06 January 2003
IAEA Statement on North Korea "Appropriate," Bush Says
(Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed) (1250)
BUSH VIEWS IAEA STATEMENT ON NORTH KOREA AS APPROPRIATE
President Bush views "as the appropriate course of action" the
resolution on North Korea approved unanimously January 6 by the board
of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at a
meeting in Vienna, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told
reporters.
The IAEA resolution calls on North Korea to "cooperate urgently and
fully" on nuclear safeguards and gives North Korea one more chance to
comply before the matter is referred to the United Nations Security
Council.
"The president views the actions of the IAEA in Vienna today as the
appropriate course of action. When you take a look at what they did
and what they said today, they deplored in the strongest terms Korea's
unilateral acts preventing international verification of their
nonproliferation obligations. They called on (North) Korea to
cooperate urgently with the IAEA, allowing them to reestablish
monitoring, and to verify all its nuclear material. The president
views this as the appropriate course of action," Fleischer said.
Asked why the matter is not being brought before the United Nations
immediately, Fleischer said "because what's happening here is you see
the world coming together. And the nations that were involved in this
decision today are very broad. It's not only China, Russia, South
Korea, Japan and the United States that are troubled by North Korea's
unilateralist actions. The nations that made up the board that voted
in Vienna today include Australia, Malaysia, Iran, Cuba. It takes a
lot of work to get condemned by Iran and Cuba, and North Korea has
done it."
On the U.S. government's policy toward North Korea, Fleischer said
that President Bush "has repeatedly stated as plainly as can be that
the United States has no plans to invade or to attack North Korea. And
the president believes North Korea knows that and they understand
that. But we will continue to work with our allies on a common
approach to the problem that North Korea has created through its
unilateralist actions."
Asked if there is something the North Koreans can do that would prompt
the U.S. to sit down and talk with them, Fleischer said "keep in mind,
the United States has long supported South Korea's engagement with
North Korea. When you take a look at what's happened, nations like
Japan were ... beginning engagement with North Korea. And as a result
of North Korea's actions, Japan examined what it was doing and has
decided to proceed at a different pace. So various nations continue to
have various levels of discussion with North Korea.
"I want to point out that even while there were many conversations in
North Korea, North Korea was still breaking its word. So I don't think
the issue is whether or not North Korea is being talked to or not
talked to. The issue is North Korea breaking its word. ...
"So from the American point of view, we very strongly support the
efforts to discuss with North Korea, through our friends in South
Korea and Japan; we always have. But the United States has made it
clear that North Korea knows what it needs to do, and it needs to come
back into international compliance, as the IAEA has urged them to do
today in the strongest of terms."
U.S. TO CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO NORTH KOREA'S NEED FOR FOOD
Asked about U.S. food aid to North Korea, Fleischer said "the United
States does not condition food aid on political or security issues.
"We intend food aid to be viewed and seen and received as a
humanitarian gesture of the people of the United States around the
world.
"We intend to be responsive to the World Food Program's appeal for
North Korea, as we have in past years. We still have concerns
regarding monitoring and access in North Korea that need to be
addressed. It remains very important for North Korea to make certain
that the people who need the food receive the food."
BUSH REMAINS HOPEFUL THAT WAR WITH IRAQ CAN BE AVERTED
Asked to comment on a statement earlier January 6 in which British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is reported to have said that war with
Iraq is less likely now than it was, Fleischer responded:
"Well, the president, as he said over the holidays, remains very
hopeful that peace can be pursued as a result of some of the decisions
Saddam Hussein has yet to make. And this is about disarmament. And
that's why the inspectors are there. They're going about their jobs
and they're doing their work, and the president continues to hope that
war can be averted."
"(H)opefully, Saddam Hussein will get the message that the world
community, through the United Nations" declared that he must disarm,
Fleischer said.
And as President Bush has said, Saddam Hussein "will either disarm or
the United States will lead a coalition to disarm him," the press
secretary noted. "That's a serious message. It's not a bluff. And
perhaps as a result of it being such a serious message, Saddam Hussein
will indeed get that message and disarm peacefully."
Saddam Hussein's statements accusing the U.N. weapons inspectors of
carrying out intelligence work "is an attempt to divert attention from
the fact that Iraq still has not shown signs that it will disarm
itself of weapons of mass destruction," Fleischer said.
The work of the U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq needs to continue, he
said, adding that the United States is providing "increased
intelligence information" to the inspectors.
"We strongly support their efforts, it's in America's interests that
they have the intelligence, the equipment and the personnel to do the
job that the international community and the United Nations Security
Council have asked them to do," Fleischer said.
"As the inspectors' capability to secure and use intelligence
information has improved -- as, that is, the size of their inspection
team has grown, their experience has deepened, their capabilities such
as additional helicopters has improved -- we'll be able to increase
our level of support. And that's what you're seeing happen now," he
said.
Much still depends on Iraq's willingness to comply with the U.N.
Security Council resolutions, Fleischer said.
Fleischer said the ability of the inspectors to report fully on Iraq's
weapons programs to the U.N. Security Council by the end of the month
as required by the council's resolution "is going to be directly
dependent on what Iraq does, not what the United States does. It's
Iraq's compliance, it's Iraq's cooperation that determines whether the
inspectors have the means to do their jobs," he said.
U.S. CONTINUES TO STRONGLY SUPPORT OAS ON VENEZUELA
Asked to comment on the U.S. position regarding the continuing unrest
in Venezuela, Fleischer said the message of President Bush "remains
one of wanting to work for a peaceful resolution of the dispute in
Venezuela that focuses on democracy and on listening to the people of
Venezuela. The OAS [Organization of American States] efforts remain
under way, and we continue to strongly support the OAS and their
efforts."
A general strike in Venezuela against the government of President Hugo
Chavez is entering its fifth week and has severely affected the
nation's economy and its oil industry.
Venezuela's largest labor union and business chamber began the strike
December 2 to demand the resignation of Chavez.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
