UNSC: Iraqi violations of Iranian airspace

[Huojin]

George Wildman Ball
Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations

We, as chosen representatives to the Security Council, ought to establish here at the earliest opportunity our rousing opposition to Iraqi actions. With the rise of a new government in Baghdad, they have decided that the correct position towards their neighbours is to mobilise masses of manpower to the Iran-Iraq border, and to violate Iranian airspace in what have been characterised as "dangerous incursions".

If the task of this Council is to preserve and maintain international peace and security, we must move swiftly and decisively to make clear to the new Iraqi government this behaviour will not be tolerated, and that further aggression and war in the Middle East will be met with rousing international condemnation. The history of relations between Iran and Iraqi is, assuredly, a long and tempestuous one - but we cannot allow the past to disrupt hopes of a lasting future peace. Actions such as these do not exist in a vacuum, and the tense border relations and minor infringements the world has observed have no doubt contributed to the present situation. But this Council must stand unanimously against the threat of wider conflict.

We propose the following resolution for adoption.

The Security Council,

Having considered the letter from representatives of Iran raising complaint against Iraqi incursions into their sovereign air space and the threatening disposition of border forces,

Noting that Member States ought to exist together in peace, acting as good neighbours and abiding by the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming the obligations of Members States to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming that Member States are obliged to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of political independence of any state,

Taking into consideration the importance of the Gulf region to international peace and security as a major region of trade,

Convinced that the threatening behaviour of the Iraqi Army and the violations of Iranian airspace have serious implications for international peace and security,


1. Calls upon all Member States to respect the territorial integrity of other Member States, and to exercise the utmost restraint in the deployment and utilisation of their armed forces, and refrain from acts which risk leading to further conflict or escalation.

2. Condemns Iraqi violations of Iranian airspace.

3. Demands that such violations cease.

4. Decides that in the event of non-compliance with this resolution, to meet again and consider effective measures commensurate with the gravity of the situation in order to ensure peace.

[Master of Oblivion]

Yakov Malik
Permanent Representative of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics to the United Nations

We thank our American friends for altering the preamble to take Soviet concerns into account. Iraq's actions were caused by Iranian provocations into the Kurdish issue. We will be bring up a resolution shortly to attempt to deal with the underlying issue of Iranian support for rebels. No one wants a war in the Middle East.