Annan Says Iraq Invasion Illegal

Thursday, September 16, 2004

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 16 (MASNET & News Agencies) - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday called the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 illegal.

In an interview with BBC World Service radio, Annan said "there should have been a second resolution" from the 15-member U.N. Security Council to approve the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The United States and Britain withdrew a draft resolution in the council in mid-March after it was clear there were not enough votes. France had threatened to veto if U.N. inspectors were not given more time to account for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, reports Reuters news agency.

"I've indicated that it was not in conformity with the U.N. charter from our point of view, and from the charter point of view it was illegal," Annan added.

Asked if he meant that the decision to invade was illegal, the secretary general replied: "Yes, if you wish."

Annan made a similar comment on March 10, 2003 during a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, shortly before the invasion, reports Reuters. He said that if the United States took military action without Security Council approval "it would not be in conformity with the Charter."

The U.N. Charter allows nations to take military action with Security Council approval as an explicit enforcement action, such as during the Korean War and the 1991 Gulf War, reports the Associated Press (AP).

Annan also said it was unlikely that Iraq would be able to hold "credible elections" as planned in January 2005 "if the security conditions continue as they are now".

He said he believed "everybody's concluded" that broad international cooperation was needed to deal with the challenges ahead.

"I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time...without U.N. approval and much broader support from the international community," he said.

The United Nations had adopted a number of resolutions over the years to compel Saddam to abandon the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

The last one was adopted in November 2002, when U.N. inspectors re-entered Iraq, warning Saddam's regime of "serious consequences" if it was found to be in material breach of the earlier resolutions.

Referring to the tense diplomatic run-up to the Iraq invasion, Annan said: "It was up to the Security Council to approve or determine what those consequences should be."