COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION CENTRE FACTS ABOUT IRAQ U.N. Security Council Resolutions—further detail

UNSCR 661, 6 August 1990

Imposes sanctions on Iraq under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, prohibiting trade except food and medicine. Establishes the Sanctions Committee to enforce international compliance with sanctions.

Since 1990 the Iraqi regime’s aim has been to have sanctions lifted without first having to meet its obligations to disarm. It has continuously encouraged others to break sanctions in order to erode the UN controls and has persistently tried to buy goods, including weapons, prohibited by the UN.

The Sanctions Committee meets regularly (often weekly) in New York, dealing with all Iraq sanctions issues. Commonly also known as the 661 Committee, it comprises the same membership as the Security Council.

UNSCR 686, 2 March 1991

Acting under Chapter VII, sets out the conditions to permit the end of hostilities. Demands that Iraq accept relevant UNSCRs, cease hostilities, accept liability for compensation, release POWs and return all stolen Kuwaiti property.

Iraq claims that it has accepted responsibility for compensation for those who suffered losses as a result of its invasion of Kuwait, but only under ‘forcible conditions’. Baghdad also underlines that it does not accept that the UN can impose any mechanism to settle compensation claims.

Nor has Iraq co-operated with the UN on Kuwaiti missing or stolen Kuwait property. Although the Iraqis occasionally reply to letters from the ICRC about the 605 Kuwaiti and other nationals still missing, they no longer attend meetings on the subject, effectively obstructing any further progress. In 11 years Iraq has only provided sufficient information to close three of the 605 outstanding files.

A variety of Kuwaiti items were taken by the Iraqis. The most significant is the Kuwaiti national archive, which the Iraqis have now admitted they have (after denying it for over 10 years). Although the Iraqis have recently agreed to return it, the mechanism for doing so has not yet been agreed. The Iraqis also still have Kuwaiti military equipment and museum artifacts.

UNSCR 687, 3 April 1991

Acting under Chapter VII, sets out extensively Iraq's international obligations following the Iraq/Kuwait cease-fire, including:

· respecting the border agreed with Kuwait in October 1963;

· accepting destruction, removal or rendering harmless of its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD);

· declaration of the elements of its WMD programme;

· co-operation with UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections;

· acceptance of all responsibility for direct damage caused by its invasion of Kuwait; co-operation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and,

· accounting for Kuwaitis and others missing since its invasion; and

· no commitment or support for international terrorism.

Iraq has periodically contradicted its supposed recognition of the border with threatening statements referring to Kuwait as a part of Greater Iraq. Tariq Aziz has also commented that "Kuwait got what it deserved in 1990”.

At the end of 1998, Iraq’s persistent obstruction of the work of the UN inspectors during the previous seven years finally forced them to leave, although they were still unable to account for up to 360 tonnes of bulk chemical weapons agent including 1.5 tonnes of VX, over 30,000 special munitions for delivery of chemical and biological agents, and large quantities of growth media acquired for use in the production of biological weapons - enough to produce over three times the amount of anthrax Iraq admits to having manufactured. Since 1998 Iraq has maintained its chemical and biological weapons programmes and is developing ballistic missiles to deliver these weapons.

Iraq’s response to its obligation to renounce terrorism has been to shelter terrorist groups such as the Mujehedin-e-Khalq (MeK) and increase its bounty payments to the families of suicide bombers from $10,000 to $25,000.

UNSCR 688, 5 April 1991

Addressing humanitarian issues, demands end to Iraqi repression of Iraqi civilian population, including Kurds; insists on access by international humanitarian organisations, requests the UN Secretary-General to report on plight of Kurds.

UK and US pilots continue to patrol the No Fly Zones - the only means of preventing the Iraqi regime once again repressing its civilian population.

Despite the continuing humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, the Iraqi regime will let no more than seven international humanitarian organisations operate at any one time in Iraq.

UNSCR 707, 15 August 1991

Recalling UNSCR 687; acting under Chapter VII, condemns Iraq's serious violations of obligations under UNSCR 687 and safeguards agreements with IAEA. Demands Iraq provide full disclosure of all aspects of WMD programmes and other nuclear programmes and Iraq allow IAEA immediate and unrestricted access to inspect all facilities. Provision of necessary logistical support to IAEA and UNSCOM.

Iraq consistently failed to co-operate with UNSCOM and IAEA.