United Nations Security Council Resolution 540
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
540, adopted on October 31, 1983, noting the report of the Secretary-General and the increased cooperation from the governments of Iran
and Iraq
, the Council requested he continue with the mediation efforts in the region.
Resolution 540 went on to condemn all acts in violation of the Geneva Conventions
of 1949, affirming the right to free navigation in international waters
. It also requested the Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
continue in his efforts to find a way to end hostilities between the two countries and urged Iran, Iraq and other Member States to refrain from actions that could destabilise the region.
The resolution was adopted by 12 votes to none, with three abstention
s from Malta
, Nicaragua
and Pakistan
.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
540, adopted on October 31, 1983, noting the report of the Secretary-General and the increased cooperation from the governments of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the Council requested he continue with the mediation efforts in the region.
Resolution 540 went on to condemn all acts in violation of the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
of 1949, affirming the right to free navigation in international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
. It also requested the Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra is a Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991. He studied in Colegio San Agustín of Lima, and then at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. In 1995, he ran unsuccessfully...
continue in his efforts to find a way to end hostilities between the two countries and urged Iran, Iraq and other Member States to refrain from actions that could destabilise the region.
The resolution was adopted by 12 votes to none, with three abstention
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...
s from Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
See also
- Iran–Iraq relations
- Iran–Iraq War
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 501 to 600 (1982–1987)
- Resolutions 479United Nations Security Council Resolution 479United Nations Security Council Resolution 479, adopted unanimously on September 28, 1980, after reminding Member States against the use of threats and force in their international relations, the Council called upon Iran and Iraq to immediately cease any further uses of force and instead settle...
, 514United Nations Security Council Resolution 514United Nations Security Council Resolution 514, adopted unanimously on July 12, 1982, after recalling Resolution 479 and noting the mediation efforts by the Secretary-General, Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, the Council expressed its deep concern at the...
, 522United Nations Security Council Resolution 522United Nations Security Council Resolution 522, adopted unanimously on October 4, 1982, after recalling Resolution 479 and Resolution 514 , the Council called for an immediate ceasefire between Iran and Iraq, calling for the withdrawal of both sides to their internationally recognised borders.The...
, 552United Nations Security Council Resolution 552United Nations Security Council Resolution 552, adopted on June 1, 1984, after hearing complaints from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates regarding attacks on their ships by Iran, the Council condemned the attacks, reiterating that Member States should refrain...
, 582United Nations Security Council Resolution 582United Nations Security Council Resolution 582, adopted unanimously on February 24, 1986, after noting that the Council had been seized for six years and the continued conflict between Iran and Iraq, the Council deplored the initial acts that started the Iran–Iraq War and continuation of the...
, 588United Nations Security Council Resolution 588United Nations Security Council Resolution 588, adopted unanimously on October 8, 1986, after expressing concern at the continuation of the conflict between Iran and Iraq, the Council urged both countries to implement Resolution 582 without delay....
, 598United Nations Security Council Resolution 598United Nations Security Council Resolution 598, adopted unanimously on July 20, 1987, after reaffirming Resolution 582 , the Council expressed its concern that, despite its calls for a ceasefire, the conflict between Iran and Iraq continued with heavy loss of life and material destruction.Acting...
, 612United Nations Security Council Resolution 612United Nations Security Council Resolution 612, adopted unanimously on May 9, 1988, after considering a report by the Special Mission dispatched by the Secretary-General to investigate alleged use of chemical weapons in the conflict between Iran and Iraq, the Council condemned the use of chemical...
, 616United Nations Security Council Resolution 616United Nations Security Council Resolution 616, adopted unanimously on July 20, 1988, after hearing representations from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Council expressed its distress at the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 over the Strait of Hormuz by a missile from the USS Vincennes during the...
, 619United Nations Security Council Resolution 619United Nations Security Council Resolution 619, adopted unanimously on August 9, 1988, after recalling Resolution 598 , the Council approved a report by the Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar on the implementation of paragraph 2 of Resolution 598....
and 620United Nations Security Council Resolution 620United Nations Security Council Resolution 620, adopted unanimously on August 26, 1988, after recalling Resolution 612 which found evidence of the use of chemical warfare between Iran and Iraq, the Council again condemned the use of such weapons, in violation of the Geneva Protocol.The Council...