20 December 1998
"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED," SECSTATE ALBRIGHT SAYS OF "DESERT FOX"
(Saddam Hussein is weaker now, Secretary of State says) (660) By Jane A. Morse USIA Diplomatic Correspondent Washington -- Four nights of air strikes against Iraq have accomplished their mission, says Secretary of State Albright. "We have accomplished what we needed to," the Secretary said in a televised interview December 20 on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Saddam Hussein is weaker because all the targets and things that he cares about most have been destroyed....and the region is safer because we have managed, I think to, degrade his ability to threaten his neighbors," said Albright. The Secretary acknowledged that "it is very hard to say that everything that he has, and the weapons of mass destruction, has been destroyed, but his capability of threatening his neighbors and delivering them has been severely degraded." She listed the accomplishments of the mission known as "Desert Fox": -- About 100 targets were hit in 70 hours of night strikes spanning December 16 through December 19. US and British forces conducted more than 650 sorties and delivered over 400 cruise missiles. -- 9 Iraqi missile research and development (R&D) facilities were hit. -- 18 out of 19 of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's special concealment units responsible for the security of weapons of mass destruction were destroyed. -- 20 out of 21 command-and-control areas were damaged severely or destroyed. -- Approximately 8 palaces were destroyed. When asked about Saddam Hussein's public pronouncements of victory, Albright replied: "That is sheer propaganda." She noted that the containment "box" around Iraq is stronger now because of "the credibility of our use of force, and we have done this all with a minimum of criticism in the international community...." "I have spoken to over 30 foreign leaders, either foreign ministers or heads of state -- all of them have been supportive of this last action," Albright said. "In fact, many of them thought it was necessary, and they have made very clear that it is Saddam Hussein who is to blame." The only hope Iraq has of escaping the crippling economic sanctions imposed on it is to comply with the UN demands placed on the country in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, which was triggered when Iraq invaded Kuwait. The ceasefire called for Iraq to destroy all its weapons of mass destruction and to allow inspectors from the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) and the United Nations to verify this. This inspection regime, the Secretary acknowledged, was successful in destroying more of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction than the Gulf coalition offensive of 1991 itself. But UNSCOM -- as the United Nations Special Commission for weapons inspections in Iraq is known -- has been effectively hamstrung in the last eight months by Iraqi authorities bent on harassing inspectors and denying them access to suspicious sites. With the loss of the use of the international inspectors, the United States will employ "other means" for monitoring suspicious activities in Iraq, Albright said. And she emphasized that "we reserve the right to use force again, and I think we've proven our ability to deliver a very tough blow." When asked about the sufferings of ordinary Iraqi citizens, Albright noted that "The embargo and the sanctions have never prohibited food and medicines from going to the Iraqi people." Furthermore, the "oil-for-food program," which allows Iraq to sell oil to buy food and humanitarian supplies for Iraqi citizens is an American initiative and will continue, she said. The Secretary denied that President Clinton's domestic political problems factored into the timing of the latest military offensive against Iraq. "The timing has been dictated by the internal clock of foreign policy and by nothing else," Albright said. When asked how the impeachment proceedings against Clinton are affecting Albright's job, she replied: "In no way has this affected my ability to do the job, or, more importantly, the President's clout and credibility internationally."
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