19 November 1997
TEXT: ALBRIGHT STATEMENT ON IRAQ AT CAIRO EN ROUTE GENEVA
("Iraq must let weapons inspectors get back to work") (450)
Cairo -- Secretary of State Albright says Iraq "must let the weapons
inspectors get back to their vital work of preventing Iraq from
building nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, and it must permit
those inspections to proceed without interference or conditions."
Stopping at the airport in Cairo en route Geneva, Albright said "We
continue to hope we can achieve this objective peacefully. But we
cannot rule out other options. I look forward to hearing an account in
Geneva of Foreign Minister Primakov's discussions with Iraqi
officials."
Albright said she will "re-iterate the U.S. position on what it will
take to resolve the situation created by Iraqi non-compliance. As
President Clinton has said, Iraq must not be allowed to threaten the
world through the development of nuclear, biological or chemical
weapons. No outcome short of that is acceptable."
Following is the State Department text:
(begin text)
Statement by
Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright in Cairo
November 19, 1997
Good evening.
I am grateful to Foreign Minister (Mahmoud) Moussa for agreeing, at
short notice, to meet with me and for coming to the airport to do so.
I also want to use this opportunity to re-iterate the shock and sorrow
of the United States at the sickening and cowardly crime committed in
Luxor this week. We condemn this act of terror and hope that those
responsible will be quickly apprehended,
As you know, following my meeting with the Foreign Minister, I will
depart for Geneva to meet with the Foreign Ministers of France, Russia
and the U.K. There, we will discuss ways to ensure the prompt
resumption of thorough UN monitoring and inspections in Iraq.
Since this crisis with Iraq began, we have been seeking to achieve one
overriding objective -- Iraq's compliance with the will of the
international community.
Iraq must let the weapons inspectors get back to their vital work of
preventing Iraq from building nuclear, chemical or biological weapons,
and it must permit those inspections to proceed without interference
or conditions.
We continue to hope we can achieve this objective peacefully. But we
cannot rule out other options. I look forward to hearing an account in
Geneva of Foreign Minister Primakov's discussions with Iraqi
officials.
I will also re-iterate the U.S. position on what it will take to
resolve the situation created by Iraqi non-compliance. As President
Clinton has said, Iraq must not be allowed to threaten the world
through the development of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. No
outcome short of that is acceptable.
Thank you very much.
(end text)
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