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DoD News Briefing

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Q: Just one more, for me at least. Mr. Butler with the UN has reported to the UN, and Mr. Richardson has responded to that report by, I believe, saying that we cannot continue, we continue not to be able to trust Saddam Hussein in his disposal of weapons of mass destruction. There was a road map that Mr. Butler conveyed to the UN presented, I think, last week saying what would have to be done for the sanctions to be lifted in Iraq, what Iraq would have to do.

What is the state of play at present? What is the next step that will be taken with regard to weapons in Iraq?

A: The long term, which in this case is October, is the next... October is the next sanctions review. What Ambassador Butler was trying to do was convince Iraq that there are very clear, definable steps that it can and should take in order to complete the type of actions that are necessary to win a consideration of lifting the sanctions. That was the purpose of his briefing which extended longer than one day, as I understand it, was to be very specific in what the UN inspectors have learned so far and what they need to learn, the type of assurances they need about efforts to dismantle chemical, biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them so that Iraq understands the type of steps that must be taken in order to bring itself toward compliance with the UN Security Council mandates.

The next step is really up to Iraq. I think that the goal of Mr. Butler was met, and that was to lay out, as you said and as he said, a road map for efforts that Iraq has to take now.

If Iraq wants sanctions lifted, which it says it does, the steps now are very clear. If Iraq takes those steps it can move closer to having the UN Security Council consider lifting sanctions.

Q: Has it been accurately reported that Iraq has refused Mr. Butler's road map?

A: Well, I think that you should ask Iraq how it responded to the Butler presentation. Clearly, the weight now is on Iraq and Iraq knows very plainly what it has to do, and whether it chooses to do that is up to Iraq.