Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
russiaun.ru

The Security Council has been increasingly working in open formats, occasionally in breach of earlier agreed-upon formats. I wanted to speak at this public meeting today, which, as we know, is permitted under the rules of procedure.

We are grateful to Mr. Ján Kubiš for his briefing and for having presented the report (S/2016/396) of the Secretary-General. We welcome the efforts of the United Nations and, above all those of United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). We are grateful to the Permanent Representative of Iraq for his substantive statement.

Iraq’s tragedy has continued for 13 years, with significant consequences for the entire region. At this juncture, we note the need to overcome the internal political crisis as soon as possible. We understand the importance of reforming the system of State governance. However, what is most important in today’s context is the task of achieving national reconciliation and joining efforts to overcome the country’s problems. That can be achieved only through a broad national dialogue and agreements based on consensus among all the participants of the internal political process, while maintaining the unity and ethnic and confessional diversity of the country.

United efforts will enhance effectiveness in combating terrorist organizations. We fully support the fight of the Iraqi Government against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Lebant (ISIL). We have noted successes. However, the rapid increase in terrorist activities, in particular in Baghdad, forces us to be concerned and to question the effectiveness of the actions of the coalition, which lately, for some reason, has been referring to itself as the global coalition. Yet the area in which terrorists are active continues to expand beyond the region — into Libya, Afghanistan and Europe. We are convinced that only a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, while strictly adhering to international legal standards, can produce the desired results. There should be no double standards. We need a consistent and principled position on the part of all members of the international community to combat this absolute evil.

We are particularly concerned about reports of ISIL using weaponized chemical agents, which the report mentions. One of those cases was reported to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Unfortunately, nothing is said about investigating such cases. Weaponized chemical agents are spreading throughout the region and are being used by terrorists. Some Member States continue to pretend that that is not happening and blame the Al-Assad regime for everything. Yet analyses of the primary chemical components of weapons seized from insurgents in Tikrit, with the subsequent identification of producers and terms of sales to other countries, show that they were in fact manufactured in Turkey or supplied to that country without the right of re-export.

In that context, our initiative on developing an international convention to combat chemical terrorism is becoming increasingly timely. They same can be said in connection with the Russian and Chinese draft resolution. We are in favour of strict respect for Iraqi sovereignty, which is regularly violated by Turkey through air strikes. Those can lead to the death of civilians, as noted in the report. Under the pretence of combating terrorists, Turkey continues to maintain a presence in the Bashiqa camp, and the protests from Baghdad are simply disregarded.

The humanitarian situation in the country is a cause for concern, in which the number of people requiring assistance is now more than in Syria. At the same time, however, the main problems with regard to humanitarian access are located in areas under the influence of terrorist organizations.

 The report states:

“hundreds of thousands of people are ... in desperate need of assistance, with little or no opportunity to exit. Thousands of families are already caught between the front lines of opposing forces, and many more are likely to become so in the coming months.” (S/2016/396, para. 54)

A catastrophic situation can be seen in Fallujah. Over the course of the so-called liberation, Ramadi was first blocked and then practically destroyed by air strikes.

Together with you, Sir, and other colleagues from Security Council — just recently during a working lunch with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross — we discussed the fact that we are not all attaching equal importance to different situations. Some situations receive more attention than others. That is probably for political reasons. For example, every day and week, we discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria, whereas in Iraq, which is also combating a terrorist threat, the humanitarian situation is rarely the focus of our attention. That needs to be rectified, and we should invite Mr. O’Brien to examine the situation very carefully.

In conclusion, I would like to express my wish for the people of Iraq overcome this long-running crisis as soon as possible.