March 29, 2003	Saturday	Muharram 25, 1424

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UNITED NATIONS, March 28: Deploring the use of force to resolve the Baghdad crisis, Pakistan on Thursday underscored the need for planned and coordinated humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people.

Speaking at the conclusion of the open debate in the UN Security Council called by the Arab League and the Non-aligned Movement, Pakistan Ambassador to UN Munir Akram said: “This is a war that was for 12 years in the making. It could have been prevented if the increasingly robust UN inspection regime, installed after the adoption of resolution 1441, had been allowed more time to secure the effective and verified elimination of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

“Pakistan deplores the resort to the use of force. This was a war which Pakistan tried strenuously and sincerely to prevent. War has come again to the Gulf. War is not only the last option; it is an ugly option,” he added.

He declared: “The outbreak of this war was not due to the failure of the UN Security Council. The council did not endorse the war. The SC remains relevant to restoring the peace, containing the conflict, providing relief and restoring stability and the rule of law.”

However, Mr Akram stressed that the time and space for diplomacy never ended. The mandate of the council was not only to maintain but also to “restore international peace and security”.

“In the midst of conflict, we must continue our collective efforts to search for ways in which peace can be restored.”

Emphasizing that “to contain the human consequences of the conflict is our most urgent task”, Mr Akram proposed that the UN secretary general should appoint an appropriate high official who could serve as the focal point and coordinator of international relief assistance to Iraq.

He said while the existence of the Oil-for-Food Programme and the contracted shipments of $2.5 billion underway might be the best option to urgently meet the essential needs of the Iraqi people, it was vital to underline certain principles in context:

One, the Security Council must re-affirm the permanent sovereignty of the Iraqi people over their natural resources. Control over these resources must revert to them as soon as possible. To this end, the sanctions imposed in the past must end quickly after the conflict.

Two, the Iraqi people should not be asked to bear the burden of the extra cost that would be incurred in making the adjustments in the existing Oil-for-Food Programmes.

Three, apart from the humanitarian responsibilities of the parties to the conflict, the international community must also contribute to meeting the essential needs of the Iraqi people. The existence of Oil-for-Food Programme should not imply that the Iraqi people must pay for emergency needs created by a conflict which is not of their making.