18 December 1998
TRANSCRIPT: ALBRIGHT ON NBC'S TODAY SHOW DECEMBER 18
(Strike against Iraq "on track," SecState says) (1160) Washington -- The US military strike against Iraq, now in its third day, is "on track," says Secretary of State Albright. During an interview on NBC's "Today Show" December 18, Albright emphasized that the purpose of the strike is to "degrade" Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's ability to develop and deliver weapons of mass destruction. US forces, she said, are "going after weapons of mass destruction facilities, after military facilities, command and control security. It's very carefully targeted to carry out the purpose of the mission." The Secretary declined to comment on whether the military strikes might continue through the weekend, which is the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Albright said that although Russia has recalled its ambassador to the United States in protest over the military action, the United States will keep its ambassador in Moscow. "We think it's very important to keep the channels of communication" with Russia, the Secretary said. "I think that it is important for us to understand that this relationship is more than about Iraq." Following is the State Department transcript: (begin transcript) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman December 18, 1998 INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT ON NBC'S TODAY SHOW December 18, 1998 Washington, D.C. COURIC: Joining us now is US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. Madame Secretary, good morning; thanks very much for joining us. ALBRIGHT: Good morning, Katie. COURIC: How successful would you say the campaign has been so far? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think it's up to the Pentagon to really make that assessment. You've seen some of the photographs of what has happened. They are going to be assessing further. I think that the military campaign is on track. The purpose of it, Katie, is to degrade Saddam Hussein's ability to develop and deliver weapons of mass destruction and to degrade his ability to threaten his neighbors. The targets are related to that. They're going after weapons of mass destruction facilities, after military facilities, command and control security. It's very carefully targeted to carry out the purpose of the mission. This is because Saddam Hussein has insisted that he wants to keep his weapons of mass destruction and have sanctions lifted -- a clearly incompatible position. COURIC: Does this mean, Madame Secretary, the whole UN weapons inspection process is a thing of the past? And won't we have to -- or won't the United States and Britain and perhaps other countries have to go in again and again to try to perpetually thwart Saddam Hussein? ALBRIGHT: Well, no, we think that it is possible for UNSCOM to go back in after this if Saddam Hussein would comply. The problem was that UNSCOM, the UN inspectors, had really not been able to do their job for the last eight months. They have been, really, stopped in every possible way. Chairman Butler has made clear in his report that the helicopters were interfered with, photography was impaired. So we think that a really functional UNSCOM, a strong UNSCOM with professionals, could go in after this, and Saddam Hussein can comply and then we can go to the comprehensive review. COURIC: Meanwhile, Tass reported this morning that Russian defense forces were on a heightened state of alert. Have you heard that; are you aware of that? ALBRIGHT: Well, we've heard that they're moving around, and it is unclear to us as to the purpose. COURIC: You're apparently paying a fairly steep price for not notifying the Russians prior to the strike. As you've heard, Russia has recalled its ambassador from Washington for the first time since the end of the Cold War. How concerned are you, and how much trouble is the US-Russian relationship in? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that clearly the Russians disagree with us about the use of force in Iraq. They, however, had no good ideas about how to solve the problem. But the US-Russia relationship is a very important one. We have many, many relations. I think here the truth is, Katie, that we will disagree with them when we must and cooperate where we can. But I think that the overall relationship is a very important one for both countries. COURIC: Will the US be recalling its ambassador from Moscow? What kind of steps are you going to take, Madame Secretary, to fix this growing problem? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think it's unfortunate that they recalled their ambassador. We're not planning to recall ours. We think it's very important to keep the channels of communication open. I will be talking to Foreign Minister Ivanov again later today. I think that it is important for us to understand that this relationship is more than about Iraq. COURIC: Meanwhile, retired General Norman Schwarzkopf said on this program yesterday, Madame Secretary, that he thinks that Russia, China and France are partly responsible for what Saddam Hussein has done; that they've caused a lot of problems within the Security Council regarding Iraq, and they stand to gain financially when Iraq is able to start pumping oil again. What's your reaction to those comments? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that clearly every country has a different approach towards Iraq, and there have been those who have said that a lot of this has been done for commercial reasons. But I think that ultimately we have, in the Security Council, throughout the years that we've been talking about this, we have had disagreements about how to deal with Saddam. But in the end, the sanctions have always remained on; and I think that we have done very well in keeping the unity of the Council together. We all think that Saddam Hussein should not have weapons of mass destruction. COURIC: How long do you think this mission will go on; through the weekend? ALBRIGHT: Well, this is up to the military to decide; and it is a campaign that has to accomplish a certain amount of things. COURIC: But are you concerned about Ramadan? ALBRIGHT: Well, we're very sensitive about Ramadan, which is a great explanation for why the attack took place when it did; because the President was concerned about the sensitivities of the holiest month of the Muslim year. COURIC: Meanwhile, the Commander in Chief of this mission may be impeached by the US Congress today or tomorrow. So what message do you think this sends to the troops in the field? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that the American people support this whole campaign against Iraq; that is very clear. The Congress made also very clear that they support our troops. It is our job to make sure the national security of the United States is protected. I think the troops know that. The other countries respect the authority of the United States. COURIC: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, again, thanks so much. ALBRIGHT: Thank you. (end transcript)
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