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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

MR. RUBIN: Greetings. Welcome to the State Department briefing. I have no announcements. I'm here to take your questions.

QUESTION: You've probably seen the announcement that all of the UNSCOM inspectors are due out of the country, of all nationalities, by Friday. I just wondered, do you have any thoughts on that?

MR. RUBIN: First of all, the President made clear this morning that this announcement is unacceptable. It is clearly unacceptable and is a further challenge to the international community. Our view now is that the Security Council sent the right message in passing its resolution overwhelmingly; and that message was to Saddam Hussein: comply now and let the UN get back to do its important work in uncovering and determining that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. That task is extremely important to the United States.

Secretary Albright will be consulting closely with our allies and other members of the Security Council on how to respond to Iraq's latest challenge to the international community. I understand that she has spoken to Ambassador Richardson, who will be seeking further action in the Security Council today. That action will have a very simple purpose; it will be to demonstrate to Saddam Hussein that this attempt to divide the world has failed, and that he will have only painted himself further in the corner. There's only one way out; and that way out is to comply with the United Nations, allow the inspectors to do their job.

So the action we'll be seeking in New York will demonstrate anew that he has painted himself into the corner; that he's only further isolated by trying to divide the world. I think we saw the UN Special Commission Chairman Butler make clear that this an attempt to divide UNSCOM. That is unacceptable to the United Nations. Secretary Albright spoke with Secretary General Kofi Annan just a few minutes ago, and he made clear to her that this attempt will not be permitted to divide Americans from others on the UN inspection teams, and that the world stands united in demanding that Saddam Hussein reverse course.

QUESTION: Is Ambassador Richardson's job complicated by the vote in the Congress last night on payment of arrears to the UN?

MR. RUBIN: Secretary Albright, I know, has believed for some time that it is extremely important for us to pay our debt to the United Nations, and that paying that debt is the best way to ensure that we get the support that we need from countries around the world in important national security matters. So if Congress adjourns without providing the billion dollars - I guess, $900 million -- that we owe the United Nations, and without sending the clear signal that they will pass it and that that money is coming, Secretary Albright believes it will be harder and harder to get support from the United Nations for this important national security matter. So this is extremely troubling, and it will make it more difficult for us to do the nation's business if we can't send a message to New York that we will pay back the money we owe.

QUESTION: In the view of the United States, what steps should the Security Council now take against Iraq?

MR. RUBIN: Well, as I said, we're going to be seeking action in the Council to demonstrate that he has only painted himself further into the corner. There's only one way out, and that is to comply with the United Nations.

That's the kind of step we're looking at now, is a demonstration anew that an attempt to - let's put it this way. Tariq Aziz has been in New York trying to explain how the Americans dominate the UN Special Commission, and their view that the Americans dominate the Special Commission is what has generated this threat to throw out the inspectors. If the UN Security Council responds, rejecting completely and utterly that attempt to split off the Americans, it will become increasingly clear to Iraq that its argument has failed; it has not won any friends. In fact, all it has done is unite the world against Saddam Hussein.

QUESTION: Jamie -

QUESTION: Hold on. Could I just follow up, please? So you're looking for a Security Council statement of condemnation?

MR. RUBIN: Something of that kind, yes.

QUESTION: Jamie --

QUESTION: We just have a report that the --

MR. RUBIN: Excuse me. Let me go over there first.

QUESTION: I'm sorry.

MR. RUBIN: Yes.

QUESTION: Just to follow up on this, Mr. Butler also said in his statement that by pulling out the inspectors, this further reduces the United Nations to be able to "see what's really going on over there." Are you worried - is the United States worried that Saddam has a lot of rope to maneuver, move around some more equipment? And the second part of my question is, would you say that the gap has been narrowed to take military action against him?

MR. RUBIN: On your first question, I think we talked about this at length yesterday. There's no question that with each passing day, it is harder and harder for UNSCOM, the UN Special Commission, to do its job. And if the UN Special Commission can't do it's job, there is the possibility that Saddam Hussein will begin to reconstitute weapons of mass destruction. But that doesn't change the fact that we are all in a position, we hope, to be able to keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein and make sure that he realizes that delaying the work of UNSCOM is like throwing away the key to unlocking sanctions.

So, yes, we're concerned that the UN Special Commission can't do its job, but the ones who should be most concerned about it are the Iraqi regime, because they are going to at some point make it extremely difficult for UNSCOM, the UN Special Commission, to know that they have even a baseline from which to monitor what's going on in Iraq. So at some point - and when that point is will be determined by Ambassador Butler - but at some point, they will cross a threshold that will require UNSCOM to start all over again in establishing a baseline.

QUESTION: And the second question, about the gap narrowing?

MR. RUBIN: I'm not going to - I have no new comment for you on military action. All I can tell you is that we have not ruled any options out.

QUESTION: Is there any thought being given to delaying her trip?

MR. RUBIN: The Secretary's bags are packed. The jet is, I suspect, being fueled right now, and we are leaving this evening.

QUESTION: I'm just not sure you're addressing the latest development, which is that the United Nations is pulling out all of the inspectors except for a skeleton crew.

MR. RUBIN: Correct.

QUESTION: Doesn't this just give Saddam what he wants right now?

MR. RUBIN: On the contrary, I think what will happen is that he will see today in New York that the international community has rejected his argument that Americans should be separated out from other countries' officials in the United Nations, and that Secretary General Kofi Annan, UNSCOM Chairman Ambassador Butler, and the entire world reject this attempt to divide the international community and to divide members of the UN. All he will have done, when this is all said and done, is further paint himself into a corner, from which there is only one exit, and that exit is compliance with the United Nations and letting the UN continue to do its job.

QUESTION: Jamie, when Tariq Aziz was making the statement earlier that the inspectors -- the American inspectors should leave, he gave them a specific time frame, which was six hours from his announcement. When Ambassador Butler said that the entire team was going to leave, he said they would leave tomorrow on an airplane. So we're going to pass this deadline imposed by the Iraqis. Is the United States seeking some assurance from the Iraqis that they will not take any action against the American members of the team?

MR. RUBIN: As I understand the situation, Ambassador Butler has made the decision that demonstrates that Saddam Hussein has failed. That decision is to not allow Americans to be separated and treated differently than others on the international effort to monitor his weapons of mass destruction.

So he has said he wants them all to go out together. He has indicated that his intention is to put them all on an aircraft that will leave tomorrow, and that that will make little difference to the Iraqis, in terms of what they said that they wanted - which was the Americans out today - and he's waiting for a response. So we are leaving this matter to Ambassador Butler to negotiate with the Iraqis. But I hope it will be clear to all that we will regard any attempt to interfere with Americans or single them out or act in any way against them as unacceptable.

QUESTION: Not to repeat history, because we'll all be condemned if we do, but before the Gulf war the Russians seemed to have a great need to go to the Gulf and have one more conversation with the Iraqis. In the Secretary's various conversations with Primakov and others, are you - is there any reason for the US to expect that some other countries will make an additional diplomatic effort which, in effect, will give Saddam more time? Whatever you want to attribute the purpose, is anybody about to go off on a trip and tell the US, hey, wait a minute; let me have another talk with the guy?

MR. RUBIN: Secretary Albright spoke with Foreign Minister Primakov yesterday. They discussed the matter, and she made clear to him that we have now acted in unity and we need to maintain as much unity as we can achieve, and that she wanted to stay in touch with him in the coming days and how to do whatever additional steps we needed to take to convince Saddam Hussein to change his mind.

During that conversation, I'm not aware that Foreign Minister Primakov indicated an intention to travel the way you suggested. But again, I wouldn't rule out officials from other countries trying to use their diplomatic wiles on the Iraqi Government to convince him that he seriously miscalculated. He thought he saw a wedge developing. He thought he could single out Americans from others, and he's failed. Even countries that tended to support his case, or at least express some sympathy for his case in New York are now united as one against the position that he's taking.

QUESTION: What is the US view of what does he do with his time that he keeps getting? You spoke a week ago of having walked the last diplomatic mile. The resolution got approved in pretty short order. But it seems that there's still a lag in taking those other measures. What is he doing with the time? Is he moving stuff around? Is he hiding biological ingredients? Is he rallying the Arab world to hate the United States? Is he getting any dividend out of this delay - if you want to call it a delay; there may not be the word.

MR. RUBIN: I think the answer to that question is that only Saddam Hussein has the key to unlocking sanctions. If he keeps throwing it away, by preventing the UN from doing its work, the sanctions can't be lifted.

So there is concern that at some point, a failure to allow inspections will yield a moment in which much of the baseline work that has been built up over these last six years could evaporate, and UNSCOM might have to start all over again in several aspects of its work. But I would ask you to bear in mind that we will - UNSCOM has announced its intention to continue U-2 flights. There are other remote cameras that Ambassador Butler talked about today that will operate. So although the situation deteriorates in terms of the weapons of mass destruction, just because you can't inspect doesn't mean you don't have any handle on what he's doing.

As far as our next steps are concerned, all I can say is, stay tuned.

QUESTION: If you'll just let me a quick follow - when you say the situation deteriorates as far as weapons of mass destruction, indeed because he's moving them around?

MR. RUBIN: Again, I'm not going to tell you what we know or think that he may or may not be doing. It's really up to UNSCOM to report that kind of thing publicly. But we are concerned that this time could be used for that purpose.

QUESTION: Do you have anything to say about his gathering of children and their families, adults, civilians in possible strategic places? What does that say to you? Is that going to deter you from certain targets, should that become necessary?

MR. RUBIN: I am not in a position to get into targeting questions.

QUESTION: Given the grave potential danger of this weapons of mass destruction program in Iraq, is it really not more important that the inspections continue; that they continue with Americans on board? I mean, shouldn't the priority be that the inspections go ahead, rather than simply making sure that Americans are part of the team?

MR. RUBIN: Yes, President Clinton has made clear the high value we place on the work that UNSCOM and the UN has done. He's pointed out several times that they have destroyed more weapons of mass destruction in the years following the Gulf war than were destroyed during the Gulf war.

So I think we are very clear in our minds on the value of the UN Special Commission. But what we've learned over the years is that if you give Saddam Hussein an inch, he will take a mile. Today it will be American inspectors; tomorrow it will be British inspectors; the day after that it will be inspectors from another country. Pretty soon, you won't have any of the individuals you think are necessary to do the job.

So the point is that when it comes to determining who does the work for the United Nations, if you let Saddam Hussein dictate the terms, you are going to then begin a process by which he dictates where they can go, when they can go, how quickly they can expect. These are issues that have been played out over and over again over the last six years. The lesson we've learned is that the only thing he understands is firmness; the only thing he understands is a united Security Council supporting the UN Special Commission. That's why the focus of our initial efforts have been on demonstrating the unity of the Council.

QUESTION: Jamie, I know you say all options are open. The Russians think one option is closed, which is military action. In her discussions with Primakov, can you say whether the Russians have come up with another imaginative means short of warfare to make Saddam change his mind? And would you be happy to see Mr. Primakov, on his own, make efforts to talk to Saddam Hussein, in the context of being a Security Council veto-holder?

MR. RUBIN: On the first question, again without breaking the confidence of diplomatic discussions, I don't believe that there was an extensive discussion about next steps. I believe it was more a discussion where the Secretary was asking the Russian Foreign Minister what his ideas are on how to resolve the problem. I don't think she came back thinking that there were any ideas there that were of the kind that were likely to break the impasse any time soon.

As far as the second question is concerned, he didn't raise the subject; he didn't propose it. So I will have to fall back on the spokesman's safety net of, "that's a hypothetical question."

QUESTION: You haven't done that. You've never done that.

MR. RUBIN: Well, then the first --

QUESTION: We used to get it three times a day.

(Laughter.)

MR. RUBIN: Well, then, the first time this spokesman has fallen back on that safety net called the hypothetical question.

QUESTION: At what point would the US and the UN began to lose patience that the diplomatic efforts have failed and Saddam has not gotten the message? And the fact that all of the inspectors are leaving Iraq tomorrow - does that make it, then, out of harm's way? Would that make it also easier?

MR. RUBIN: Again, as far as military questions are concerned, all I can say is that we haven't ruled any options out. As far as how long we will wait, again, it's not in our interest to dictate publicly what our timelines are. All I can tell you for sure is that we will not wait indefinitely.

QUESTION: Privately, are there timelines?

MR. RUBIN: If there were, and I just told you that there were, then I would be starting the process of finding out the timelines.

QUESTION: Jamie, there are Westerners there. There may be some Americans in Iraq. Would you advise them to leave the country now?

MR. RUBIN: I have no information suggesting a consular warning of that kind. I think we have made clear, if Iraq had attacked the U-2 aircraft, that would have been a big mistake with consequences. So we understand there is an additional U-2 flight planned. So that view would pertain to the future flight, that pertained to the last flight. I don't believe we made that statement surrounding that flight - if any of that made sense to you.

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