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Statement by H.E. Ambassador Zhang Yishan, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the UN at the Security Council Meeting on Iraq
8 November 2002
The Chinese delegation voted in favour of the just-adopted
Security Council resolution. Our decision is based on the Chinese Government’s
consistent and clear-cut position on the question of Iraq.
China firmly stands for a peaceful solution to the question of Iraq through
political and diplomatic means and within the framework of the United Nations.
China has all along urged Iraq to fully and strictly implement relevant Security
Council resolutions and cooperate fully with the United Nations with a view to
thoroughly accounting for and destroying weapons of mass destruction.
China has consistently held that in seeking a comprehensive settlement of the
question of Iraq, the sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the
legitimate concerns of Iraq should be respected and that the Security Council
should, depending on Iraqi implementation of relevant resolutions, consider
suspending and eventually lifting the twelve-year long sanctions against Iraq.
We support the dialogue between the U.N. Secretary-General and the Iraqi side to
break the stalemate and welcome efforts made by the Arab League and other
organizations for the peaceful resolution of the question of Iraq. We also
welcome the announcement by Iraq last September to unconditionally accept the
return of U.N. inspectors and its subsequent talks with UNMOVIC and the IAEA on
the practical arrangements concerning inspections.
We are in favour of strengtheing effectiveness of the inspections. At the same
time, we believe that the relevant provisions concerning inspections should be
practical and feasible. We appreciate the work done by UNMOVIC and the IAEA with
regard to the inspections and hope they will be able to return to Iraq at an
early date to conduct independent, fair, professional and effective inspections
and report to the Security Council the result of their inspections in a truthful
and timely manner. This will enable the Council to draw objective, fair and
realistic conclusions, and decide on the next steps in the light of the
situation and the views of the various parties concerned.
China supports the two-stage approach. The Chinese delegation has actively
participated in all stages of the consultations on the draft resolution, and put
forward its views and suggestions in a constructive manner. We are pleased to
note that after many rounds of consultations, the co-sponsors of the draft
resolution accommodated our concerns, and the Council members have finally
reached consensus. As the co-sponsors pointed out during their statements, the
purpose of the resolution is to achieve the disarmament of Iraq through
effective inspections. The text no longer includes automaticity for authorizing
the use of force. According to the resolution, only upon receipt of a report by
UNMOVIC and the IAEA on Iraq’s non-compliance and failure to cooperate fully in
the implementation of this resolution shall the Security Council consider the
situation and take a position.
We are also pleased to note that at the request of many members, including
China, the resolution has now included some important elements, e.g.“reaffirming
the commitment of all Member States to the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Iraq, Kuwait, and the neighboring States,” “Commending the Secretary-General
and members of the League of Arab States and its Secretary-General for their
efforts,”and “recalling its resolution 1382 of November 29, 2001 and its
intention to implement it fully.”
The Security Council shoulders primary responsibility of maintaining
international peace and security entrusted to it by the Charter of the United
Nations. Now the Council has adopted this important resolution by the Security
Council at this crucial moment. We hope it will contribute to preserving the
authority of the Security Council, facilitate a political settlement of the
question of Iraq, and enable an early return of UN inspectors to Iraq.
It is our hope that Iraq will seriously implement the resolution, fully
cooperate with UN weapons inspectors and fully comply with its disarmament
obligation so as to create conditions for an early and comprehensive resolution
of the question of Iraq. We would also like to point out that the UN inspectors
should draw lessons from UNSCOM. We trust that they will strictly abide by the
mandate given by the Security Council in its resolutions and fulfill its duties
faithfully.
Finally, we once again make a strong appeal to all parties to continue to strive
for a political solution of the Iraqi issue. This is the common aspiration of
the whole international community, particularly the Gulf and the Arab states. We
sincerely hope that the adoption and smooth implementation of this resolution
will be conducive to the effective conduct of the weapons inspections in Iraq,
and facilitate a final and comprehensive resolution of the Iraqi issue within
the framework of the United Nations.
This
material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the
opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or
its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by
MIIS.
