04 November 1997
TRANSCRIPT: RICHARDSON INTERVIEW ON IRAQ ON PBS NOVEMBER 3, 1997
(U-2 is essential technological mission of inspection team) (1950)
(Permission obtained covering republication/translation of the
transcript by USIS/press outside the U.S. On title page carry: From
the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, November 3, 1997, co-produced by
MACNEIL-LEHRER PRODUCTIONS and WETA in association with WNET.
Copyright (c) 1997 by MacNeil-Lehrer Productions).
Washington -- Bill Richardson, the U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations, says U-2 flights over Iraq will not be cancelled in spite of
Iraqi threats to shoot them down because the flights constitute "the
essential technological mission of the U.N inspection team."
Saddam Hussein, he said, "is making it impossible" for the inspection
team "to do their work. He's defying the international system. He's
shooting himself in the foot. This is backfiring on him. But you never
know where this guy is going to go next."
Richardson pointed out that the UN inspection team is not just
Americans, but is "multinational -- they're technicians, they're
scientists -- they're doing their work.
"And right now," he said, "they're prevented from doing so once again
by Saddam Hussein pushing the envelope, showing how irresponsible he
is and testing the will of the alliance and testing the Security
Council, and it's not working for him."
Following is the copyright-cleared transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE NEWSHOUR
WITH JIM LEHRER
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW WITH:
BILL RICHARDSON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1997
ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Now a newsmaker interview with the U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson. I talked to him
this afternoon just before the U.N. Security Council began its latest
session on the Iraqi situation.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you for being with us.
AMB. RICHARDSON: Thank you for having me, Elizabeth.
FARNSWORTH: As you go into the Security Council session, is this
crisis escalating?
RICHARDSON: Well, it's escalating. It's showing that Saddam Hussein is
getting more excessive in his irresponsibility. The latest incident is
that he is now stating that the U-2 plane, which is a United Nations
plane that conducts inspections, should not fly -- and that's another
direct frontal assault on the United Nations and the Security Council
and the work of the U.N. inspection team.
FARNSWORTH: And will the U-2 flight be cancelled?
RICHARDSON: No. This is the work of the United Nations. This is the
work of the U.N. inspection team. It is very important that this
flight take place. This is a flight that has a very important mission.
And what Saddam Hussein is trying to do is not just hamper the work of
the inspectors on the ground by picking and choosing who can and who
can't inspect; but now he's dealing with the essential technological
mission of the U.N. inspection team. He is making it impossible for
them to do their work. He's defying the international system. He's
shooting himself in the foot. This is backfiring on him. But you never
know where this guy is going to go next.
FARNSWORTH: Mr. Ambassador, explain why it's so important from your
point of view that the Americans be allowed to be a part of the
inspection team?
RICHARDSON: Well, first of all, this is a U.N. inspection team; it is
not an American inspection team. And Saddam Hussein should not have
the right to pick and choose who conducts the inspections. Who is
going to be next? The British, because they voted against him in the
Security Council? He is showing total favoritism, politicizing the
mission, defying the international system. He's had a pattern of
continuing to hide biological weapon, deny access to many of the
inspection teams, block essential work by for instance those involved
in some of the inspections. And, lastly, he is making by this incident
with the U-2 plane virtually impossible for the U.N. inspection team
to do its work consistent with U.N. Security Council resolutions after
the Gulf War.
FARNSWORTH: Why do you think this is happening now?
RICHARDSON: Well, this happens periodically. Saddam Hussein tests the
international system. He is testing whether the alliance, the Security
Council, is going to be united. And he has united the Security
Council, besides the fact the Security Council has kept sanctions on
Iraq, because they have not complied on all of the resolutions
relating to the end of the Gulf War. He feels that perhaps because
there were some abstentions in the Security Council last week -- these
were just tactical differences. These weren't differences in policy --
that he wants to test the coalition. But what you see now is France
and Russia making very strong statements that Saddam Hussein should
cease and desist, that what he is doing is totally unacceptable. And
he's once again uniting the international community against them. So
it's backfiring on him. But this is a man that doesn't seem to know
what's is sane and what is politically correct to do. And he's just
shooting himself in the foot more and more times.
FARNSWORTH: France and Russia have said that this should cease, that
he should allow the Americans to continue with the inspections. But
they've also said they wouldn't support a military option -- is that
right? Doesn't that make it a little hard to pressure Saddam Hussein?
RICHARDSON: Well, I think that when you reach a stage of
decision-making within the allies, within the Security Council, it's
very important that we put incremental pressure on Saddam Hussein,
that we give diplomacy a chance to work, that we make sure that France
and Russia -- who have been very supportive -- continue to feel that
within the Security Council there is going to be perhaps a solution.
It could be that Saddam backs off after these envoys go to Baghdad and
read him the riot act. These envoys are not negotiating; they are
simply saying you've got to comply with Security Council resolutions,
you've got to comply with the presidential statement of the Security
Council of last week that says the inspections should reopen and be
fully unimpeded, that this is essential work of the U.N. What Saddam
is doing is attacking the international system. He's just not
attacking the United States -- he is attacking the Security Council,
the United Nations, and all law-abiding nations.
FARNSWORTH: If the envoys that are going are not able to get any kind
of a backing off, would there be a timetable within which something
has to happen, or something like military options would be taken?
RICHARDSON: Well, we have not ruled out anything, including a military
response. But what is clear here is that we first have to see how
these envoys work. The United Nations Security Council has to act
united, and we are headed in that direction. Forms of incremental
pressure involving the Security Council will probably happen if the
mission fails. What happens next we have to discuss with our allies.
China is now president of the Security Council -- they play a key role
-- France, Russia, Great Britain -- our allies -- the British and us
are 100 percent in sync, as are the French and Russians on this at
this time. But there are ten other members of the Security Council,
all of whom have supported us in our efforts to demonstrate to Saddam
Hussein that he is violating the international system.
FARNSWORTH: When you say "incremental pressure," what do you mean?
RICHARDSON: Well, the Security Council has a variety of resolutions
that can be taken that range from what are called presidential
statements to condemnations, to tough actions, to sanctions -- a
number of options that we will have to weigh jointly with some of our
allies. And in those options nothing is ruled out.
FARNSWORTH: Let me go back a minute to why this is happening now. As
you know, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz has said that Iraq is doing
this because as long as America is involved with the weapons
inspections that it will -- that Iraq can never comply enough, because
the real goal he says is to overthrow Saddam Hussein -- not to get
compliance. How do you respond to that?
RICHARDSON: Well, that's totally false. That's a consistent pattern of
deception that the Iraqis have used. Richard Butler, the head of the
U.N. inspection team, an Australian, Rolf Ekeus, a Swede, previously
head of the U.N. inspection team, have documented clear patterns of
violations on biological weapons, on many other weapons of mass
destruction, obstructing the work of the inspectors, hiding weapons.
They must have something to hide. So, again, that is not a
justification, because the inspection team is multinational -- they're
technicians, they're scientists -- they're doing their work. And right
now they're prevented from doing so once again by Saddam Hussein
pushing the envelope, showing how irresponsible he is and testing the
will of the alliance and testing the Security Council, and it's not
working for him.
FARNSWORTH: The London Observer newspaper reported today that
inspectors were on the verge of finding a very -- an especially lethal
nerve gas, and that that's why this is happening. Is there any truth
to that?
RICHARDSON: Well, it could be that Saddam Hussein and the Iraqis have
something to hide. As ugly as that report may be, Richard Butler, the
head of the inspection team, may answer this question in the days
ahead. It could be that they are hiding something. I don't have that
documented. But what the Iraqis have shown is clear patterns of
obstruction, of hiding weapons, of denying access to inspectors --
especially in the biological weapon area.
FARNSWORTH: When you said that Saddam Hussein had made a big mistake,
and you were referring especially to the way the alliance is
responding now -- tell us more about that. There had been -- it seems
some people called this sanctions fatigue I think -- some of the
countries saying that they wished sanctions could end for various
reasons -- humanitarian or because they wanted to do business. What
about now? Is that changed?
RICHARDSON: I don't believe it's changing, Elizabeth. When there were
some abstentions on the last sanctions review issue these were
tactical differences. How do you define compliance? Who for instance
if they're travel sanctions, gets denied access from the Iraqi
government? We have renewed sanctions on Iraq. What we were talking
about then were additional sanctions. And the Security Council has 15
members -- it's not just the permanent five. And we always had a
coalition of 10 countries wanting strong sanctions, and additional
sanctions. So what is happening here is that the French and the
Russians have made very strong statements, pushing Saddam to pull
back.
What has also happened is the United Nations Security Council in the
last week has passed a number of resolutions urging support for the
team to reopen, finding ways to condemn Saddam Hussein, urging that
the inspectors be treated properly, they not be harassed. The
secretary general has weighed in very strongly with a mission that is
going to go there and basically define for Saddam Hussein what it
means that he has to do, and that is he has got to comply with the
U.N. resolutions. He has got to find a way to pull back. He has got to
find a way to literally totally back off. There is no negotiation. And
we made this clear that we supported this mission only -- only -- if
there were no negotiations, that they were there basically to read
Saddam Hussein the riot act.
FARNSWORTH: Okay. Mr. Ambassador, thanks very much for being with us.
RICHARDSON: Thank you, Elizabeth.
(end transcript)
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