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President Bush's threat to invade Iraq - A Fact Sheet
Iraqi society has a recorded history of over 5,000 years. It was part of the Ottoman Empire until the British Army of India invaded in 1918 and Britain was awarded a League of Nations mandate.
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Britain transferred government to the King Faisal of the Hashemite royal house in 1932, but finally lost control after a military coup in July 1958, inspired by the Nasser Arab nationalist government in Egypt, which Britain, France and Israel had attacked in 1956. Iraq has since been governed by military strongmen, under the Ba'ath party since 1968, the latest being Saddam Hussein. There is a governing party - the Iraqi Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party, but it is ruthlessly controlled by Saddam Hussein, who became President in July 1979. Hussein purged the party of any rivals.
The Kurdish population, whose leader Mustafa al-Barzani was armed by the Shah of Iran, launched a rebellion in 1961. In march 1975, Saddam Hussein and the Shah signed a treaty which included the withdrawal of Iranian support to Barzani and the Kurdish revolt, which halted. By 1978, the Kurds were granted greater autonomy and Kurdish was recognised as an official language.
Under US guidance, Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Iran, led by Shiite Islamic revolutionaries, from 1980-88.
During this war, the Iraqi Kurdish population rose up against Saddam Hussein, who used ruthless military force, including chemical weapons, to suppress the rebellion. The most notorious case was the massacre of over 3,000 Kurdish civilians at Hallabja in 1987.
While the US supplied satellite intelligence and battle planners to the Iraqi forces, it also supplied weapons to Iran, in the notorious Iran-Contra scandal.
In August 1990, Saddam Hussein seized the oil rich territory of Kuwait, but was expelled by the US-led UN coalition forces in January - February 1991. Saddam Hussein was allowed to remain in power to balance against Iran, with which the US remained very hostile. Following the victory of 1991, the UN Security Council required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. UN trade sanctions were imposed and remain in effect due to incomplete Iraqi compliance.
Iraq has a population of 23.3 million (July 2001). The population is 75 - 80% Arabic, 15%-20% Kurdish, and Turkoman, Assyrian and others make up 5%. 97% are Muslim in religion, made up of 60%-65% Shia, and 32%-37% Sunni. About 3% are Christian or other religions.
About 58% of the population aged 15 and over is literate - males 70%, females 45%.
Iraq has 10% of the current proven oil reserves of the world.
Australia's ANZUS Treaty with the United States
The Howard Government invoked the ANZUS Treaty immediately after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the USA. Does this treaty allow Australia to send troops to Afghanistan and now the proposed invasion of Iraq?
The ANZUS Treaty was signed in San Francisco on September 1, 1951, between Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The United States suspended New Zealand from the treaty on August 11, 1986, because of New Zealand's nuclear-free port policy.
Article I
The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international disputes in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.
Article II
In order more effectively to achieve the objective of this Treaty the Parties separately and jointly by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.
Article III
The Parties will consult together whenever in the opinion of any of them the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened in the Pacific.
Article IV
Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on any of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes.
Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall be immediately reported to the Security Council of the United Nations. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.
Article V
For the purpose of Article IV, an armed attack on any of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of any of the Parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.
Article VI
This Treaty does not affect and shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Charter of the United Nations or the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Australia's obligations under the ANZUS Treaty are to "consult" in case of a threat or attack, and to fulfil its obligations to the UN Charter. What are these obligations?
Australia and the United Nations Charter
Australia was a founding member of the United Nations, at the adoption of this Charter at San Francisco on June 26,1945.
Article 1
The Purposes of the United Nations are:
To maintain international peace and security, and to that end:
- to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
- To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
- To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
- To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.
Article 2
The Organization and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following Principles.
- The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
- All Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from membership, shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter.
- All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.
- All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.
- All Members shall give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any state against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action.
The Organization shall ensure that states which are not Members of the United Nations act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.
CHAPTER VII
ACTION WITH RESPECT TO THREATS TO THE PEACE, BREACHES OF THE PEACE, AND ACTS OF AGGRESSION
Article 39
The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Article 40
In order to prevent an aggravation of the situation, the Security Council may, before making the recommendations or deciding upon the measures provided for in Article 39, call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with such provisional measures.
Article 41
The Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply such measures. These may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations.
Article 42
Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations.
Article 43
All Members of the United Nations, in order to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, undertake to make available to the Security Council, on its call and in accordance with a special agreement or agreements, armed forces, assistance, and facilities, including rights of passage, necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security. Such agreement or agreements shall govern the numbers and types of forces, their degree of readiness and general location, and the nature of the facilities and assistance to be provided.
The agreement or agreements shall be negotiated as soon as possible on the initiative of the Security Council. They shall be concluded between the Security Council and Members or between the Security Council and groups of Members and shall be subject to ratification by the signatory states in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.
Article 44
When the Security Council has decided to use force it shall, before calling upon a Member not represented on it to provide armed forces in fulfilment of the obligations assumed under Article 43, invite that Member, if the Member so desires, to participate in the decisions of the Security Council concerning the employment of contingents of that Member's armed forces.
Article 45
In order to enable the United Nations to take urgent military measures, Members shall hold immediately available national air-force contingents for combined international enforcement action. The strength and degree of readiness of these contingents and plans for their combined action shall be determined within the limits laid down in the special agreement or agreements referred to in Article 43, by the Security Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee.
Article 46
Plans for the application of armed force shall be made by the Security Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee.
Article 47
There shall be established a Military Staff Committee to advise and assist the Security Council on all questions relating to the Security Council's military requirements for the maintenance of international peace and security, the employment and command of forces placed at its disposal, the regulation of armaments, and possible disarmament.
The Military Staff Committee shall consist of the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives. Any Member of the United Nations not permanently represented on the Committee shall be invited by the Committee to be associated with it when the efficient discharge of the Committee's responsibilities requires the participation of that Member in its work.
The Military Staff Committee shall be responsible under the Security Council for the strategic direction of any armed forces placed at the disposal of the Security Council. Questions relating to the command of such forces shall be worked out subsequently.
The Military Staff Committee, with the authorization of the Security Council and after consultation with appropriate regional agencies, may establish regional sub-committees.
Article 48
The action required to carry out the decisions of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security shall be taken by all the Members of the United Nations or by some of them, as the Security Council may determine.
Such decisions shall be carried out by the Members of the United Nations directly and through their action in the appropriate international agencies of which they remembers.
Article 49
The Members of the United Nations shall join in affording mutual assistance in carrying out the measures decided upon by the Security Council.
Article 50
If preventive or enforcement measures against any state are taken by the Security Council, any other state, whether a Member of the United Nations or not, which finds itself confronted with special economic problems arising from the carrying out of those measures shall have the right to consult the Security Council with regard to a solution of those problems.
Article 51
Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Prepared by: Peter Murphy, SEARCH Foundation, Rm 610 3 Smail St, Broadway NSW 2007. Ph: 02 9211 4164; Fax: 02 9211 1407. search@magna.com.au; http://www.search.org.au. Sept 2002.
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