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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

23 December 2002

Rumsfeld Says U.S. Continues Efforts to Win Iraqi Arms Compliance

(U.S. also consulting with allies on North Korean nuclear threat)
(580)
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the United States continues
discussing with the other members of the U.N. Security Council how to
gain Iraq's compliance with its international disarmament obligations.
"The moment [Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] and his ruling clique
seem to feel that they're out of danger, they will undoubtedly see no
incentive to comply with their international obligations," Rumsfeld
said. "That is why, after the passage of [U.N. Security Council]
Resolution 1441, the United States and coalition countries are
continuing to take steps to keep pressure on the regime."
Rumsfeld said that among other things, the United States and coalition
war planes continue patrolling the northern and southern no-fly zones
in Iraq that were created in the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf
War, and "we've continued developing a humanitarian relief and
reconstruction plan for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq."
At a Pentagon news briefing December 23, Rumsfeld and General Richard
Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States
continues working with the Iraqi opposition and making plans for a
post-Saddam transition along with keeping up the military pressure.
"We're taking prudent and deliberate steps with respect to alerts and
mobilizations and deployment of U.S. forces -- active, [National]
Guard and Reserves," he said. "These include alerting Reserve combat,
combat support and combat service support forces, deployment of combat
and combat support forces needed to pave the way for future
deployments in the event that that becomes necessary."
Rumsfeld added that none of these steps reflects a decision by
President Bush or the United Nations to use force, saying the United
States will continue working with the U.N. member states to encourage
Iraqi compliance.
Myers said the United States continues "our deliberate and steady
force build-up in the region. It's important to posture our forces
appropriately to complement our diplomatic efforts."
Myers confirmed that a U.S. unmanned, remote-controlled Predator
surveillance aerial vehicle was reported missing over southern Iraq
about 7:30 a.m. EST (1230 GMT) after being fired upon by Iraqi
military aircraft. He said the Predator is assumed lost.
He said the firing by Iraqi aircraft on a U.S. Predator is not an
escalation of hostilities; "it's been something they've been doing for
literally the last couple of years."
And Rumsfeld said during the question period of the briefing that
discussions are being conducted among the United States, China,
Russia, Japan and South Korea over the current decision by North Korea
to remove international monitoring equipment from a nuclear reactor
near Yongbyon and to remove seals placed by the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at a spent-fuel storage
facility near the Yongbyon reactor that contains approximately 8,000
irradiated fuel rods.
He said the North Koreans don't need the reactor to generate
electricity because the power grid couldn't absorb that much power.
The IAEA has acknowledged that without its surveillance equipment in
place, it cannot guarantee that the reactor and fuel facility will not
be diverted to produce material for nuclear explosive devices. The
irradiated fuel rods cannot be used to generate electricity, but the
plutonium could be separated from the fuel rods for weapons
development, the IAEA said.
Rumsfeld said the United States is seeking a diplomatic resolution of
the current dispute.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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