29 October 2002
White House Hails Arms Inspectors' Statements on Iraq
(White House Report) (790) STATEMENTS OF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTORS ON IRAQ NOTED The briefing on Iraq that the two top United Nations weapons inspectors gave the U.N. Security Council October 28 "was notable for what it said about the importance in their judgments about having ... a tough and effective resolution" on Iraq so they can do their jobs, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters October 29. Both officials, he said, expressed "a concern about going back into the country in the absence of a clear, strong resolution" from the United Nations. Hans Blix, executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), and Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which handles the inspections for nuclear weapons, spoke with reporters following their October 28 briefing for Security Council members. Fleischer pointed out that when a reporter asked Dr. Blix whether it would help him if "material breach" were to be defined in the Security Council resolution on Iraq, Blix responded that "it helps us if Iraq is conscious that non-cooperation will entail reactions by the council." "(T)hat's a very notable statement about the inspectors themselves believing they think it helps if Iraq is conscious that non-cooperation will entail reactions by the council," the press secretary said. "(T)he last thing the inspectors want to do is go in there and be led around again in more cat-and-mouse games. They want to do their job. They want to disarm Saddam Hussein," he said. Asked when he expects the Security Council members to end debate on Iraq and vote Fleischer said: "I think it would be determined by a conclusion by the diplomats that all other options have been exhausted, that there is no more room for discussions, that all discussions have led to the most fruitful point that is allowable, and that it's time for people to put up their hands and vote." Fleischer said that what keeps striking him about the process at the United Nations "is the swirl of words, some of which are repeated privately, some of which are not; some of which are said publicly for no other intention or purpose than to be said publicly. And that's the nature of diplomacy. And that doesn't apply to only one nation; that simply is how these things sometimes go. So the real action will remain action behind closed doors in the Security Council, and we'll see where that leads. No one has a clear picture of it yet, where ultimately it will go." President Bush, he added, "is still working through the United Nations. Let's see if the United Nations is able to get the job done or not." BUSH DISCUSSES MIDDLE EAST, IRAQ WITH EGYPT'S PRESIDENT President Bush spoke by phone the morning of October 29 with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on efforts to promote resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Fleischer told reporters. The discussion included the recent trip to the region by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns to follow up on President Bush's message about the importance of achieving a road map to peace in the Middle East, Fleischer said. The two presidents also talked about the issue of Iraq. Bush "reiterated his desire to settle this in a peaceful way, but make no mistake that the important goal was the disarmament of Iraq," the press secretary said. President Mubarak was on a trip to Morocco as the two spoke. Bush also sent his regards to Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Fleischer said. WHITE HOUSE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT GAS USED IN MOSCOW THEATER The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow are working to ascertain the kind of gas used by Russian authorities in a Moscow theater to end the terrorist hostage taking there, Fleischer said in response to a question. "We still do not have any information yet about the exact nature of the gas that was used," he said. Asked if the Bush administration knew in advance of the raid, Fleischer responded that as far as he can determine "there was no advance notice to the Americans about the raid, no advance discussions to Americans about the nature of the raid, what it would entail." As for President Bush "and his thinking about all this, the president feels very strongly that the responsibility for this rests with the terrorists, who took these people hostage and put them in harm's way in the first place. That's where the president believes the fault lies," Fleischer said. The president "understands that in this circumstance you had terrorists who had proven that they were going to kill; who had already killed; who were deadly serious about killing more; who had 700 hostages; who had the theater booby-trapped and were prepared to take mass quantities of life. The president views this entire matter as a tragic one," Fleischer said. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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