10 December 1997
TEXT: RICHARDSON ON IRAQ, UN AT NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
(Allies remain united and steadfast) (2510)
Washington -- Bill Richardson, the U.S. permanent representative to
the United Nations spoke at the National Press Club December 9,
telling the audience that the international coalition arrayed against
Iraq's Saddam Hussein "remains united and steadfast" and that "the
United States along with our colleagues in the United Nations remain
committed to providing Iraq with humanitarian relief."
Following is text of Richardson's remarks:
(Begin text)
STATEMENT BY
BILL RICHARDSON
UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS
NEWSMAKER LUNCHEON
THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
WASHINGTON, DC
Thank you to Richard Sammon for that introduction. It is a great
pleasure to be here today.
Let me first apologize for not having been able to speak when I was
originally scheduled in November. But as I'm sure you are aware Saddam
Hussein and Iraq tend to take up much of my time. Today, I'd like to
take this opportunity to talk about the current situation with Iraq.
The events of the past six weeks are once again reminding the world
that constant vigilance is the price that must be paid for containing
Saddam Hussein. And today, due in part to American leadership, the
international community remains united and steadfast in its
determination that Iraq's continued efforts to defy the will of the
international community will not be tolerated.
After nearly two decades of brutal and dictatorial rule, after using
poison gas against his own people, after launching two major wars,
after raining SCUD missiles down on innocent civilians in Israel,
Saddam Hussein is in no position to make demands or set conditions.
That's why the goal of the United States and the international
community, from the beginning of this crisis, has remained the same --
ensuring the unconditional return of U.N. inspectors to Iraq.
The agreement reached by Secretary of State Albright and our allies in
Geneva last month met that objective. No concessions were made. No
half-measures were accepted. And, no compromises were broached.
And, at the recent UNSCOM meeting in New York the international
community maintained its consensus that the goal of detailing and
destroying Iraq's complete weapons of mass destruction program remains
incomplete.
Today, our goals remain the same -- guaranteeing that Iraq lives up to
its obligations. And, due to Iraq's recent behavior, the international
coalition arrayed against it is even stronger than it was just a few
weeks ago.
Working closely with our colleagues on the Security Council and
through the deployment of military force in the region, the Clinton
Administration has sent an unequivocal message to the Iraqi regime --
comply with U.N. Security Council Resolutions and the will of the
international community or face the consequences.
Unfortunately, it is the Iraqi people who continue to suffer because
of Saddam's unceasing intransigence. That's why more than six years
ago, the United States not only supported, but first sponsored a
program to let Iraq supplement existing programs to distribute food
and medicine by selling oil in exchange for humanitarian assistance.
For four years, Iraq refused to take our offer. In fact, since the end
of the Gulf War, Iraq has foregone more than $100 billion in oil
revenue simply to maintain its weapons of mass destruction program.
Instead of feeding his starving children and an impoverished people,
already devastated from a decade of almost constant war, Saddam spent
his nation's dwindling riches on new, lavish palaces for himself and
his cronies.
Once Iraq finally agreed to let the oil-for-food program go forward,
more than 3 million tons of food were delivered to the Iraqi people
through the United Nations.
But, just this past week, at the same time he was bemoaning the
condition of his nation's children -- even staging funerals in the
streets of Baghdad -- Saddam's true colors shone through when he
initially rejected a United Nations resolution to renew the
oil-for-food program.
Now there's been a great deal of propaganda from Iraq's
representatives in New York on this issue, but as we well know facts
can he stubborn things. And the fact is, developing mustard gas,
anthrax or VX never fed one hungry child. Ultimately, the burden of
responsibility for the plight of the Iraqi people must lie squarely on
the shoulders of Saddam Hussein.
Nonetheless, the United States along with our colleagues in the United
Nations remain committed to providing Iraq with humanitarian relief.
America will not hold the Iraqi people hostage to international
politics.
And our willingness to provide humanitarian assistance is a sign that
for all our differences with Iraq's leadership our compassion and
sympathy for the plight of the Iraqi people remains strong.
However, our vigilance against Iraq must not waver. The grave threat
that weapons of mass destruction pose, as well as Saddam's past
inclination to use them against combatants and civilians alike,
prevent any compromise or weakness.
As Richard Butler, head of the U.N. inspection team prepares to meet
with Iraqi leaders, it is my sincere hope that Saddam Hussein finally
heeds the unambiguous and resolute message of the international
community that continued, unfettered access by U.N. inspectors to all
sensitive sites in Iraq is non-negotiable. Only then will this
situation be resolved.
Of course, I didn't come today to just talk to you about the misdeeds
of Saddam Hussein. That would literally take all day.
The events of the past month, however, have brought home an important
lesson to the American people and the Congress -- a strong and
effective United Nations is an essential element for advancing
American national interests across the globe.
Without the help of the United Nations, containing Saddam Hussein's
aggression and provocation would unquestionably be more difficult and
far costlier for the American people.
During the Gulf War, U.N. Security Council mandates and resolutions
were a vital tool in creating the international coalition and
consensus on the need to dislodge Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.
Since the war, United Nations sanctions have helped guarantee that
Saddam is unable to significantly rebuild his military arsenal. In
addition, no-fly Zones in the North and South are helping prevent Iraq
from posing a significant threat to its neighbors and its own people.
And through the work of UNSCOM, more weapons of mass destruction
potential have been destroyed over the past six and half years than
were destroyed during the entire Gulf War.
The effectiveness of these sanctions is tied directly to the fact that
they are multilateral in nature. Rarely before has a tighter noose
been tied around the neck of a rogue regime then we see today in Iraq.
Of course, the situation in Iraq is just one of many examples of how
the United Nations is protecting American interests from
Port-au-Prince to the Persian Gulf and all points in between.
First, the United Nations and other international organizations are
helping to guarantee international peace and stability. In North
Korea, international arms inspectors are ensuring that Pyongyang is
unable to produce weapons of mass destruction.
This breakthrough created the opportunity for the opening of a
critical dialogue between the United States, China, and the two Koreas
-- for the first time since the Korean War. In fact, these talks begin
today in Geneva.
And, around the world, more than 30,000 peacekeepers are helping to
keep the peace from the Middle East and Western Sahara to the former
Yugoslavia and Central Asia.
And, after the fighting has stopped and the peace agreements are
signed, it is the U.N. that stays behind -- monitoring elections,
rebuilding civil society, disarming former rebels, punishing the
guilty and the list goes on.
In fact, since 1992, the United Nations has helped more than 100 new
democracies around the world hold free and fair elections.
I've seen the work of the United Nations firsthand in Haiti where,
against tremendous odds, U.N. personnel are helping to enshrine
democracy, create a police force that protects and serves its citizens
instead of leaving them in constant fear, and most important provide
hope in a place where for two centuries hope was a fleeting vision.
And, I've seen it in the former Yugoslavia, where U.N. agencies
alongside regional organizations are helping to reconstruct civil
society, while at the same time that an international court at The
Hague is beginning to bring to justice those accused of the worst
atrocities in Europe since World War II.
Second, this year as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights we are reminded that one of the
U.N.'s greatest contributions to mankind is ensuring that
understanding and respect for human rights remains universal and part
of the basic social compact across the globe.
Through the International Labor Organization, the U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights the U.N. Human Rights Commission, and
other agencies the United Nations is helping ensure that basic human
rights are being respected around the globe.
Moreover, when those accused of horrific crimes against humanity are
forced to answer for their actions American interests and values are
upheld. It's why I recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of
Congo, to ensure that U.N. human rights investigators would be able to
examine accusations of significant human rights violations. I'm
pleased to announce that the U.N. investigation is continuing today as
I speak.
Third, at a time when infectious diseases -- many with no known cure
-- can spread unimpeded and undetected across national borders, the
efforts of the U.N.'s World Health Organization are helping protect
the lives of millions.
Here in America we've become all too familiar with the ravages of
HIV/AIDS. But we may be less familiar with the fact that the disease
is thought by some to trace its origins to the refugee and guerrilla
camps that existed along the Tanzania/Uganda border in the late 1970s.
Today, we may believe that the Ebola virus or dengue fever or malaria
are somebody else's problem. But, tomorrow when a person infected with
any of these diseases can board a plane and touchdown in Washington,
Detroit or Los Angeles in a matter of hours these seemingly far away
problems can quickly and tragically become our own.
These are all diseases that in time could come to directly impact the
American people, as has HIV/AIDS. The U.N. is helping ensure they
never do.
Fourth, through sustainable development programs from economic
development and environmental protection to the empowerment of women,
the U.N. is helping a stable prosperous 21st century take shape.
Because, when families have no money to feed their children, the
ecological importance of the world's rainforests and ecosystems is
fuzzy at best. When unemployment hovers above 50 percent, radical
political movements seem far more seductive. When infant mortality
rates remain tragically high, it is near impossible to convince
parents that they should practice basic family planning.
Through its humanitarian efforts, the U.N. is saving lives and
providing hope. Consider that today the U.N. High Commissioner on
Refugees is providing assistance to more than 25 million people around
the world. And UNICEF is saving the lives of three million children
every year through its vaccination program.
At a time when transnational, multilateral threats from global climate
change and weapons of mass destruction to illegal narcotics and
international terrorism and crime dominate the international agenda,
the U.N. -- as an international organization -- is in a unique
position to protect American interests.
If the U.N. didn't take responsibility for these issues then either
the United States would have to act on its own at a much greater
financial burden or they wouldn't get addressed at all. For the
world's indispensable nation, that is not an acceptable option. This
sort of burden sharing is what makes the U.N. an indispensable
component of American foreign policy.
However, at a time when the importance of the United Nations could
seemingly not be more apparent to the American people, Congress
recently failed to pass legislation that would have finally paid off
the bulk of our outstanding dues to the organization.
This legislation would have paved the way for reducing the United
States's financial burden to the U.N., saving taxpayers millions of
dollars, safeguarding U.S. sovereignty and helping bring about real
reform at the United Nations.
But, most of all, it would have guaranteed that the U.N.'s strongest
member -- the United States of America -- remained engaged, active and
continuing to play its traditional leadership role.
Leading Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate
worked tirelessly with the Clinton Administration for many months to
craft this bipartisan legislation that would have paid most of our
outstanding dues while encouraging key and overdue reforms at the
organization. Regrettably, in the end unrelated domestic politics
prevented this bill from becoming law.
For the American people, it would have been a truly win-win-win
scenario. Instead, America's national interests will pay the price for
this failure to honor our international commitments.
Over the past year, I've traveled extensively throughout this country
talking to the American people and it is clear to me that they want
the United States to remain engaged and involved in the international
arena.
In fact, a recent poll indicates that 83% of Americans want to see the
U.N. strengthened and 89% seek a multilateral approach to solving
international problems. And, fifty-eight percent want to see Congress
pay our U.N. dues.
These numbers speak for themselves. The American people want the
United States to remain an active, engaged and responsible leader on
the international arena.
At a time when the momentum for U.N. reform is growing, at a time when
the Clinton Administration is trying to build international support
for maintaining tough sanctions against Iraq, it's incomprehensible to
me that some in Congress would weaken the United Nations when it is
working to strengthen our national interests.
The continued non-payment of our arrears is making America fair game
to our most vocal international critics. Moreover, American interests
in regard to the Middle East peace process, the extension of
peacekeeping operations and sanctions regimes as well as our reform
efforts are being compromised by the failure to pay our dues.
I urge Congress when it returns to Washington in January to move
quickly and pass legislation that will encourage reform and pay our
outstanding dues to the organization.
As the world's indispensable nation, it's time to put our money where
our mouth is, once and for all.
Let us remember that the U.N. is not some monolithic force; it is a
partnership of 185 countries. The organization will only be as strong
as its member states, which means that each member must join together
in shoulding the political, diplomatic and financial burdens of the
organization.
With your help and the help of the millions of Americans throughout
the country who support the work of the U.N., I believe we can achieve
our goals and maintain U.S. leadership in the United Nations and
across the globe.
Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
(End text)
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