Letter dated 19 August 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a letter dated 17 August 2000 from Mr. Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, concerning the ongoing wanton aggression against Iraq by United States and British aircraft in the unlawful no-fly zones. During the period from 8 to 15 August 2000, these aircraft carried out 216 aggressive sorties, 124 of them from Saudi Arabia, 48 from Kuwait and 44 from Turkey, killing two innocent civilians, injuring a further 23 and destroying civilian residential buildings and important civilian installations including grain warehouses.

The Minister urges the Security Council to assume its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security by intervening with the Governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and the countries that provide the logistic support for this aggression, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey, with a view to inducing them to halt, end and desist from any resumption of their constant and unwarranted aggression against Iraq.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Saeed H. Hasan
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

I should like to inform you that United States and British warplanes based in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey have continued to violate the airspace of the Republic of Iraq. In the period from 8 to 15 August 2000, these aircraft carried out 216 sorties, 124 of them from Saudi Arabia, 48 from Kuwait and 44 from Turkey, killing two innocent civilians and injuring a further 23, as shown hereunder.

1. In the northern region 44 sorties were flown at speeds of 720 to 780 kilometres per hour and at altitudes of 6,000 to 12,000 metres, as follows:

(a) At 1030 hours on 10 August 2000 United States and British F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Turkish territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the northern region. They carried out 16 missions from Turkish territory, were supported by an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Turkish airspace and overflew the Dohuk, Amadiyah, Aqrah, Rawanduz, Mosul, Ayn Zalah, Zakho and Irbil areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged the aircraft and, at 1330 hours, drove them off.

(b) At 1115 hours on 11 August 2000 United States and British F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Turkish territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the northern region. They carried out 14 missions from Turkish territory, were supported by an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Turkish airspace and overflew the Dohuk, Amadiyah, Aqrah, Irbil, Zakho and eastern Mosul areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged the aircraft and, at 1345 hours, drove them off.

(c) At 1120 hours on 15 August 2000 United States and British F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Turkish territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the northern region. They carried out 14 missions from Turkish territory, were supported by an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Turkish airspace and overflew the Dohuk, Amadiyah, Irbil, Zakho, Tall Afar and Mosul areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged the aircraft and, at 1245 hours, drove them off.

2. In the southern region 172 sorties were flown at speeds of 720 to 780 kilometres per hour and at altitudes of 9,000 to 13,000 metres, as follows:

(a) At 1700 on 9 August 2000 United States and British F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the southern region. They carried out 20 missions, 12 of them from Saudi territory with the support of an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Saudi airspace and eight from Kuwaiti territory with the support of an E-2C command and control aircraft operating inside Kuwaiti airspace. They overflew the Nasiriyah, Salman, Shinafiyah, Basra, Qal‘at Sukkar, Qurnah, Samawah, Rumaythah, Shatrah, Rifa’i, Taqtaqanah, Ushbayjah and Lasaf areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged the aircraft and, at 2245 hours, drove them off.

(b) At 2225 on 10 August 2000 United States and British F-14, F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the southern region. They carried out 18 missions, 14 of them from Saudi territory with the support of an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Saudi airspace and four from Kuwaiti territory with the support of an E-2C command and control aircraft operating inside Kuwaiti airspace. They overflew the Samawah, Salman, Diwaniyah, Nasiriyah, Basra, Amarah and Qurnah areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged them and, at 2345 hours, drove them off.

(c) At 2247 on 11 August 2000 United States and British F-15, F-16, F-18, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the southern region. They carried out 38 missions, 28 of them from Saudi territory with the support of an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Saudi airspace and 10 from Kuwaiti territory with the support of an E-2C command and control aircraft operating inside Kuwaiti airspace. They overflew the Basra, Samawah, Salman, Nasiriyah, Diwaniyah, Afak and Taqtaqanah areas. In the town of Samawah, in Muthanna Governorate, the Khashayah residential neighbourhood was attacked, two innocent civilians were killed and 19 others injured. Warehouses belonging to the State Enterprise for Construction Industries were destroyed, as were the traffic department, a provisioning centre and a branch of the State Enterprise for Grain Trading and Processing. Six residential buildings and two civilian vehicles were also destroyed, while refrigeration and electrical power plants were put out of operation and the town water supply was cut off. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged the aircraft and, at 0015 hours on 12 August 2000, drove them off.

(d) At 2229 hours on 12 August 2000 United States and British F-14, F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the southern region. They carried out 48 missions, 36 of them from Saudi territory with the support of an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Saudi airspace and 12 from Kuwaiti territory with the support of an E-2C command and control aircraft operating inside Kuwaiti airspace. They overflew the Basra, Nasiriyah, Ukhaydir, Samawah, Taqtaqanah, Ushbayjah, Shinafiyah, Rumaythah, Najaf, Artawi, Rifa‘i, Qal‘at Sukkar, Lasaf, Qurnah, Diwaniyah and Shatrah areas. The aircraft attacked a service installation, namely the Muthanna Governorate railway administrative offices, wounding four innocent civilian employees and causing substantial material damage to the building. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged them and, at 0010 hours on 13 August 2000, drove them off.

(e) At 2025 hours on 13 August 2000 United States and British F-15 and
F-16 aircraft coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the southern region. They carried out 24 missions, 20 of them from Saudi territory with the support of an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Saudi airspace, and four from Kuwaiti territory with the support of an E-2C command and control aircraft operating inside Kuwaiti airspace. They overflew the Basra, Nasiriyah, Qal‘at Sukkar, Lasaf, Salman, Samawah, Taqtaqanah, Qal‘at Salih and Amarah areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged them and, at 2145 hours, drove them off.

(f) At 1405 hours on 14 August 2000 United States and British F-14, F-15, F-16, Tornado and EA-6B aircraft coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti territory penetrated Iraq’s airspace in the southern region. They carried out 24 missions, 14 of them from Saudi territory with the support of an AWACS command and control aircraft operating inside Saudi airspace and 10 from Kuwaiti territory with the support of an E-2C command and control aircraft operating inside Kuwaiti airspace. They overflew the Qal‘at Salih, Qal‘at Sukkar, Lasaf, Diwaniyah, Ushbayjah, Nasiriyah, Salman, Afak, Nakhib, Hayy, Ramilah and Amarah areas. Our air defences, acting in self-defence, engaged them and, at 1710 hours, drove them off.

This aggression illustrates the bellicose attitude being maintained by the United States of America and the United Kingdom towards Iraq. Since 1992, it has become a fixed policy aimed at undermining the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and at the systematic and concerted destruction of Iraqi lives, infrastructure and civilian installations. It is a policy that has been affirmed in successive statements made by United States and British officials defending the measures being taken to enforce the no-fly zones.

The Government of Iraq categorically rejects the two so-called no-fly zones, which were imposed by unilateral decision of the United States of America and the United Kingdom and lack any legal basis. Iraq rejects all the consequences of this illegal decision and, in particular, the flimsy excuses and pretexts used by these countries in an attempt to justify their military aggression against our country.

The logistic support provided by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey to the Americans and the British makes these countries key partners in the aggression being committed against Iraq, so that they bear international responsibility for actions that are deleterious to the people of Iraq.

The Government of Iraq, condemning these shameless acts of aggression, urges the Security Council to intervene with the Governments of the States concerned and prevail upon them to halt their aggression and respect the rules of international law and the sovereignty of Iraq.

I should like to take this opportunity to refer to my letter dated 6 May 2000 in which we asked Your Excellency, on the basis of your responsibilities, to adopt a very clear position in opposition to this ongoing armed aggression against the sovereignty of an independent State and a Member of the United Nations and to call for the cessation of this unlawful activity. We did not receive any response from Your Excellency and in requesting you to declare your position, as mentioned above, we are asking you to assume your responsibilities under Article 99 of the Charter and to notify the Security Council so that it may take the necessary steps to put an end to the no-fly zones that have been imposed on Iraq.

(Signed) Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq