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14 November 1997

TEXT: PRESIDENT CLINTON'S STATEMENT ON IRAQ NOVEMBER 14

(Orders USS George Washington to the Persian Gulf) (500)
Washington -- "Today, and in the days ahead," President Clinton said
November 14, "the United States will work intensively with our allies
and our friends in the region and around the world to convince Iraq to
comply with the will of the international community as expressed in
the United Nations resolution.
"Meanwhile, the U-2 missions over Iraq must continue," the President
said. "Without inspectors on the ground, it is more important than
ever to monitor events from the air. And we will maintain a strong
military presence in the Gulf.
"To that end, I have ordered today the aircraft carrier George
Washington to the region as a prudent measure to help assure that we
have the forces we need for any contingency."
Following is the White House text:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
November 14, 1997
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
The Briefing Room
THE PRESIDENT: Two days ago and again last night, the United Nations
Security Council sent a clear, unanimous message to Iraq: Stop
obstructing the international weapons inspectors who are the eyes and
ears of the world on your weapons of mass destruction capability.
Instead of complying with the unequivocal will of the international
community, Saddam chose to expel the weapons inspectors from Iraq, and
in so doing, to defy the United Nations. Saddam has spent the better
part of the last two decades and much of the wealth of his nation not
on providing for the needs and advancing the hopes of the Iraqi
people, but on a program to build an arsenal of the most terrible
weapons of destruction -- nuclear, chemical, biological -- and on the
missiles to carry them to faraway places.
The U.N. inspectors have done a remarkable job of finding and
destroying the weapons and the weapons potential he was hiding, and
preventing him from building new weapons. These quiet inspectors have
destroyed more weapons of mass destruction potential over the last six
years than was destroyed in the entire Gulf War. Their work is
important to the safety of Saddam's neighbors and, indeed, to people
all around the world. It must be allowed to continue.
Today, and in the days ahead, the United States will work intensively
with our allies and our friends in the region and around the world to
convince Iraq to comply with the will of the international community
as expressed in the United Nations resolution.
Meanwhile, the U-2 missions over Iraq must continue. Without
inspectors on the ground, it is more important than ever to monitor
events from the air. And we will maintain a strong military presence
in the Gulf.
To that end, I have ordered today the aircraft carrier George
Washington to the region as a prudent measure to help assure that we
have the forces we need for any contingency.
This is a crisis of Saddam's making. It can be unmade only when he can
no longer threaten the international community with weapons of mass
destruction. Thank you.
(end text)