Condemnation of Iraq's Treatment of Kurds

The United Nations Security Council met to speak about and vote on a resolution condemning Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s treatment of Iraqi Kurds and other peoples in his country. The resolution, which called for an end to the oppression of civilians in Iraq, also asked U.N. President Perez de Cuellar to send an investigative mission to Iraq to examine the situation of civilian peoples in Iraq. The resolution was the first U.N. resolution to condemn a government’s actions by stating that a resulting exodus of refugees from the aggressor nation was a threat to “international peace and security.” Iraq, Cuba, Yemen, and Zimbabwe voted against the resolution, claiming it interferes with the internal affairs of Iraq. On April 5, President Bush ordered an airlift of food, blankets, and clothing to the Kurdish people fleeing Iraq. Turkey estimated the number of refugees that have entered Turkey to be 100,000, with another 600,000 still heading toward the Iraq-Turkish border. close