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21 December 1998

• Strikes didn't finish job US set out to do By Fred Kaplan, Boston Globe, 12/21/98 - One question has emerged in the aftermath of President Clinton's four-day bombing campaign against Iraq: What was that all about? If his aim was to put a dent in Saddam Hussein's ability to produce chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons, the dent was not a large one. If, as some of the air war's targets suggested, Clinton was trying to destabilize Hussein's regime, he did not hit its foundations hard enough. Speaking of the Pentagon's estimates of damage, John Pike, a specialist with the Federation of American Scientists, said Saturday night, "It doesn't look like they did anything on what they said they were going to do, and not enough on what they were actually doing." "I'm mystified why they stopped the campaign just as they had amassed sufficient force to complete the job," Pike added.
• Bombing Iraq - A Response by Noam Chomsky 21 DECEMBER 1998 -- The US and its increasingly pathetic British lieutenant want the world to understand -- and in particular want the people of the Middle East region to understand -- that "What We Say Goes," as Bush defined his New World Order while the missiles were raining on Baghdad in February 1991. The message, clear and simple, is that we are violent and lawless states, and if you don't like it, get out of our way.
• Operation DESERT FOX -- DoD News Briefing Monday, December 21, 1998 - 2:30 pm -- We flew over 600 sorties in four days. Over 300 of those were night strike sorties. Over 300 aircraft were involved in strike and support roles. Over 600 pieces of ordnance and 90 cruise missiles were delivered by these aircraft. Over 40 ships performed strike and support roles with ten of them launching over 300 TLAM missiles.... the battle damage assessment is still ongoing and will probably take a few more days before we fully can make an assessment as to what the results are, but generally, we are very pleased and feel we accomplished what we set out to do.
  Q: For how many hours were the Iraqis dispersing before the first missiles struck?
  General Zinni: I don't have the exact figures. A few hours before. I think once they saw the UNSCOM team coming out they were beginning to react.
  Q: Given the fact that intelligence is always an iffy business perhaps at best, why did you take dual use facilities off the table in Iraq, but yet you had previously already struck a dual use facility in the Sudan.
• DoD News Briefing Subject: Military Pay and Retirement Monday, December 21, 1998 - 4:15 p.m. (EST) -- Q: ... we've heard about targeting the security and the control apparatus for weapons of mass destruction, and we've heard about targeting the means of delivering them. But there do not seem to be any targets that were actually weapons of mass destruction, production facilities.
• STATEMENT BY PENTAGON SPOKESMAN KENNETH H. BACON December 21, 1998 -- Department of Defense officials were distressed to learn of thoughtless graffiti mentioning the holy month of Ramadan written on a piece of U.S. ordnance during Operation Desert Fox. Religious intolerance is an anathema to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and to all Americans who cherish the right to worship freely.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1998 -- IRAQ: Reports of Troop Movement/No Fly Zone Issue of Bringing Down Sadaam Hussein/Plight of the Iraqi People US Believes Sadaam Hussein Has Been Weakened/Deposing of Sadaam Hussein US Continues to Support UNSCOM Condition for Lifting Sanctions and the Role of UNSCOM Degrade Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction -vs- Saddaam Hussein Long Range Goal to Work With Opposition Forces Pickering's Meeting with Security Council Next Steps of Security Council/Security Council to Maintain Pressure/Arab Support Iraq's Failure to Cooperate with UNSCOM Criticism of US Air Strikes Against Iraq Renewed Threats to American Citizens/Osama bin Laden/WorldWide Public Announcement Protests Around the World/Syria Demonstrations/US Holds Syria Responsible/Embassy Security Issue of Future Military Strikes/Conditions that Would Bring About Military Strikes Would US Use Force if UNSCOM Not Allowed Back/How Will US Know if UNSCOM is Not on the Ground/Damage to Targets International Consensus Issue/Back Lash Against the Military Operation/US Comfortable with Level of Support/Few Opposed the Actions/US Tried Diplomacy but it Failed Reports of a Russian Proposal to Set up a Strategic Triangle with India and China Reports that Missile Hit a Rice Factory Authorization for the Use of Force/Resolution 678 Economic Sanctions and Absence of UNSCOM/Conditions for Lifting Sanctions Is US Concerned with Russia Making Unilateral Decisions re Trade
• DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVES ON IRAQ EDITED TRANSCRIPT OF AN INTERVIEW GIVEN BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, MR ROBIN COOK, FOR BBC RADIO 4, LONDON, MONDAY, 21 DECEMBER 1998 -- One way we are actually better able to be of positive value is because one of the consequences of the military action is that we have deliberately destroyed Saddam's capacity to jam the BBC World Service and other international broadcasts. So we can actually try now to get the truth to the people of Iraq.
• The Bombing Campaign Iraq NewsMONDAY DECEMBER 21, 1998 -- One reader, a US expert in military affairs, commented in response to Sat's Flash on the end of the bombing campaign, "The bombing may be over, but I am at a loss to comprehend what was accomplished." "What was accomplished?" Alice asked. "Why the mission was accomplished," the Mad Hatter replied. Richard Perle, Reagan administration Asst Sec Def, told AP, yesterday, "Desert Storm had a clear objective... This campaign does not, and it's a significant difference. It seems highly likely that Saddam Hussein will still be in power and we will still face his weapons of mass destruction."
• SADDAM'S TRAP Why we're doing exactly what he wants By Scott Ritter The New Republic December 21, 1998 -- Through skillful manipulation of the situation on the ground in Iraq, international public opinion, and rifts among the members of the Security Council, Saddam actually aims to cap his comeback by getting UNSCOM to issue a clean bill of health. It is an audacious plan, but it may succeed, thanks in no small part to the mistakes of U.S. policymakers themselves.
• Clinton Says 'Mission Accomplished' By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service : 21 Dec 1998 - Service members in the Persian Gulf did "a difficult job with skill, dedication and determination," President Clinton said at the White House Dec. 19, the last day of Operation Desert Fox. Based on preliminary national security briefings, the president said the 70-hour air strike campaign against Iraqi military targets had achieved its mission.
• IRAQ'S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION CAPABILITIES DIMINISHED By Jacquelyn S. Porth USIA 21 December 1998 -- Despite sustained joint U.S. and British air strikes against Iraqi military targets, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is still "a threat," but his military capability has been dealt a severe blow, according to top U.S. military and civilian officials.
• AIRSTRIKES AGAINST IRAQ: 'WHAT HAPPENS NOW?' USIA Foreign Media Reaction Report December 21, 1998 -- Overseas media weighed in with voluminous comment, largely negative, about the four-day bombing campaign. Most comment focused on two issues: the effectiveness of the raids, and the need for a long-term strategy to replace the UNSCOM/sanctions regime. The majority of media was critical of the military action and skeptical that it had achieved the goals enunciated by U.S. and UK officials, with many doubting that "the ends justified the means."
• Four Nights; 100 Targets By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service : 21 Dec 1998 -- During the course of four nights, American and British bombs and missiles struck 100 Iraqi military targets. Defense leaders praised U.S. service members for the success of Operation Desert Fox.
• Iraq hurt by bombs, but can US topple Saddam? By Scott Peterson Christian Science Monitor Monday, December 21, 1998 -- The US claims its 400-plus missiles achieved the primary aim of inflicting "significant damage" on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and command structure. But some bombs hit targets that could also help hurt Saddam's key supporters. Yet in Baghdad, Western and Iraqi analysts say that his hand may have, in fact, been strengthened by the strikes.
• After strikes, US draws fire from abroad Jonathan S. Landay Christian Science Monitor Monday, December 21, 1998 -- While the full extent to which they have jarred Saddam Hussein's grip on power and crippled his military is yet to be seen, the United States and Britain are running into a wall of international flak over their four-day pounding of Iraq.
• U.S. Declares It Might Need More Strikes on Iraq Soon By PHILIP SHENON The New Work Times December 21, 1998 - U.S. and British forces struck 100 targets with more than 400 sea- and air-launched cruise missiles and had flown 650 sorties by fighters, bombers and support aircraft. Although preliminary damage assessments from the Pentagon showed that fewer than a third of the 100 Iraqi targets attacked last week had been severely damaged or destroyed, military commanders continued to insist that the attack had crippled elements of the Iraqi military and had seriously hampered Saddam'sability to communicate with his most loyal troops. Senior administration officials said Sunday that if additional air strikes were required, they would almost certainly not take place until early next year, after the completion of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began this weekend.
• What Now? Doubts About U.S. and U.N. Policy on Iraq Increase By STEVEN ERLANGER The New Work Times December 21, 1998 - There is no question that President Saddam Hussein's military capacity has been "degraded," to use the Clinton administration's word of choice, but it is not clear how degraded, or for how long. If Saddam's government and his grip on power have been "shaken" by these air strikes, as senior American officials privately hoped, there was no immediate indication that he is about to fall, and the diplomatic consensus on Iraq in the United Nations Security Council has again been shattered.
• Now U.N. Is Left to Ponder Inspections and Sanctions By BARBARA CROSSETTE The New Work Times December 21, 1998 - Russia and France, with growing support from council members like Brazil and Kenya, have argued that all of the missing pieces may never be found. These members are beginning to agree that it is time to close the books on active, kick-down-the-doors inspections and switch to long-term monitoring. That would trigger the lifting of the oil embargo. Sunday in Paris, President Jacques Chirac of France called for a prompt lifting of the oil embargo. His country's major oil companies have for years been eager to return to work in Iraq.
• This Time, Little Damage Is to Be Seen in Baghdad By STEPHEN KINZER The New Work Times December 21, 1998 - The last bomb to fall on Baghdad during the 70-hour campaign that ended Saturday night destroyed a wing of the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry. Foreign diplomats who hurried to file reports to their governments Sunday argued among themselves over why the ministry was hit. Some said it had been used as an intelligence center and speculated that sensitive documents might have been stored there. Others guessed that the real target was a military academy across the street.
• IRAQ: WHAT NEXT? Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- WITH THE END OF THE U-S AND BRITISH AIR STRIKES AGAINST IRAQ, ATTENTION IS NOW FOCUSING ON WHAT TO DO NEXT. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY STILL SEEKS TO CONTAIN IRAQ'S EFFORTS TO REBUILD ITS ARSENAL OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. BUT IT ALSO WANTS TO PROTECT THE IRAQI PEOPLE FROM THE PUNISHING ECONOMIC SANCTIONS IN FORCE SINCE THE END OF THE GULF WAR.
• IRAQ / MONDAY Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN RELIEF WORKERS SAY THEY HOPE TO RETURN TO IRAQ IN THE COMING DAYS, AFTER EVACUATING ALL BUT ESSENTIAL STAFF LAST WEEK DURING THE U-S AND BRITISH AIR STRIKES.
• U-N / IRAQ / MORNING AFTER Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL ARE MEETING PRIVATELY IN NEW YORK TODAY (MONDAY) TO DISCUSS IRAQ. THEY ARE TRYING TO REPAIR DIVISIONS OVER MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST THAT COUNTRY AND REACH A CONSENSUS ON WHAT TO DO NEXT CONCERNING IRAQ.
• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING OF OFFICE OF SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL 21 December 1998 -- The Security Council was consulting this morning on the situation in Iraq. At the outset of the consultations, senior United Nations officials -- the Deputy to the Chef de Cabinet, Rolf Knutsson, and the Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, who is also the United Nations Security Coordinator -- updated the Council on the Iraqi situation. Council members were presently expressing their views on the "what next?" question.
• SECRETARY-GENERAL DECIDES TEMPORARILY RELOCATED UNITED NATIONS STAFF SHOULD RETURN TO BAGHDAD 21 December 1998 -- Press Release SG/SM/6848 IK/269
• Once Should be Enough, Says Desert Fox Commander By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service December 21, 1998 - If he's smart, Saddam Hussein won't want a repeat of Operation Desert Fox, Marine Corps Gen. Anthony C. Zinni said here Dec. 21. But, if the Iraqi dictator hasn't yet learned his lesson, U.S. forces will be standing by ready to act, the general said.
• IRAQ ATTACK GENERAL Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- THE GENERAL WHO COMMANDED THE RECENT AIR ATTACKS ON IRAQ STRONGLY DENIES IRAQI CHARGES THAT THE RAIDS FOCUSED ON CIVILIAN TARGETS.
• IRAQ MONDAY UPDATE Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- IRAQ'S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SAYS THE U-S AND BRITISH AIR STRIKES AGAINST IRAQ IN RECENT DAYS KILLED 62 SOLDIERS AND WOUNDED 180, BUT THAT CIVILIAN CASUALTIES WERE MUCH HIGHER.
• U-N / IRAQ OVERNIGHTER Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- RUSSIA, CHINA AND FRANCE HAVE SUGGESTED CHANGING UNSCOM IN AN EFFORT TO BUILD A MORE COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAQ IN THE SEARCH FOR WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN SAY THEY FULLY SUPPORT UNSCOM AND HAVE REJECTED THE GROWING CRITICISM OF UNSCOM CHIEF, RICHARD BUTLER.
• IRAQ ATTACK WOMEN Voice of America 21 December 1998 -- WOMEN WERE AT THE CONTROLS OF SOME OF THE WARPLANES THAT ATTACKED IRAQ DURING "OPERATION DESERT FOX." IT APPEARS TO BE THE FIRST TIME U-S WOMEN HAVE FIRED MISSILES AND DROPPED BOMBS IN COMBAT. BOTH PILOTS AND GENERALS GREETED THIS BIT OF MILITARY HISTORY WITH A SHRUG.