring about Iraqi compliance with its obligations to disarm. The actions that coalition forces are undertaking are an
appropriate response. The military campaign in Iraq is not a war against the people of Iraq, but rather against the
regime that has denied the will of the international community for more than 12 years.
It was regrettable that the Government of Iraq decided not to take the final opportunity for compliance provided in
Resolution 1441. The Coalition response is legitimate and not unilateral. Resolution 687 imposed a series of obligations
on Iraq that were the conditions of the cease-fire. It has long been recognized and understood that a material breach of
those obligations removes the basis of the cease-fire and revives the authority to use force in Resolution 678.
Resolution 1441 explicitly found Iraq in continuing material breach. In view of Iraq s additional materials breaches,
the basis for the existing cease-fire has been removed and the use of force is authorized under Resolution 678.
As President Bush has said, we are acting to compel Iraq s compliance with these resolutions because the United States,
along with a coalition of more than 48 countries, believe that the risk of inaction is too great to tolerate.
I would now like to turn to the efforts being made to provide the most rapid and effective assistance to the Iraqi
people. The current humanitarian situation in Iraq is fragile, all the more so, as a result of the policies and actions
of the Iraqi regime over the last two decades. The United States has been planning across all relevant United States
government agencies and in support of United Nations efforts to anticipate likely requirements and we and other members
of the coalition are prepared to administer necessary relief as quickly as possible.
We have consulted and are continuing to consult with interested governments, regional and international organizations,
civil society and, of course, the United Nations. We have pre-positioned $16.3 million worth of relief supplies,
including water supply materials, blankets and other shelter items in the region. In addition, we have contributed over
$300 million in food aid and over $200 million in health and other humanitarian assistance to UN agencies, including
OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, the World Food Program, and the World Health Organization, and a multitude of non-governmental
organizations. Included in these totals is a $10 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
As we increase U.S. contributions, we also urge other donors to contribute to these critical humanitarian efforts.
We have also fielded the largest ever Disaster Assistance Response Team, composed of U.S. civilian humanitarian
experts, to the region to assess needs, liaise with partners and provide in-field grant-making capacity. Forty-eight
members of the team are already positioned in Kuwait and additional staff will arrive in the coming days. In fact, a
DART team conducted an initial assessment of the Port of Umm Qasr, yesterday. Its initial reports suggest that security
is acceptable for more detailed assessment teams to move into the area.
We welcome the March 19 letter from the Secretary-General requesting the necessary authorities to ensure the continuity
of the Oil-For-Food Program. We fully support his request and we believe the Council is close to agreement on a
resolution that responds favorably to the Secretary-General s requests. We trust that other members of the Council share
the objective of resuming the flow of humanitarian goods through the Oil-For-Food Program as soon as possible. Progress
on this resolution must accelerate, putting political debating points aside, if we are to minimize any interruption of
the program. There would be serious humanitarian implications for the people of Iraq, if the Council fails to do so.
Sixty percent of the people of Iraq rely on Oil-for-Food, regardless of the security situation. Insistence on narrow
economic interests and extraneous political matters in what essentially constitutes a technical adjustment of a
humanitarian resolution would prevent us from giving the Secretary-General the flexibility he needs to begin immediately
making arrangements for the urgently needed humanitarian supplies. We urge experts to move swiftly through their
discussions and provide the Council with a compromise text as soon as possible.
As the Coalition acts to enforce the relevant Security Council resolutions and the international community joins
together to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Iraq, much thought has been given to the future of Iraq. Our
thinking is guided by a number of principles.
First, we will demonstrate to the people of Iraq and the world that the United States and the coalition aspire to
liberate, not to occupy.
Second, Iraq must be disarmed of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons production capabilities, and the means to
deliver such weapons.
Third, we must eliminate Iraq s terrorist infrastructure.
Fourth, Iraq must be preserved as a unified states, with its territorial integrity intact. Concern for the safety of
Iraq s people has been foremost in our minds from the moment hostilities began. The United States and the Coalition
allies will provide security to prevent chaos and retribution.
Fifth, along with other partners, we must begin the process of economic and political reconstruction, working to assist
the people of Iraq in putting their country on a path towards prosperity and freedom.
As President Bush has told the world, We cannot know the duration of this conflict, yet we know the outcome. Unlike
Saddam Hussein, we believe the people of Iraq are deserving and capable of human liberty. Assisting and rebuilding a
post-Saddam Iraq will be a huge undertaking. Success will only be possible by working with Iraq s neighbors and the
international community. This message was reinforced by President Bush and the leaders of Portugal, Spain and the United
Kingdom, in their statement at the conclusion of the Atlantic Summit on March 9 in the Azores. The four undertook a
solemn obligation to help the people of Iraq build a new Iraq at peace with itself and its neighbors. They committed to
work in close partnership with international institutions, including the United Nations; our Allies and partners; and
bilateral donors. The statement concluded with a call on the international community to join with us in helping to
realize a better future for the people of Iraq.
We want to return control over the sovereignty of Iraq to the people of Iraq as soon as possible. We will stay as long
as it is necessary to do this, but not one day more.
Thank you, Mr. President. [End]
Released on March 27, 2003