State Department Noon Briefing
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2000 - 12:35 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
Q: On Iraq, these flights that are going on over the Northern and
Southern no-fly zones, correct me if I'm wrong, but after the Gulf
War, wasn't it the rule that Iraq could not fly any fixed wing
military aircraft over those areas, regardless of who was on them? And
aren't these flights that are going now military aircraft with
civilians in them?
BOUCHER: I think that is the issue, that from what I understand, that
these are not - that these are civilian aircraft. I don't know
actually what aircraft they are. But the sanctions do not relate to
the use of civilian aircraft, just as you said.
Let's go back to the point. The no-fly zones are there because Iraq
was using military aircraft to bomb and kill Shi'a in the South and
Kurds in the North, and the no-fly zones were instituted to prevent
them from doing that with military airplanes, with aggressive military
activities on military airplanes. So, the no-fly zones are not there
because of civilian - you know, any flights or civilian flights. The
issue is to prevent the Iraqi regime from using military aircraft to
repress its people or threaten their neighbors.
So, we watch this very, very closely. We watch closely any Iraqi
aviation, determine whether it poses a threat to our forces, to Iraq's
neighbors or to the Iraqi people. Simply for reasons of flight safety
that these are dangerous areas. We think it is important that the
Iraqis would notify the UN of any civilian flight schedules and routes
no less than 48 hours in advance of each flight. Notification would
allow sufficient time to inform the Operations Northern and Southern
Watch and for the Iraqis in fact to notify their own forces, who
engaged in rather indiscriminate firing in these areas when they see
aircraft.
Q: Richard, these are, aren't they, Russian military aircraft? And
wasn't the rule after the war that it was simply no fixed wing
aircraft? Wasn't that the --
BOUCHER: I mean, my understanding and the understanding that I have
from this is that civilian aircraft were not included. Remember, the
reason for this, these are not irrational sets of sanctions; these
stem from trying to achieve a particular purpose, and that purpose is
to prevent Iraq from using military aircraft to threaten its own
people or its neighbors.
Q: If these were military planes, it would be?
BOUCHER: I don't know exactly what kind of aircraft they are and
whether they are easily distinguishable between aircraft that might be
shooting or bombing people.
Q: Richard, on the Middle East --
Q: No, no, no. Can we stay on this for a second? The Iraqis say that
they are not going to notify the UN about these flights, and they
don't need to because they are basically regularly scheduled. Is the
appearance of a timetable, of an airline timetable; is that enough
warning to satisfy you?
BOUCHER: I think we would prefer that they be notified to the UN.
Q: Every single time?
BOUCHER: I mean, you can notify the UN that it's going to be following
a particular schedule every week until they - unless they say
otherwise. But the point is, the interests of safety would dictate
that there be some notification and that there be information on these
flights.
Q: So, if the Iraqis present to the UN with - you know, here's the
schedule of flights and this is --
BOUCHER: The way this ought to be done is the UN ought to be notified
of the flights. I am not going to accept anything less. I think the
point --
Q: But does that constitute notification?
BOUCHER: Does publication of a flight schedule in some magazine or
info journal or whatever, on a website, constitute notification to the
UN? I think we'd say no. But in the interests of safety, since that is
the primary interest here, the fact that people know about the flights
is a good thing, but they ought to be notified to the UN.
Q: But if that timetable was presented to the UN, that would
constitute notification?
BOUCHER: I'm not going to start compromising on this. They ought to
notify the UN. I'm not going to start negotiating with you on how they
ought to do it. The Iraqis ought to notify the UN, and that is simple
enough to say.
Q: Richard, on the question of UN sanctions against Iraq, they seem to
be unraveling. You had a trade show in Baghdad last week and lots of
people showed up. You've had one plane after another crossing into
Iraqi territory. What would you say to the suggestion that the
sanctions are unraveling?
BOUCHER: I would continue to say that it is wrong. Granted, there are
plenty of flirtations of business with Iraq and these flights going in
for humanitarian or whatever reasons, that they are being conducted.
But the fact is the key elements involved here, and that is first of
all the Oil-for-Food program - which continues to constitute the way
that Iraq can feed its people and take care of its people if it wants
to - remains in place, continues to work. The basic sanctions regime
remains in place, continues to work.
Third of all, the idea that the only way to get any kind of serious
suspension of sanctions is to go through Resolution 1284 to meet the
standards for inspection and monitoring, that remains in place. That
continues to work and continues to have the support of the
international community. So, I think you have to separate the
incidental from the real, and the real is that the sanctions remain in
place and remain effective.
Q: UNMOVIK is no closer to getting into Iraq than they were when it
was approved last December; is that right?
BOUCHER: And to do that Iraq would have to accept Resolution 1284,
which is the only path for them to get sanctions relief.
Q: Richard, on the trade fair, there was a sole - a lone - American
representative at this. Were you aware of that, that there was an
American oil executive?
BOUCHER: I personally was not, but we can check on if we knew that.
Q: Following up on Matt's question, would that be a violation? Is that
a violation of any U.S. law that a U.S. citizen would be traveling to
Iraq for business purposes?
BOUCHER: I don't know. I would have to check. And I don't know that he
was traveling to Iraq for business purposes. I will have to see if we
know who it was and what the purpose was.
(The briefing was concluded at 1:10 P.M.)
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