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From the very beginning of work in the Council we proceeded from the need to ensure the speediest dispatch to Iraq of international inspectors in response to the clearly expressed consent of Baghdad to the deployment in the country of inspection and monitoring activity of UNMOVIC and IAEA without any preliminary conditions. Sharing the interest of all the Council members and the leaders of UNMOVIC and IAEA in ensuring the most efficient inspection activity, our delegation took a constructive part in the elaboration of additional inspection procedures to ensure the non-resumption of Iraqi WMD programs and simultaneously to create conditions for a comprehensive settlement of the situation around Iraq, including the lifting of sanctions. In all the stages of this work we consistently guided ourselves by the necessity to direct the settlement process onto a politico-diplomatic track and not to allow military scenarios.

As a result of the intensive talks the agreed resolution contains no provisions for an automatic use of force against Iraq. It is important that the co-authors of the resolution themselves today officially confirmed in the Council just this understanding and gave an assurance that the resolution was pursuing the aim of achieving the implementation of the existing Security Council decisions on Iraq through the inspection activities of UNMOVIC and IAEA. This aim is shared by all the Council members.

Of fundamental importance in this connection is the clearly expressed confirmation in the resolution of the commitment of all the UN member countries to the observance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and all states of the region. It also confirms the necessity of completely implementing Resolution 1382, in which the Security Council members undertook to seek a comprehensive settlement of the Iraq problem, which presupposes the lifting of sanctions.

We also note that the heightened inspection procedures set forth in the new resolution are necessary solely for the earliest possible achievement of the aims of the non-resumption of Iraqi WMD programs and that these procedures will be used by the leaders of UNMOVIC and IAEA with a full awareness of their responsibility, which requires professionalism, objectivity and the lack of prejudice.

The resolution's formulations are not ideal, which reflects the most complicated nature of the compromise achieved. The Russian Federation made a principled choice in its support, guided by its special responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council for the maintenance of peace and security. The most important thing is that the resolution wards off the direct threat of war and opens up the way for further work in the interests of a politico-diplomatic settlement. It is particularly important that in the case of origination of any collisions on disarmament issues it is the leaders of UNMOVIC and IAEA who will report to the Security Council and it is the Council that will consider the situation that has evolved. Such consecutiveness directly arises from points 4, 11 and 12 of the resolution.

We also take note of the following explanations that were made by the co-authors as they presented the resolution and which were confirmed by the leaders of UNMOVIC and IAEA:

-on point 3 - it may take Iraq more than 30 days to provide information on its nonmilitary programs in the chemical and biological fields, and a delay will by no means signify a violation;

-on point 7 - nothing in this resolution affects the status of UNMOVIC and IAEA and their personnel as independent international employees in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and cooperation by UN member countries with UNMOVIC and IAEA will be accomplished in full accordance with the mandates of these organizations;

-on point 8 - the talk is about the staff of the UN and IAEA, as well as about the additional staff which UN member countries can provide to UNMOVIC and IAEA at the latter's request.

Like all the other Council members, we subscribe to the UN Secretary General's statement on the need for Iraq to fulfill all its disarmament obligations through full cooperation with the UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors on the basis of Baghdad's declared readiness for that.

We note the important role which the UN Secretary General, and the Secretary General and members of the Arab League have played and continue to play in ensuring a comprehensive political settlement of the situation around Iraq.

The implementation of Resolution 1441 will require goodwill on the part of all the participants in the settlement process, their preparedness to concentrate on advancing the declared common aims, without succumbing to the temptation of a unilateral interpretation of the provisions of this resolution and preserving the unity of all the Council members which was achieved while agreeing it.


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© Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.