He also reported incidents of forced relocations, and torture. I express hope that the members of the Council will keep this in mind in their consideration of this matter. Within weeks of Mr. Van Der Stoel's report to the Council, the United States and its coalition partners acted against Baghdad's repression of civilian communities in southern Iraq. President Bush announced Operation Southern Watch on August 26, in response to graphic proof of brutality, including the strafing of villages. Operation Southern Watch monitors implementation of Resolution 688 and deters the most serious forms of repression by the Iraqi military authorities.
Monitoring is facilitated by a no-fly zone.
As President Bush said in August, we are prepared to consider additional steps if the Iraqi regime continues to violate Resolution 688 or other Security Council resolutions. Operation Southern Watch has been very successful. The Iraqi regime has stopped using aircraft to attack its civilian population, particularly in and around the southern marsh areas. There have been no major Iraqi military operations south of the 32nd parallel since the monitoring zone was announced, nor has there been any major increase in Iraqi forces in the South. Nevertheless, Baghdad's repression by other means continues in the South.