S/PV.2962 Security Council

In accordance with the decisions taken at the previous meetings on this item, I invite the representative of Kuwait to take a place at the Council table; I invite the representatives of Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to take the places reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Abulhasan (Kuwait) took a place at the Council table: Mr. Abdul Ghaffar (Bahrain), Mr, Moussa (E Mr. Al-Ni'Mah atar) and Mr. Shihabi (Saudi Arabia k the places reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber.

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Bangladesh, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Arab Emirates in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In accordance with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Mohiuddin (Banqladesh), Mr. Kharrazi (Islamic Republic of Iran) and Mr. Al-Shaali (United Arab Emirates) took the places reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber.

The Security Council will now resume its consideration of the item on its agenda. (The President) I should like to inform the Council that Canada, Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have joined as sponsors of the draft resolution contained in document §/21966. Sir David RANNAY (United Kingdom): The story that we heard in the Council yesterday is a tragic and reprehensible one. Amn unprovoked act of war by a larger country against its defenceless neighbour has been followed by a sorry litany of murder, brigandage and wanton violence which has brought untold misery to many thousands of individuals. The Council has repeatedly reminded Iraq in recent weeks of its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. It did so most recently in resolution 674 (1990), adopted on 29 October. Yet the accounts we have heard of the murder and pillage perpetrated by the Iraqi occupation forces in Kuwait show that Iraq has persistently acted with a callous disregard of the Convention. Par from observing its responsibility under article 29 for the treatment of protected persons under its control, Iraq is engaged in a determined campaign to expunge the very identity of the State of Kuwait. The Iraqis have made life so unbearable that half the indigenous population have left, public and private property has been looted and the Iraqis have even tried to destroy Kuwait's public records. All over Kuwait, Kuwaitis are being replaced by Iraqis. We have reports that Iraqi soldiers have stripped Kuwaitis of all documentary evidence of their nationality: birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports. This amounts to an attempt by Iraq to change the demographic structure of the country it occupies, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. | The basic principle of the Geneva Conventions is that protected persons shall be protected and treated humanely in all circumstances. Contrast this principle (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom) with the report of Amnesty International, an organization whose impartiality is widely recognized and which has produced a frightening catalogue of Iraqi atrocities in Kuwait. On 28 September Amnesty International reported: "According to eyewitness accounts, boys as young as 15 have been shot in the head and their bodies dumped outside their homes because of their suspected opposition to the Iraqi forces." On the same day that organization also reported: "Doctors who had been working in hospitals in Kuwait in the period following the invasion have told Amnesty International that Iraqi soldiers brought to the hospitals scores of bodies of young men, many of whom had been shot in the head and heart at close range. Iraqi soldiers reportedly forced the doctors to issue death certificates certifying that the victims had died after arrival at the hospitais." We also have reports of Iraqi atrocities from British nationals in Kuwait. One woman described how on 6 August her maid went outside to empty the rubbish, and on her way back she was seen by Iraqi soldiers, who instructed her to show them where she lived. Near the apartment one pushed her inside the 1ift - the other stayed outside. The one in the lift pointed a gun at her head and ordered her to strip, and she was raped by both Iraqis. A member of the British Army Liaison Team, now held at one of the strategic sites, told another British subject at the Regency Hotel in Kuwait City that he personally had witnessed the shooting of a family of six Kuwaitis, in the garden of his hause, where he was in disguise; he saw the Iraqis line up the six people and shoot them. (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom) Article 32 of the Fourth Geneva Convention specifically prohibits murder and torture. Yet I have here an extract from the diary of a British national in hiding in Kuwait. In early October she wrote: "They tell me that in their neighbourhood the Iraqis woke everybody up a few mornings ago by firing in the air. When they looked to see what was happening they saw the Iraqis execute 4 Kuwaitis from that area by shooting them in the head. They had previously been tortured." I should not like to suggest that all Iraqis have gone along with the violation of human rights in Kuwait, which is clearly the policy of the Government. A number of brave individuals have stood out against the atrocities. On 14 November the Guardian newspaper described how an Iraqi captain who deserted to Turkey said he was unhappy about the invasion of Kuwait “because the soldiers are attacking the people and raping the women, and recently I was ordered to kill civilians." The Independent newspaper reported on 14 November that a soldier from the unit of an Iraqi commander, who had allegedly been executed for looting said that in reality he had been executed for refusing to carry out in full orders that everything be carried away. Iraqi soldiers who had been in Kuwait described to the Same newspaper how they had been forced to abduct young girls to be raped by ‘Baathist officers. One soldier alleged he had seen privates ordered to shoot 20 girls who had been raped. Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention designates certain actions as grave breaches. These include: wilful killing, torture or inhumane treatment, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to boay or health, the taking of hostages, the unlawful confinement of a protected person, and wilfully depriving a protected person of the right to a fair trial. These grave breaches come under the (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom) criminal jurisdiction of all the parties to the Conventions and as such have been elevated to the status of international crimes. There is evidence that all these things have happened in Kuwait since 2 August. The grave breaches of human rights which have been described to the Council are horrifying and show the contempt of the occupying forces for all civilized standards of behaviour. But, in addition to that, the theft and wilful damage to public and private property in Kuwait is evidence of a systematic campaign to eradicate the previously flourishing business, social and cultural life of Kuwait. We have received numerous reports of private cars being seized at roadblocks and trucks and buses taken away. There is clear evidence of school furniture and books, museum exhibits, traffic signals, street lights, electricity sub-station transformers and many other articles of equipment being stolen by the Iraqi forces and sent back to Iraq. When Kuwaitis are pressed into leaving, they are forced to sign documents ceding all their property to the Iraqi Government, The principal victims of Iraqi atrocities have of course been the Kuwaitis. But we should not forget the numerous foreigners who have lost their livelihoods as a result of the Iraqi invasion. These range from Indian and Palestinian businessmen and entrepreneurs to Sri Lankan housemaids, whose losses have had a devastating effect on their home economies and whose human tragedy is incalculable. The traqis have also abused foreiqners in Kuwait in another way. In breach of international law, and in defiance of resolution 664 (1990) of the Council, large numbers have been taken hostage in a bid to dissuade the international community from taking action to restore the independence and sovereignty of Kuwait. These hostages essentially fall into two categories. (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom) First, there are those who are simply not allowed to leave Iraq and Kuwait. These include citizens of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria and Canada, as well as the United States and the United Kingdom. Because of the international outcry at this outrage, and in a cynical attempt to manipulate world opinion, the Iraqi authorities have allowed a considerable number of foreign nationals to leave in recent weeks, but many remain, The second category are those held at strategic sites the Iraqis believe might be the object of military action. These now consist of 359 of my countrymen, 102 Americans and 114 Japanese. We have received a number of reports on conditions at these strategic sites. One reads as follows: "There is defective and unhygienic sanitation for which the ‘hosts’ refuse to provide cleaning materials. Food is poor to inedible, prepared in filthy and vermin-infested areas, resulting in chronic stomach upsets, diarrhoea and weight loss, which the weekly doctor dismisses as psychological. The accommodation is situated close to a generating plant and toxic waste burn-off towers where polluted air causes throat and chest problems”. Conditions have been little better for the diplomats in Kuwait who have defied the illegal Iraqi attempt to close down their embassies by such tactics as cutting off their water and electricity supplies. "Many diplomats have had to leave, but I should like to pay a tribute to my colleague Michael Weston and his staff, who continue to hold out in the British Embassy in Kuwait. I should also like to commend the staff of the embassies of the United States, Bahrain and Oman, who remain at their posts despite the appalling conditions imposed on them by the Iraqi occupying forces, There are few countries in the world whose citizens have not suffered directly or indirectly from the violent and illegal behaviour of the Iraqi occupying forces (Sir David Hannay, United Kingdom) in Kuwait. There is no country that recognizes the Iraqi claim to have annexed Kuwait. The poignant and shocking accounts given to the Council in the last two days emphasize why we cannot in honour turn our backs on the problem of Kuwait. Iraq's policy is to create new facts: in essence the disappearance of Kuwait and the removal of its citizens. Each day they advance further down that road, One is put in mind of the description by the Roman historian Tacitus of the Roman invasion of Britain, when he said: "They make a wilderness and they cali it peace”. That could serve as the shameful motto of the Iraqi armed forces. And they must not be allowed to prevail. It is therefore the duty of the international community to demonstrate to Iraq that aggression does not pay, and to bring the occupation to an end as quickly as possible in conformity with the resolutions of the Council. Mr, BLANC (France) (interpretation from French): Yesterday in this Chamber we heard shocking testimony which confirmed the reality and the maqnitude of the human rights violations committed by the Iraqi occupation forces in Kuwait. The concrete examples reported to us provide devastating evidence against the occupying party. Such cruel treatment, which we condemn most strongly, is even more revolting when the victims belong, as was reported yesterday, to particularly vulnerable categories of people. Today Kuwait is a country under foreign occupation. The provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention therefore fully apply. We demand that Iraq, a party to that instrument, abide scrupulously by its obligations under the terms of the Convention. Finally, the international community should mobilize to help preserve the national identity of Kuwait, now threatened with systematic destruction by the occupier. (M lan France) The draft resolution before the Council reflects these points and, for our part, we are prepared to support it.

The next speaker is the representative of the United Arab Emirates. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr, AL-SHAALI (United Arab Emirates) (interpretation from Arabic): At the outset, it gives me great pleasure to extend to you, Sir, my deleqation's congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. Your diplomatic experience will greatiy assist us in arriving at the desired positive results of the Security Council’s meetings. I am pleased to commend the efforts exerted by your predecessor, Sir David Hannay, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, during his presidency of the Council in October. (Mr, Al-Shaali, United Arab Emirates) The Security Council meets today to discuss one of the aspects of the multifaceted crisis which has been created by Irag’s occupation of Kuwait. I speak of the most horrendous and abhorrent facet of the crisis, namely that which directly affects the human being, who is the victim. As mentioned by the Permanent Representative of Kuwait, and by the witnesses who spoke in the earlier meeting, the crimes perpetrated by the Iraqi occupation army in Kuwait cause revulsion and grave concern at the serious deterioration of the condition of the Kuwaitis and the foreign residents of Kuwait. | No Arab can feel anything but shame at the practices and conduct of the Iraqi regime, which has Stabbed in the heart every Arab value, moral principle and concept. This generation of ours which has grown up within the framework of broad Arab aspirations and hopes for unity, freedom, progress and stability is indeed fully aware of the magnitude of the Iraqi regime's betrayal of those hopes and aspirations. The arbitrary iraqi practices in Kuwait and the violations of human rights have caused more than one third of the Kuwaiti people to leave their country in order to escape the tyranny of occupation. In addition to this, there has been the loss of livelihood which has caused the departure from Kuwait of hundreds of thousands of Arab and foreign workers who left behind the fruits of their labour over years and years of hard work. In addition to their personal and family tragedies, as they emigrate without any of their possessions, this displacement has also caused grave difficulties for their countries in absorbing them and providing new means of Livelihooa for them. High on the list of those emigrants have been Arabs. In the light of the unanimous international condemnation of the Iragi invasion of Kuwait and rejection of the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait, Iraq is considered under (Mr. Al-Shaali, United Arab Emirates) international law to be the occupying Power of Kuwait, and this leads to the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. The Fourth Geneva Convention can be summed up as containing the protection of three basic categories: the inhabitants, the possessions and the institutions. In reviewing the practices of the. occupying Iraqi authorities, we find that they have grossly breached and continue to breach the provisions relating to all three categories. This has been proved by the media and by the displaced persons who have fled Kuwait - Kuwaitis or others who have had to flee as a result of the brutality of occupation. Article 147 of the Convention enumerates the graves breaches which may be committed by the occupying Power, such as wilful killing, torture, inhumane treatment and the compelling of a protected person to serve in the armed forces of a hostile Power. Article 146 stipulates that the High Contracting Parties to the Convention shall enact any legislation necessary to provide effective penal sanctions for persons committing such breaches, to search for such persons and hand them over to another High Contracting Party. It is clear that many of the civilians and military members of the Iraqi occupying forces have indeed committed such grave breaches. Therefore, Article 146 applies to those persons. Indeed, it must be applied to them. In this connection, we hold the Iraqi civilian and military authorities responsible for the breaches and crimes which aré being committed in Kuwait. We believe that it is necessary for the Iraqi authorities to realize that they are directly responsible for those breaches. What has taken place in Kuwait and what has happened to Kuwait has grave consequences, not only for the region, but also for international peace and (Mr, Al-Shaali, United Arab Emirates) security as a whole. The international reaction which was clearly manifested at an early stage by the Security Council in its numerous resolutions, as well as in the statements by heads of delegations at the forty-fifth session of the General Assembly, underscores the magnitude of the crisis that resulted from the Iraqi aggression against Kuwait. However, the most dangerous lesson to be drawn from this problem lies in the possibility of threatening peace and security in the world as a result of the tyranny of an individual over the fate of any country. Therefore, it is the international community's collective responsibility to prevent the emergence of such situations which could lead to a state of total international chaos.

I thank the representative of the United Arab Emirates for the kind words he addressed to me.

The next speaker is the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr, KHARRAZI (Islamic Republic of Iran): Mr. President, at this critical juncture, when the whole international community is watching for this body to discharge its mandate with regard to the situation in the Persian Gulf, I should like to express my hope that the proceedings of the Security Council help to achieve peace and security in the Persian Gulf area. For almost four months the people of Kuwait have been suffering as a result of the invasion of their country by Iraq. Since the first day of the invasion there have been calls by the international community and by many countries for the termination of the occupation and the restoration of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kuwait, but these calls have not been heeded by Iraq. (Mr, Kharrazi, Islamic Republic of Tran) Unfortunately, as in every case of occupation, the civilians or the people under foreign occupation suffer the most, and even their homes are no longer safe sanctuaries. In fact, the violation of the rights of people begins with the initiation of aggression and the occupation of a country. Being conscious of the consequences of the occupation and annexation of Kuwait by Iraq and being concerned at the suffering of the Muslim people of Kuwait, the Islamic Republic of Iran has done its best to alleviate the sufferings of the Kuwaiti peopie. (Mr. Kharrazi, Islamic Republic of Tran} As a neighbouring country and being aware of the composition of the population of Kuwait, which consists of different nationalities including Iranians, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been genuinely disturbed about the fate of those people, Besides facilitating the departure of thousands of foreign nationals from Kuwait through our territory, we have received about 60,000 Iranians who returned to Iran after the invasion of Kuwait. The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the current crisis in the Persian Guif is well known. The Islamic Republic of Iran was the first country in the region to condemn the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and to call for an immediate, unconditional and total withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. It is our principled position that respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of independent States must be the basis for maintaining peace and security. The elaboration of these positions has been the centre of our discussions with the countries of the region, including Iraq. Since the outbreak of the hostilities, in our high-level contacts with Iraq and other States in the Persian Gulf region, we have stated that the only way to achieve peace and the return of normalcy to the region is through the total withdrawal of Iragi forces from Kuwait. We have declared that when this important step is taken, the countries of the region can piay an important role in naintaining security in the Persian Gulf area through regional arrangements and without foreign interference. Unfortunately, the invasion and continued occupation o£ Kuwait by Iraq has provided a pretext for foreign forces to expand their oresence in the region. Bearing in mind the gravity of the situation, the Islamic Republic of Iran is zonvinced that the only possible means of establishing peace and tranquillity in our area is through the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions in (Mr, Kharrazi, Islamic Republic of Tran) this regard and the total withdrawal of foreign forces from this sensitive region, We hope that the Iraqi authorities, by fulfilling their international obligations, will adopt the necessary measures to prevent war and destruction, and to end the suffering of the people of the region in general and of the Kuwaiti people in particular.

The next speaker is the representative of Bangladesh. i invite him te take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr. MOHIUDDIN (Bangladesh): Mr. President, that your birthday should fall in the month of your presidency is a happy coincidence. I congratulate you on both counts. I should also like to congratulate my friend Sir David Hannay on his superb stewardship of our deliberations last month. I shall be very brief and precise. We have all seen and heard of the sad events in Kuwait. We have been shocked and pained at the distress of the innecent. The harrowing tales of their sufferings have touched every heart. There is no way in which these breaches of human rights can be condoned. There can be no defence of their perpetration. Forceful occupation is wrong. It is our bounden duty to protect all populations. The draft resolution truly reflects the sentiments of the globai community. I appeal to Iraq to respond positively. It is not a question of politics but simply a question of humanity.

I thank the representative of Bangladesh for his kind words addressed to me. I shail now make a statement in my capacity as representative of the United States. (The President} The United States delegation has listened with great care to the information presented. Let me express sincere appreciation to those individuals who shared their personal knowledge of the misfortunes now afflicting Kuwait and Kuwaitis. Nothing i might now say could in any way add to or detract from their statements. The record of rape, plunder, torture and murder compiled by Iraqi authorities since their invasion of Kuwait has posed a direct challenge to the purposes for which this Organization was founded. The Iraqi authorities have plunged a peaceful people into the scourge of war, denied the dignity and worth of the human person, destroyed conditions under which justice can be maintained, and eradicated generations of social progress. From the day that Iraq launched its crime, this Council has condemned Iraq's occupation of Kuwait and adopted measures to restore international peace and security. As we were told today, Iraq's crime is deepening. The 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, drafted by the same generation of statesmen who founded our Organization, places specific obligations on Iraqi officials. As invited by resolution 674 (1990), the United States Government has submitted, as a document of the Security Council, information on grave breaches of that Convention. Relying on information in the United States submission, let me report some of the grave breaches committed by Iraqi authorities. Wilful killing: At the end of August the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities condemned the Iraqi Government after studying reliable reports of mass extrajudicial executions. In September, there were numerous executions of Kuwaiti youths for suspected involvement with the resistance, and of medical workers. Early in October a report from Amnesty International alleged that scores of people had been hanged on the (The President} grounds of Kuwait University. On 12 October, which was a busy day for Iraqi authorities, six youngsters were hanged for distributing leaflets; four people were shot for the possession of a camera and a photocopy machine; a Family of seven was shot for possessing a United States passport, not their own: a manager of a food shop was shot for not displaying a photo of Saddam Hussein; and two boys were executed before the eyes of their parents, Torture: Amnesty International has reported that Iraqi methods of torture have included rape, electric-shock treatment, beatings, the breaking of limbs, and mock executions. In one case, Iraqi authorities beat a prisoner until he was unconscious and, on his regaining consciousness, kicked him and applied electric shocks until he lost consciousness again. This treatment was repeated, each time ‘he awakened, for four days. A man claiming to have been in the Kuwaiti resistance reported conditions in a place of detention outside Basra. Inmates were fed bread and water only. During interrogation they were hung upside down. Iraqi soldiers raped them, pulled cut their fingernails, chopped off pieces of their fingers and hands, and burned them with hot irons. Wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury: By mid-September over 500 patients had been turned out of hospitals and other public-care institutions. Crucial equipment had been confiscated, including dialysis machines, incubators, surgical theatres, X-ray machines, laboratory equipment, laser equipment, and medications. As we have heard, many patients have died for lack of care. (The President} Iraqi authorities have evicted Kuwaitis from their homes and put in their place Iraqis. Iraq has also committed numerous grave breaches under the categories of unlawful deportation or transfer of a protected person, unlawful confinement of a protected person and taking of hostages, with hundreds held to this day at military, industrial and scientific sites. The plunder of Kuwait is now far beyond our worst fears: hospitals, mosques, schools, factories, port facilities, industrial complexes, stores, private residences and even amusement parks have been looted. Anything that could be moved has been stolen. Much of what was left behind has been destroyed. The only way to end these grave breaches is to end Iraq's occupation of Kuwait. The Iragi crime is not simply against the people of Kuwait. Iraq holds foreign nationals hostage. Its aggression has wreaked havoc on the economies of many countries. Iraqi intransigence mocks the hopes of the world community for a better future. Underlying these horrifying Iraqi crimes is a declared policy which is just as unacceptable and abhorrent as the acts it has engendered: to eradicate the sovereign and independent State of Kuwait. The dimensions of auch a policy are hard to grasp in a civilized world. We are pained that Iraqi authorities have stopped at no tactic, no matter how barbaric, to accomplish this end. Anyone who heard the information shared with us here yesterday must inevitably be revolted, What kind of policy does Iraq have, to destroy so much and leave in its place only evil and misery? Iraqi policy means instituting a régime of terror, forcing out the population, sending Iraqi squatters to take their places, and taking hostages. Certainly none of the hospitals, schools or other public facilities in Kuwait represented any threat to Iraq. Like the violations of human (The president) beings perpetrated by Iraqi forces, their destruction has but one sinister purpose: the destruction of the Kuwaiti people, Kuwaiti society and the State of Kuwait, traq's policy must fail. As Members of the United Nations we are all bound by our Charter obligations to oppose Iraq's policy, accomplish the withdrawal of Iraqi forces £rom Kuwait and to obtain the re-establishment of legitimate Kuwaiti authority. May that day come shortly. International peace and security have yet to be restored, despite the work of this Council. My Government is confident that this Council, in line with the careful and patient decisions it has taken since the crisis began on 2 August, retains its determination to take effective measures to suppress the Tragi aggression and to reaffirm the principles on which a safe, secure and prosperous world must rest. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. rt is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed te the vote on the draft resolution before it. Unless I hear any objection, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. There being no objection, it is so decided. A vote was taken by show of hands. In favour: Canada, China, Colombia, Céte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Malaysia, Romania, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Yemen, Zaire

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has therefore been adopted unanimously as resolution 677 (1990). I shall now call on those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting. Mr. MUNTEANU (Romania): Since this is the first time my delegation has spoken at a formal meeting of the Council, let me join the other speakers in expressing pleasure at seeing you, Sir, a distinguished and highly experienced diplomat, assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the current month. You have brought with you to the presidency of this lofty body not only a vast amount of diplomatic knowledge and skill but alse the democratic principles and the example of the United States of America, a friendly country that we so much admire and respect. I wish you every success in fulfilling your important mandate during this historic period of activity of the Council. We are also very grateful to Sir David Hannay for the exceptional manner in which he conducted the business of this Council last month. My country has had occasion many times to state its positions on the item on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, and Romania has supported the adoption of all the resolutions of the Security Council on this issue. Today we have been invited to pronounce ourselves on a particular aspect of the item - namely, the ongoing attempt by Iraq to aiter the demographic composition of the population of Kuwait and to destroy the civil records maintained by the legitimate Government of Kuwait. This is indeed a very serious matter. We joined in sponsoring the draft resolution contained in document S/21966, fully sharing the ideas reflected therein, and we hope that the Iraqi authorities will implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council without any exception whatsoever. Romania is very sensitive about the whole subject under discussion. My Government is concerned about the suffering caused to individuals in Kuwait as a result of the invasion and occupation of Kuwait by Iraq. We are grateful to the representative of Kuwait for the very convincing presentation of the position of his country before the Council and for the details (Mr. Munteanu, Romania) he has offered us about the premeditated actions of the Iraqi authorities aimed at stripping Kuwait of its people, changing its demographic composition with the aim of erasing its national identity. As the occupying Power, Iraq is fully responsible for the behaviour of its forces and authorities, be they civil or military, and for its policies directed against the people of Kuwait under occupation. Romania is strongly committed to morality and legality in all spheres of domestic and international life. It has made clear in all its statements on the item under consideration that progress cannot be achieved on the overall situation in the area until the present crisis is on the way to a solution in conformity with the resolutions of the Security Council. It is undeniable that resolutions 660 (1990) and 662 (1990) established the way to settle the crisis by requesting, in the firmest language, the complete, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait and the restoration of Kuwait's legitimate Government. The resolution we have adopted today is additional proof that the international community is determined to reject the flagrant violation of international law by Iraq and to offer just and dignified solutions. We express the hope that the resolution just adopted and the significant statements made here will be heard and correctly understood by the Government of Iraq, which will finally prove that it listens to the voice of reason and will choose a course of action leading to the full restoration of peace and legal order in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

I thank the representative of Romania for the kind words he addressed to me. The representative of Kuwait has asked to speak, and I call on him. Mr. ABULHASAN (Kuwait) (interpretation from Arabic): On behalf of the delegation of Kuwait I wish to extend my thanks to all the members of the Council for voting in favour of the draft resolution under consideration. In so doing, you have reaffirmed that the invading Iraqi régime's practices are null and void in their bid to obliterate Kuwaiti identity. The State of Kuwait exists in its people who remain steadfast on their land as well as those of its people who have been forced to depart. Their existence and their resistance will lead to the total failure of Iraqi actions. The disks, a sample of which I hold in my hand, will provide additional proof | which liberated Kuwait will use in reasserting the identity of the Kuwaitis and of those who resided in Kuwait up to 1 August. These disks with all the mames and data they contain will be a guarantee against the sinister designs of Iraq which aim at altering the demographic composition of Kuwait. Once again, I wish to thank you for your continuing support of our just cause. fhe PRESIDENT: There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present Stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 6.20 p.m.