ISLAMABAD, March 25: Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) has approached the International Court of Justice to interpret UN resolution 1441 on Iraq, and save United Nations system, which is at a risk today.

Fateyab Ali Khan, the chairman of PIIA, said the organization was the oldest research organisation in the South Asian region, which has been quietly working for world peace and peaceful settlement of international disputes.

The petitioner, in his application to the Registrar ICJ, stated that in the UN’s system, the UN General Assembly, Security Council, and the International Court of Justice were construed as World Legislature, World Executive and International Judicial Fora respectively.

The petitioner stated that on November 8, 2003, the UN Security Council passed and adopted resolution 1441.

The petitioner contended that the UNO was never at such a brink as was now.

The permanent members of the SC were never badly and diametrically opposed to each other on the question of interpretation of its own resolution 1441.

One set of members contended that the Resolution 1441 was the last chance of compliance for Iraq and the use of force was inherently mandated in the resolution 1441, while the others hold that if force was used it would not be legitimate, and would be against International Law and against the UN Charter.

The petitioner stated that if the interpretation of resolution 1441 was not done in a satisfactory legal way, it would open up the Pandora’s box, such as what is and when the right of pre-emptive strikes permissible in international law what unilateral self-defence strike means other nations.

“My Lords aggression is always done in the name of self-defence and ambiguities over issues like the interpretation of resolution 1441 are exploited in self-defence.”