United Nations Security Council resolution 1483, adopted on 22 May 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation between

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, the Council lifted trade sanctions against Iraq (excluding an

arms embargo An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes: * to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor * to maintain ...

) and terminated the

Oil-for-Food Programme The Oil-for-Food Programme (OIP), established by the United Nations in 1995 (under United Nations Security Council, UN Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 986, Resolution 986) was established to allow Iraq to sell Petrole ...

. The resolution was drafted by the United States and co-sponsored by Spain and the United Kingdom; it was approved by 14 of 15 Security Council members as

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

did not participate in the voting.

Resolution

Observations

The Security Council reaffirmed the importance of the

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as n ...

Iraqi weapons of mass destruction Iraq actively researched and later employed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from 1962 to 1991, when it destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile and halted its biological and nuclear weapon programs as required by the United Nations Security Coun ...

and the right of the Iraqi people to determine their own political future and control of their

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

s. It encouraged efforts to form a representative government to afford equal rights and justice to all Iraqi citizens, and recalled Resolution 1325 (2000) on women to that effect. Furthermore, the Council determined that the United Nations should play a vital role in

humanitarian relief Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and v ...

and reconstruction efforts and the development of institutions in Iraq. It welcomed the resumption of humanitarian efforts and the appointment of a Special Adviser by the Secretary-General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...

. Meanwhile, the preamble of the resolution affirmed the need for accountability for the crimes committed by the previous Iraqi regime under

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

and respect for Iraqi heritage. The Council recognised the responsibilities and obligations of the United Kingdom and United States as occupying powers and of other states that were not occupying powers as working under their command. It welcomed the commitment of Member States towards the stability of Iraq, remained concerned about the fate of Kuwaiti and third-state nationals unaccounted for since 2 August 1990 (the day Iraq invaded Kuwait) and determined that the situation in Iraq remained a threat to international peace and security.

Acts

The resolution, adopted under

Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military an ...

, resolved many of the legal and governmental ambiguities that resulted from the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

by the U.S. and U.K.-led "

coalition of the willing The term ''coalition of the willing'' refers to an international alliance focused on achieving a particular objective, usually of military or political nature. Usage *One early use was by President Bill Clinton in June 1994 in relation to possib ...

". Its three most important features are that it recognized the US-UK coalition's responsibilities under applicable international law as occupying powers; recognised the creation of a transitional governing council of Iraqis; and removed all

sanctions against Iraq The sanctions against Iraq were a comprehensive financial and trade embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Iraq. They began August 6, 1990, four days after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, stayed largely in force until May 22, ...

that were placed upon the former regime of Saddam Hussein under resolutions

661 Year 661 ( DCLXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 661 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the ...

(1991),

778 __NOTOC__ Year 778 ( DCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 778 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method ...

(1992) and others. Additionally, it terminated the Oil-for-Food Programme. The resolution transferred the authority to authorize expenditures from

's oil revenue from the United Nations to a

Development Fund for Iraq In May 2003, following the invasion of Iraq in March of that year, the Central Bank of Iraq-Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) account was created at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of New York at the request of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) ...

, controlled by the

Coalition Provisional Authority ) , capital = Baghdad , largest_city = capital , common_languages = ArabicKurdishEnglish (''de facto'') , government_type = Transitional government , legislature = Iraqi Governing Council , title_leader = Administrator , leader1 = Jay ...

, on 23 May 2003. It also created an international body to monitor the Coalition's expenditures from Iraq's oil revenue, the

International Advisory and Monitoring Board The International Advisory and Monitoring Board was appointed to oversee the Coalition Provisional Authority's disbursements from the humanitarian Development Fund for Iraq. When the CPA was authorized to manage the DFI by United Nations resoluti ...

(IAMB). The Coalition's authority to expend Iraq's oil revenue was conditional. The Coalition was only authorized to expend those funds for the benefit of the Iraqi people. Those expenditures were only authorized if they were made in an open and transparent manner. The Coalition was only authorized to expend funds so long as they cooperated in the IAMB's oversight of those expenditures, and the Coalition was charged with the obligation to make those expenditures with meaningful Iraqi input. The Oil-for-Food Program's remaining funds of $10 billion were transferred over a 6-month winding-up period to the Development Fund for Iraq, representing 14% of the program's total income over 5 years. The Coalition was widely criticized for failing to implement adequate financial controls; with failing to make expenditures from the Development Fund for Iraq in an open and transparent manner.

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 2003 1483 1483 Iraq and weapons of mass destruction 2003 in Iraq May 2003 events Sanctions against Iraq

Resolution

Observations

Acts

See also

References

External links