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Daily Press Briefing
Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
December 23, 2002

INDEX:

(...)

QUESTION:  Okay, on Iraq.  Secretary Powell told us that the US was now prepared to share evidence of Iraq's misdeeds with the inspectors.  Has that transfer of information already begun and can you tell us if there's been any progress on getting solutions in place for interviewing scientists?

MR. REEKER:  As we have stated in the past and as you rightly point out, Secretary Powell reiterated on Thursday when he spoke to you that the inspections should give high priority to conducting interviews with scientists and other witnesses outside of Iraq where they can speak freely.  And in terms of the resolution, UN Security Council Resolution 1441, Iraq is obligated to make witnesses available to inspectors. 

We have been working with Dr. Blix and Dr. El Baradei on putting interview modalities in place.  We're committed to ensuring the safety of interviewees, and we remain in close consultation with our friends and the inspection agencies on how best to accomplish this. 

I think I'm not going to go into any specifics on types of intelligence we're providing to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission or to the International Atomic Energy Agency, but consultations with those groups are ongoing, as the Secretary said they would be.  And so without giving you any particular details or schedules of that type of thing, it is an ongoing process.

Cristophe.

QUESTION:  Do you have any reaction to the Iraqi proposal to allow CIA people to come to Iraq to assess the weapons of mass destruction program?

MR. REEKER:  I guess without commenting on matters of intelligence, which we never do, I think Saddam Hussein and his regime should be aware that the mechanisms for monitoring the situation in Iraq have been put into place under a number of UN resolutions, and including most recently 1441, and the full compliance and cooperation by the regime with the UN inspectors and disclosure of the regime's weapons of mass destruction are what is required here.  That has not changed.

QUESTION:  Speaking directly to the offer, is that something that the US would be interested in doing, sending CIA experts into Iraq to --

MR. REEKER:  I wouldn't try to speak for the CIA or comment on intelligence matters other than to point out that there is a mechanism already in place through the United Nations agency, Dr. Blix's agency, which has been put into place to accomplish this, is carrying out the mandate given to it by the Security Council.  And as we have said, as Secretary Powell has said and the President has said, we're committed to supporting those agencies under the UN mandate in every way we can.

In the back.

QUESTION:  Hong Kong.  Tomorrow is the deadline for Hong Kong's --

MR. REEKER:  I'm sorry.  He wants to continue on Iraq.  We'll come back to Hong Kong.  Okay?  Thanks.

Sir.

QUESTION:  What are US demands from Turkish Government for the possible military operation to Iraq?  Mr. Pearce, the US Ambassador in Ankara, gave a letter to Turkish Government on Friday.  So did you get any response about these demands?  Will Turkey support to military operation to Iraq?

MR. REEKER:  Well, as you know, and we've certainly discussed for some time now, the United States is engaged with discussions -- in discussions with a number of likeminded governments about what may need to be done if Iraq does not comply with the Security Council resolution, with 1441 and its requirements to disarm.  This includes, of course, possible participation in and support for a future coalition, including not only possibly military contributions, but other support as well. 

We are not going to discuss particulars of our diplomatic communications with Turkey, or with any other country.  And these discussions are certainly not indications that war with Iraq is inevitable.  Iraq still has a chance to comply with its obligations to the international community.  But I think we've all seen, based on our experience over the past 12 years, that only the credible threat of force and serious consequences, as laid out in the Security Council resolution, those are the only ways to elicit Iraqi cooperation and compliance with the UN Security Council resolutions. 

And so for the weapons inspectors from the United Nations to have the best chance of successfully and peacefully resolving this matter, we must collectively demonstrate that we're prepared to act militarily to disarm Iraq if Iraq does not choose itself to disarm verifiably.  So, in that general regard, we've had discussions with a number of governments around the world. 

Our Ambassador in Ankara has met with Prime Minister Gul.  On Saturday, he updated the Prime Minister, as we do regularly, about our Iraq policy, including reiterating our disappointment with Iraq's UN declaration regarding its weapons of mass destruction and its possession -- and Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction, echoing the point Secretary Powell and many, many in the international community made last week in terms of disappointment with Iraq not taking this opportunity to show a strategic change in the way they're approaching the international community.  So the Ambassador and Prime Minister Gul agreed to stay in close contact on the matter, as we are with other friends and allies all around the world.

Anything else on Iraq?  Yes.

QUESTION:  On Thursday, you distributed a document suggesting that Iraq tried to acquire, to get uranium from Indonesia.  And since, the government of this country denied several times that it involved in any kind of such deal there with the Iraqis.  Can you be more specific about your own accusations?

MR. REEKER:  I don't know that our fact sheet suggested that that particular government was involved in that.  I'd have to go back and check and see if there was any more information I could share with you on that.  It raised a point about illustrating one of the questions which Iraq has not answered, something that we think they had the opportunity to do when they made their declaration last week.  I will go back and check and see if there's anything more specific I could share on that particular fact, but I just don't have anything right now. 

Arshad, did you have anything?  No, okay.  The lady at the back had Hong Kong next.

QUESTION:  Are you open out -- following the CIA story, are you open to sending the US inspectors, doesn't have to be CIA, but from other agencies?

MR. REEKER:  I think I made perfectly clear that there's an inspection mechanism that is in place that we are supporting, which is created under the UN Security Council resolutions, under the leadership of Dr. Hans Blix, reporting to the UN Security Council.  We are doing everything to support that monitoring mechanism, and as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency and their monitoring mechanism.

QUESTION:  The US officials have been complaining, including Secretary Rumsfeld, that the UN inspectors can't find anything.  Why don't you send your own people? 

MR. REEKER:  I'm not aware of the particular complaints that you're talking about.  I have seen statement after statement from senior US officials about our support for Dr. Blix, Dr. El Baradei, and their inspection missions and how we are doing whatever we can to support those missions.  And that's what we'll continue to focus on. 

The onus is on Saddam Hussein.  The onus is on Iraq to demonstrate, as required under Security Council resolutions, that they disarm from their weapons of mass destruction program, something they have failed to for many years now, and something we are all very serious about enforcing in terms of the will of the international community as expressed in that Security Council resolution.

(...)
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