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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

16 December 2002

U.S. Continues Its Review of Iraqi Arms Declaration

(Bush wants examination done in "thoughtful, deliberative way") (680)
By Wendy S. Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent
Washington -- The United States government is continuing to review the
12,000 page weapons declaration that Iraq's Saddam Hussein regime
presented to the United Nations Security Council early in December,
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters December 16.
President Bush "did not put any type of artificial deadline on the
amount of time it would take to do this thoughtfully and
deliberatively," Fleischer explained. "The President's approach and
the President's instructions were to do this in a way that would be
deliberative, that would be full, that would be thoughtful.
"This is very important. This declaration that Iraq has filed can be
the difference between war and peace. And the President thinks that it
is vital to take a look at it in its entirety and to do so
thoughtfully and deliberatively.
"And once the review is complete, then to share the United States'
thoughts with the other nations in the world, to share it with the
Security Council; to listen respectfully to the opinions of our
friends and our allies and others on the Security Council about this
matter, and to proceed, in due course, from there. And that's the
approach that the President has taken," Fleischer said.
"Other nations will also be weighing in on their views of what Iraq
has provided," the Press Secretary said, as will chief U.N. weapons
inspector Hans Blix.
"And this is all appropriately so. Under the terms of the Resolution
1441, which sent the inspectors back into Iraq, the declaration Iraq
prepared was for the use of the members of the United Nations Security
Council, and they will all be making their thoughts known shortly,"
Fleischer said.
Part of the review of the declaration, he said, is "to see what is not
in it and to match it up against previous declarations, particularly
the UNSCOM (United Nations Special Commission) report in 1999," when
the inspectors did a final reporting on what they knew at the time
Iraq ordered them to leave the country.
"It will shed some light on whether Iraq is telling the truth or not,
to see what Iraq has said in this declaration and compare it to their
past promises for what they have indeed destroyed," Fleischer said.
Asked if the White House is still confident that Iraqi scientists will
be interviewed outside of the country, and whether Blix is cooperating
with that effort, Fleischer responded:
"We continue to have fruitful conversations with the United Nations
about the full implementation of Resolution 1441. That is an important
part of Resolution 1441, as passed unanimously by all members of the
Security Council. The reason the United States feels so strongly about
this is because this often is the best way to find out what Iraq is
really up to. There are people inside Iraq who are dedicated to peace,
who would like to talk, who have knowledge that they would like to
share; and it is in the interest of the world to hear their facts. ...
We expect that the resolution will be implemented in full."
In another development, asked about the conference of Iraqi dissidents
taking place in London, Fleischer said the United States has sent "a
very clear message to people in this conference as well as to people
around the world, and that is that we support a democratically
oriented Iraq, an Iraq that is whole," with borders that remain
intact.
Legislation passed by the U.S. Congress several years before called
for regime change in Iraq, and for the United States to work closely
with the Iraqi groups that are dedicated to a different type of
leadership in Iraq than the Saddam Hussein regime, Fleischer noted.
"And we look forward to working with Iraqis both inside and outside
the government to make this reality," Fleischer said.
A "democratically inclined," leadership, he said, "means a leadership
that is respectful of the will of the people."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)



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