By: Taliyah Winn, Student Reporter*

11 February 2003

President George W Bush drafted a letter requesting that the Historical Security Council of 2003 hear from the United States Secretary of State Colin Powell about the situation in Iraq. 

The letter reads:

“As a permanent member of the Security Council and a founding member of the United Nations, it is with much urgency that I request the United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to address the body on the Situation in Iraq. The United States has received recent findings pertinent to the Council.”

The Council brought Secretary Powell into the discussion after two rounds of voting. Many delegations, including Cameroon and the Syrian Arab Republic, abstained from voting which offset the amount of votes needed to pass the motion.  

It is rare for such requests made by Member States to be rebuked or denied, especially requests made by Permanent Members of the Security Council. Two votes were required to approve Secretary Powell to speak to the body. 

Secretary Powell gave his speech to the Council highlighting the need for an immediate response on Iraq’s weapons. He expressed extreme concerns about chemical weapons.

The Council was not completely receptive to the information presented by Secretary Powell because the U.S. did not provide specific international sources for his research.

After debating over the validity of the information, a Representative of Chile suggested inviting parties to dispute from Iraq and to invite Secretary Powell back into the discussion. Noting the presence of a US Representative, Secretary Powell would not be granted full rights to debate upon his return and would only be able to participate in a Q&A format.

_{The views and opinions expressed in this article were part of a simulation of the United Nations held from 18 to 21 November 2023 and do not reflect the views and opinions of the American Model United Nations Conference, American Model United Nations International, LLC., President George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Wichita State University or the governing bodies of the states mentioned in the article}