Page:United Nations Security Council Meeting Record 2932.pdf/10

BCT/fc 13 (Mr. Pickering, United States) invasion, they got it the wrong way around: they invaded Kuwait and then staged the coup d'état in a blatant and deceitful effort to justify their action the effort they have just made here.

It was with great happiness that I learned in recent hours of reports that the Emir, the Crown Prince and the Foreign Minister of Kuwait are safe and are continuing to direct the Government of Kuwait despite the efforts from Baghdad to install its own régime in that country.

Within the last few hours the White House has issued the following statement:

"The United States strongly condemns the Iraqi military invasion of Kuwait and calls for the immediate unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces. We have conveyed this message to the Iraqi Ambassador in Washington and to the Iraqi Government through our Embassy in Baghdad. We deplore this blatant use of military aggression and violation of the United Nations Charter. Together with Kuwait, we are calling for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council."

The United States has made it clear that it will stand shoulder to shoulder with Kuwait in this time of crisis.

It is our understanding that the present aggression was completely unprovoked. United States policy has been to support every diplomatic effort to resolve the present crisis. Thus we did not arrive lightly at our position of calling for a Security Council meeting or seeking an immediate resolution which would condemn the Iraqi invasion, call for the immediate unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi troops, and support a process of negotiated solution to the differences between Iraq and Kuwait, and particularly the efforts being undertaken by the Arab League in this regard.