إرشادات مقترحات البحث معلومات خط الزمن الفهارس الخرائط الصور الوثائق الأقسام

مقاتل من الصحراء

 



Soviet Government Statement on 24 February 19911

        "United States President George Bush announced at dawn on February 24 that he had ordered the start of ground operations against Iraq.

        "The instinct to rely on a military solution prevailed, despite the fact that Iraq's agreement to withdraw its forces from Kuwait in keeping with United Nations Security Council Resolution No.660 had created a basically new situation, clearing the way to transferring the, Gulf conflict to the footing of a political settlement.

        "As is known, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz told a news conference in Moscow on February 23 that the Iraqi leadership was prepared to pull all its forces out of Kuwait immediately and unconditionally to positions they occupied on August 1, 1990.

        "The Soviet Union, which had done much to impel Iraq to take that step, urged the international community to take advantage of the opportunity in order to prevent the conflict from escalating into a still sharper and bloodier phase.

        "The Soviet president during February 23 had telephone conversations with the leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Syria, Egypt and Iran.

        "Before that, the Soviet president had sent personal messages to the heads of state and government of all countries that are Security Council members, as well as to the UN Secretary-General, briefing them on the results of the latest round of talks with Tariq Aziz in Moscow, which produced qualitative shifts in Iraq's position.

        "The governments of Arab countries were advised of steps being undertaken by us. The Soviet ambassador to the United Nations took steps towards convening an emergency Security Council meeting to examine the obtaining situation as a top priority, set the date for the start of the Iraqi troop withdrawal from Kuwait, and resolve the issue of confirming, verifying and monitoring the cease-fire and troop withdrawal.

        "The Soviet Union expresses regret that a most realistic chance to secure a peaceful outcome of the conflict and achieve the goals set by United Nations Security Council resolutions without further casualties and destruction has been passed up.

        "The differences between the formulas accepted by Iraq and proposals by a number of other countries were not too wide and lent themselves to resolution within the UN Security Council framework within a day or two.

        "It is still not too late to do this. The Security Council, which is now in session, should get down to examining the situation that has taken shape without delay."

(FBIS-SOV, 25 February 1991)


 


1 A. G. Noorani, The Gulf Wars, Documents and Analysis, Konark Publishers PVT LTD, Delhi, 1991, pp. 331-332.

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