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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

10 December 2002

Blix's Efforts "Essential" to Forcing Iraq's Compliance with U.N.

(State's Burns Press Conference in Morocco, December 9) (2650)
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns,
speaking with reporters December 9 in Rabat, said the Bush
administration is determined to see Iraq comply with U.N. resolutions
about weapons of mass destruction and supports U.N. inspection
efforts, led by chief inspector Hans Blix.
"We are fully supportive of Mr. Blix's efforts and it will remain
absolutely essential for all of us to hold the Iraqi regime to the
strictest possible standards as they were laid out in that
resolution," Burns said.
Burns said President Bush has made no decision whether to use force
against Iraq. Burns refused to address what he called "hypothetical
questions" concerning how the United States might react to the
12,000-page Iraqi report to the U.N. inspectors.
Burns underscored U.S. appreciation for the assistance of Morocco,
Algeria and Tunisia in combating international terrorist activities.
"The reality that all of us face threats from violent extremist
groups. And all of us have suffered from them. And so we are ready to
strengthen cooperation in any way that we can working through our
bilateral relationships, through international institutions and
agreements, through regional cooperation and understandings," he said.
Briefing on the latest developments in Middle East negotiations, Burns
said the administration remains committed to the emergence of a
Palestinian state by 2005, if Palestinians can develop the responsible
institutions of statehood. Over the past two months, the United States
and the other Quartet partners-the U.N., European Union and
Russia-have focused on creating the road map to achieving this
objective.
Burns said Secretary Powell looks forward "with a real sense of
urgency" to meeting with his counterparts in the Quartet later this
month "because the conditions that both Israelis and Palestinians face
today are extremely difficult, and getting worse."
The assistant secretary expressed U.S. support for Morocco's
"ambitious and courageous program of economic and political reforms"
and congratulated Morocco for its recent parliamentary elections. He
said the United States and Morocco will start negotiations soon on a
Free Trade Agreement that he said will benefit both countries.
Burns praised Morocco for its tradition of tolerance and
understanding, which he said "is especially important in the region
these days."
Following is the complete transcript of Ambassador Burns' press
conference in Rabat, December 9.
(begin transcript)
Transcript of the Press Conference with
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador
William Burns
Residence of the U.S. Ambassador
Rabat, Morocco
December 9, 2002, at 3:45 PM
A/S Burns: Eid Mubarak. It is a pleasure to meet with all of you and
to be back in Morocco. I would like to express again, on behalf of
President Bush and Secretary Powell, the condolences of the United
States for the victims of the recent flooding. I would like to make a
few brief opening comments, and then I would be glad to turn to your
questions.
I had the pleasure of an audience with His Majesty. We had an
excellent discussion on a broad range of issues, both bilateral and
regional. I was also pleased to have a chance to meet with the Speaker
of Parliament and I look forward to seeing the Prime Minister later
today. With His Majesty, I stressed first the appreciation of the
United States for Morocco's superb cooperation in the campaign against
terrorism, a campaign in which Morocco remains an extraordinary ally.
I also expressed our strong support for the ambitious and courageous
program of economic and political reforms on which Morocco is
embarked. And, in particular, I expressed our congratulations for the
recent parliamentary elections held in Morocco.
The United States remains committed to helping support these efforts,
particularly economic reform, in every way that we can. One excellent
example of a way in which we can work together will be the beginning
of formal negotiations of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. I believe
that a Free Trade Agreement can offer significant benefits to both of
our countries. And finally, I had a chance to emphasize to His Majesty
the appreciation of the United States over a very long period of time
for Morocco's tradition of tolerance. That model of tolerance and of
understanding is especially important in the region these days. And it
is a reminder to us, as Americans, of the importance of our
partnership with Morocco. We also, obviously, had an opportunity to
discuss the most critical issues in the region today, in particular
the Palestinian issue and the question of Iraq, but why don't I turn
to your questions at this point and try to respond to them.
Q: Two questions. The first part is on Iraq. What does the U.S.
administration think of the report that was just submitted by Iraq,
and why is part of it not open to the public?
A/S Burns: First, let me say with regard to the issue of Iraq, as
President Bush has emphasized before, the United States is determined
to hold the Iraqi regime to its obligation to comply fully with UN
Security Council resolutions, especially the new resolution 1441. We
will hold the Iraqi regime to the very strict standards laid out in
that resolution, which was approved unanimously by the UN Security
Council. And that is the spirit in which we are going to very
carefully and thoroughly and comprehensively study the declaration
provided by the Iraqi government.
We have just received this declaration. We are fully supportive of Mr.
Blix's efforts and it will remain absolutely essential for all of us
to hold the Iraqi regime to the strictest possible standards as they
were laid out in that resolution. Your second question?
Q: Following 9/11 the United States in its global campaign against
terrorism started a dialogue with countries in the region including
Morocco. You were recently in Algeria and you are going next to Tunis,
where the issue of cooperation against terrorism will be raised. The
Europeans maintain that there are dormant cells of Al-Qaeda in North
Africa. Could you tell us whether the campaign against terrorism has
remained bilateral between the United States and each individual
country in the Maghreb or is it regional?
A/S Burns: We have been very appreciative of the cooperation of our
friends in the region in the campaign against terrorism. Much of that
cooperation has been bilateral and our relationships with Morocco,
Algeria, and Tunisia reflect that fact, and the reality that all of us
face threats from violent extremist groups. And all of us have
suffered from them. And so we are ready to strengthen cooperation in
any way that we can working through our bilateral relationships,
through international institutions and agreements, through regional
cooperation and understandings, and we certainly welcome efforts in
whatever region of the world for countries to pool their resources and
to work together on these threats.
Q: While you are talking of the U.N. process, the U.S. appears to be
preparing for war. How can you explain that contradiction?
A/S Burns: Well, let me take a step back because no one has made any
decisions, certainly not President Bush, about resorting to the use of
force. President Bush has made it absolutely clear, as I emphasized
before, that Iraq must comply fully with its obligations to the United
Nations Security Council. But the issue here is full Iraqi compliance
and that's what resolution 1441 lays out. The President has not said
that war was imminent or inevitable.
Q: What if you are not happy with the report (inaudible)?
A/S Burns: One thing I have learned as a government official is not to
address hypothetical questions. All I would say is that we had what I
thought was an excellent, comprehensive discussion of the issue of
Iraq and a number of other important regional issues when I met with
His Majesty. I think the question of full Iraqi compliance with
resolution 1441 and Iraq's other obligations to the Security Council
is a question on which we and Morocco and our other friends in the
region fully agree.
Q: In 1982 Alexander Haig came to Morocco and signed an agreement
which allows United States forces to use Moroccan bases. Are you
planning to use Morocco for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan?
A/S Burns: I don't have an answer to offer you today on that question.
Let me just stress that the cooperation between the United States and
Morocco in the campaign against terrorism has been exceptional, and it
is something on which we will both look forward to continuing to
build.
Q: Do you believe Sharon's charge that Al-Qaeda has cells in the
occupied territories?
A/S Burns: I don't have a particular comment on those reports. All I
would say is that the position of the United States with regard to
fighting Al-Qaeda is very well known, and we will continue to root out
the threat posed by Al-Qaeda wherever we find it.
Q: Could you provide details of U.S.-Moroccan cooperation in the
campaign against terrorism?
A/S Burns: Well, I guess what I would do is refer you to several areas
in which we work together with Morocco as well as with a number of
other countries around the world. These areas include information
sharing in our mutual interest in fighting against violent extremist
and terrorist groups, in the area of law enforcement cooperation, and
in the area of cooperation in stopping the financing of terrorist
groups. Those are just several examples of the kind of cooperation
which we enjoy with Morocco and with other countries in the region.
And I think again that is something which is based on our mutual
interests because we are both threatened by these kinds of groups.
Q: MINURSO expires at the end of the month. Does the U.S. have new
ideas for resolving the Western Sahara issue?
A/S Burns: On the question of the Western Sahara, the United States
remains committed, as we have been for many years, to a peaceful
resolution of the problem. We are fully aware of its complexity and of
the difficulty of resolving it. But, we do believe that there ought to
be a peaceful resolution which takes into account the interests and
concerns of all the parties. And, towards that end we remain strongly
supportive of the efforts of Mr. James Baker, the special envoy of the
UN Secretary General.
Q: What are the latest developments on a peace plan for the Middle
East?
A/S Burns: The situation is extremely difficult right now particularly
for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. The situation is
also extremely difficult for many Israelis who have to live every day
with security threats. And the United States, as President Bush and
Secretary of State Powell have made clear, remains firmly committed to
trying to find a pathway that brings both peoples back to a political
process. President Bush has made very clear his vision of a two-state
solution in which two states, Israel and Palestine, can live
side-by-side in peace, security, and dignity. We have been working in
recent months very actively with our partners in the international
Quartet, meaning the United States, the United Nations, the European
Union, and Russia to develop a practical pathway, a roadmap, to move
in the direction of the vision that President Bush has outlined. And,
to make a reality of that vision by the year 2005. The difficulties in
the path of that undertaking are enormous. I don't need to tell any of
you that. But, what I would emphasize again is President Bush's
determination to move ahead. He has asked Secretary Powell to meet
with his counterparts in the Quartet later this month to try and move
ahead on the road map I described and we look forward to moving in
that direction with a real sense of urgency because the conditions
that both Israelis and Palestinians face today are extremely
difficult, and getting worse. And it is in all of our interests to try
to move away from terror and violence, and to resume a political
process that holds the real prospect of an end of occupation and an
end of conflict.
Q: My first question: When will President Bush meet with President
Arafat? Second, it seems to us that the U.S. is determined to fight
Saddam, regardless of what the U.N. says. Your comment?
A/S Burns: In response to your second question, I think that the
United States has made very clear when President Bush went to New
York, and spoke to the UN General Assembly in September of his
determination to work to the maximum extent possible, through the
United Nations, to ensure full Iraqi compliance with its obligations.
The President has made very clear, and he has said publicly, that he
doesn't consider war to be imminent, nor inevitable. It has to be seen
as a last resort, but the President has also emphasized, as did the
members of the Security Council who voted unanimously in support of
resolution 1441, that Iraq has to be held to the strictest possible
standards in meeting its obligations.
As for your first question, what the United States has tried to
emphasize is not to focus on any one individual on the Palestinian
side but to focus on the value for Palestinians themselves of creating
strong political institutions in preparation for statehood,
institutions which don't depend on any one individual. Palestinians
are as capable as any people in this region of building those
institutions. What they need more than anything, it seems to me, is a
sense of hope. What they need is support from the United States and
others in the international community for an approach that makes clear
that it is possible through political means to reach a negotiated
settlement that results in a creation of a real and viable and
democratic Palestinian state and an end to occupation, and that also
makes clear that a pathway of violence and terror can never produce
that outcome.
Q: How many Moroccan prisoners have returned from Guantanamo to
Morocco?
A/S Burns: I don't have a specific answer for you on that. All I can
say is, with regards to those who have been detained in Guantanamo,
the United States has ensured, through visits by the International
Committee of the Red Cross and others, that proper international
standards are being adhered to there. Second, we have offered to all
governments who may have citizens being held in Guantanamo the
opportunity for access for interviews, to meet with their citizens,
but beyond that I don't have any specifics to offer you.
Q: Given the fact that most people in the Maghreb countries, and most
governments are opposed to an attack on Iraq, do you think that the
international coalition against terrorism will survive a strike
against Iraq?
A/S Burns: Well, as I said, at this stage, President Bush has
certainly not made any decisions with regard to a resort to force. Our
focus now is on compliance with the UN Security Council resolution and
Iraq's obligation to comply.
Q: What did you discuss in your meeting with the King today? Did you
discuss the presence of any terrorists in the country?
A/S Burns: As I said, we had a very good and very useful conversation
about a range of issues on which we work together including the
campaign against terrorism but I can't go into specific details.
Q: How long was your meeting with the King?
A/S Burns: I think it was about 45-50 minutes. Last question please.
Q: If you are not declaring war on Iraq, then why all the ongoing
preparations as if you were going to war tomorrow?
A: As I said, we are determined to ensure full compliance with the
Security Council resolution. There is a pathway that doesn't involve
the resort to the use of force, and that pathway is full Iraqi
compliance with the resolution that all 15 members of the Security
Council voted for. That pathway does exist. And that, it seems to me,
is the issue before us today. Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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