Tracking Number: 239414
Title: "Iraqi Military Has Accelerated Repression in South." The US says that Saddam Hussein's military regime has accelerated its repression of the largely Shiite population in
southern Iraq in recent weeks, prompting renewed international concern. (920817)
Translated Title: Fuerzas armadas Iraquies aceleran represion en el sur. (920817)
Author: DYBVIK, RUSSELL E (USIA STAFF
WRITER)
Date: 19920817
Text:
IRAQI MILITARY HAS ACCELERATED REPRESSION IN SOUTH
(U.S. seriously concerned, consulting with allies) (820) By Russell Dybvik USIA Diplomatic Correspondent Washington -- Saddam Hussein's military regime has "accelerated" its repression of the largely Shia population in southern Iraq in recent weeks, prompting renewed international concern, the State Department said August 17.
Deputy spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing there has been "significant fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter activity in the south" over the past several days, although he was unable to provide details of the operations because that might endanger intelligence sources.
"The army continues its combat operations against civilians in the south," he said. In the marshes, the Iraqi Army has continued its practice of "making forays, intimidating people; skirmishes continue to occur," Boucher said. "So the military pressure on the population in the south has continued."
While the military operations involving the use of fixed-wing aircraft in southern Iraq appear to be mainly "training and observation," a senior U.S. official said later, they are also considered "indications of possible future intentions."
At the news briefing, Boucher called Saddam Hussein's "brutal actions against the citizens of Iraq...flagrant violations of U.N. Security Council resolution 688. These violations are of great concern to the United States and we think they should be to all members of the international community."
He said the United States is continuing to consult with other members of the coalition that forced Iraq to end its occupation of Kuwait on ways to ensure Iraqi compliance with resolution 688 and all other U.N. resolutions.
Boucher recalled that President Bush said in an August 16 television interview that "the U.S. has plans to be sure that Saddam Hussein does what he's supposed to do, and that is comply fully with resolution 687 and also with 688, which refers to the brutalization of his own people."
A senior U.S. official explained later that the allies were getting closer to a decision about what they could do to convince Iraq to end its repression of the Shia population in southern Iraq, but declined to offer specifics.
"It's clear that the Iraqi repression of its population in the south has accelerated in recent weeks," Boucher said. "It continues be a problem in terms of repression and brutal suppression of people" there, he said. "It's a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that is a serious concern to us and that is obviously causing great harm to the people in the south."
"We've had productive exchanges with other governments" on the situation in southern Iraq, the deputy spokesman said, but he was not prepared "to specify any particular direction" those talks may have taken. "We don't anticipate any further Security Council action on the south at this point," he said.
He did acknowledge the consultations have involved members of the Security Council and the gulf war coalition, but he declined to say what options may be under consideration.
On a related matter, the deputy spokesman was asked for comment about the just-concluded mission of a United Nations Special Commission inspection team to Iraq.
"I don't have a full and detailed readout on this particular inspection at this point," he said. "They have said to the press that they are confident that they accomplished something, that they have gotten useful information through their work."
A senior U.S. official later told reporters it was his understanding the Special Commission team did not ask to see any Iraqi ministry buildings.
Boucher refused to speculate on whether or not the inspection team may have changed its plans in the wake of a weekend news report that suggested the allies wanted to provoke a confrontation with Iraq. Last month Iraqi authorities refused for about three weeks to allow U.N. inspectors into the building housing the Ministry of Agriculture in Baghdad where it was suspected that information concerning Iraq's ballistic missile program was stored.
"You have to ask them how they choose their targets for inspection," the deputy spokesman said, referring reporters to the Special Commission. "They have a mandate from the U.N. Security Council to uncover, identify and destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and that's what they do."
The U.S. role, Boucher said, is to "provide a lot of support to the U.N. Special Commission; we always have...we've made no secret of it. We've provided information to them; we've provided personnel to them and we'll continue to support them."
"We think they're doing an excellent job," the deputy spokesman said. "They have the authority to go anywhere, any time that they feel it's necessary to carry out their inspections. They have done surprise inspections -- or very short-notice inspections -- in the past and we would certainly expect them to continue that as long as it contributes to their work," he said.
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File Identification: 08/17/92, PO-106; 08/17/92, EP-119; 08/17/92, EU-106; 08/17/92, NE-106; 08/17/92, NA-102; 08/18/92, AE-204; 08/18/92, AR-202; 08/18/92, AS-206; 08/18/92, NA-205
Product Name: Wireless
File
Product Code: WF
Languages: Spanish; Arabic
Keywords: IRAQ/Defense & Military; COMBAT OPERATIONS; TOTALITARIANISM; ATROCITIES; MOSLEMS; HUSSEIN, SADDAM; IRAQ-US RELATIONS; PERSIAN
GULF WAR; MILITARY INTERVENTION
Thematic Codes: 1NE; 1UN; 2HA
Target Areas: EA; EU; NE; AF; AR
PDQ Text Link: 239414; 239468
USIA Notes: *92081706.POL
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