posted on March 20, 2003 07:29:48 PM new
Iraq Will Ask U.N. to Respond to Invasion
1 hour, 54 minutes ago
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS - Iraq (news - web sites) said Thursday it will ask the U.N. Security Council to respond to the U.S.-led war, calling it an illegal act by a "terrorist state."
Iraq also demanded the United States be held accountable before international tribunals — including the International Criminal Court, which the Bush administration opposes — for trying to target Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) with its first missile strikes of the war early Thursday.
"Yesterday, the United States acted as a terrorist state by attempting to assassinate the leadership of a member state of the United Nations (news - web sites)," it said.
In its first statement since President Bush (news - web sites) launched military action Wednesday night, Iraq's U.N. Mission urged all countries to condemn the war and people around the world to demonstrate against "colonialism, domination and imperialism."
Iraq accused President Bush of using "a bunch of lies" in his declaration of war, saying he wants to free the Iraqi people "while it has been clear to all the world that he wants to free the Iraqi oil wells."
Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri said he doesn't know when he will ask for a Security Council meeting because he wants to consult with his government, the Arab League, the Non-Aligned Movement of 115 mainly developing countries, and other colleagues.
He said his communications with Baghdad "are disturbed completely" and that he is waiting for a letter from Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites). He said the letter will brand the onset of war "a violation of international law."
Syria's deputy U.N. ambassador Fayssal Mekdad said: "If they request a public debate, I'm sure a lot of countries will support it."
The Security Council remained divided over the U.S. rush to disarm Iraq militarily rather than allow U.N. weapons inspections to continue for a few months to see if Saddam could be disarmed peacefully.
Annan issued a statement saying his thoughts were with the Iraqi people, facing their third war in a quarter-century.
He lamented the council split and pledged to do his "utmost" ensure that the United Nations again becomes the place where problems shared by humanity are solved and where power is "harnessed to legitimacy."
In a letter to the Security Council circulated Thursday, Annan called for money from Iraqi oil sales to be used to buy food and medicine for the Iraqi people and war refugees.
But he stressed that the "primary responsibility" for humanitarian assistance "rests with the authority exercising effective control in Iraq" — which will almost certainly be the United States.
