Publication - 25 February, 2003
This document examines the appropriateness of the UN General Assembly invoking resolution 377, "Uniting for Peace" to break a Security Council deadlock over stopping the war with Iraq.
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Executive summary: While the deadlock between the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain on the one hand and France and Russia on the other results in an effective deadlock, this situation has been anticipated and dealt with in previous crises by calling the General Assembly into emergency session under the Uniting for Peace Resolution. The preconditions of the resolution appear to be satisfied and if a Member State were to make a request to the Secretary General, he would be required to communicate that request to the other Member States and assess whether a majority of members concur. If such a majority do concur, then the meeting would be called and provisional agenda would be circulated.
Num. pages: 5