Letter from Iraqi Foreign Minister to UN Secretary-General on 27 February 1991 ¹

         The letter from the Iraqi foreign minister, Mr. Tariq Aziz, to the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, as broadcast on Iraqi radio at 8.41 p.m. IST on Feb.27.

         Your excellency: I have the honor to notify you that the Iraqi government, as it once again reiterates its consent to fully abide by United Nations security council resolution 660 for the  year 1990, the Iraqi armed forces have embarked upon puffing out to the positions they occupied prior to 1 st August 1990. Hopefully, full withdrawal will be fully completed within the next few hours, although the American and other forces are continuing their attacks against the Iraqi armed forces in the course of their withdrawal process.

         I would also like to inform you that the Iraqi government agrees to abide by resolutions No.662 for the year 1990 and resolution 674 for the year 1990, if the UN security council orders an immediate cease-fire and an end to all land, sea and air military operations, and considers as nonexistent, and consequently null and void, all the bases on which council resolutions 661 for the year 1990, 665 for the year 1990, and 670 for the year 1990 were adopted.

         The Iraqi government asserts its full willingness, immediately after a cease-fire takes effect, to release the prisoners of war and return them to their homelands within a very short time in accordance with the third Geneva convention for the year 1949, and under the supervision of the international committee of the Red Cross.

         Please convey this message to the UN Security Council at once and guarantee its distribution as a council document.

(Times of India, 28 February 1991)

1A. G. Noorani, The Gulf Wars, Documents and Analysis, Konark Publishers PVT LTD, Delhi, 1991, pp. 339-340.

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