Documents on Iraq

President Bush on defeating extremists in the Middle East
Speech to the 89th annual national convention of the American Legion in Reno, Nevada, August 28, 2007 (full text).

President Bush likens Iraq to Vietnam
Speech by President Bush to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, August 22, 2007 (full text).

Iraq Study Group Report
Report on US policy in Iraq from a bi-partisan group led by former secretary of state James Baker. 6 December 2006 (PDF)

Draft constitution
To be submitted to referendum. Full text in English, with link to Arabic version.

Interim constitution
Signed 8 March, 2004. Full text in English

Agreement on political process
Document issued on 15 November 2003, setting out the terms for restoration of Iraqi sovereignty by the end of June, 2004.

Special provisions for the Kurdistan region of Iraq
Kurdistan Regional Government, 20 February 2004

Draft of Security Council resolution
Proposed by the United States, 15 October, 2003

Coalition Provisional Authority
Text of decrees and regulations issued by the CPA

Prohibited media activity
Order issued by Paul Bremer on behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority, 2003

Security Council resolution 1483
On the lifting of sanctions, 22 May 2003

The "Saddam tapes"
Text of messages from the former Iraqi leader

Invasion of Iraq

Draft resolution (the "war resolution")
Presented by the US, Britain and Spain to the UN Security Council, 7 March 2003, but abandoned.

Report by Hans Blix (3)
Delivered by the executive chairman of Unmovic to the UN Security Council, 7 March 2003

Report by Hans Blix (2)
Delivered by the executive chairman of Unmovic to the UN Security Council, 14 February 2003

Statement by Colin Powell
UN Security Council, 5 February 2003

British dossier on Iraq (3)
"Concealment, deception and intimidation" in relation to weapons inspections.
Issued 3 February 2003. Although allegedly based on "intelligence material", large parts of this document were later found to have been plagiarised from academic sources.

Report by Hans Blix (1)
"An update on inspection"- delivered by the executive chairman of Unmovic to the UN Security Council, 27 January 2003

The transition to democracy in Iraq
Document issued following conference of the Iraqi opposition, 12 December 2002. PDF file.

British dossier on Iraq (2)
"Saddam Hussein: Crimes & Human Rights Abuses". PDF file, issued 2 December 2002. Also available in Arabic as PDF file and Word file.

Iraq accepts Security Council resolution 1441
Letter from foreign minister to UN Secretary-General, 13 November 2002 (full text)

Security Council resolution 1441
On the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq. See also earlier US draft.

President Bush: speech in Cincinatti, Ohio
Described by the White House as "a comprehensive assessment of the threat Saddam Hussein's regime poses to the security of the United States and the World and our commitment to confront it". 7 October, 2002

British dossier on Iraq (1)
Assessment by the British government on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Issued 24 September 2002

Naji Sabri: letter to United Nations
Iraq accepts weapons inspections "without conditions". 16 September, 2002

President Bush: speech to UN General Assembly
12 September, 2002 (full text)

Tony Blair on Iraq
Full transcript of press conference by the British prime minister, 4 September, 2002

Iraq Liberation Act of 1998
Enacted under the presidency of Bill Clinton, this made removal of Saddam Hussein's regime official US policy. See Wikipedia for more information.

A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
A 1996 report for Binyamin Netanyahu's government in Israel which advocated the removal of Saddam Hussein as a first step towards reshaping Israel's "strategic environment". It was produced by Richard Perle, James Colbert, Charles Fairbanks Jr, Douglas Feith, Robert Loewenberg, David Wurmser, and Meyrav Wurmser – several of whom later influenced US policy on war with Iraq. See also: Playing skittles with Saddam (Brian Whitaker, Guardian website, 3 September 2002).

Opposition to Saddam Hussein

Text of 1990 constitution

Draft constitution
As proposed by opposition groups, February 1999

Declaration of the Shia of Iraq - July, 2002

Military Covenant of Honour
Issued by the Military Alliance, 14 July, 2002

Declaration of Confederation
Agreement between the Free Officers' Movement and the Assyrian National Congress, signed on 15 June, 2002

Iraqi National Coalition - statement of principles

Iraqi National Accord - its charter

Turkman People Party - founding statement

Constitution of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region
Kurdistan Democratic Party, 13 October 2002

Kurdish view on the constitutional future of Iraq
by Nouri Talabany, 18 June, 1999

Washington accord between PUK and KDP
Full text. 17 September, 1998

Alliance between PUK and KDP
21 November, 1994

Paris agreement between PUK and KDP
July, 1993

Sanctions and weapons inspections

Security Council Resolutions
Relating to the oil for food programme

Goods Review List
Unofficial version of the list of goods that could not be imported into Iraq without UN permission. PDF file (4,567KB); Microsoft Word file (525KB)

UNSCOM documents
Relevant UN resolutions, and inspectors' reports to Security Council (UN website)

Iraq and Kuwait

Security Council Resolutions relating to compensation

Key Security Council resolutions (UN website)

Security Council resolution 1441
On the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq. See also earlier US draft.

Iran-Iraq war

Security Council resolution 651 - 29 March 1990 (PDF).

Security Council resolution 642- 29 September 1989 (PDF).

Security Council resolution 631 - 8 February 1989 (PDF).

Security Council resolution 620 - 26 August 1988 (PDF).

Security Council resolution 619 - 9 August 1988 (PDF).

Security Council resolution 612 - 9 May 1988 (PDF).