13 November 1997
CLINTON DETERMINED TO GET IRAQ TO COMPLY WITH U.N. RESOLUTIONS
(Iraq's action to expel U.S. inspectors "clearly unacceptable") (780) By Wendy S. Ross USIA White House Correspondent Washington -- The United Nations Security Council "plainly sent the right message" November 12 by insisting that Iraq stop interfering with U.N. weapons inspections, but "Iraq's announcement this morning to expel the Americans on the inspection team is clearly unacceptable and a challenge to the international community," Clinton said at a November 13 signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House. "Comply now with the U.N. resolutions and let the UNSCOM (United Nations Special Commission) team go back to work," the President told Iraq. "These inspectors in the last six years have uncovered more weapons of mass destruction potential and destroyed it than was destroyed in the entire Gulf War," Clinton told his White House audience. "It is important to the safety of the world that they continue their work. I intend to pursue this matter in a very determined way," the President said. Prior to the signing ceremony for legislation funding the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, Clinton met for an hour and a half with his National Security advisers to discuss the response by Iraq to the U.N. Security Council resolution, White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry reported. Attending the meeting were "the full regalia" of national security advisers, including Secretary of State Albright, Secretary of Defense Cohen, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry Shelton. McCurry said there will be further meetings at the White House, "both today, tomorrow, and in coming days and into next week," on the situation, some involving the President and some not. McCurry characterized as "utterly outrageous" Iraq's response to Security Council Resolution 1137 that the Council approved 15-0 October 12. The resolution bans international travel by Iraqi officials and delays a review of sanctions against Iraq until Iraq cooperates with U.N. weapons inspections. The United States government wants "a very clear statement from the Security Council, most likely from the President of the Council, that makes clear the dissatisfaction in the Security Council with the response to the resolution passed unanimously," McCurry said. "We'll continue in coming days to be working this issue at the United Nations. I would anticipate the Secretary of State to be engaged with some of her colleagues as she travels to address this issue. And the President himself will be following it, and I don't rule out that the President himself might be engaged in some diplomacy related to this issue in coming days and into next week," McCurry said. "The President and others will be engaged in the careful and patient work of building the correct response to this provocation in coming days, and we will, of course, be very actively monitoring in the region responses by the government of Iraq," he said. Asked if Saddam Hussein was not getting his way by ordering the U.S. inspectors to leave, McCurry said the opposite is happening. "He is looking for a way to escape the sanctions placed upon him as a result of the end of the Gulf War. He has now basically thrown away the key that gets him out of that sanctions box, and the United Nations has just ordered strengthening of sanctions and has indicated that further measures are in the offing." McCurry noted that the United Nations chief weapons inspector Richard Butler made clear that the U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq "are not going to divide themselves by nationality. There are good reasons not to do that. And they can't carry out the inspections if they're not going to divide by nationality, given the requirement of the government of Iraq. Therefore, the inspections are not going to go forward. Under those circumstances, the chairman has made a reasonable decision to bring the inspectors out and there may be very good reasons to do that," the Press Secretary said. He noted that Butler "has requested that, for practical purposes" the U.S. members of that team be allowed to delay their departure so they can leave Iraq with all the other members of the team. Clinton has exchanged messages on Iraq in the last several days with some of his counterparts, McCurry said, and there has been high-level diplomacy conducted by the Secretary of State. Asked if Clinton was planning to meet with Jordan's King Hussein, who is in the United States, McCurry said: "He definitely plans to see him and see him soon. We just are not -- we're being a little elliptical about the timing."
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