09 February 1998
TRANSCRIPT: COHEN QUERIED ON BAVARIAN TV ABOUT IRAQ FEB. 8
(Saddam's window of opportunity is getting very narrow) (910) Munich -- "As President Clinton and Secretary Albright have said, the window is still open, but the opening is getting very narrow. So we think he [Saddam Hussein] should comply very quickly," Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen said February 8 in an interview with Bavarian Television. Cohen, in Munich for the Wehrkunde Conference, was asked about the existing situation with Iraq and whether there is likely to be a strike against that country for limiting the inspections by UNSCOM to satisfy the United Nations that Saddam Hussein is no longer building chemical or biological or even nuclear weapons. The defense secretary replied that "the president said it cannot be ruled out, and obviously we have the forces in the region that would allow us to carry out a mission that would be designed to curtail and reduce his weapons of mass destruction." Asked if the United States expected either political or military support from Germany, Cohen said, "Well, as Chancellor Kohl indicated, the Chancellor and Germany are very much supportive of what President Clinton and Great Britain -- another ally has joined us in the military preparations and are prepared to operate militarily together." Following is a transcript of the interview provided by the U.S. Information Service in Bonn: (Begin transcript) Interview with Bavarian Television with Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen on occasion of Security Policy Conference February 8, 1998 Munich, Germany As transcribed, cleared BAVARIAN TELEVISION: Thank you for coming. Q: What is the existing situation with Iraq? COHEN: The existing situation -- we are still seeking a diplomatic resolution to the issue of -- we hope that Saddam Hussein will simply abide by his obligations under the United Nations resolutions. And if he were to do so, then the crisis would be resolved. In the event that he fails to do so, then military action may be necessary. President Clinton has made no decision as of this time to exercise any military option. He still is seeking to resolve this in a peaceful fashion. BAVARIAN TELEVISION: Will there be a strike if there is a? COHEN: Well, the President said it cannot be ruled out, and obviously we have the forces in the region that would allow us to carry out a mission that would be designed to curtail and reduce his weapons of mass destruction. What our goal is, is to do what we can on the ground and have the UNSCOM UN inspectors in Iraq looking at the various facilities that they suspect may be either manufacturing or storing chemical or biological weapons. That's the best solution. It is not as good a solution to try to remove those militarily, but it may be the only way to really achieve that kind of reduction, so he doesn't pose a threat to the region. BAVARIAN TELEVISION: When do you expect the final decision? Is there a deadline? COHEN: There is no set deadline at this time. As President Clinton and Secretary Albright have said, the window is still open but the opening is getting very narrow. So we think he should comply very quickly. We are hoping that the diplomatic initiatives that are under way by other countries will be productive, but in the event they are not, then we obviously are prepared to take other types of action. BAVARIAN TELEVISION: The window of opportunity, you think it's days, weeks or months? COHEN: Well, I would think in a reasonably short period of time. This cannot be stretched out into infinity. We've been talking about this now since late October/November whereby he started the policy of trying to exclude, in essence, blindfold the inspectors by saying: You can't go to the palaces, you can't go to sensitive sites, you can't look at the Republican Guard facilities, and his cutting back on the ability of UNSCOM to do it's job. If UNSCOM is allowed to do it's job then that obviously is the best way to produce the result to satisfy the United Nations that he is no longer building chemical or biological or even nuclear weapons. When he starts to restrict their access then it raises serious questions as to what is going on. Presidential palaces have been very much in the news, but we should not become so mesmerized by the palaces that we overlook the fact that there are sites, military sites, there are Republican Guard facilities, there are facilities that he has declared to be in the national security interest. All have been declared off limits. So we should not fixate upon the presidential palaces that we overlook what are also important, and that is every other site that should be open and available for inspection. BAVARIAN TELEVISION: What support do you expect from Germany? Political or military? COHEN: Well, as Chancellor Kohl indicated, the Chancellor and Germany are very much supportive of what President Clinton and Great Britain -- another ally has joined us, in the military preparations and are prepared to operate militarily together. We hope other allies will be equally supportive, but there is a very strong statement coming from the Chancellor, and we appreciate it very much. BAVARIAN TELEVISION: Do you think it is military in the sense (inaudible)... COHEN: Well we haven't requested any military participation by Germany and if it were necessary to do so, then I'm satisfied, based upon the Chancellor's statements that we would have support. But we have not found it necessary to make such a request now. BAVARIAN TELEVISION: Thank you very much. (End transcript)
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