PLAGUE OF LANDMINES HINDERS AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, FOREIGN MINISTERS OF MOZAMBIQUE, CHAD TELL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

2 October 1997

Press Release
GA/9321

PLAGUE OF LANDMINES HINDERS AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, FOREIGN MINISTERS OF MOZAMBIQUE, CHAD TELL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

19971002 Foreign Ministers of Senegal, Iraq, Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi; Deputy Foreign Minister of Democratic People's Republic of Korea Also Speak

African countries, in particular, were plagued by the devastating effects of anti-personnel landmines, which hindered reconstruction and development efforts, several speakers told the General Assembly this afternoon, as it continued its general debate.

Emphasizing the hazards that landmines posed for rural development, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique, Leonardo Santos Simao, said his Government was giving priority to assisting victims before, during and after mine clearance. It was also trying to ensure the safe return and resettlement of displaced persons and to resume economic activities in mine-plagued rural areas.

He added that Mozambique had prohibited the production, commercialization, utilization and unauthorized transportation of anti- personnel landmines within its borders. He urged all governments to sign the international treaty for the total ban of anti-personnel landmines by the end of the year.

Also addressing the issue of landmines, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Chad, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said that anti-personnel mines infested a great part of his country's territory and he appealed to the international community to help with demining. Chad looked forward to the adoption of a convention against the use and stockpiling of anti-personnel landmines.

The Foreign Ministers of Senegal, Iraq, Côte d'Ivoire and Burundi and the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea made statements. The representatives of the United States, Kuwait, Croatia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Iran and Iraq spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 3 October, to continue its general debate.

Assembly Work Programme

Continuing its general debate this afternoon, the General Assembly was scheduled to hear statements by the Foreign Ministers of Senegal, Iraq, Mozambique, Chad, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Côte d'Ivoire. A statement was also to be made by the Minister for External Relations and Cooperation of Burundi.

Statements

MOUSTAPHA NIASSE, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Senegal, said his country was reviewing the reform proposals of the Secretary-General in cooperation with other Non-Aligned countries and Organization of African Unity (OAU) members. It would join in efforts to respond in a timely manner. Security Council reform required shared commitment to the idea of peace, as inscribed in the Charter, and attempts must be redoubled if Security Council reform was to succeed. The role of Africa must be recognized in considering Security Council reform.

The United Nations had expanded its peacekeeping ability in recent years, he said. However, in addition to procedural improvements, the Council must become more realistic about establishing peacekeeping operations. United Nations forces were not yet adequately armed to restore peace, so such operations should be under the moral command of the United Nations, while under the operational command of Member States authorized by the Council.

The situation in Senegal remained disturbing, he continued. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, military conflict had started and the efforts of the United Nations and the OAU had not found a way out of that crisis. In Angola and Somalia internal conflict continued, despite international and regional efforts to secure peace. The OAU did not have the ability to alone confront all aspects of conflicts in Africa. The recent Security Council meeting of ministers had highlighted the importance of the maintenance of peace and security in Africa. Concrete action was now needed.

He looked forward to the forthcoming report of the Secretary-General addressing the root causes of African conflicts and reviewing methods to address crisis situations. That included the disagreement between Libya, on the one hand, and the United States and the United Kingdom, on the other, over the Lockerbie matters. It seemed timely for the parties to conclude the matter through dialogue. Such a settlement was vital, as the Libyan people continued to suffer under the sanctions imposed upon them.

Poverty eradication was a fundamental United Nations objective, he continued. Global problems had spread more quickly than the benefits of economic development. The drafting of An Agenda for Development indicated that great progress was being made; now there must be action. During a time of technological advancement, underdevelopment could not be tolerated.

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MOHAMMED SAID AL-SAHAF, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, said reform of the United Nations should not be limited to the management aspect. The real and effective balance in the work of the Organization should be redressed to prevent its machinery from being used for private political objectives and purposes of certain super-Powers. He identified the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples as being among the basic objectives of the Organization.

Iraq had been suffering for more than seven years under a blockade that was the most extensive and cruel boycott system ever imposed by the Security Council in its history, he continued. His country had stated to the Assembly, more than once, the steps it had taken to implement Council resolutions on the Gulf crisis in order to have the blockade lifted. His country no longer had banned weapons, equipment, machinery or materials. The system of continuous observation, established in his country by the Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was working effectively. His Government looked forward to the Commission's semi-annual report. He hoped it would be submitted to the Security Council in a few days, and that it would equitably reflect the progress achieved and open the door to the beginning of the lifting of the blockade.

International organizations, humanitarian missions and United Nations agencies had warned of the dangers to the people of Iraq as a result of the blockade, particularly the dangerous effects on women and children, he said. The environment in Iraq had suffered damage because of the indiscriminate bombing by the United States and some of it allies. Scientific studies and research confirmed that the United States had used banned weapons and ammunition, enriched with depleted uranium, in its military operations against Iraq. That had exposed vast tracts of Iraqi territory to contamination by toxic materials. Many cases of unfamiliar illnesses had been recorded, such as congenital deformities in unborn children, bone deformities and many cases of leukaemia among children.

The oil-for-food-and-medicine formula was a temporary and modest formula that met only a small fraction of Iraq's needs, he said. The formula continued to experience major obstacles and difficulties, which the United States and the United Kingdom, in particular, tried to impose, with a view to hindering its proper and effective implementation. The United Nations must put an end to all hostile practices by the United States against Iraq. The United States was carrying out a policy of its own that was not approved by the Charter or any of the related resolutions, for example by imposing no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. That was an illegal act that was contrary to Security Council resolutions.

Turkey continued to violate his country's sovereignty, interfere in its internal affairs and repeatedly invade its territory, he said. On several occasions, his Government had discussed the situation with the Government of Turkey and explained that the solution to the Kurdish problem inside Turkey

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could not be achieved by armed aggression against Iraq, nor by interference in its internal affairs in collaboration with foreign Powers. Rather, the solution would be found only by full observance of the principle of mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries and by cooperation between the two governments to ensure the security and stability on both sides of the international border. His Government demanded that Turkey withdraw its forces from Iraq and refrain from such aggressive military practices.

He said Iraq's President had issued an appeal on 8 August to the new Iranian Government to show its good intentions towards Iraq by carrying out its established obligations, in the forefront of which was the release of Iraqi prisoners of war and the return of the aircraft entrusted to it. The President had affirmed that Iraq would reciprocate each step taken by Iran. It was unfortunate that Iran preferred to exploit the conditions of the blockade against Iraq and the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq, most recently with the bombing by eight Iranian military aircraft of positions inside Iraqi territory. Such a situation meant that United Nations pledges in Security Council resolutions that safeguard Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be safeguarded, had become a dead letter.

LEONARDO SANTOS SIMAO, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique, urged all governments to respect the wishes of their peoples by signing the international treaty for the total ban of anti-personnel landmines by the end of the year. His Government would continue to appeal to the international community to ensure that all the provisions of the treaty regarding the destruction of stockpiled and laid anti-personnel mines were fully implemented.

Lamenting the hazards that landmines continued to pose for rural development in Mozambique, he said his country had prohibited the production, commercialization, utilization and unauthorized transportation of anti- personnel landmines within its borders. His Government continued to give priority to providing assistance to victims of landmines before, during and after mine clearance, to ensure an early and safe return and resettlement of displaced persons, as well as to quicken the resumption of economic activities in mine-plagued rural areas. Expressing his deep gratitude to organizations and countries involved in the demining activities in Mozambique, he invited others to join in implementing the country's demining programmes.

Stressing the need for flexibility in the implementation of current debt relief and sustainability initiatives, he said Mozambique was encouraged by recent indications from international financial institutions that Mozambique might be eligible for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. The initiative should be quickly implemented to have the desired impact on the economy. It would be almost impossible for Mozambique to sustain its current growth and stabilization of the economy without far-reaching debt relief measures.

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He said the forthcoming fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, due to take place on 10 December 1998, should be an opportunity to reiterate the need for a coherent approach to the issue of human rights without politicizing it. All rights -- civil and political, economic, social, cultural and the right to development -- should be treated equally.

Expressing support for the proposed international criminal court for the trials of those guilty of the most heinous crimes, he said such a court should be given clear powers in order to fully discharge its mandate. Its competence and jurisdiction should be clearly defined in conformity with its objectives and in accordance with the principle of complementarity. He hoped that the high-level meeting scheduled next year for Addis Ababa would find the needed consensus for the establishment of the proposed African court of human and peoples' rights.

Reaffirming his country's support for the Secretary-General's reform proposals, he said the United Nations should focus more on economic and social issues and that appropriate steps should be taken to realize the goals of An Agenda for Development.

Noting the recent trend towards the establishment of regional and continental blocs, he said unity of purpose and action could lend greater leverage and capacity in international trade negotiations, as well as make the economies within a bloc more competitive for investment. An enabling environment and political stability should complement such regional efforts. Southern African nations had organized themselves within the framework of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation had also been established to facilitate and promote economic cooperation, as well as bring together representatives of government, business and academia in a number of countries in Africa, Asia and Australia.

Acknowledging international efforts towards the mitigation of conflicts, he said the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts were fundamental to Mozambique's foreign policy. He noted with satisfaction the positive political developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and the progress being made in Western Sahara.

MAHAMAT SALEH ANNADIF, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Chad, said the idea of peace, liberty and development was one pursued by each nation. Since 1990, his country had been tirelessly engaged in restoring State institutions, peace and national unity which were essential for moral, political and economic development. Studies were under way to organize local elections. All those actions were taking place in an atmosphere of peace and national accord. It was essential, in the search for permanent peace, to consolidate a participatory democracy that included the opposition parties.

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The recent appointment of a national mediator was part of that process, he continued. Chad's independent press was among the freest in Africa and human rights organizations were encouraged in their activities, without interference. Despite those positive efforts, insidious campaigns had been launched against Chad. He reiterated the statement made by President Idriss Deby, on his last trip to France, inviting all human rights organizations to visit Chad to see for themselves how people enjoyed their freedom.

With the return to peace and political stability, Chad had adopted several principles backed up by concrete action to enable it to achieve strong economic growth, he said. The objectives included consolidation of democratic processes, the institution of sound government, promotion of the private sector, creation of employment opportunities and the rehabilitation of the environment. That development strategy would be presented to the round-table conference on Chad to be held in Geneva next month. He invited interested governments and non-governmental organizations to take part in that important conference.

Environmental issues were particularly important for Chad, because of the problems it faced with desertification, he said. The potential exploitation of the country's oil resources had led to disinformation campaigns on the degradation of Chad's environment. His Government was committed to preserving the ecology and preventing damage to it from any accidents. Another crucial issue for his country was the problem of landmines, which infested a great part of Chad's territory. He appealed to the international community to help his country with demining. His Government looked forward to adoption of a convention against the use and stockpiling of anti-personnel landmines.

In Africa, despite hopes for democracy, hotbeds of tension still existed, he said. In Angola, the peace process was being jeopardized. He appealed to all parties, particulary the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), to observe the Lusaka Protocols. Similarly, in the Great Lakes region, the situation was still precarious. In Sierra Leone, the situation created by the coup still existed and he strongly supported the mediation efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The tragedy of such upheavals in Africa could be seen in the large numbers of refugees and displaced people wandering from country to country. On the other hand, he welcomed the return to peace in Liberia, which had made democratic elections possible. That achievement had been made possible by African regional peace initiatives.

There had been definite advances in international disarmament efforts, he said. However, he denounced the scandalous trade in conventional weapons and welcomed the moratorium efforts initiated by West Africa on the import and export of small arms. His country was in a good position to judge the efforts of sanctions on its neighbour, Libya, and his Government supported the resolutions of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the OAU and the

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Non-Aligned Movement on the matter. Chad expressed solidarity with the people of Iraq and Cuba, which suffered from similar sanctions regimes.

The recent report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) showed that developing countries were still suffering form the type of deprivation that encouraged intolerance, extremism and nationalism, he said. Large-scale poverty, malnutrition and indebtedness still plagued many African countries. Africa must be given assistance to develop its societies, and its vast resources should be used to enable it to become part of the world economy.

CHOE SU HON, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said a tendency towards domination still prevailed in international relations even after the abolition of colonialism. The United Nations, which once helped to eradicate colonialism, was in danger of being converted into a tool for high-handedness and arbitrariness. Nuclear stockpiles remained as enormous as ever and the thinking of the cold war dominated international relations. Such challenges were highlighted in north-east Asia and, more precisely, on the Korean Peninsula.

On the Korean Peninsula, national division and the confrontation politics of the cold war persisted, while relations between North and South deteriorated, he said. Aggressive military alliances were being arranged and provocative joint military exercises were being conducted against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with annually increased military expenditures.

Korea's reunification question was, in essence, to regain national sovereignty throughout the country, which was being trampled down by foreign forces, and to abolish the legacy of the cold war era, he said. His Government regarded the following as its three charters for national reunification: the three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity; the 10-point programme of the great unity of the whole nation; and the proposal for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo (DCRK).

The three principles of national unification were already confirmed by North and South through their 4 July Joint Statement and supported by the twenty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, he continued. The establishment of a unified national State through a confederation formula based on one nation, one State, two systems and two governments was the most reasonable way to efficiently resolve the issues pertaining to national reunification. The emergence of a unified national State that was independent, peaceful and neutral in the Korean Peninsula would greatly contribute to peace and stability in north-east Asia. If the Republic of Korea gave up their anti-national and anti-reunification confrontation policies and made positive changes in practice, his country would meet them at

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any time to have open-minded discussions about the destiny of the nation and reunification efforts.

The United States, which was directly responsible for the Korean question, should make radical changes in its policy and should refrain from preventing the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea, he said. Furthermore, Japan should discontinue its hostile policy towards his country and stop hindering Korea's reunification. The prevailing situation on the Korean Peninsula was so tense that war could break out at any moment, due to attempts made against his country by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

In recent years, the United States had introduced more than $3 billion worth of war equipment into South Korea, he continued. In addition, the South Korean authorities had increased their military budget to $17 billion for this year and were increasing next year's budget to $19 billion. Such moves would inevitably provoke self-defence measures from his country. In order to ease the tension, the United States should sign a peace agreement with his country. All the issues mentioned should be top priority on the agenda to be deliberated at the proposed "four-party talks".

Turning to United Nations reform, he said the Organization should be restructured so as to reflect the will of the developing countries, which made up the majority of Member States, to enable them to exercise their sovereignty on an equal footing. The Security Council lacked democracy, though it enjoyed powerful authority. The present composition of permanent members did not fully represent the developing countries, while non-permanent membership did not reflect geographical representation. The end of the cold war had provided possibilities for channelling more resources into development cooperation, but the present structure of the United Nations system did not correspond to that situation. The twenty-first century should be devoted to development and cooperation, since they were directly linked to international peace and security.

AMARA ESSY, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire, said Africa had taken control of its destiny, adopting a legal mechanism for the peaceful settlement of disputes. The support of the international community was needed to ensure Africa's success in its endeavours. A meeting tomorrow would be held to address the reconstruction of Liberia after seven years of civil war. The international community must provide generous funding for that effort.

In Sierra Leone, he continued, the recent coup had displaced the democratic government and his country, African nations and other States had demanded the return of constitutional order, a goal not yet reached. The heads of State of ECOWAS had taken measures to resume new negotiations to address the Sierra Leone conflict. He hoped the Security Council would endorse those measures. His country would hold a conference following the

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restoration of democracy in Sierra Leone to reactivate the process which had earlier brought peace and democracy to that country.

Reviewing the situations in other African nations, he appealed to the United Nations to work in cooperation with the OAU and ECOWAS to address continuing African conflicts. He noted that increased efforts were needed to deal with illegal arms trafficking in the West African region. African nations required a strategy of prevention. It was necessary to have a standing interposition African force. Consultations in that regard were under way between countries of Côte d'Ivoire's subregion.

Democratic institutions must be strengthened to prevent conflicts, he said. Efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law were under way in Côte d'Ivoire. An expanded adherence to the culture of peace should be promoted. His country would submit at the current General Assembly session a draft resolution establishing the year 2000 as the international year for the culture of peace. Addressing United Nations reform, he said General Assembly working groups had been established to address the strengthening of the work of the Organization and An Agenda for Development. However, equal progress had not been made in addressing the Security Council reform and the United Nations financial situation.

His Government agreed with the OAU that the Security Council must be reformed in order to achieve equitable geographic representation. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia should have permanent representation on the Council. New permanent members should have the same rights as the present members, including the veto, if that power was not eliminated.

LUC RUKINGAMA, Minister for External Relations of Burundi, welcomed the United Nations system-wide initiative for Africa. He appealed to the international community to fund the initiative. He then reviewed the unprecedented crisis in Burundi over the last four years, which had been marked by acts of genocide. Armed groups had attacked the country's economic, health, education and administrative infrastructure. But, in July 1996, political changes had saved Burundi from genocide. Contrary to worldwide public opinion, the vast majority of the people of Burundi welcomed its new regime. Despite armed terrorist bands, peace had returned to most of the country. However, the attacks by the armed gangs were the root cause of the problems of displaced people. Those armed gangs originated in refugee camps and those camps were being progressively closed.

However, he said, the problems faced by the dispossessed people must be recognized. They suffered from a lack of sanitation, water, proper health facilities and all sort of epidemics. His Government appreciated the bilateral and multilateral assistance given to help the refugee population. It appealed to the international community to help provide humanitarian aide and help with reconstruction. His Government welcomed the return of all Burundian refugees and would accept them with open hands. It appreciated

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efforts by the United Republic of Tanzania and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help with the return.

Since the political changes of 25 July 1996, his Government had focused on averting the spectre of genocide and restoring State authority, he said. The peace process must be founded on dialogue and economic reconstruction. The vast majority of people were dedicated to peace, which was why the danger of genocide had been averted. Since the beginning of 1997 his Government had initiated a series of workshops to get the people to discuss problems facing the country. It had also held a round table bringing together all the parties. It was within that framework that the conference of peace on Burundi had been held under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 30 June to 2 July, and reconvened on 26 September. Burundi's political parties and international observers had taken part.

He said peace must be based on dialogue among all parties in Burundi with the ultimate objective of setting up democratic institutions. Any mediation process to support peace in Burundi must be supported by experts who had the necessary skills to achieve resolution. The United Republic of Tanzania hosted mediation meetings and was also the host country for armed groups responsible for genocide in Burundi. Thus, the objections of Burundi to holding talks in the United Republic of Tanzania were understandable. Attacks in Burundi were launched from camps along the border with the United Republic of Tanzania. The Burundi Government appealed to the United Nations to combat impunity and punish those responsible for genocide.

His Government also objected to the unjust and illegal blockade by its neighbouring countries and called on its neighbours to lift the blockade immediately. He urged the international community to make them understand that only the poorest of the poor suffered from such sanctions. Each summit on Burundi put forth new conditions, which slowed reconciliation. Burundi was still subject to attacks from armed groups based in the Republic of Tanzania who recruited people from the refugee camps. He urged the United Nations to separate true refugees from terrorist tribal groups and those responsible for genocide. The Great Lakes region of Africa was going though unprecedented crises prompted by the vast movements of refugees, many of whom were innocent people. However, some of those refugees were terrorists.

Today, Africa still faced problems of poverty and indebtedness, he said. The prospect of democratizing institutions had been set back by factors connected to ethnicity and other conflicts. It was deplorable to note Congo- Brazzaville had been subjected to fratricidal conflicts. He welcomed mediation by the President of Gabon in cooperation with the OAU.

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Right of Reply

PETER BURLEIGH (United States) said the United States objected to the remarks of the Foreign Minister of Iraq made this afternoon. For Iraq to rejoin the family of responsible nations, the path was clear: Iraq must comply with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. Iraq must abandon efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. Iraq must cease efforts to conceal evidence of its weapons of mass destruction programme from the United Nations Special Commission. Iraq must cooperate fully with the Special Commission in accordance with all relevant resolutions. Until today, Iraq had failed to do that.

Iraq must return the properties and archives it stole from the Government and people of Kuwait, he continued. Until today, Iraq had failed to do that. Iraq must cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and fully account for the more than 600 Kuwaiti, Saudi and other prisoners of war and missing in action. Until today, Iraq has failed to do that. In order to purchase the humanitarian supplies provided for under resolution 1111 (1996), Iraq should have begun selling oil on 8 June. Iraq failed to do that, so the Security Council was obliged to act on behalf of the Iraqi people.

The United States and its coalition partners would continue to enforce the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq in support of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Government of Iraq must follow the path of full compliance with all relevant Security Council resolutions.

MOHAMMAD A. ABULHASAN (Kuwait) said the Foreign Minister of Iraq's statement that his country had complied with all Security Council resolutions was false. Iraq had attempted to obliterate its obligations towards Kuwait, obligations which Iraq had not yet fulfilled. The international community, through the Security Council, had demanded the return by Iraq of prisoners of war and Kuwaiti property. It had called on Iraq to cooperate with the Special Commission and to demonstrate peaceful intentions towards its neighbours.

Iraq was attempting to limit its responsibility to aspects relating to the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, he continued. While that aspect was very important, it was not the only obligation. All members of the Security Council and the international community as a whole considered Iraq a problem, due to its failure to implement all resolutions.

Mr. SIMONOVIC (Croatia), speaking also on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Slovenia said he wished to clarify comments made earlier today by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus concerning the status of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the United Nations.

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He said that, according to resolution 47/1 adopted by the General Assembly, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) could not continue automatically the membership of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the United Nations. It decided that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) should apply for United Nations membership and should not participate in the work of the General Assembly. On the basis of that and other resolutions by the Assembly and the Security Council, it was evident that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia should, as a new State, apply for membership to the United Nations in accordance with the established procedures.

HUSEYIN CELEM (Turkey) said the remarks of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq referring to Turkey had been disappointing. He wished to state once again Turkey's commitment to the preservation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. The current situation in the north of Iraq, however, was well known to the international community. Turkey had to reckon that the continuing inability of Iraq to exercise its sovereignty over the totality of its territory was the result of the dangerous and aggressive policies that Iraq chose to follow in the past against its neighbours. Iraq could not blame any country but itself for the difficulties that it encounters at present.

Other countries of the region, including Turkey, also suffered from the consequences of Iraq's past aggressive policies, he said. The existing de facto vacuum created in northern Iraq had made it possible for armed terrorist elements to establish a presence in the area and launch armed attacks into Turkish territory. Those terrorist elements posed a major and unacceptable security threat to Turkey and to the lives and properties of the Turkish people in bordering areas. That was certainly not a "flimsy pretext" as purported by Iraq's Foreign Minister.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister contended that Turkey, through measures of self-defence, had been interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq. It was up to Member States to judge the seriousness of that contention, given the fact that Iraq had never complained about the presence of armed terrorist groups operating from Iraqi soil against Iraq's neighbours, he said. Until Iraq was in a position to establish its control on the north of its country by complying with all the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and thus satisfying the international community, the Turkish Government would not hesitate to take all appropriate and necessary measures to remove the threat from northern Iraq directed at the lives and properties of its people.

STEPHEN GOMERSALL (United Kingdom) said the statement made by the Foreign Minister of Iraq demonstrated his Government's inability to accept blame and its aptitude for placing blame at the door of others. It was hard to trust the statements of Iraq when the Foreign Minister had not once mentioned Kuwait. He had also failed to mention that the sanctions against Iraq remained in place due to Iraq's lack of compliance with Security Council

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resolutions, particularly aspects relating to full disclosure of information on its weapons systems. The suffering of the Iraq people was due to the actions of the Iraqi Government, including its long delay in agreeing to the oil-for-food formula and its delay in selling oil in order to purchase humanitarian supplies.

JALAL SAMADI (Iran) said Iraq had made unwarranted claims against Iran with regard to the incident on 29 September. During the early morning of that day, two armed groups of terrorists based in Iraq had crossed the Iraq-Iran border into Iran and his country had responded to those attacks by exercising its right to self-defence. The Iran air force had taken limited measures against the terrorist groups and the bases in Iraq from which those attacks had been launched.

He said that Iran's attack had been aimed at the terrorist bases and not at the Government of Iraq. However, the terrorist attacks were not infrequent and had recently increased. Members of the terrorist groups themselves had admitted that nearly 300 such attacks had been carried out during the past seven months. The Iraqi military forces had offered logistical and financial support to the terrorist groups. That behaviour by Iraq deserved an international response.

KHALED S.H. AL-HITTI (Iraq) said more than 400 teams of international investigators had been to Iraq during the last seven years. The teams had travelled throughout Iraq and their inspections had been very strict. If the allegations made by the United States and the United Kingdom were true, what had that army of investigators been doing in Iraq?

He also asked if it was reasonable for the entire population of Iraq to be detained by the United States veto power. It appeared that the United States was indifferent to the deaths of millions of old people and children that were the result of the blockade imposed on Iraq. The Security Council resolutions against his country were being used as a trick by some countries, who did not like the Iraqi regime and wanted to keep it weak. He asked, was not the blockade imposed on Iraq the worst kind of weapon of mass destruction?

There were no prisoners of war or people missing in action remaining in Iraq, he said. His Government was ready to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in order to solve that problem. The failure regarding the sale of oil was due to the United States denial of contracts. Further, Iran and Turkey had violated the sovereignty of Iraq. Such behaviour was not acceptable. Responding to Turkey's statement that Iraq could not enact sovereign control over areas of its territory, he said that failure was due to the imposition of the no-fly zone.

Mr. CELEM (Turkey) said it was not his intention to engage in a pointless argument with Iraq. The primary responsibility of each and every State was to protect and defend the lives, properties and the well-being of

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its citizens. That was all the more important when the threat came from another country with or without the consent of its government. Iraq was the sole responsible party for the undesirable situation in which it found itself today. Turkey was not ready to pay for the sins of others, including those of Iraq.

The prerequisites for enabling Iraq to exercise its authority over every inch of its country were clearly stipulated in the relevant Council resolutions, he said. Turkey, and other members of the Organization, had been encouraging Iraq to comply with the expectations of the world community to ensure a return to normalcy in the region and in bilateral relations. The Turkish Government was determined to defend the sanctity of its borders as well as the safety of its citizens. His Government would not fail to take all appropriate measures with a view to safeguarding its legitimate security interests and protecting its people against terrorism.

MANSOUR AYYAD SH. A. AL-OTAIBI (Kuwait) said it was not true that Kuwait used the issue of prisoners of war as a pretext to maintain sanctions against Iraq, as Iraq claimed. Iraq had been saying it was willing to cooperate with the ICRC for years, without any results.

Mr. AL-HITTI (Iraq) said Turkey's statement that the no-fly zone had been imposed by the Security Council was not the case. Maintaining the no-fly zone was a practice of the United States alone. There were no resolutions imposing such a condition.

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