Statement on United Nations Security Council Action on Iraq

I am very pleased with the strong action just taken by the U.N. Security Council on Iraq. UNSC Resolution 949, passed unanimously this evening, condemns the Iraqi effort at intimidation of its neighbors. It expresses the clear will of the international community that such threats are unacceptable. It demands that Iraq withdraw its troops to their original positions and requires Iraq not to redeploy these forces to the south or take other action to enhance its military capability in southern Iraq.

The Security Council has made clear that it will not permit Iraq to use its military to threaten its neighbors or U.N. operations in Iraq. This resolution underscores the unanimous backing of the Security Council and the broad support of the international community for our demand that Iraq take steps that would prevent it from threatening its neighbors now or in the future. This is an important step in our efforts to end the current crisis in a way that prevents such crises from recurring.