• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

........................

QUESTION: Any comment, Jamie, on Baghdad's renewed demands to set limits and terms for the UN inspection team?

MR. RUBIN: Yes. The bottom line is that so long as Iraq doesn't get the message that it must comply fully and unconditionally with the requirements of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions -- which specify unconditional, unrestricted, unfettered access to all the sites that UNSCOM, the UN inspectors, think they need, we're not going to be out of the woods on this issue.

We will be fully supporting Ambassador Butler's trip and his effort to get the kind of access that he needs to do his job; and that job is a job that was given to him by the entire world through the United Nations Security Council. It's one that the statement yesterday demonstrates the entire Security Council supports. And he will need unrestricted, unfettered, unconditional access to locations in Iraq that he deems necessary to determine not only what Iraq may or may not have imported, but what Iraq may or may not have destroyed, and what capabilities Iraq may or may not have to develop weapons of mass destruction.

QUESTION: But it's not a good sign that Tariq Aziz, at this point, is sending another letter to the UN trying to spell out conditions.

MR. RUBIN: Well, we have never stated that this is over. We have made very clear for some days and weeks now that we need to see unfettered, unconditional, unrestricted access. This has been a problem for some time. It preceded the recent decision, and then reversal of that decision, by Iraq to try to determine who the inspectors would be.

It's been going on for some time. And until Iraq gets the message and allows unconditional, unfettered, unrestricted access, we're going to be continuing to talk about this subject. And as you know, as Secretary Cohen indicated, this is a matter of great concern to the United States and no options have been excluded.

QUESTION: Just one more question, Jamie. Do you think that there's any chance the UN or the US would bow to Russian pressure to accept Iraq's promise that it has dismantled its nuclear program?

MR. RUBIN: That's easy: no. I wouldn't accept the premise of the question, that the Russians would ever impose such pressure; except to say that if that hypothetical happened, I will break the hypothetical rule and answer the question "no".

.........................

QUESTION: There was a report that the president of the IAEA saying that the Iraqis are not rebuilding their nuclear program. Are you satisfied yourselves? Do you agree with him?

MR. RUBIN: Since resuming inspection operations November 22, the IAEA has visited known nuclear related facilities in Iraq to determine if any proscribed activity took place during the suspension of inspection and monitoring operations.

To date, the IAEA has not detected an effort by Iraq to resume operations during the suspension of inspection and monitoring operations. It continues to take steps to restore continuity in monitoring operations.

The IAEA's position is clear. While it has removed, destroyed or rendered harmless known elements of Iraq's nuclear program, it still cannot close the nuclear file or shut down this problem because, as it stated in its October report to the UN Security Council, for example, Iraq has yet to provide information about its procurement and concealment efforts, which are obviously very important.

The IAEA has done an excellent job in its efforts to uncover Iraq's nuclear program in the face of continuing Iraqi concealment efforts.

QUESTION: Is this progress on this issue - (inaudible)? You don't consider this progress by doing that?

MR. RUBIN: That sounds like a lot of reports that I saw in New York over a long period of time - sounds pretty similar; namely, the first point that it has removed, destroyed or rendered harmless known elements of Iraq's nuclear program. Iraq has yet to provide information about its procurement and concealment efforts.

I think if you go back and look at the IAEA's various reporting over recent months, you will find those two sentences very familiar.

QUESTION: Do you have any guidance on yesterday's question about whether Iran is trying to acquire nuclear missile technology from South Africa?

MR. RUBIN: We are aware of a variety of press reports, dating back several months, suggesting that Iranian officials have requested South African assistance in providing Iran with technology which could assist development of a nuclear weapons program.

One report alleged that a meeting between South African and Iranian nuclear officials occurred in South Africa in 1996. In response to that report, South African officials publicly clarified many inaccuracies in the report.

The United States has high confidence in South Africa's commitment to its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty not to assist efforts of any other countries - including Iran - to acquire nuclear weapons. South Africa's solid nuclear nonproliferation credentials are well-known to us. In addition to being a signatory to the NPT, it played a significant role - a leadership role - in securing indefinite extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1995. It is a member of the nuclear suppliers' group, and voluntarily abandoned its own nuclear weapons program in 1992.

Iran, on the other hand, remains a significant and serious concern. We believe Iran continues actively to attempt to develop nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction capabilities, in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and other international nonproliferation treaties and arrangements.

........................

[end of document]