29 January 1998
CLINTON WARNS U.S. WILL DENY IRAQ WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
(Top U.S. officials discuss Iraq with other governments) (940) By Wendy S. Ross USIA White House Correspondent Washington -- For the second time in a week, President Clinton has warned that the United States is "determined to deny" Iraq's Saddam Hussein "the capacity to use weapons of mass destruction again." In a January 29 speech to high-ranking military officials at the National Defense University at Fort McNair, President Clinton reiterated the position he stated in his January 27 State of the Union Address before Congress. "We know that Saddam has used weapons of mass destruction before," he said. "We again say he should comply with the UNSCOM regime and the will of the United Nations. But, regardless, we are determined to deny him the capacity to use weapons of mass destruction again." The President emphasized that preventing "nuclear, chemical and biological weapons from winding up in the wrong hands is among the primary challenges we face in the new security environment." Clinton noted that the United States has vital interests in a stable Persian Gulf region, pointing out that the area is "home to two-thirds of the world's oil resources and some of its most hostile regimes." Prior to his speech, Clinton met at Fort McNair with the Department of Defense's top leadership including his senior military operational commanders, for one of his twice-a-year reviews of key issues within his regional military commanders. General Anthony Zinni, U.S. Commander-in-Chief of the Central Command, provided him "an up-to-date assessment of Saddam's latest challenge to the community of nations," the President said. Since Desert Storm in January, 1991, "America has worked steadily and persistently to contain the threat Saddam poses, through sanctions that deny him billions every year to rebuild his military; and, where necessary, with force," Clinton said. He said the United States "struck Iraq's intelligence headquarters after its agents plotted to murder President Bush. We convinced Saddam to pull back his troops from Kuwait's border in 1994. We tightened the strategic straitjacket on him by extending the no-fly zone when he attacked the Kurds in 1996." At the White House, Press Secretary Mike McCurry told reporters the United States wants "to thwart Iraq's capacity to develop and use weapons of mass destruction. We want to limit Saddam Hussein's ability to project force and to threaten his neighbors. That will remain the President's objectives as he pursues diplomacy," McCurry said. He noted that President Clinton "is consulting closely (on Iraq) with friends and other members of the Security Council, as we consider next steps necessary to respond to what has been the unwillingness of the government of Iraq to meet its international obligations." Clinton "has not made any decision on use of force" with respect to Iraq, "but he clearly is discussing what options are available with others, and so are our senior diplomats," the Press Secretary explained. The consultations "are about the situation that we are in, the extent to which diplomacy may or may not bear fruit, and the degree to which diplomacy is increasingly running out of string, thus bringing the need for other options to at least be in focus as these consultations occur," McCurry said. Asked when he expects Clinton to make a decision on the use of force, McCurry said he expects the President "to await reports in the very near future" from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, who are consulting with other governments on this matter. McCurry said Clinton phoned Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien January 29 and the two talked about ten minutes. "It was an opportunity, obviously, for the President to consult further with the Prime Minister on the situation in Iraq," McCurry said. "The President and the Prime Minister agreed that relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions are very important, that they should be respected, and that the government of Iraq's flaunting of those resolutions is not acceptable." Clinton already has discussed the situation in Iraq by phone with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, and "anticipates speaking very soon to French President Jacques Chirac," McCurry said, adding that he "wouldn't rule out" that Clinton will talk also to Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin as well. Asked if Clinton has talked with any leaders in the Middle East on Iraq, McCurry said "he has not yet, but as you know, Secretary Albright has concluded meetings in Paris with her French counterpart, and plans to see her Russian counterpart shortly, and then I think she will be in the (Middle East) region. I anticipate Secretary Cohen being in the region, as well." Asked if there is any way the United States would accept any proposal regarding Iraq made by Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Primakov, McCurry said: "It's not a solution by any individual government that we seek, it's the willingness of the government of Iraq to meet its international obligations to allow the inspections to take place that are necessary to determine the extent and capacity of its programs in weapons of mass destruction. "And it's Iraq's obstinacy when it comes to those inspections that is now the purpose of international diplomacy. And we certainly hope and expect that any diplomacy undertaken by members of the Security Council will be directed at conveying that very strong message to the government of Iraq. We have no reason to believe that the Russian Federation has communicated any message other than that."
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