10 March 1999
TRANSCRIPT: SECDEFENSE COHEN MARCH 10 REMARKS IN AMMAN
(Pays respects to King Abdullah; reaffirms US support for Jordan) (1080) Amman -- Secretary of Defense William Cohen said March 10 that he stopped briefly in Amman to "pay my respects to King Abdullah, and to express my shared grief at the loss of King Hussein who was a great leader." "I also indicated to King Abdullah that the United States stands strongly behind Jordan and that we are moving forward with an economic package going through Congress of $300 million, which we hope will be beneficial to the people of Jordan," Cohen said. Cohen said that during his visits through the Gulf States he expressed the US support for Jordan and the hope that other countries in the region would also contribute to the economic support of Jordan. He said he was encouraged by the response and that the Gulf States indicated that they also share the belief that stability and economic progress in Jordan is going to be important for the entire region. Regarding Iraq, the Secretary said he made clear that stories about the United States supporting the breakup of Iraq "are false and without any foundation." The US continues to support the continued territorial integrity of Iraq. ... But it is our belief that as long as Saddam Hussein remains in power ... the Iraqi people will not be able to enjoy the benefits of peace and stability," he asserted. Cohen emphasized that the US identifies with the suffering of the Iraqi people, noting that "We have supported the oil-for-food program, enlarging it to make sure that the revenues that go into Iraq go for humanitarian purposes, medical purposes, and not for making weapons of mass destruction." The suffering now being visited upon the Iraqi people is due to the fact that Saddam Hussein has refused to distribute the medical supplies and medicines, he said. Following is the transcript of Cohen's remarks, provided by USIS Amman: (Begin transcript) REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILLIAM COHEN AMMAN - JORDAN MARCH 10, 1999 Good Afternoon, I stopped briefly by to pay my respects to King Abdullah, and to express my shared grief at the loss of King Hussein who was a great leader. It's a loss not only to his family here and to the people of Jordan, but to the World Community. The very presence of all of the world leaders who came to the funeral ceremonies is an indication of how much respect he enjoyed throughout the world. I also indicated to King Abdullah that the United States stands strongly behind Jordan and that we are moving forward with an economic package going through Congress of $300 million, which we hope will be beneficial to the people of Jordan. I have also during my visits through all the Gulf States, expressed our support for Jordan, and expressed the hope that other countries in the region would also be able to contribute to the economic support of Jordan. We believe that economic stability and progress in Jordan is key to stability throughout the region and so we are very hopeful that Jordan will now enjoy the support of all the Gulf States. I've been very encouraged with the response that I received by the Gulf States. They seem to have a great deal of affection and admiration for the new King and have indicated that they also share the belief that stability and economic progress here in Jordan is going to be important for the entire region. With that I take your questions: Q: Mr. Secretary, did your talks touch on the Middle East peace process and Jordan's continuing support for it? DEFENSE SECRETARY COHEN: Oh, indeed. We touched upon the Middle East peace process. It's something that the United States is committed to, and I know that the Jordanians are also very interested in. I also made clear to the King and to his associates and members of his government, that the stories about the United States supporting the breakup of Iraq are false and without any foundation. We are not supporting any concept of a federation and we support the continued territorial integrity of Iraq. So those reports that have surfaced here in Jordan and elsewhere are, in fact, without any substance or foundation. Q: Mr. Secretary did the King give you any message to take back to Washington, and did he summarize or discuss with you Jordan's security situation, and could you tell us what he had to say? DEFENSE SECRETARY COHEN: Well, we had a fairly extended conversation over lunch about security arrangements in the region. We cooperate very closely with Jordan and we think it's an important security relationship. Jordan is important in ensuring security throughout the region. The King is very encouraged by the package that is moving through the Congress and our relationship is going to progress and strengthen in the future. Q: Did you discuss a change in the regime in Iraq, and would King Abdullah and Jordan support that? DEFENSE SECRETARY COHEN: Well, you would have to ask King Abdullah and others whether they support that. We believe that the Iraqi people will not enjoy the benefits and fruits of peace and prosperity until such time as there is a change in the regime, and it's up to each country to express its own opinion about that. But it is our belief that as long as Saddam Hussein remains in power, that the Iraqi people will not be able to enjoy the benefits of peace and stability. I would point out as I have in other countries, perhaps many people are not aware of this, that the United Nations has just filed a report indicating that Iraq now has some $275 million dollars worth of medical supplies and medicines that are stored in warehouses, and that are not being distributed to the Iraqi people. So the suffering that is now being visited upon the Iraqi people is due to the fact that Saddam Hussein has the ability to distribute these medicines and has refused to do so. We want to remind people that we have identified with the suffering of the Iraqi people. We have supported the oil-for-food program, enlarging it to make sure that the revenues that go into Iraq go for humanitarian purposes, medical purposes, and not for making weapons of mass destruction. Thank you very much. (End transcript)
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