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18 February 1998

ALBRIGHT, COHEN, BERGER AT TOWN MEETING ON IRAQ

(Top Administration officials take case for U.S. policy public) (320)
By Rick Marshall
USIA Staff Writer
Columbus, Ohio -- "We must be, and we are, prepared to use military
force," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said at a televised town
meeting on Iraq here February 18.
The weapons of mass destruction Iraq's Saddam Hussein has been seeking
are "the greatest security threat we face," Albright said.
Defense Secretary William Cohen later repeated this assessment during
the contentious hour-and-a-half long question and answer session with
students at the Ohio State University.
"Our mission is get the (United Nations) inspectors back," Cohen said.
"Their work isn't over and this is why we need them back on the
ground."
If this cannot be done diplomatically, the U.S. goal is "to deliver a
serious blow" to Iraq's ability to develop weapons of mass destruction
and threaten its neighbors, he said.
"We want a peaceful solution," National Security Advisor Sandy Berger
stated. "That is the best option. But it must be a peaceful solution
that establishes the right" of the U.N. inspectors to go where they
are needed. Doing so will hasten the day when sanctions against Iraq
can end, he added.
If that is not possible "we must be prepared to respond firmly,"
Berger said.
Both Cohen and Berger threw cold water on the idea of invading Iraq so
as to remove Saddam Hussein from power. "We do not support that
option," Berger said. The costs and the risks are too high.
"We think we can contain him," Cohen said of the Iraqi leader, "as we
have for the past seven years."
"We have carefully selected" sites and have very good intelligence
about where key facilities are located, the defense secretary
continued.
"We have planned for every contingency." We are confident that the
United States will be able to reduce Saddam Hussein's capability
significantly.
(For more information on this subject, contact our special Iraq
website at:
http://www.usia.gov/iraq)