15 August 2002
NSC Official Calls Intelligence Sharing "Crucial" to Anti-Terror Fight
(Iraq and ICC also discussed at a Foreign Press Center briefing) (810)
By Wendy Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent
Washington -- The United States greatly appreciates the cooperation it
is receiving from countries around the world in its war against
terrorism, says National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack.
"Probably one of the most important things that we have accomplished
thus far in this war ... is the web of intelligence and information
sharing that we've established among many members of the coalition
fighting terrorism," McCormack told reporters at a briefing August 14
at the State Department's Foreign Press Center.
This exchange of information, he said, "is absolutely crucial" to both
current and future efforts in the anti-terrorism fight, "and it's
something that we're grateful to countries around the world for
participating in, and we're going to make every effort to maintain and
strengthen that basic cooperation."
McCormack said progress has been made in dismantling the Al Qaeda
terrorist base in Afghanistan, but he noted that the organization
still has a presence "in many, many countries around the world."
Asked to comment on U.S. policy toward Iraq, McCormack said the United
States believes that Iraq "already possesses certain weapons of mass
destruction and is continuing aggressive efforts in all the areas --
chemical, biological and nuclear." He said Iraq has made a practice of
hiding its efforts, both in terms of the development and the storage
of such weapons.
Even when U.N. weapons inspectors were in Iraq, "the regime in Baghdad
expended a great deal of energy and focus not on complying with its
U.N. mandates, but making every effort to obstruct and obfuscate,"
McCormack said.
McCormack also was asked to explain the U.S. decision not to become a
party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and instead, under the
provisions of Article 98 of the Rome Treaty that created the court,
seek bilateral agreements with nations that are parties to it as a
means of resolving American concerns about the treaty.
Reiterating points made earlier by Secretary of State Colin Powell,
McCormack said: "We are availing ourselves of an opportunity provided
for in the Rome Statute, the so-called Article 98 agreement, that
allows the countries that are non-signatories to the Rome Statute to
sign bilateral agreements with Rome Statute signatories that would
provide protections for those [military] servicemen and women of
countries that have not signed the Rome Statute.
"We are working with as many countries as we can, including our
friends in the European Union and around the world, to negotiate these
agreements. We are pleased that we were able to conclude two
agreements, with Israel and Romania, to this point.
"But it's important to understand when looking at our activities in
negotiating these Article 98 agreements that this is something that
we're doing to protect our servicemen and women. It's not intended to
undermine the Rome Statute. As a matter of fact, these agreements were
provided for specifically in the Rome Statute. So, we look forward to
working with our friends around the world, including in the European
Union, on negotiating these Article 98 agreements."
Asked whether refusal by a country to sign such a bilateral agreement
with the United States could affect its eventual membership in NATO
and the Partnership for Peace, McCormack had this to say:
"As for NATO-aspirant countries, I know that they are working on a
membership action plan and we are in continuous discussions with those
countries, and they update us on their progress in meeting the goals
of the membership action plan.
"And on a separate track, we're also, I assume, talking to them, or
will talk to them, about ICC and the Rome Statute. I'm not aware of
any direct connection that we have made between those two activities.
"I believe that they're separate tracks, as a matter of fact, and that
we're, on the NATO track, working towards a summit in Prague this
November, at which we will -- NATO member countries will -- discuss
the possible expansion of NATO."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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