• Military

• WMD Menu                           

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

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

17 February 1998

INDYK: US HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON DIPLOMACY TO END IRAQ CRISIS

(Says U.S. is prepared to use military force "unilaterally") (460)
By Peter Sawchyn
USIA Staff Writer
Washington -- Washington remains steadfast in its determination to
deny Saddam Hussein access to weapons of mass destruction, and to
significantly diminish the threat the Iraqi leader poses to
neighboring countries, Martin Indyk, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
for Near Eastern Affairs, said February 17.
The United States has not given up on diplomatic efforts to resolve
the Iraq crisis, Indyk said. The United States continues to work with
the United Nations Security Council to ensure Iraq's full compliance
with U.N. resolutions on weapons inspections. However, the Assistant
Secretary said, the United States is fully prepared to use military
force "unilaterally" to ensure Iraqi compliance if diplomatic efforts
fail.
Speaking in a Worldnet interview with journalists in Paris, Cairo,
Ankara and Riyadh, Indyk also explained the difference between the
U.S. position on the Middle East peace process, and on Washington's
efforts to ensure Iraq's compliance with U.N. resolutions.
Regarding the former, Indyk said U.N. resolutions 242 and 338 both
provide for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to resolve
disputes. Towards that end, the United States has "acted vigorously"
to implement the resolutions and related interim peace agreements,
including current efforts to ensure Israel's continued participation
in land-for-peace negotiations, he said.
By contrast, Indyk said, U.N. resolutions on Iraq are mandatory and
must be complied with. As such, he said, there is no "double standard"
in U.S. policy towards Iraq and Israel. Moreover, Indyk emphasized
that the Iraqi crisis is not a dispute between the United States and
Iraq, regardless of what Iraq says. Rather, it is a dispute between
Iraq and the United Nations. The United States, he stated, is working
in concert with the United Nations to ensure implementation of U.N.
resolutions on Iraq.
On the issue of civilian casualties from a possible military strike,
Indyk said the United States is very concerned that Iraqi citizens may
be used as human shields. Washington is very concerned about the Iraqi
people and will do whatever it can to protect human lives. However, if
Saddam Hussein chooses to use his people as "propaganda tools" in the
standoff over weapons inspections, that will leave Washington with a
very difficult choice, Indyk said.
Indyk also answered questions on the situation of ethnic Kurds in
Northern Iraq, concerns over Arab public opinion on the plight of the
Iraqi people, the U.N. "oil-for-food" program, the integrity of Iraq
after a possible military strike, and possible U.S. support for an
Iraqi opposition force.
(For more information on this subject, contact our special Iraq
website at:
http://www.usia.gov/iraq)