By Holy See Mission
Statement by Archbishop Celestino MigliorePermanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nationsat the Meeting of the Security Councilunder Agenda Item:The Situation between Iraq and KuwaitNew York, 19
February 2003Mr.
President,
Thank you for giving me
this opportunity to express the Holy See's deep concern and solicitude
on the
Iraqi issue, also in this Chamber of the Security Council, where the
issues
related to international peace and security are debated to prevent the
world
from the scourge of war. I am pleased to recall on this occasion, Mr.
President,
the successful meeting of Secretary-General Kofi Annan with His Holiness
Pope
John Paul II yesterday evening at the Vatican.
Mr.
President,
Since the very beginning,
the Holy See has always recognized the international community's
irreplaceable
role in solving the issue of Iraq's compliance with the provisions of
U.N.
resolutions.
In this regard, the Holy
See realizes that the international community is rightly worried and is
addressing a just and urgent cause: the disarmament of arsenals of mass
destruction, a threat surfacing not just in a single region, but
unfortunately
in other parts of our world. The Holy See is convinced that in the
efforts to
draw strength from the wealth of peaceful tools provided by the
international
law, to resort to force would not be a just one. To the grave
consequences for a
civilian population that has already been tested long enough, are added
the dark
prospects of tensions and conflicts between peoples and cultures and the
deprecated reintroduction of war as a way to resolve untenable
situations.
The Holy See is closely
following the developments on the ground and expresses its support for
the
efforts of the international community towards resolving the crisis
within the
sphere of the international legality. For this purpose and with this in
mind,
His Holiness Pope John Paul II has recently sent a Special Envoy to
Baghdad, who
met with President Saddam Hussein and delivered him a Message from the
Pope
stressing, inter alia, the need for concrete commitments in faithful
adherence
to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations. A similar message has
also
been conveyed to Mr. Tarek Aziz, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, who
visited the
Pope on 14 February last. Moreover, in view of the devastating aftermath
of a
possible military intervention, the Special Envoy of the Pope made an
appeal to
the conscience of all those who have a role to play in determining the
future of
the crisis in these coming decisive days "because, in the end, it is
conscience
that will have the last word, stronger than all strategies, all
ideologies and
also all religions".
Mr.
President,
The Holy See is convinced
that even though the process of inspections appears somewhat slow, it
still
remains an effective path that could lead to the building of a consensus
which,
if widely shared by Nations, would make it almost impossible for any
Government
to act otherwise, without risking international isolation. The Holy See
is
therefore of the view that it is also the proper path that would lead to
an
agreed and honorable resolution to the problem, which, in turn, could
provide
the basis for a real and lasting peace.
"War is never just another
means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between
nations. As
the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law
itself
remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of
ensuring the
common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very
strict
conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian
population both
during and after the military operations" (Address
of Pope John Paul II to the
Diplomatic Corps, 13 January 2003).
On the issue of Iraq, the
vast majority of the international community is calling for a diplomatic
resolution of the dispute and for exploring all avenues for a peaceful
settlement. That call should not be ignored. The Holy See encourages the
parties
concerned to keep the dialogue open that could bring about solutions in
preventing a possible war and urges the international community to
assume its
responsibility in dealing with any failings by Iraq.
Mr. President, before
concluding this statement, allow me to echo in this Chamber of peace the
hope-inspiring words of John Paul II's Special Envoy to Iraq: "Peace
is still
possible in Iraq and for Iraq. The smallest step over the next few days
is worth
a great leap toward peace".
I thank you, Mr.
President.
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