ABSTRACT: Resolution presented by the European Federalist Group and by the member of Parliament of the Green Group Rosa Filippini in the hearing at the Chamber of Deputies of January 16, 1991. In addition to stressing the request for an "informative offensive" aimed at the Iraqi and Arab public opinion, it commits Government to immediately charge the Council of the European Community with the summons of a "Conference on the rights of the individual and on security in the Mediterranean and the Middle East", and to "formally submit a proposal of an international agreement for the control of the arms trade and for the preparation of an international archive on the transfer of the main arms systems". The resolution was accepted by the Government as a recommendation.

(Chamber of Deputies - Shorthand transcript of the hearing of Jan. 16, 1991)

The Chamber,

recalling and re-asserting resolutions n, 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, 677 and 678 of the U.N. Security Council and the statements adopted by the European Council;

acknowledging that the Iraqi regime continues to commit atrocities of all kinds: the murder and torture of thousands of people, the preparation of a terrorist campaign throughout the world, which will predictably be of unprecedented proportions and gravity, given that all the major terrorist organizations are hosted, organized, fostered and sustained in Baghdad, and that the announcement of their activity is used as a means for blackmail; a hatred, threat and misinformation campaign aimed at the international, Arab and especially the Iraqi public opinion;

solemnly stating that the populations of that country must be considered the first casualties of the criminal nature and action of the Iraqi regime, having been systematically a target for violence, misinformation, warfare and oppression for two decades, and that the democratic governments have extremely serious responsibilities for never having drawn any consequence from these violations of fundamental human rights, on the contrary contributing to reinforce their premises;

acknowledging that the military and technological support given to Iraq in the past by the industrialized countries has enabled the Iraqi regime to equip itself with a tremendous armed force and to carry out actions of warfare and aggression against Iran and the occupation of Kuwait as well as terrible atrocities on the Kurdish populations and the citizens of Kuwait;

acknowledging that the U.N.'s deliberations and the decisions taken by the governments, and first of all the U.S. government, in fulfilment, observance or support of these deliberations, have to this moment ensured the containment and the block of the Iraqi regime's criminal strategy of violence, and hence expressing deeply-felt gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of young soldiers who are on the verge of risking their life and other people's lives to uphold the law and at least a minimum of international order based on it;

expressing its solidarity also to the population of Kuwait, who has the legitimate right to expect both a liberation from the troops that are occupying it and oppressing it in the most barbarous manner, and the achievement of the democratic rights it has been denied to this moment;

denouncing the comparison between the Iraqi regime and the Israeli regime as vile, irresponsible, demagogic and patently untruthful, without for this reason attributing solidarity, warrants or justifications of any sort to the policy currently applied by the Shamir Government, both in the occupied territories and in Israel itself;

ascertaining that the measures of resolution n. 678, by authorizing the members States "to use all necessary means as of 15 January 1991 to enforce resolution n. 660 of the Security Council and the subsequent resolutions aimed at restoring peace and international security in the area", charges the countries that cooperate with the government of Kuwait with the task of deciding the moment in which to pass from the adoption of the measures provided in art. 41 of the United Nations Charter to those provided in art. 42 of the same Charter;

ascertaining that not all the measures that do not imply the use of military force to obtain the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait have been used, especially as regards the information of the Iraqi and Arab public opinion on the crimes against humanity and the law carried out by Saddam Hussein and his regime;

ascertaining the necessity to underline in the eyes of the world public opinion the fact that the forces cooperating with the Kuwaiti Government are acting on a specific U.N. mandate and should therefore be authorized to use the United Nations flag during the operations;

ascertaining that Italy has responded positively to the request submitted by the U.N. Secretary-General in May 1990 to identify troops and equipments to contribute to future peacekeeping operations;

commits the Government

1) to address a solemn appeal to all the States that cooperate with the Kuwaiti Government on the basis of resolution n. 678, to the Security Council, to the U.N. Secretary-General, to the European Community, in order to immediately prepare and implement a major information offensive aimed at the Iraqi, Arab and international public opinion, in compliance with the powers granted by resolution n. 678, before passing to the use of force, with all the means made available by modern technology and the power of the forces deployed in defence of the law and peace, of the U.N.'s resolutions and of Kuwait's independence, with the aim of denouncing past, present and planned crimes on the part of the Baghdad regime, in order to destabilize the dictatorial and criminal violence of the Iraqi regime;

2) to request the U.N. Security Council to authorize the forces of the countries cooperating with the Kuwaiti regime to use the United Nations flag during operations;

3) to charge the Council of the European Community with the summons of a Conference on the rights of the individual and on security on the Mediterranean and in the Middle East;

4) to formally submit the proposal of an international agreement for the control of the arms trade and for the preparation of an international register on the transfer of the major arms systems;

5) to conceive and prepare the necessary legislative instruments for the constitution of a Brigade of the Italian Armed Forces specially trained to operate on a mandate of the U.N. Security Council and equipped with all means to conduct informative operations through its own mass communication means and interventions in cases of food emergencies or natural catastrophes;

6) to immediately promote meetings of the European Community - of the European Council, of the Council, of the Commission as well as of the European Parliament - so as to overcome the current irresponsible situation characterized by contradictory and nationalistic initiatives which are doing much damage to the European community, and to ensure a coherent position on the part of the European Community itself in the direction herewith expressed;

7) to report to Parliament on the fulfilment of points 4 and 5 of the present resolution within 60 days.

SERGIO STANZANI GHEDINI

GIUSEPPE CALDERISI

EMMA BONINO

ROBERTO CICCIOMESSERE

GIOVANNI NEGRI

MAURO MELLINI

BRUNO ZEVI

ALESSANDRO TESSARI

GAETANO AZZOLINA

ROSA FILIPPINI