VZCZCXRO2838
PP RUEHBC RUEHBZ RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUCNDT #0549/01 1842041
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 032041Z JUL 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2200
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0592
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0670

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000549 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC IZ
SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES TO TERMINATE UNMOVIC 
 
REF: STATE 90875 
 
 ¶1.  (U)  Summary:  The Security Council voted June 29 in 
support of the U.S.-UK resolution to terminate the mandates 
of UNMOVIC and the IAEA's Iraq Nuclear Verification Office, 
with 14 members voting in favor and one abstention (Russia). 
Russian PermRep Churkin attributed Russia's abstention to the 
fact that the sponsors did not respond affirmatively to the 
Russian request to submit to the Security Council "those 
elements of the Duelfer report of the Iraq Survey Group that 
relate to UNMOVIC's mandate with regard to certification of 
the international process."  (Note:  Russia had requested 
transmission of the classified portions of the Duelfer 
report.  End Note.)  UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Demetrius 
Perricos observed there could not be "complete certainty" 
that disarmament had been achieved, while the IAEA's New York 
representative Gustavo Zlauvinem cited a 2003 IAEA report 
that concluded the agency had found no evidence of a revival 
of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq.  Representatives from 
the U.S., UK, Qatar, France, South Africa, and Indonesia made 
statements.  Iraqi PermRep Hamid Al-Bayati also spoke to the 
Council and reconfirmed Iraq's commitment to nonproliferation. 
 
UNMOVIC 
------- 
 
¶2.   (U)  Based on a Russian request and as a vehicle to 
finally terminate UNMOVIC without a written "final report," 
UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Perricos and IAEA New York 
representative Zlauvinem provided statements to the Council 
June 29 summarizing the disarmament efforts in Iraq of these 
specialized bodies since 1991.  Perricos reported that -- 
from the period November 27, 2002 to March 17, 2003 -- 
UNMOVIC conducted 731 inspections in Iraq and "did not find 
evidence of the continuation or resumption of programs of WMD 
or significant quantities of proscribed items from before the 
adoption of Resolution 687."  But Perricos claimed that a 
number of disarmament issues remain unresolved.  First, he 
said, the whereabouts of 7,900 pieces of equipment which were 
in certain sites in Iraq prior to March 2003 and have 
dual-use purposes is still unknown.  Second, he reported that 
UNMOVIC could not provide assurances that all documents and 
books describing fabrication processes, also known as 
"cookbooks," have been secured or destroyed.  Third, he 
stated that UNMOVIC does not have knowledge of the 
whereabouts of materials and items stored in a chemical 
munitions bunker that was part of a Hand-Over Protocol signed 
in 1994 between UNSCOM and Iraq.  Last, he observed that the 
capabilities and know-how for weapons programs still exist in 
the minds of the scientists and technicians who worked on 
them, and such knowledge cannot be fully secured and 
guaranteed.  Thus, Perricos concluded, the possibility of 
non-state actors getting their hands on chemical and other 
toxic weapons is real. 
 
¶3.   (U)  Yet Perricos also admitted that it is "widely 
accepted that there can be no complete certainty that 
disarmament is fully achieved in a country," adding that on a 
number of occasions he and Dr. Blix had referred to the 
"unavoidable residue of uncertainty."  In his statement, 
Perricos also detailed the extent of Iraq's weapons programs 
under Saddam Hussein. 
 
IAEA 
---- 
 
¶4.  (U)  Mr. Gustavo Zlauvinem, the IAEA's representative to 
the UN, recalled the IAEA's conclusion reported in March 2003 
that it had found no evidence of a revival of Iraq's nuclear 
weapons program by the time the agency left the county in 
¶2003.   He said that when the security situation permits, and 
with the cooperation of the Government of Iraq, the IAEA will 
be able "to provide assurances of the non-diversion of 
declared nuclear material and the absence of undeclared 
nuclear materials and activities in Iraq." 
 
U.S. 
---- 
 
¶5.   (U)  As pre-arranged and drawing from reftel, Ambassador 
Khalilzad delivered the U.S. statement covering the period 
from 2003 to the present.  He recalled the comprehensive 
efforts of the Iraq Survey Group, and confirmed that the 
U.S., UK, and other members of the MNF-I have "taken all 
appropriate steps to investigate each credible report of the 
presence of weapons of mass destruction or their delivery 
systems in Iraq."  He noted MNF continues to discover 
residual abandoned stocks of munitions which are handled 
appropriately in coordination with the Government of Iraq. 
Ambassador Khalilzad noted that the report of the Iraq Survey 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000549  002 OF 003 
 
 
Group confirmed that Saddam Hussein had intentions to develop 
WMD as soon as UN sanctions were lifted, the fact that he 
maintained a break out capacity that would have enabled rapid 
production of chemical and biological weapons, and the fact 
that he repeatedly made false reports to UN inspectors of WMD 
programs.  Ambassador Khalilzad concluded, "Iraq is no longer 
a country that has any political intent or military plan to 
utilize such terrible weapons." 
 
UK 
-- 
 
¶6.   (U)  UK PermRep Jones Perry welcomed the Government of 
Iraq's  "constitutional commitment" to nonproliferation and 
international disarmament regimes.  Jones Perry noted that 
UNMOVIC and the IAEA's Nuclear Verification Office have not 
been able to carry out their functions for some time.  He 
said in terminating the mandates, "we are not closing the 
file on WMD in Iraq, but we are changing the approach." 
 
Qatar 
----- 
 
¶7.  (U)  Qatari DPR Al-Bader noted that since the adoption of 
resolution 1284 in 1999 establishing UNMOVIC, the situation 
in Iraq has changed considerably.  He agreed there was no 
longer a need for UNMOVIC to remain in Iraq, and expressed 
satisfaction that at last this difficult file could be 
closed, as significant time and resources have been dedicated 
to this issue.  He said it was clear Iraq had no WMD, and 
expressed hope that the Middle East as a region will be free 
of WMD, including Israel. 
 
France 
------ 
 
¶8.   (U)  French PermRep Jean-Marc de La Sabliere praised the 
Government of Iraq for seeking to "shoulder its 
responsibility" to uphold the nonproliferation regime.  In 
expressing French support for the resolution, he noted the 
Government of Iraq's request to close UNMOVIC and its 
commitment not to develop WMD.  He also took note of the 
statements from the U.S. and U.K. regarding the steps taken 
by Iraq since 2003 to ensure that there were no WMD in the 
country. 
 
Iraq 
---- 
 
¶9.  (U)  Iraqi PermRep Hamid Al-Bayati noted that Perricos's 
statement had focused on Iraq's past.  By contrast, he said, 
the Government of Iraq is concentrating on the present and 
future.  He said today would mark the closure of an important 
chapter in Iraq's modern history. Iraq's people paid a heavy 
price for Saddam Hussein's refusal to abide by UN 
resolutions:  lives were lost, tremendous resources were 
spent, and Iraq's infrastructure was destroyed.  He noted 
Iraq was constitutionally bound to the non-proliferation 
regime, explaining that the government considers its 
international treaties to be national commitments. (The full 
text of his statement e-mailed to the Department.)  He 
concluded, "The Iraqi people who suffered from the regime's 
brutal practices should not be held responsible." 
 
South Africa 
------------ 
 
¶10.  (U)  South African PermRep Kumalo, referring to UNSCR 
687,  recalled that the issue of Iraqi disarmament was 
originally linked to regional disarmament and the effort to 
create a Middle East zone free of proliferation and WMD.  He 
said the resolution under consideration did not adequately 
describe what would happen to nuclear material or technical 
expertise.  Though South Africa would vote in favor of the 
resolution to terminate the mandates, he maintained it would 
have been preferable to close UNMOVIC on the basis of a UN 
assessment. 
 
Indonesia 
--------- 
 
¶11.  (U)  Indonesian DPR Kleib began by saying it was clear 
UNMOVIC was no longer needed due to the new Government of 
Iraq's commitment to nonproliferation.  Even though not all 
the work had been completed, he said he understood the 
difficulty of verifying all remaining Saddam-era missiles. He 
expressed hope that the remaining disarmament issues would be 
resolved, including the early accession by Iraq's Government 
to the Chemical Weapons Convention. 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000549  003 OF 003 
 
 
Russia 
------ 
 
¶12.  (U)  After the vote, Russian PermRep Vitaly Churkin 
delivered Russia's statement, attributing Russia's abstention 
to the fact that there had been no official certification by 
UNMOVIC that Iraq is free of WMD, suggesting such 
certification was not possible because UNMOVIC had not had 
access to the complete report of the Iraq Survey Group. 
Moreover, he claimed, the resolution did not address the fate 
of existing weapons, including the issue of stockpiles and 
dual-use equipment. 
 
China 
----- 
 
¶13.  (U)  Chinese representative Li Kexin commended the 
integrity and professionalism of UNMOVIC and the IAEA, saying 
their work had shown a dedication to the "pursuit of truth" 
that would "withstand the test of history."  He said the 
situation in Iraq had undergone tremendous changes since 
UNMOVIC first started its work.  He emphasized in supporting 
the resolution, China was responding to the Government of 
Iraq's request to end UNMOVIC, and said Iraq's commitment to 
nonproliferation had allowed Iraq to gain a position in the 
international community.  He said China hoped Iraq's efforts 
would facilitate the building of mutual trust in the region 
and contribute to greater peace in the Middle East. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  This was a day long in coming for both Iraq and 
the Security Council.  Council members had agreed for at 
least two years that UNMOVIC no longer had a role in Iraq, 
but Executive Chairman Perricos actively lobbied to keep 
alive his organization and to arrange some future role for 
its personnel.  Given past animosity about the issue of WMD 
in Iraq, this close-out -- with no final inspection or report 
-- went as smoothly as we could have hoped for.  We will need 
to carefully monitor the disposition of UNMOVIC archives and 
equipment over the next months, however. 
WOLFF