Mideast situation/Palestine question – Letter from Uganda

    Letter dated 24 March 2003 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i.

of the Permanent Mission of Uganda to the United Nations

addressed to the President of the Security Council

On instructions of my Government, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a statement issued on 22 March 2003 by the Third Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, on the situation in Iraq (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council

(Signed) Fred Beyendeza
Chargé d’affaires a.i.


Annex to the letter dated 24 March 2003 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i.

of the Permanent Mission of Uganda to the United Nations

addressed to the President of the Security Council

The current situation in Iraq

1. Cabinet sitting under the chairmanship of H.E. Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda on 21 March 2003 decided to support the US-led coalition to disarm Iraq by force.  The Cabinet also decided that if need arises, Uganda will be ready to assist in any way possible.

2. Uganda has taken this position for the following reasons:

(a) Uganda has been a victim of state sponsored terrorism of the worst type. This terrorism has emanated from some of the neighbouring countries with the active support of Saddam Hussein's government. Ever since 1986 the following terrorist groups have inflicted untold misery on our population: the Holy Spirit Movement of Lakwena; Uganda Peoples Army of Peter Otai; the Lord's Resistance Army of Kony; Allied Democratic Forces of Jamil Mukulu and West Nile Bank Front of Juma Oris.   These groups have killed a lot of people in different parts of Uganda (Gulu, Lira, Apach, Teso, West Nile, Kabarole, Bundibugyo, Kasese, Bushenyi and Kamwenge).  At Kichwamba Technical College they burnt to death 50 students in a dormitory. At Atiak and Muchwiri 200 and 70 people were brutally killed respectively. North of Adilang human beings were cooked in pots! People have had their limbs, ears and noses cut.

(b) In Kampala alone there were 48 bomb blasts resulting in 86 deaths and 286 severe injuries. In Busia more than 200 Local Council leaders were killed. Uganda has fought a lonely battle against these state sponsored terrorist groups. We hardly had support from outside. Our plea for support from the outside went unheeded.

(c) The potential link between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction – nuclear, chemical, biological – poses a very serious threat to international peace and security. The Government of Saddam Hussein has in the past used chemical and biological weapons against not only its own people, but also against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The danger of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq falling into the hands of terrorist groups is therefore real.

3. Finally, Cabinet considered the question of Palestine and reaffirmed its support for the people of Palestine to have a state of their own side by side with Israel within secure and internationally recognized borders.  In this context, Cabinet underlined the significance of the United Nations and the Quartet to make serious efforts to accelerate the road map for the peace process in the Middle East.

Signed: J.F. Wapakabulo

Third Deputy Prime Minister/
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Kampala
Uganda

March 22, 2003

___________


Document symbol: S/2003/373
Document Type: Letter
Document Sources: Security Council
Country: Uganda
Subject: Palestine question
Publication Date: 24/03/2003
2019-03-11T21:44:03-04:00

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