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09 September 1998

INDYK PREDICTS U.N. VOTE WILL NOT LIFT SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQ

(Does not rule out force to support inspections) (550)
By William B. Reinckens
USIA Staff Writer
Washington -- Martin S. Indyk, Assistant Secretary of State for Near
East, predicted that the United Nations vote to lift sanctions, which
is expected to take place within the next two days, would not pass
because of Iraq's refusal to allow UNSCOM (United Nations Special
Commission) inspectors to visit sites inside the country.
Speaking at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee September 9, Indyk
rebutted the recent criticism that the Clinton Administration had
interfered with UNSCOM inspections in July and August. While he
confirmed that questions were raised about one of the inspections, he
said it was UNSCOM chairman Butler who made the final operational
decision.
"We supported the second inspection until it was blocked by Saddam
Hussein," Indyk said, noting that the United States has supported the
UNSCOM inspections regime since the end of the Gulf war in 1991 and
continues to support its work.
Over the years, Indyk noted, UNSCOM and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) have destroyed more Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction than were demolished during the Gulf war.
"Slowly but surely, the world has learned more about the extent of
Saddam's preparations for biologoical warfare, the use of poison gas
and the development of nuclear weapons," Indyk said about the success
of the inspections regime.
Indyk also said that there have not been any UNSCOM inspections since
August 3 but that "some (technical) monitoring is still going on" by
UNSCOM inside Iraq.
Other participants who appeared before the committee were former
Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger; R. James Woolsey, former
Central Intelligence Agency Director; Richard W. Murphy, Council on
Foreign Relations and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near
East and South Asia Affairs; and Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, former U.S.
Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
"Saddam Hussein has two objectives," Indyk commented, "to retain his
weapons of mass destruction and have the sanctions lifted." United
Nations sanctions have been effective in its seven-year history
because they have "denied the Iraqi regime resources that it would use
in its weapons programs."
"The sanctions have significantly weakened Iraq and its capability to
threaten its neighbors," Indyk said, adding that this is why Iraq is
asking for an end to the bi-monthly U.N. sanction reviews.
Indyk noted that the United States' support for the Oil-for-Food
program has assisted the humanitarian effort inside Iraq but that the
decline in the world market price for oil has had an impact on Iraq.
"Iraq's oil infrastructure cannot support further production," he
commented.
"We have not taken force off the table," Indyk said in response to a
question.
He noted that a few members of the United Nations Security Council
believe that "incentives" should be offered to Iraq to comply with
UNSCOM inspections. Among them are suggestions that the United Nations
close the file on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs and lift
sanctions. "Obviously that's something we are not prepared to do,"
Indyk said.
(For more information on this subject, contact our special Iraq
website at:
http://www.usia.gov/iraq)