Bush, Chirac Present Their Views On Iraq To General Assembly

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

By Jim Wurst
U.N. Wire

UNITED NATIONS — In diplomatic but pointed language, President George W. Bush of the United States and President Jacques Chirac of France this morning laid out their competing visions of the role of the United Nations in rebuilding Iraq. In addresses on the opening day of the General Assembly's annual debate, both leaders said the United Nations should be more involved in Iraq, but Bush outlined a limited role while Chirac spoke of more comprehensive responsibilities for the United Nations.

Bush said the United States is working with other members of the Security Council on a new resolution "which will expand the U.N.'s role in Iraq. As in the aftermath of other conflicts, the United Nations should assist in developing a constitution, in training civil servants and in conducting free and fair elections." He made no mention of an administrative role for the United Nations, something many members of the council say they want to see.

In an obvious reference to Chirac's proposal for a rapid turnover of responsibility to Iraqis, Bush said, "The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self-government for the people of Iraq … This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties."

Speaking less than half an hour after Bush, Chirac said, "In Iraq, the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis, who must have sole responsibility for their future, is essential for stability and reconstruction. It is up to the United Nations to give legitimacy to this process. It is also up to the United Nations to assist with the gradual transfer of administrative and economic responsibilities to the present Iraqi institutions according to a realistic timetable and to help the Iraqis draft a constitution and hold elections."

Iraq's seat in the General Assembly Hall is being held by members of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, including Ahmad Chalabi, who hold the rotating presidency of the council, and Adnan Pachachi, a former foreign minister.
Iraq "needs and deserves our aid and all nations of good will should step forward and provide that support," Bush said. The United Nations in Iraq is "carrying out vital and effective work everyday," in health care and medical aid, he said, while the "coalition is meeting its responsibilities."

"We are conducting precision raids against terrorists and holdouts of the former regime," he said. "They have made Iraq the central front in the war on terror and they will be defeated." Success, he added, "will be watched and noted throughout the region."

In the debate leading up to the war, the United States made much of its case for preventive action on Saddam Hussein's alleged links to the al-Qaeda terror network and suspected possession of weapons of mass destruction. Bush's references to those issues today were less emphatic than earlier this year. He said the Hussein government "cultivated ties to terror," without specifying al-Qaeda and said the United States was conducting investigations "to reveal the full extent of its weapons programs and its long campaign of deception." Chirac did not address these issues.

This difference of interpretation extended into how Bush and Chirac framed the divisive Security Council debate leading up to the war. Bush said the council "was right to be alarmed" about Hussein's behavior and "right to demand that Iraq destroy its illegal weapons." He added, "Because a coalition of nations acted to defend the peace and the credibility of the United Nations, Iraq is free."

 

 

On the other hand, Chirac said, "The United Nations has just weathered one of the gravest trials in its history. The debate turned on respect for the Charter and the use of force. The war, embarked on without Security Council approval, has undermined the multilateral system. Having taken stock of this crisis, our organization can now resume its onward march."

Annan Criticizes Policy Of Pre-emptive Strike

Secretary General Kofi Annan said the United Nations "is prepared to play its full part in working for a satisfactory outcome in Iraq … pulling together on the basis of a sound and viable policy," but did not say what he thought the U.N. role should be. "If it takes extra time and patience to forge a policy that is collective, coherent and workable, then I for one would regard that time as well spent."

In a solemn address opening the debate, Annan said, "The last 12 months have been painful for those of us who believe in collective answers to our common problems and challenges." Without specifying the United States, he said some believe they may act unilaterally in self-defense even if they are not attacked.

"Rather than wait for that to happen, they argue, states have the right and obligation to use force pre-emptively, even on the territory of other states, and even while weapons systems that might be used to attack them are still being developed."

"This logic represents a fundamental challenge to the principles on which, however imperfectly, world peace and stability have rested for the last 58 years," Annan added. "My concern is that, if it were to be adopted, it could set precedents that resulted in a proliferation of the unilateral and lawless use of force, with or without credible justification."

Annan also said he will appoint a new high-level panel which will report back to him before the 2004 General Assembly on four issues: challenges to peace and security; the contribution of collective action in addressing those challenges; the functioning of the major U.N. organs and the relationship between them; and ways to strengthen the United Nations through reform of its institutions and processes.

Bush, Chirac Find Some Agreement On Middle East, Weapons Of Mass Destruction

On key issues other than Iraq such as the Middle East peace process and curbing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Bush and Chirac appeared to be more in agreement. On the Middle East, both spoke of the need for cooperation from the Israelis and Palestinians, but Bush was harsher in his criticism of the Palestinian leadership of Yasser Arafat.

Democracy in Iraq "is setting an example that others, including the Palestinian people, would be wise to follow," said Bush. "The Palestinian cause is betrayed by leaders who cling to power by feeding old hatreds and destroying the good work of others."

Chirac told the assembly, "In the Middle East, undermined by despair and hate, only firm political resolve to apply, on both sides, the law as formulated by the United Nations will pave the way to a just and lasting solution. The international community must restore a dynamic for peace. It must be resolutely involved in the implementation of the road map."

Bush announced a new plan for dealing with weapons of mass destruction, calling on the Security Council "to adopt a new anti-proliferation resolution" that should call on nations "to criminalize the proliferation of [WMDs and] to enact strict export controls" over the weapons. "The deadly combination of outlaw regimes, and terror networks and weapons of mass murder is a peril that cannot be ignored or wished away," Bush said. "Nations of the world must have wisdom and the will to stop great threats before they arrive."

At a news conference after his speech and after a private meeting with Bush, Chirac said WMD proliferation is "the greatest threat to the world today and tomorrow for the whole world, so I would attach priority to that problem." He said the Bush idea "would be wise and I support it unreservedly."

In his speech to the assembly, Chirac said, "We must strengthen our means of action in order to ensure compliance [with nonproliferation regimes]. France has proposed the creation of a permanent corps of inspectors under the authority of the Security Council. We need to give fresh impetus to this policy. Let us call a summit meeting of the Security Council to frame a genuine United Nations action plan against proliferation."

Other heads of state speaking on this opening day include President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva of Brazil, President Alejandro Toledo of Peru, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, President Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada. -UN Wire.