US/IRAQ: The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, made it clear yesterday that the UN Security Council would have no other option but to endorse an American-led military assault on Iraq if the council found that Baghdad was in material breach of the UN resolution on disarmament, writes Conor O'Clery, North America Editor, in New York
If Iraq does not comply, there is no doubt that the 15-member Security Council, of which Ireland is a member, would have to "face its responsibilities", Mr Cowen said in a speech to the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York.
"The use of force must remain a matter of last resort, but it is specifically provided for in the (UN) Charter where sanctions and other means of peaceful persuasion have failed," he said.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would be making a "terrible mistake" if he did not fulfil in every respect the disarmament requirements of the UN resolution and fully co-operate with UN weapons inspectors.
Earlier in Washington Mr Cowen discussed developments in Iraq, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and the European Union with US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell at the State Department.
Asked afterwards if Ireland would support an American-led assault on Iraq without a new resolution, if the Security Council decided Iraq had not complied, Mr Cowen replied that "the responsibility primarily lies with the Iraqi regime now to deal with this matter in a way that will maintain international peace and security".
In the event of a report from the UN weapons inspectors of non-compliance Ireland would consider that report and determine if a material breach has occurred as defined in international treaties, he said.
"It is Ireland's consistent foreign policy position that we seek to resolve matters without resort to military action," Mr Cowen went on.
However, such action "is provided under the charter as a matter of last resort" and the threat of military action "is something which has been part of the necessary approach to a regime which has been in defiance of the international community for years".
It was Iraq that would bear the responsibility for "the regrettable effect of the multilateral response" if there was non-compliance.
Mr Cowen told reporters that the UN was now awaiting an Iraqi response to Security Council Resolution 1441 "not on the basis of what they will say but what they will do" - a reference to a letter from Iraqi Foreign Minister Mr Naji Sabri to the UN complaining that the real motive for the resolution "was to create pretexts to attack Iraq under an international cover". UN weapons inspectors will begin inspections in Iraq tomorrow after a lapse of four years. Baghdad has until December 8th to make a full declaration of its armaments.
The US has promised to return to the UN before taking any military action but Mr Powell has insisted Washington will not be handcuffed by any new resolution by the Security Council.
While US diplomacy is aimed at getting international backing for disarming Iraq, there is potential for disagreement on whether allegedly false statements in the December 8th declaration would be sufficient to precipitate a war. Only the Security Council should decide what constituted a material breach, Mr Cowen said.
Mr Cowen will meet UN chief weapons's inspector Mr Hans Blix at the UN tomorrow as part of a round of meetings in New York marking the end of Ireland's two-year term on the Security Council on December 31st.
In his speech yesterday Mr Cowen acknowledged that the United States had the strength, unique in history, to stand alone against any combination of possible enemies but "it should never need to do so". However strong the US might be on its own, "it is stronger still when it acts in mutual solidarity and support with the international community".
He would strongly argue that the use of military force in international relations other than in cases of self-defence required the engagement of the UN "if it is to be accepted as fully legitimate by the international community".
On the Middle East, Mr Cowen condemned "the obscenity of suicide bombings" and said Israeli settlements must be "halted and reversed" if there is to be any hope of lasting peace. "Not only are the settlements illegal, they are themselves a major focus of violent incidents," he said.
The Middle East was a festering wound that in Ireland's view represented a "most profound and real threat" to world peace. The impasse between Palestinians and Israelis was poisoning relations in the region and beyond.
"Regrettably however the resolutions of the Security Council in relation to the Middle East have been ignored systematically." Mr Cowen said "it is very important to have a fresh and honest look at the Middle East". He urged negotiations to ensure a Palestinian state "that is viable and also within secure borders", and that would protect the legitimate security interests of Israel.
He told Mr Powell that Ireland welcomed Turkey's commitment to deal with the human rights issues in relation to its quest for EU membership and that Ireland would propose at December's EU summit in Copenhagen that a positive signal be sent to Turkey to welcome its efforts to prepare for membership negotiations. The US has undertaken to lobby EU countries for Turkish membership.