Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
STATEMENT MADE BY THE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON
- EXCERPTS -
(Paris, April 7, 2000)
Do you have any comment on the latest British-American raids? How many victims did they cause?
According to our information, 14 civilians were killed. It's impossible to verify the figures on the ground but these are the deadliest strikes since last summer.
We are dismayed by these useless and deadly attacks which have struck about 20 civilians over the past few days according to our information in southern Iraq.
According to our information, since January 1999 these actions have caused the deaths of 175 civilians and wounded nearly 500.
We reaffirm our incomprehension, our deep-seated uneasiness at the continuation and intensification of air strikes against Iraq where civilians are the principal victims.
What is more, the persistence of tensions, which is most regrettable, is not helping to bring about a favorable climate for implementation of the Security Council's objectives.
And human rights?
There is indeed the human rights aspect, and we regret actions in which civilians are the main victims. And there is the application of Security Council resolutions, the policy which the Security Council is pursuing with regard to Iraq, its wish to implement resolution 1284. We observe that the bombing raids do not help this objective, especially because we are calling at the same time for Iraq's cooperation in implementing that resolution.
Do you condemn these acts?
We deeply deplore them.
Do you apply the same definition to these strikes as that which you applied to the embargo? You said the air embargo had no juridical existence...
The bombings raids have no juridical foundation; Operation Southern Watch was initially an operation in which the Gulf states cooperated. We suspended our participation in this operation on December 15, 1998 at the time of intense American-British bombing of Iraq, and in view of the fact that the strikes have been going on for more than a year and that tensions persist, our position has not changed. However, we still have men and equipment present because of our military cooperation there but we no longer participate in air operations.
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