United Nations Security Council Resolution 487
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
487, adopted unanimously on June 19, 1981, having noted representations from Iraq
and the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), the Council condemned an attack by Israel
on a IAEA-approved nuclear site in Iraq
.
The resolution went on to call for a cessation of hostile activities, entitled Iraq to claim for compensation, and urged Israel to place its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.
purchased an "Osiris class" nuclear reactor
from France
. Israel
i military intelligence assumed this was for the purpose of plutonium
production to further an Iraqi nuclear weapons program, in spite of it being built within the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
and under the inspection regime of the IAEA.
Israeli intelligence also believed that the summer of 1981 would be the last chance to destroy the reactor without exposing the Iraqi civilian population to nuclear fallout. After that point, the reactor would be loaded with nuclear fuel.
On June 7, 1981, a squadron of Israeli F-16A fighter aircraft, with an escort of F-15As, bombed and heavily damaged the Osirak reactor as part of Operation Opera
.
This resolution was passed following 10 Security Council meetings about the incident and Israel's nuclear weapons policy,
and specifically called for Israel to put its own facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA.
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"....
487, adopted unanimously on June 19, 1981, having noted representations from 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....
and the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
(IAEA), the Council condemned an attack by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
on a IAEA-approved nuclear site in 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 resolution went on to call for a cessation of hostile activities, entitled Iraq to claim for compensation, and urged Israel to place its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.
Background
In the late 1970s, IraqIraq
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....
purchased an "Osiris class" nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i military intelligence assumed this was for the purpose of plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
production to further an Iraqi nuclear weapons program, in spite of it being built within the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
and under the inspection regime of the IAEA.
Israeli intelligence also believed that the summer of 1981 would be the last chance to destroy the reactor without exposing the Iraqi civilian population to nuclear fallout. After that point, the reactor would be loaded with nuclear fuel.
On June 7, 1981, a squadron of Israeli F-16A fighter aircraft, with an escort of F-15As, bombed and heavily damaged the Osirak reactor as part of Operation Opera
Operation Opera
Operation Babylon was a surprise Israeli air strike carried out on June 7, 1981, that destroyed a nuclear reactor under construction 17 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, Iraq....
.
This resolution was passed following 10 Security Council meetings about the incident and Israel's nuclear weapons policy,
and specifically called for Israel to put its own facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA.
Review
In May 2009, the Iraqi parliament's Committee on Foreign Relations started taking steps to force Israel to pay reparation for the damage caused by the 1981 attack. This action was based on Resolution 487.See also
- Iraq and weapons of mass destructionIraq and weapons of mass destructionDuring the regime of Saddam Hussein, the nation of Iraq used, possessed, and made efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction . Hussein was internationally known for his use of chemical weapons in the 1980s against Iranian and Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran–Iraq War...
- Iraq–Israel relationsIraq–Israel relationsIraq and Israel do not have any diplomatic relations. Iraq declared war on the newly established Jewish state in 1948, since then, relations between the two states have remained hostile at best...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 401 to 500 (1976 – 1982)