Full compliance with resolutions asked; Security Council rejects 'in toto' Iraq's allegations.

The Security Council, while acknowledging there had been some positive steps, declared on 24 November that iraq had not complied fully and unconditionally with its obligations under Council resolutions relating to the Persian Gulf war and called on that country to take action immediately towards that end.

The Council issued a statement through its President, Andre Erdos of Hungary, at the conclusion of a series of meetings, held on 23 and 24 November, to review Iraq's compliance with resolution 687 (1991) and subsequent relevant texts.

Resolution 687, adopted on 3 April 1991, set detailed conditions for a formal cease-fire ending the hostilities resulting from Iraq's August 1991 invasion of Kuwait and provided conditions essential to the restoration of peace and security in the region. Prime among those conditions was total Iraqi compliance with UN decisions.

The Council regretted the lack of any indication in the statements by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz on 23 and 24 November on how his Government intended to comply with Council resolutions. It also regretted and rejected "in toto" the "baseless threats, allegations and attacks" launched by Mr. Aziz against the Council the, special Commission on Iraqi disarmament, the international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission, and the Sanctions Committee established under resolution 661 (1990).

In a 23 November statement, the Council declared that Iraq had only selectively and partially complied with obligations placed upon it by the Council.

Among Iraq's shortcomings were: failure to participate in the work of the Boundary Demarcation Commission; refusal to withdraw police posts not in line with the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) principle that both sides should stay 1,000 metres from the boundary line: not meeting its liability for full costs of the disarmament process; and not completely disclosing all aspects of its programmes for weapons of mass destruction, including documentary evidence on Iraq's past production, suppliers and capacity to produce such weapons.

On the humanitarian aspects of the situation, the Council noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had received neither information on missing persons in Iraq nor permission to visit Iraqi prisons and detention centres. Very few of those people had been released since March and hundreds were believed to be still detained.

In addition, the Council remained deeply concerned at the "grave human rights abuses" which, despite provisions of resolution 688 (1991), Iraq continued to perpetrate against its population, in particular in its northern region, in southern Shi'a centres and the southern marshes.

Iraq also had not shown any willingness to resume discussions on implementing resolutions relating to the sale of its oil to provide for the basic needs of its citizens, the Council said.

Debate

In debate, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Aziz said that no matter what Iraq did to fulfil its obligations, "the unjust sentence passed by the Council to starve the people of Iraq and deny them the right to life will remain in place, simply because this is the will of certain influential Governments in the Council". That same will continued to be behind the unjust manner in which Iraq had been treated, he said.

Iraq, in spite of the grave injustice inflicted upon it, had complied with resolution 687 despite that text's "arbitrarily iniquitous nature", he went on. The Council continued to adopt a "despotic posture" against Iraq and had pursued a method of continued harassment and pressure. It had placed "obstacles before the possibility for Iraq to use its frozen assets abroad" in order to meet Iraqis' humanitarian needs...