ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:97112006.txt
DATE:11/20/97
TITLE:20-11-97 SECSTATE: PERM FIVE UNITY BRINGS APPARENT REVERSAL IN IRAQ
TEXT:
(But "wait and see, actions speak louder than words") (520)
By Wendy Lubetkin
USIA European Correspondent
Geneva -- Secretary of State Albright says Saddam Hussein's apparent
reversal on weapons inspections was the result of unified and
intensive diplomacy by the five permanent members (the Perm Five) of
the U.N. Security Council and the threat of force in the Gulf against
him.
"Let me just say that it appears that Saddam Hussein has reversed
course, and that the U.N. inspectors will be able to go in and do
their work unconditionally," Albright told reporters at the Hotel
Intercontinental in Geneva November 20.
The Secretary of State spoke briefly with the press several hours
after reports from Iraq indicated that the Iraqi leader had changed
his position on inspections.
A first public indication of the shift came following a predawn
meeting of the Perm Five in Geneva which included the Foreign
Ministers of the United States, Russia, France, and Great Britain and
a high level diplomat from China. The meeting was rapidly convened by
Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Primakov after he received
indications that Iraq might be changing its stance.
Albright said the Geneva meeting, which called for unconditional
access for the UNSCOM inspectors, demonstrated that the five permanent
members of the U.N. Security Council "are determined to have the will
of the international community carried out."
"The important thing here is that as a result of the determination and
unanimity of the great powers on the Security Council, Saddam Hussein
has reversed course. That is what it appears at this point," Albright
said.
Albright said no concessions were made to Iraq to win the reversal.
"The United States has agreed to no conditions, there are no
conditions," she said.
She added that UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler believes the team may be
able to return to Iraq to resume its work "in the next 24 hours."
Asked whether U.S. troops will remain deployed in the Gulf, Albright
responded "no decisions have been made to change anything. The
deployments are there."
"So far what we have are statements by Saddam Hussein to reverse
course," she added. "We want to be sure that has really happened.
Actions speak louder than words."
State Department Spokesman James P. Rubin termed the Iraqi leader's
reversal "a step in the right direction," but the "proof of whether
our objectives have been met is whether the teams do in fact go back
to Iraq and are allowed to perform their work unconditionally."
A senior U.S. official said the United States has "deep concerns" that
the interval during which inspections were obstructed might have
"affected the baseline" of UNSCOM's work.
But the U.S. official insisted that Saddam Hussein will still turn out
the loser since any impairment of the inspector's job will only mean a
longer delay before the certification that all weapons have been
destroyed and the lifting of sanctions.
"The reality is ... that (Saddam Hussein) tried to divide the
coalition, tried to divide the Council, and ran into a brick wall, and
turned around and walked the other way."
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