Security Council meeting 5246

The President

I should like, at the outset of the meeting, to extend, on behalf of the members of the Council, a most sincere and warm welcome to Ambassador John Bolton, the new Permanent Representative of the United States, as he begins his work at the United Nations and in the Security Council. We all look forward to working closely with Ambassador Bolton in the months ahead, and we also look forward to benefiting from his contributions to the work of the Council, based on his long and rich experience and his distinguished diplomatic career.

The President

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Iraq in which he requests to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

Members of the Council have before them document S/2005/494, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Romania, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.

It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1618 (2005).

I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

Mr. Bolton (United States)

I am very pleased that my first participation in the Security Council comes on the day on which the Council has unanimously adopted this resolution condemning terrorism in Iraq, vividly demonstrating broad international support for the Iraqi Government. That support is extremely important as Iraq continues forward with its political, security and economic transition.

Today it is, notably, only days after the 15-year anniversary of Saddam Hussein's unprovoked aggression against Kuwait and the adoption of resolutions 660 (1990) and 661 (1990). Over that 15-year period, the Council has been seized with the question of Iraq. For most of that time, the effort was to compel positive behaviour from the Government of Iraq. Today, however, the Council is in partnership with the new, democratically elected Government of that country.

On a personal note, I was the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations in August 1990. I have long been invested with ensuring the development of a peaceful, democratic Iraq. We are nearing the resolution of that process, and the next months will be critical.

Iraq is quickly approaching another major milestone in its transition, that of having a draft constitution in place by 15 August. In anticipation of doing so, the Iraqi Government has expressed its commitment to meeting the 15 October referendum and the 15 December election timelines as outlined in the Transitional Administrative Law and endorsed by Security Council resolution 1546 (2004). It is important that that be a transparent, participatory and inclusive process.

The Iraqi people continue to demonstrate the courage that we have seen throughout the transition process, most notably on 30 January, when millions of Iraqis participated in Iraq's first democratic national election. Undeterred by Saddam Hussein's legacy of many years of oppression and war, the Iraqi people are determined to create a new reality. Iraqis continue to work towards a new constitution and new elections despite ongoing terrorist attacks and threats of attacks.

This resolution is also important because it illustrates that Iraq faces the same transnational terrorist threat that has struck many other parts of the world. This resolution highlights the critical importance of cooperation among all Member States to halt the flow of terrorists, weapons and terrorist financing to Iraq.

We call upon the Governments of Syria and Iran to honour their commitments to assist Iraq under this resolution and other relevant resolutions, including resolution 1546 (2004), and to implement the pledges they have made to support stability in Iraq at the conference of Iraq's neighbours.

We call upon all Iraqis to reject violence and to support a transparent, participatory and inclusive transition process.

The constructive dialogue through which this text was developed demonstrates further the strengthened resolve of the United Nations to work together for a democratic, secure and prosperous Iraq and for the lasting and permanent benefit and safety of its people.

Finally, we urge all Member States of the United Nations, especially in the Arab world, to come forward and support the Iraqi people at this critical point in their development of constitutional structures of representative government.

Mr. Baali (Algeria)

I would like to begin by expressing my pleasure in very warmly welcoming Ambassador John Bolton, the new Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations. I would like to assure him of our full readiness to work with him as closely as possible and in an open and constructive spirit.

Algeria voted in favour of the resolution on Iraq because it represents a very timely response to the worrying resurgence of terrorist violence in Iraq and around the world. Given that the resolution addresses Iraq in particular, my country, like other members of the Council, cannot but condemn in the strongest terms the appalling attacks being committed there daily, which are causing the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, including children, diplomats and even journalists.

In accordance with the Charter, the Security Council's mandate is to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with the greatest determination until it is finally eradicated, including by addressing its underlying causes. All Member States have an obligation to cooperate actively and effectively in efforts aimed at combating terrorism.

In Iraq, combating terrorism must go hand-in-hand with heightened efforts to bring the political process to conclusion and to ensure a transition that will enable that fraternal country to regain its full sovereignty and to preserve its unity and territorial integrity. In that regard, it is essential that the draft constitution be finalized in an inclusive manner and within the time frame that has been set, and submitted to the Transitional National Assembly and subsequently to the Iraqi people for approval.

Algeria, which has just lost two of its courageous sons in the service of peace in Iraq, will continue to stand alongside the Iraqi people during the difficult phase they are undergoing, as well as to lend its support to the political process that will enable them to regain the peace, stability and progress they so ardently aspires to and to seize their destiny with independence and dignity.

Mr. Duclos (France)

Allow me also to welcome Ambassador Bolton, the new Permanent Representative of the United States of America. I assure him of my delegation's readiness to cooperate closely with him, as it is our custom to do with the United States Mission.

France has fully supported the resolution just adopted. We resolutely condemn the terrorist attacks being committed in Iraq on an almost daily basis. The Security Council is playing its role by reacting to those unjustifiable acts that threaten peace and security. In Iraq as well as elsewhere, the fight against terrorism must be carried out relentlessly and with the most absolute determination.

France would also like to reiterate its belief that only a political solution pursuant to resolution 1546 (2004) is likely to provide Iraq with prospects for peace and stability. That political solution must be based on national reconciliation, the rejection of all forms of exclusion and discrimination and the involvement of all Iraqis in the transition.

In that regard, it is essential that the draft constitution to be submitted to a vote in the Transitional National Assembly and subsequently to popular referendum first be the subject of consensus among all segments of the Iraqi population within the Constitutional Drafting Commission.

France reaffirms its full support for the political process in Iraq, as well as its determination to help the Iraqi people during this difficult period of transition.

Mr. Mayoral (Argentina)

First of all, allow me to welcome Ambassador John Bolton. I assure him of my and my delegation's determination to work with him and his Mission, as we have done since we became members of the Security Council.

My delegation voted in favour of the resolution submitted by the United Kingdom and the United States because Argentina most vigorously and unequivocally condemns and has condemned all acts of terrorist violence in Iraq, which have killed many innocent civilians, including children. In that regard, I wish once again to extend the condolences of the people and Government of Argentina to all the family members of the victims of those brutal attacks.

We also reaffirm our condemnation of the attacks on the diplomatic community accredited in Iraq and again convey our condolences to the Governments of Algeria and Egypt, which recently suffered the assassinations of their diplomats in Baghdad.

We also reiterate that there is absolutely no justification for terrorist acts and that those who are responsible for and perpetrate such acts should be brought to justice. The international community is duty-bound to cooperate with such efforts, pursuant to the resolutions of the Security Council and other relevant international obligations.

We also believe it essential that the Iraqi political process, if it is to be successful, be as inclusive as possible and that all Iraqi sectors involved -- political, ethnic and religious -- join in a genuine dialogue that would help to achieve national reconciliation in that country.

Lastly, we wish further to note that, as we struggle against terrorism, we cannot lose sight of the need to respect civilians. In that regard, my country appeals to all the forces acting to maintain security in Iraq to take all the necessary precautions to protect the civilian population at all times in the context of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.

Sir Emyr Jones Parry (United Kingdom)

I, too, would like to join colleagues in welcoming Mr. Bolton. The United Kingdom looks forward to working very closely with him.

The United Kingdom welcomes today's resolution. It is right that the Council should condemn without reservation and in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attacks that have taken place in Iraq. Those attacks and attacks before them, targeting and killing hundreds, truly have been shameless and horrific.

The resolution we have adopted again urges every United Nations Member State to prevent the transit, arming, support and financing of terrorists, and it again notes the importance of the role of countries in the region -- and in particular Iraq's neighbours -- in that respect. Syria and Iran, in particular, can and should do more. Nothing can justify any country's turning and blind eye to those acts of mass murder. Nothing can justify supporting those callous terrorists.

Despite those attacks, many courageous Iraqis continue to take forward the peaceful political process and the drafting of a new constitution as they work towards constitutionally mandated elections inclusive of all. The international community should and, I know, will stand by them in those efforts, encouraging national dialogue, outreach and a political process in which all Iraqis can participate peacefully. For our part, we must do everything possible to support that process and the recently confirmed timetable for that constitutional development.

Mr. Konuzin (Russia)

I welcome Ambassador Bolton as Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations. We are prepared to cooperate actively with him in the Security Council and other bodies of the Organization.

Russia voted in favour of resolution 1618 (2005) on terrorist activities in Iraq. We proceed from the premise that any violence against the civilian population is a crime that can have no justification whatsoever. We express our condolences once again to the Iraqis who have lost their loved ones as a result of terrorist attacks and to our Algerian and Egyptian colleagues whose comrades fell victim to criminals hiding behind religious and political slogans. We are pleased that today's resolution includes provisions condemning the murder of diplomats and calling for protection for all foreign civilian personnel. Those who organize, sponsor and carry out such inhuman misdeeds must be subject to the most severe punishment.

In the circumstances of a brutal war against terrorists, we note in particular the inadmissibility of giving them a podium in the mass media for the spread of their views. We may refer abstractly about freedom of speech and the right to disseminate information, but that right is not without its limits. In most countries throughout the world, it is prohibited to propagandize war, inequality among people and various forms of discrimination. There are other limitations as well. We must be equally responsible in approaching the possibility of propagandizing ideologies and terrorist practices, which are no less dangerous phenomena. It is indeed ignoble to yield to the commercial temptation to popularize sanguinary bandits who defile the memory of the dead and inflict additional pain and suffering on their loved ones.

The situation in Iraq cannot be boiled down simply to the need to fight international terrorism. Uncompromising opposition to terrorism, regardless of its origins, is one of the priority responsibilities of the Security Council. We can resolve the issue of Iraq only if we undertake comprehensive efforts in the overall Iraqi context. The crimes committed today by terrorists are only part of the problem to be overcome by the Iraqi people on their path towards a political settlement. The achievement of national reconciliation is the most important key to the elimination of the terrorist threats facing that State. It is vitally necessary to find a just political solution for adequate participation in the management of State affairs by all political forces in the country and all ethnic and religious groups living on its territory.

We should agree on the basic principles to underlie the future constitution and the country's governmental structures. In that connection, a new basic law must be acceptable to all Iraqis and exclude all forms of discrimination. We must reach an understanding on the timeframe and conditions for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Iraqi territory. In that connection, we must revive the country's functioning national security structures. If we fail to resolve those issues, the causes of the ongoing terrorist activity in Iraq will not be allayed. Russia has repeatedly undertaken initiatives to assist in the Iraqi political settlement, and those initiatives remain active.

Mr. Sardenberg (Brazil)

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