The paramount importance of disarming Iraq - Straw
'The paramount importance of disarming Iraq'
Speaking in an interview en route for Iran, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw briefed journalists on his discussions with the Kuwaiti Government. He said that he was 'overwhelmed' by the warmth of the reception and that both Kuwait and Iran had both been invaded by the 'evil regime of Saddam Hussein's Iraq'.
Mr Straw said that 'the focus of any United Nations resolution, which we hope and believe will be achieved in respect of Iraq, will be the paramount need to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction'.
The Foreign Secretary said:
"The real focus of my discussions here, in Oman, in Cairo, and indeed in Paris early on Monday, as they will be later on today in Tehran, has been the readmission of the weapons inspectors and the enforcement of the will of the United Nations in that respect."
Mr Straw said that
there wasn't 'a single government in the whole of this
region' which is not fully aware of the 'evil nature' of the
Iraqi regime and wishes to see Saddam Hussein disarmed. This
was a view that he said had been 'wholly reinforced' by his
visit to the region.
He said in conclusion:
"...well over a million people in the region have died as a result of the brutality and megalomania of Saddam Hussein."
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TRANSCRIPT
'THE PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE OF DISARMING IRAQ' (09/10/02)
FOREIGN
SECRETARY:
As you know, I arrived here last evening. I
was overwhelmed by the warmth of the reception that I have
received from His Highness the Amir, whom I met this
morning, from my principal host, His Excellency Sheikh
Sabah, the Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and
Dr Sheikh Mohammed, the Minister of State. And the warmth of
my welcome underlines the depth and strength of the
longstanding relationship between Kuwait and the United
Kingdom. I am here in Kuwait now; I am about to move on to
the capital of Iran – Tehran. What do these two nations have
in common? Many things, but they share the fact that they
are two nations trying to live in peace and harmony with
their neighbours, both invaded by the evil regime of Saddam
Hussein's Iraq. Thousands in Kuwait killed, wounded or
missing as a result of the invasion here; hundreds of
thousands killed, wounded or missing in Iran as a result of
that also totally unjustified military action some years ago
by the same regime. So these two nations – both Muslim –
know all too much about the evil nature of the Saddam regime
and the threat which it continues to pose.
There are many illustrations of this threat, but just one illustration I would give just now, which is that the International Commission of the Red Cross have detailed 605 individuals, Kuwaitis, who are missing as a result of the aggression by the Iraqis. There is a proper United Nations process by which the Iraqis are supposed to account for those 605. They normally fail to turn up at the meetings, but even when they do over the years they have accounted for just 3 of those people, so there are 602 which remain unaccounted for by the Iraqis. And what this illustrates really is the Iraqis' failure not only to respect the living, but also to respect the dead. And yes the focus of any United Nations resolution, which we hope and believe will be achieved in respect of Iraq, will be the paramount need to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. But we should never ever forget that alongside that there is the continuing and appalling record on human rights, or the absence of human rights, by the Iraqi regime to the regime's own people and to the people of the region as well.
QUESTION:
Mr
Straw, is the return of the 602 unaccounted for a
precondition of the return of the weapons inspectors to
Iraq?
FOREIGN SECRETARY:
It is not a precondition but
it is an important matter which we wish to see resolved in
any event. But there is a process. What we have to have is
an engagement by the Iraqis about what has happened to those
602, and for sure we want to see an enforcement of those
obligations in respect of Iraq. But what is the focus of the
draft resolution which is currently being discussed
informally amongst the Permanent Five members of the
Security Council and the elected ten members of the Security
Council, is about the obligations placed on Iraq to disarm
themselves of their weapons of mass destruction and the need
for the inspectors to go back, and the need too for the
reintroduction of the inspectors to be backed by the threat,
and maybe the reality, of the use of
force.
QUESTION:
What sort of reassurances have you
been able to give to governments about the commitment to
Iraq in the event that Saddam Hussein's regime should
fall?
FOREIGN SECRETARY:
The real focus of my
discussions here, in Oman, in Cairo, and indeed in Paris
early on Monday, as they will be later on today in Tehran,
has been the readmission of the weapons inspectors and the
enforcement of the will of the United Nations in that
respect. So we have not discussed in detail the 'what if'.
Because what we are seeking to do, a point spelt out by
President Bush in his speech, is pose the Iraqi regime with
a very, very clear choice – disarmament of weapons of mass
destruction or the enforcement of the will of the
international community by the use of force. We prefer the
first. We want to see a peaceful solution to this. But are
we committed long term to the stability of this region? Yes
we are and that is in a sense above all why we are so
insistent on seeing the will of the United Nations being
enforced because the greatest threat that Saddam Hussein
poses is to his neighbours in the region and to his own
people.
QUESTION:
You said that should Iraq fail to
comply with the will of the international community then
force would ensue. Have you had any commitments by any Arab
countries, or any countries in the region, that might
participate in such a move?
FOREIGN SECRETARY:
I
haven't been discussing the issue of military involvement.
What I know, however, and my trip has reinforced this, is
that there is not a single government in the whole of this
region which is not fully aware of the evil nature of the
Iraqi regime and wishes to see Saddam Hussein disarmed. And
that conviction, which I knew to be true before I came, has
been wholly reinforced by my visit to the region. And I just
repeat again, here we are in Kuwait, a country with an
honourable and peaceful history, invaded for no reason at
all 12 years ago. I am going to Iran, a proud and important
country, again the subject of a gratuitous invasion by the
Saddam Hussein regime. And what has been the consequence of
this? It has been that well over a million people in the
region have died as a result of the brutality and
megalomania of Saddam
Hussein.
ENDS