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DoD News Briefing

DoD Background Briefing
Secretary Cohen's Upcoming Trip to Middle East
Attributable to a Senior Defense Official
Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - 4:40 p.m. EST
(Also participating was Kenneth H. Bacon, assistant secretary of Defense for Public Affairs)

Q: Concerning Iraq, there is a perception in some quarters that the international consensus of containing Iraq, such as it ever was, has eroded somewhat, especially lately. Is there a message that he's carrying with him as he goes over there about containing Iraq in more particular than you've said so far?
Senior Defense Official: Yeah. The message, I think, on Iraq continues to be continuing sanctions. It's important that the Iraqis comply with U.N. resolutions. They have not done so. It is important to continue the sanctions on Iraq.
We try very much in the oil-for-food program to be responsive to the needs of the Iraqi people, but that does - and we are doing that through the oil-for-food program. But sanctions themselves are very important to keep the Iraqi and Saddam's regime contained.
Q: Are you concerned that some of these countries are loosening, are doing more trade with Iraq on the margins?
Senior Defense Official: There have been reports about that. I think, as far as the core commitments of these countries to the process in the U.N. and to containing Iraq, that's one of the messages the secretary will be bringing. But again, we have not seen any evidence that fundamentally countries in the region are prepared to support the lifting of sanctions and letting Iraq off the hook for non-compliance with the U.N. resolutions.