CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT BIDS FAREWELL TO ITS SECRETARY-GENERAL MICHAEL MØLLER
The Conference on Disarmament this morning bid farewell to Michael Møller, the outgoing Secretary-General of the Conference and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, during its first plenary meeting under the presidency of Viet Nam. The Conference also heard from Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The President of the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung of Viet Nam, said that the Conference had demonstrated vividly how multilateralism could allow nations to bridge differences and find practical and substantive solutions for global challenges. During the four weeks of its presidency, Viet Nam would continue the efforts towards the adoption of a programme of work as well as hold balanced and substantive discussions on core issues.
Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said that although the road towards disarmament for a secure and peaceful world was a long and arduous one, filled with challenges, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remained committed to working towards this end, no matter how small its efforts might be in the eyes of some observers. The Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty of 1995 was its foremost contribution to the non-proliferation and disarmament regime, he said, stressing that a nuclear weapon free zone was an effective tool towards non-proliferation and an important disarmament measure which provided disincentives to developing nuclear capability among the States.
In his last address to the Conference on Disarmament, Michael Møller, the outgoing Secretary-General of the Conference and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, underlined that although progress in the form of a concrete negotiation mandate had been elusive, it was important not to detract attention or resources from the unique and important place that the Conference still occupied in the disarmament universe. Over the past five years, it had become under-utilized and under-prioritized, as it was not immune from broader geostrategic and political trends - the difficulty of reaching consensus on deeply rooted national security priorities was understandably difficult even in the best of times. But the challenge it was facing, Mr. Møller stressed, was less about the absence of political will and rather the confrontation of strategic interests.
Looking ahead, Mr. Møller said that failing to meaningfully address the most pressing security issues of our time would be the surest way towards the irrelevance of the Conference on Disarmament. However bleak the prospect of progress looked today, it must not be forgotten how it must have looked at the time of past breakthroughs. A climate of mistrust, of great power competition, of ballooning military expenditures and arms races, of regional and global tensions – all those headwinds were not new and each and every one of them had been overcome in the past. While the warnings might not be new, they were more urgent than ever. They should, and they must, jolt all into action - towards constructive, candid dialogue; towards substantive work; and towards real, tangible negotiations - to make the world a safer place.
Speaking in the discussion were Iraq, Thailand on behalf of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Committee in Geneva, Romania on behalf of the European Union, Peru, Japan, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Australia, France, Russia, China, United States, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Brazil, India, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Zimbabwe, Algeria, Syrian Arab Republic, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Conference approved a request by Lao People’s Democratic Republic to participate in its 2019 work as an observer.
The Conference on Disarmament will next meet on Friday, 28 June at 2.30 p.m. to hear an address by Alexander Schallenberg, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, and discuss negative security assurances.
Statements
Iraq remarked that the Conference on Disarmament must redouble its efforts to agree on a balanced programme of work that would meet the needs of each Member State and be compliant with rules of procedure. Nuclear weapons represented an ongoing threat to international peace and security, Iraq said, stressing that nuclear disarmament must be the key priority for the Conference. All nuclear weapon States must thus start negotiations to drastically reduce the number of nuclear weapons and move towards total nuclear disarmament. Iraq also stressed the need for an international treaty prohibiting the production of fissile material and insisted that the Conference must examine the creation of an international convention that would prevent the weaponization of outer space. It was vital to establish a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.
DUONG CHI DUNG, President of the Conference on Disarmament and Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations Office at Geneva, noted that the world today was marked by increasing uncertainty on many issues and more complex challenges to international peace and security. Viet Nam, a country heavily scarred by wars and conflicts, fully comprehended the value of peace and was actively working with the international community to find ways to cope with those challenges. Disarmament and international peace and security were intrinsically linked and the role of multilateralism in maintaining progress in those areas was undeniable, said Mr. Duong. The Conference on Disarmament had demonstrated vividly how multilateralism could allow nations to bridge differences and find practical and substantive solutions to global challenges, and its work therefore must be sustained. Turning to the priorities for the four weeks of the Vietnamese presidency, Mr. Duong emphasized the importance of the adoption of a programme of work and urged delegations to foster a cooperative atmosphere for constructive dialogue and refrain from raising concerns of a regional or bilateral nature which might further divide the efforts to reach consensus. Furthermore, Viet Nam would continue the balanced and substantive discussions on core issues, and had invited the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to address the Conference on the role of regional organizations in the international peace and security landscape.
DATO LIM JOCK HOI, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said that the road towards disarmament for a secure and peaceful world was a long and arduous one, filled with challenges. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations remained committed to working towards this end, no matter how small its efforts might be in the eyes of some observers. The Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty of 1995 was its foremost contribution to the non-proliferation and disarmament regime, whose Protocol was open for signature by the nuclear weapon States, with three of them – the United States, Russia and China – being strategic partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A nuclear weapon free zone was an effective tool towards non-proliferation and an important disarmament measure which provided disincentives to developing nuclear capability among Member States.
In 2013, the ASEANTOM, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Network of Regulatory Bodies on Atomic Energy, was established to serve as the focal point for collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Dato said, and noted that the Practical Arrangements, expected to be signed this year, would include cooperation in the areas of nuclear science and technology, and nuclear safety, security and safeguards. Member States recognized the impact of the use of fossil fuels on sustainable development and saw nuclear energy as a viable alternative to fossil fuels to meet the rising demands for energy across the globe. The use of nuclear technology, even for peaceful purposes, brought with it the attendant challenges and the need to carefully balance the use of such energy sources to drive economic growth and development was duly recognized, said Mr. Dato. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations considered accession to the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty to be important and intensifying the ongoing efforts with the nuclear weapon States concerning their accession to the Protocol had been included as a key aspect of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Political Security Community Blueprint 2025.
MICHAEL MØLLER, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, in his farewell address, said that he was very much conscious that the Conference had not been able to reach consensus on a mandate to allow it to deliver on its critical function to negotiate multilateral disarmament treaties in a long time. While progress in the form of a concrete negotiation mandate had eluded the Conference, that must not detract attention or resources from the unique and important place that the Conference still occupied in the disarmament universe, Mr. Møller said, and asked “If the Conference did not exist, do you think that in today’s volatile geopolitical environment anything even resembling a Conference – that is, a single multilateral forum bringing together all militarily relevant States – could even be created?” There might be imperfections and shortcomings, he said, but as with any multilateral body, it was important to continuously seek to explore ways to ensure that the tasks at hand and the structure were aligned. In this vein, there was merit in modernizing the working methods of the Conference on Disarmament and elaborating other instruments and norms in an age when the international arms control architecture was experiencing enormous strains.
Over the past five years, Mr. Møller continued, the Conference on Disarmament had become under-utilized and under-prioritized. Still, there had been some important moments of substantive work and discussions, such as the establishment of the informal working group in 2014-15 to produce a robust programme of work, the tabling of five proposals for a programme of work, the establishment of a working group on the way forward in 2016-17 that had reinvigorated momentum, and the ground-breaking decision to establish five subsidiary bodies in 2018. The Conference was not immune from broader geostrategic and political trends and the difficulty of reaching consensus on deeply rooted national security priorities was understandably difficult even in the best of times. However, the Director-General underlined, the challenge that the Conference was facing was less about the absence of political will and rather the confrontation of strategic interests. In fact, the lament that the Conference was stalled because it was “too political” was misleading – the very creation of the Conference was a response to a well-defined political reality. And if the issues discussed here were not political, they would have no place here!
Looking ahead, if the Conference failed to meaningfully address the most pressing security issues of our time, it would be the surest way towards its irrelevance. This failure would affect all, with no exception, Mr. Møller stressed. He recalled that however bleak the prospect of progress looked today, it must not be forgotten how it must have looked at the time of past breakthroughs. A climate of mistrust, of great power competition, of ballooning military expenditures and arms races, of regional and global tensions – all those headwinds were not new and each and every one of them had been overcome in the past. History spoke a stark language: whenever States sought security not in the collective value of diplomacy and dialogue but in the false protection of weapons, they were sleepwalking into a disaster. While the warnings might not be new, they were more urgent than ever. They should, and they must, jolt all into action - towards constructive, candid dialogue; towards substantive work; and towards real, tangible negotiations - to make the world a safer place.
DUONG CHI DUNG, President of the Conference on Disarmament and Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to United Nations Office at Geneva, thanked Mr. Møller for all his unfailing efforts to solicit high level participation and attention to this forum, as well as for his deep commitment to multilateralism.
Thailand, speaking on behalf of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Committee in Geneva, said that the existing multilateral disarmament institutions, including this Conference, must be reinvigorated and better utilized within their mandates, by improving coordination and integration of expertise into their work. Global disarmament had been moving at a slow pace as a result of the continuous erosion of multilateralism in the field on disarmament. Nuclear weapon free zones contributed significantly to strengthening global nuclear disarmament and the non-proliferation regime. The current achievements of the Conference on Disarmament were certainly still far from its original expectations, and it was time to identify concrete measures on how the machinery could be made more effective, and to redouble efforts to reach the goal of general and complete disarmament, with particular attention to a nuclear weapon free world, as a matter of priority.
Romania, speaking on behalf of the European Union, emphasized the European Union’s commitment to deepening cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including on security-related issues such as crisis response and management, maritime security, cyber security, transnational crime, and counterterrorism. Both believed in the importance of strengthening the rule-based international system, including through the promotion of effective multilateralism. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum represented a key platform to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest as well as a venue to advance efforts toward confidence building and preventive diplomacy in the region. In this context, the European Union recognized the Forum’s support for the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and the abandonment of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The European Union acknowledged the importance of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone for regional and international peace and security, shared grave concern over the re-emergence of chemical weapons, including at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2017, and looked forward to working together to secure positive outcomes at the Conferences of States parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and to the Biological Weapons Convention later this year. In conclusion, the European Union thanked the outgoing Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, Michael Møller, and said that his legacy, such as the setting up of the civil society forum, and his support for the work of the Conference, would be remembered.
Peru commended the creation of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, which was of particular interest to countries in Latin America, and stressed that the two pillars of its foreign policy were the commitment to peace and international security and the promotion of the respect for human rights, democratic values, and the rule of law. In its farewell to Mr. Møller, Peru recognized his work and efforts to disseminate information and knowledge about the work of the United Nations in Geneva through the Perception Change Project, the search for opportunities for synergies in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, including through the creation of the SDG Lab, his tireless efforts to promote gender equality, and his work to strengthen the relationship between civil society and the Conference on Disarmament.
Japan said that, in view of the current situation surrounding the Conference on Disarmament, it was important to acknowledge the difficulties in adopting a programme of work and - in recognition of the deteriorating international security environment – to hold more substantive discussions on specific disarmament-related measures. Among the topics to be discussed in greater depth in the Conference, Japan mentioned transparency, nuclear disarmament verification, nuclear risk reduction, and others. As for the multi-year proposal tabled by Zimbabwe which aimed to address the need for continuity in the Conference on Disarmament on specific topics, Japan said that, while it was a proposal worth considering, it would be hard to agree on the multi-year mechanism if it did not have the common agendas and mandates.
United Kingdom thanked the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and said that the partnership between the two was growing ever closer. The United Kingdom welcomed the commitment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to effective international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, and said that the five nuclear weapon States had decided to renew engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ countries on the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty. The United Kingdom also paid tribute to the tireless efforts of Mr. Møller and his support for the Conference, in particular the innovative efforts to broaden the discussions on arms control and disarmament to include a wider range of stakeholders.
Republic of Korea expressed support for the agenda presented by the presidency and hoped it would lead to revitalizing the work of the Conference on Disarmament. It was sad to bid farewell to Mr. Møller, whose leaving would be a great loss to the United Nations and the international community. The Republic of Korea wished him all the best. It was timely and relevant to listen to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ perspectives and approaches to major security challenges, especially given its important role in the situation of peace and security in the Korean Peninsula. The Republic of Korea was an active participant in the regional security efforts and had recently launched an initiative called the New Southern Policy, which aimed to create a people-centred peace community within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Australia thanked Mr. Møller for his dedicated service, in particular organizing the civil society forum on emerging issues and regular briefings with senior visitors, which helped break down silos across work streams, and wished him all the best for the future. Australia recalled the historic Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Australia Special Summit which had advanced shared interests and several new initiatives, including strengthening regional cooperation on cyber, and on women, peace and security. There was a significant value in connecting regional and global efforts in international security, non-proliferation, and disarmament, Australia said. Regional efforts, such as the productive work of the East Asian Summit on non-proliferation, nuclear security, and the transport of nuclear materials, reinforced the work in multilateral fora and deserved a higher profile in the Conference on Disarmament, whose work was directly relevant to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ work to maintain peace and stability in southeast Asia, such as how to navigate a practical, sustainable path forward on nuclear disarmament or how to cap the availability of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons.
France addressed the issue of negative security assurances and said that the demands of non-nuclear weapon States in this regard were fully legitimate. As a nuclear weapon State, France fully assumed its commitments and responsibilities and had made strong commitments and negative security assurances bilaterally and regionally. Its doctrine of deterrence was the first such guarantee, as it was strictly defensive and defined that a nuclear weapon could only be used in extreme situations of legitimate defence as recognized by the United Nations Charter. Its negative security assurances had been reaffirmed at the highest level in 2015, when the President had engaged not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear weapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. France was ready to continue the consultations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries and other members of the P5 concerning the signature of the Bangkok Treaty.
Russia bid farewell to Mr. Møller with a deep feeling of gratitude and recognized his devotion to assisting the Conference to emerge from the crisis and breathe new life, for example by involving in the work of the Conference on Disarmament civil society organizations and academia. The situation in the Conference on Disarmament was not beyond hope, Russia stressed, recognizing the many targeted efforts to help it resolve the stagnation. For this to succeed, it was necessary for all parties to demonstrate compromise, recognize their international responsibilities, and reduce the degree of public rhetoric on burning political issues. The Conference on Disarmament could not make any contribution to solving conflict in any individual State, thus the harm of using it as a forum to accuse individual States was rather clear. The work must instead focus on what the Conference on Disarmament could do to implement its mandate of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Russia actively worked and cooperated with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on many important issues, including counterterrorism, and stood ready to sign the Bangkok Treaty.
China noted that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was one of the most successful regional cooperation organizations in the world and in maintaining regional peace and security. The bilateral relations and cooperation between China and the Association had moved forward and were very dynamic and successful, with the adoption of the partnership Beijing 2030 and the Belt and Road initiative further deepening cooperation. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons would mark its fiftieth anniversary next year and China hoped that the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would double the number of signatures on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty, which was especially important for the maintenance of peace and security, and for the implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. China then expressed its gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Møller and his team, as it bid farewell to the Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. China would continue to work with others to reinvigorate the work of the Conference on Disarmament, in recognition of the current international realities.
United States said that Michael Møller was a strong advocate of the Conference on Disarmament and had undoubtedly contributed to the efforts of the international community to return the Conference to substantive work. It was critical for the Conference to begin to examine its rules of procedure and prevent malign actors from assuming the presidency of this cherished body. Over the last year, there had been two presidencies that had seriously undermined and sullied the reputation of this august body; such actors must not be allowed to use the multilateral system to shield themselves from criticism and to give themselves political legitimacy they did not otherwise enjoy. The United States would insist that any future draft programme of work include the establishment of a special coordinator to look at how to improve the Conference’s working methods and how to expand its membership.
Commenting on the recent events in the Gulf region, the United States said that on 20 June, the Islamic Republic of Iran had launched an unprovoked attack on its navy aircraft operating in international airspace, which represented an escalation in a series of hostile acts that had endangered international peace and security. The “Iranian regime” continued to destabilize the region, for example by supporting armed groups and proxies such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen who continued to attack civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The Islamic Republic of Iran should not interpret the restraint demonstrated by President Trump as a weakness, warned the United States, and said that, while it would not initiate the conflict, its response to continued attacks would be decisive.
Mexico said that it was at the heart of the nuclear weapon free zone in Latin America and that Mexico would continue to deepen collaboration with such a zone in southern Asia as well as any other nuclear weapon free zones. Mexico recognized the many initiatives that Mr. Møller had undertaken in order to revive work in the Conference on Disarmament, such as strengthening the links with civil society organizations, and bid him farewell.
Sri Lanka noted that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its profile in nuclear disarmament was a source of inspiration for those outside the region and – thanking Director-General Møller - said that his absence would be sorely felt. For Sri Lanka, the important priorities in the disarmament arena included comprehensive disarmament, realized through a step-by-step approach, underpinned by the adoption of legally binding frameworks; full compliance with and the effective promotion of the implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons without further delay; the preservation of all existing disarmament architecture; establishing weapons of mass destruction-free zones; negotiation of a legally binding instrument on negative security assurances; and deliberation and negotiation on new and emerging issues, including lethal autonomous weapons systems.
Netherlands bid farewell to the Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, Michael Møller, whose work, often behind scenes, was important in moving this body forward. Particularly appreciated were his initiatives to make the Conference more inclusive, the civil society forum, which allowed civil society organizations to add their voices to the deliberations of this body, and the discussion on emerging technologies and their impact on a more traditional agenda of the Conference. Those initiatives, the Netherlands said, were important as they aimed to bring new life into the Conference, add different voices and views, and increase transparency. The Netherlands was an advocate of making the Conference “twenty-first century-proof” - apart from inclusivity, this meant more pragmatism in organizing the work and ensuring that the topics were balanced and relevant for disarmament and international security.
Brazil remarked that the concepts contained in the decision CD/2019 translated into important next steps towards the resumption of substantive work. As such, they should merit further consideration. Brazil fully upheld the Conference’s rules of procedure and did not favour bringing into this forum political issues unrelated to its subject matter or the mandate. However, it was not in a position to participate in the Conference during the last presidency, because it was led by a representative that Brazil and other Member States did not recognize. The establishment of nuclear weapon free zones had been acknowledged as a significant interim measure to combat non-proliferation and support nuclear disarmament. The existing treaties covered the whole southern hemisphere and encompassed more than 100 countries, proving the willingness of the majority of States to eliminate the most lethal and indiscriminate category of weapons of mass destruction.
India said that India was a close strategic partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; it had commemorated 25 years of partnership dialogue last year and would continue to cooperate in the collective pursuit of international peace and security. India welcomed the intention of the President of the Conference on Disarmament to continue to work on a programme of work. India reassured the presidency of its full cooperation and support for its efforts to advance substantive work and bring the Conference on Disarmament back to its mandate of negotiating legally binding agreements.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea paid tribute to Mr. Møller and wished him all the best in his future endeavours, and then strongly rejected the charges made by Romania on behalf of the European Union, which aimed to put pressure on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, while at the same time ignoring the steps and measures taken to establish a lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula. The statement was nothing but a “politically driven provocation”, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said, and stressed that both parties to the Singapore Statement – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States - held responsibility for its implementation.
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) stressed the need for a respectful dialogue and a high degree of professionalism in the Conference on Disarmament and added that those who would like to sabotage the smooth running of the Conference through aggressive behaviour and lack of diplomacy had “covered themselves in ridicule”. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) had exercised its sovereignty by discharging the presidency of this forum, with the support of a great number of States. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that the greatest priority for the Conference on Disarmament was nuclear disarmament, especially given the current geopolitical tensions. Bidding farewell to Mr. Møller, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) stressed his role in enabling communications between Member States and his extraordinary role in Geneva through a very personal effort to defend the values of the United Nations.
Zimbabwe welcomed the Vietnamese presidency, which had an important task of stabilizing the ship that had gone through some stormy weather, and then joined other delegations in bidding farewell to Mr. Møller who had led from the front in many areas, including on the United Nations reforms, disarmament, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Algeria greatly appreciated the opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Møller, outgoing Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, whose rich experience and personal skills and qualities had been highly beneficial to the Conference.
Syrian Arab Republic expressed appreciation for all the efforts that Mr. Møller had deployed over the past years to advance the work of the Conference. The Syrian Arab Republic noted that a country that had exploited its recent presidency to politicize the Conference and promote its own priorities based on double standards had taken the presidency hostage, transforming it into a podium to launch accusations and make this body a place where discussions were held based on selectivity. This country was not in a position to assess the performance of other presidencies. The deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament was not due to rules of procedure but to the abusive attitudes of some States which used the Conference for their own ends.
Islamic Republic of Iran thanked Director-General Møller and the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose Member States positively contributed to fighting terrorism and achieving nuclear disarmament through the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone. The Islamic Republic of Iran said with unprecedented concern that reckless unilateralism was eroding collective trust in multilateral institutions such as this important body and regretted that after four weeks of tranquillity in the Conference, the politicization and baseless allegations were back. The United States regime, the creator of terrorism in all forms, most lately Daesh, was not in a position to accuse others of terrorism. Regrettably, the maximum pressure exerted by the United States on the Islamic Republic of Iran continued in its illegal formats, even in the form of baseless lies and accusations, said the speaker, and highlighted that on 20 June, a United States’ unmanned aircraft system had conducted an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz in a full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation. Despite repeated warnings, it had entered the Iranian airspace, triggering the response of the Iranian air force, acting under article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
United States recalled the facts of the downing of the United States’ unmanned aerial vehicle, which, while operating in international airspace, had been shot down by Iranian missiles. This had been an unprovoked attack on a United States aircraft, which had not entered the Iranian airspace at any time. The Islamic Republic of Iran was the leading State sponsor of terror and the leading hostage-taker in the world; until it changed its ways, it could not have a normal relationship with the United States and other peace-loving nations. Until then, the United States would continue to maintain maximum pressure.
For use of the information media; not an official record
DC19.034e