10 November 1998
CLINTON MEETS WITH FOREIGN POLICY TEAM ON IRAQ
(Weighs options, calls Blair and Netanyahu) (590) By Wendy S. Ross USIA White House Correspondent Washington -- President Clinton discussed Iraq for 90 minutes with his principal foreign policy advisers the morning of November 10. "They had a broad discussion of the options ... both diplomatic and military that remain on the table" regarding Iraq, White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said at his afternoon briefing. "My understanding is that this is a process that is ongoing and that no decisions have been made." The participants included Secretary of State Albright, National Security Adviser Berger, Secretary of Defense Cohen and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Shelton, as well as senior military intelligence and logistics personnel. Lockhart said it was "a broader discussion" than what he had told the press at his morning session with reporters in his office, when he thought the meeting included predominantly a discussion of military options. He only learned later, he said, that Secretary of State Albright was at that meeting. "Our objective and preference is that Saddam Hussein reverse course and this can be done in a peaceful way and allow UNSCOM to resume their aggressive monitoring regime in order to pursue our policy of limiting his ability to reconstitute his weapons and threaten his neighbors," Lockhart said. Saddam Hussein needs to understand that the international community, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said, sees Saddam Hussein's decision not to permit the UNSCOM weapons inspectors to continue their work in Iraq as a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions. President Clinton November 10 phoned Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Iraq, Lockhart said. The President is consulting "with our allies on a situation that obviously is of great importance to the international community," the Press Secretary said, indicating that the President might make more such calls before the day is out. "This is not a situation where we are looking for a negotiation," the Press Secretary said in answer to a question. "There is nothing to negotiate." Lockhart said he will not discuss "what options the President may choose except to say that all of them remain on the table. I am not going to get into a timeline," he said, "except to say that we have made clear that our policy is to limit and reduce the ability of Saddam Hussein and Iraq to reconstitute their weapons of mass destruction, and to deliver those weapons of mass destruction, and to threaten its neighbors. "This is not an abstract threat," he said. "Iraq is a country that has invaded Kuwait, launched Scud missiles at its neighbors, used chemical and biological weapons both on its neighbors and its own people, so this threat is real." The United States believes that the most effective way to pursue its policy with regard to Iraq "is through an aggressive and intrusive UNSCOM regime as well as sanctions" against Iraq, Lockhart said. "We will look at options and keep them on the table. That allows us to pursue our policy," he said. Lockhart said "we are watching things around the world, particularly in Iraq, closely, but at this point the President is scheduled to take the trip" to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Malaysia later this week. The President is scheduled to leave November 14 for the 10-day trip that also includes stops in Japan, South Korea and Guam.
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