Statement by Deputy Minister Pahad on War with Iraq, 20 March 2003, Union Buildings

The moment we feared and hoped to avoid has arrived. A few hours ago war against Iraq started. The South African government expresses its regrets at the coalition's decision to resort to force outside the framework of the Security Council. This is a tragic failure of negotiations and diplomacy. The world is sharply divided on this issue.

Under a strategy of "shock and awe". It is expected that an awesome storm of firepower will be unleashed. A USA military source is reported to have said, "it will be the most serious aerial bombardment in history".

South Africa wishes to re-affirm the A.U. and NAM positions that war is not a solution to world problems. The vast majority of countries and billions of people throughout the world support these positions. This includes the Vatican and all major religious leaders in the world.

The war must not set a precedent which further undermines multi-laterism and especially the authority of the UN and Security Council, institutions that were established precisely to deal with problems peacefully and through dialogue.

We remain fully committed to the position that the world should be free of weapons of mass destruction. In this context we supported UNSC Resolution 1441(2002) which peacefully sought to ensure that Iraq was free of WMD. We therefore spared no effort to ensure that the resolution was implemented fully and successfully within a reasonable period of time.

In this respect we interacted with many countries and consistently urged the Iraqi government to fully and transparently co-operate with the inspectors. In the last few weeks, as the inspector reports show, the Iraqi authorities intensified their co-operation and substantial progress was made. Yesterday Dr Blix briefed the Security Council of their work plan, which, inter alia, identified all outstanding disarmament issues and included benchmarks and time frames to resolve these outstanding issues. This would have been completed within months.

Now all this is academic, the war has started. We note Secretary General Kofi Annan’s comments that the legitimacy of the war without a Security Council mandate would be questioned and he urged the coalition to respect international and humanitarian law.

There are sharp debates and differences on these issues. We have noted the views of the International Commission of Jurists based in Geneva [60 of the worlds top jurists on international law and human rights] that a war without a Security Council mandate would be "an illegal invasion and it would constitute a flagrant violation of the prohibitions of the use of force….It is a question of the erosion of international restraint on the use of force"

We will continue to monitor this debate.

The urgent challenge now is to prepare for the possible negative consequences of the war. Critical is the challenge to restore confidence in the United Nations.

Other challenges, inter alia, include increased terrorism, instability in the region which can impact on international peace and security, clash of civilizations and increased religious hatred and intolerance, tragic loss of lives of ordinary Iraqis and others involved in the war, the humanitarian tragedy, further delays in pursuing the Middle East Peace Process, a global economic slowdown, the volatility in the oil market.

Undoubtedly African issues, especially our objectives of achieving sustainable development through the NEPAD initiative will be negatively impacted on.

The immediate and urgent challenge facing the international community is the humanitarian tragedy.

Secretary General Kofi Annan on 19 March 2003 at the Security Council stated:

"The plight of the Iraqi people is now my most immediate concern. In the past twenty years, Iraqis have been through two major wars, internal uprisings and conflict, and more than a decade of debilitating sanctions.

The country’s vital infrastructure has been devastated, so that it no longer meets the most basic needs for clean water, health or education.

Iraq’s most vulnerable citizens – the elderly, women and children, and the disabled are denied basic health care for lack of medicine and medical equipment.

Already, nearly one million Iraqi children suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Already, Iraqis are heavily dependent on food rations, which is handed out each morning to every family in the country. For more than sixty percent of the population, this ration is their main source of income. Yet many families have to sell part of it to buy clothes or other essentials for their children."

We hope that the sharp divisions that have emerged in the UN and the Security Council, the EU, NATO and the other multilateral institutions can be resolved. Without such unity the world will not be able to tackle the many challenges facing humanity. These include the reconstruction of Iraq and the region, terrorism, poverty eradication, sustainable development of the poor countries, conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, environmental degradation, HIV/AIDS etc.

The Government of South Africa is constantly assessing the developments in the Gulf and has established contingency plans in order to deal with any adverse consequences that may impact on South Africa and its citizens.

We advise South Africans not to visit the Gulf States in this period. Any individual travelling to the region would do so at their own risk but the Government requests that contact be made with the respective South African Missions based in the Middle East. The Government has interim evacuation measures in place for our missions in the region. This is co-ordinated by an inter-departmental task tem led by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The coalition will win the war; can they win the peace? People of all religious denominations must unite in prayers for peace. Humanity needs peace.

Issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs

Private Bag X152

Pretoria

0001

20 March 2003