13 November 1997
THE UNITED STATES CALLS IRAQI ACTIONS "UNACCEPTABLE"
(Clinton, Richardson on expulsion of Americans) (570) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- President Clinton and other senior U.S. officials November 13 called Iraq's decision to expel American weapons inspectors from the country unacceptable and warned of further actions if Iraq persists. U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson said that "Iraq is pushing this issue to the brink and there are going to be some grave consequences." During interviews on morning television programs, Richardson also called Iraq's actions "unacceptable" and stressed that Iraq's snub is not just to the United States but to the entire international community which wants to see Iraqi chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles eliminated. "Iraq is defying the United Nations Security Council," Richardson said. "It's pushing this issue...this is clearly violating what the United Nations said yesterday, which was to restore the full capacity of the U.N. inspection team that is going good work, that is trying to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction." After a meeting with his national security team the President said that Iraq's action was "clearly unacceptable and a challenge to the international community." "I intend to pursue this matter in a very determined way. It is important to the safety of the world they continue their work," Clinton said. On November 12, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Iraq's decision to expel Americans working for the U.N. Special Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM), threats to shoot down UNSCOM surveillance flights, and tampering with UNSCOM's long-term monitoring equipment. The Council demanded that Iraq immediately reverse its actions and imposed a travel ban on Iraqi officials and military who are blocking UNSCOM operations. Tariq Aziz notified Secretary General Kofi Annan in the early morning November 13 that all American UNSCOM employees must be out of Baghdad by the end of the day and U-2 surveillance flights must stop. UNSCOM can "perform its duties inside Iraq with the personnel it has, with any personnel the executive chairman decides to send except Americans," Tariq Aziz said. "If the executive chairman decides to withdraw his personnel from Baghdad...he will bear the responsibility for his decision." Richardson said "Iraq should take heed of that united action by the Security Council, by nations that formed the old coalition, and back off and let the U.N. inspectors do their work." While saying that the United States prefers "to let diplomacy work," Richardson pointed out that the resolution clearly says that "there will be further measures." He added that the United States feels that there is enough language warning of serious consequences in the several resolutions that make up the United Nations Gulf War cease-fire demands to justify military action if needed. The ambassador said that the United States is not ruling out any options. "The military option is being considered," he said. "It is something the President would decide, but this is something that is going to be provoked, I would think, by continued Iraqi insistence on violating the United Nations," Richardson said. Richardson said that Iraq "is playing politics" by trying to determine the nationality of the U.N. weapons inspectors. "This is a U.N. inspection team...They're singling Americans out. Who's going to be next? Those countries that voted against them yesterday?"
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