UN General Assembly
1997

been charged with its implementation. Following that publicity, the policy was acknowledged by an official spokesman of the American State Department in a press briefing on 27 June. The United Nations resolutions on Iraq affirm that all States have an obligation to respect Iraq’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence. The United States is carrying out a policy of its own making, which runs counter to the provisions of the Charter and of the resolutions referred to. I hope that Members of the United Nations are not ignorant of the fact that among the means of achieving the declared objectives of this hostile policy towards Iraq is the imposition of no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. This is an illegal act that is contrary to Security Council resolutions. It is a unilateral military act by the Governments of the United States and Britain — a clear application of brute power politics against our country. We demand that the United Nations deplore and condemn unilateral policies based on the logic of brute force, opportunism, double standards and hegemony. 8