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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

12 November 2002

"Baghdad's Moment of Truth" by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell

(Op-ed column from The Washington Post, Sunday Nov. 10) (800)
(This byliner by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell first appeared in
The Washington Post November 10 and is in the public domain. No
republication restrictions.)
(begin byliner)
Baghdad's Moment of Truth
Colin L. Powell
On Sept. 12, President Bush went before the United Nations and
challenged the Security Council to meet its responsibility to act
against the threat to international peace and security posed by Iraq.
The council's unanimous passage of Resolution 1441 was a historic step
for the United Nations toward ridding Iraq of its weapons of mass
destruction by peaceful means.
The international community has given Saddam Hussein and his regime
one last chance. It is now for Baghdad to seize it.
Seven weeks of consultation, debate and negotiation in the Security
Council only forged a deeper agreement and a stronger resolve among
the world that Iraq must fully and finally disarm. It should now be
clear to Saddam Hussein that this is not just a matter between Iraq
and the United States, but between Iraq and a united world.
After 11 years of flouting dozens of U.N. resolutions and statements,
Hussein's contempt for the international community is obvious. We are
all well acquainted with the tactics of denial, deceit and delay that
he has used time and again to avoid compliance. We are also well aware
of the brutal and aggressive nature of his regime. He has twice
invaded his neighbors and he has used chemical weapons not just
against other countries but against his own citizens: men, women and
children.
During the four years since inspectors have been barred from Iraq,
Hussein has done everything he can to acquire and develop more weapons
of mass destruction -- whether biological, chemical or nuclear. He has
no scruples about using the weapons that he possesses or about
providing them to terrorists should that suit his interests.
Long experience with Saddam Hussein and his regime tells us that he
will respond only when confronted with steadfast resolve and the
threat of force. Every member of the Security Council understands that
if Hussein fails to comply with Resolution 1441, there must be serious
consequences.
The words of the resolution are unambiguous:
-- The Security Council has found Iraq in material breach of its
solemn obligations.
-- Iraq has been given one week to state whether it intends to comply
with Resolution 1441.
-- Iraq must produce a comprehensive declaration of its weapons
programs.
-- Iraq must submit to an inspection regime that is far tougher and
far more thorough than ever before.
Saddam Hussein must give the inspectors immediate, unimpeded,
unconditional and unrestricted access to uncover the weapons of mass
destruction that he has had so many years to hide. Access not just to
places such as presidential palaces but to people and other sources of
information will be critical, because you have to know where and when
to look in order to find biological and chemical weapons that are easy
to conceal and move. Without access to key people and information, the
inspectors would have to search under every roof and in the back of
every truck.
The chief U.N. inspector, Hans Blix, and the director general of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed El Baradei, have been
given the robust regime they need. The United States will support the
inspectors in every way. Other U.N. members will do the same.
The disarmament process must now begin. The first inspectors plan to
arrive in Iraq one week from tomorrow. The world will be watching. The
inspectors are required to update the Security Council 60 days after
inspections start. Inspectors also are required to inform the council
whenever they encounter interference or obstacles. As President Bush
said on Friday, U.S. policy will be one of zero tolerance.
In the days and weeks of inspections that lie ahead, the international
community can expect Iraq to test its will. Backing Resolution 1441
with the threat of force will be the best way to not only eliminate
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction but also to achieve compliance with
all U.N. resolutions and reach our ultimate goal: an Iraq that does
not threaten its own people, its neighbors and the world.
President Bush and both houses of Congress have emphasized that the
United States prefers to see Iraq disarm under U.N. auspices without a
resort to force. We do not seek a war with Iraq, we seek its peaceful
disarmament. But we will not shrink from war if that is the only way
to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. The Security Council
has confronted Saddam Hussein and his regime with a moment of truth.
If they meet it with more lies, they will not escape the consequences.
(Colin L. Powell is U.S. Secretary of State.)
(end byliner)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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