Iraq must Abide by UN Security Council Resolutions: Annan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Iraq must Abide by UN Security Council Resolutions: Annan

Iraq must abide by all United Nations Security Council resolutions, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday in New York.

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Iraq must abide by all United Nations Security Council resolutions, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday in New York.

Speaking at a press conference, Annan said the council "is free to pass any resolution." "The council, of course, is free to pass any resolution that it wants to, and we, as a Secretariat, and UNMOVIC (the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission), will be guided by the guidance of the council's new resolution, and so should Iraq," he said.

Asked whether Baghdad has communicated any change in its policy on weapons inspections, the secretary-general said the only communication he had received was last week's letter which he forwarded to the council.

Iraq sent a letter to Annan last Monday indicating that Baghdadis ready to readmit UN inspectors unconditionally.

Annan noted the council is in the process of discussing a proposed new resolution, which, if passed, would guide the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and would require Iraq's compliance.

To a question on whether his work with Iraq had created tensions with the United States, he said that despite speculation in the press, his dealings with US officials were based on an understanding of the respective roles played by each.

Asked whether US President George W. Bush's doctrine on pre-emptive strikes violated the UN Charter, the secretary-general said that, on broader peace and security issues, the Security Council would have to pronounce itself.

He noted that his recent address to the General Assembly had dealt with the question of unilateral action.

Speaking at the opening of the annual General Assembly debate on Sept. 12, the UN chief said he opposed any pre-emptive action without the approval of the Security Council

"When states decide to use force to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by the United Nations," Annan said.

Tactical talks between Iraqis and UN inspectors are underway. But the United States, with its goal for toppling the Iraqi government on mind, has slashed the Iraqi offer as further "deceive, delay and deny" and pushed for a tougher council resolution.

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