03 February 2003
Powell Article Called Preview of February 5 Remarks to U.N.
(Will present further evidence on Iraqi non-compliance but no "smoking gun") (1030) By Wendy S. Ross Washington File White House Correspondent Washington -- Secretary of State Colin Powell's article in the February 3 Wall Street Journal is "a good guide to what he's going to say" to the United Nations Security Council February 5, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters February 3. In the article, titled "We Will Not Shrink From War," Powell states that he will present the Security Council with intelligence "showing further evidence of Iraq's pattern of deception" but says the evidence will not include a "smoking gun." Asked about this, Fleischer said the Bush administration knows "from a wide variety of means" that Saddam Hussein possesses chemical and biological weapons. The evidence Powell presents "will be compelling," Fleischer said, but each person will have to judge the information for themselves. Officials at several federal agencies have been discussing for a little more than a week what information to make public, the White House Press Secretary said. The agencies, include the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Council (NSC), the State Department, and the Department of Defense (DoD). They are reviewing their information "with an eye toward how much can be made public so that the people of the United States and people around the world can have as much information as is possible about why we feel so strongly and know that Iraq has biological and chemical weapons," Fleischer said. "The president wants this information shared publicly so that individual Americans can exercise their own right to tune in and make their evaluations as citizens of our democracy about what it is that the government knows. In the event that the president decides to use force, he thinks it is vital that the American people have this greater understanding of the reasons" for this, Fleischer said. What to declassify, the press secretary said, is "balanced against the need to protect the sources of this information so that we do not, one, lead to anybody getting killed in Iraq as a result of this, or the source of this information drying up in the future. So it's a very important series of judgments that get made to each piece of data to determine whether or not they can or cannot be made public." Asked whether President Bush would support another resolution by the U.N. Security Council beyond Resolution 1441, Fleischer told reporters to look at the president's remarks in a news availability at the White House January 31 with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. In those remarks, Bush said "this just needs to be resolved quickly. Should the United Nations decide to pass a second resolution, it would be welcomed if it is yet another signal that we're intent upon disarming Saddam Hussein. But 1441 gives us the authority to move without any second resolution. And Saddam Hussein must understand that if he does not disarm, for the sake of peace, we, along with others, will go disarm Saddam Hussein." Asked if the Bush administration was concerned about plans by the chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and possibly even Mohamed ElBaradei to return next week to Iraq, Fleischer said , "No, under 1441, it is, of course, within the prerogatives of the directors of UNMOVIC and IAEA to travel to Iraq for the purpose of implementing the resolution. That is their prerogative. And the president wants to make certain that 1441 is enforced." Questioned again about the idea of exile for Saddam Hussein, Fleischer responded that "if Saddam Hussein were to leave Iraq and to take, as the president put it, his henchmen with him, that would be a very desirable event that would save the lives of many, it would improve the lives and the fortunes of the Iraqi people and give them, for the first time in decades, freedoms that they are entitled to. And the president views that, if it were to happen -- and the president holds no high hopes that it would happen -- but the president, of course, and I think people around the world would welcome that event." Fleischer added that President Bush continues to consult with world leaders on Iraq. He noted that later in the day, Bush was to meet with King Hamad Khalifa of Bahrain. "The president looks forward to the meeting. They are a very good ally of the United States. And I think you can anticipate the topic of Iraq will of course come up. I think they may also talk about peace in the Middle East, which is something that the president and Prime Minister Blair continue their conversations about. I think those, broadly speaking, will be the two areas of conversation that arise," Fleischer said. "He's consulting very closely, as you can see, with the leaders of many of these nations. And I think as you started to see last week, something that we've been indicating to you for quite some time is starting to manifest itself, and that is, expressions of support from various leaders around the world. And I anticipate that that will continue. And so this will remain, just as the president promised, a very heavy consultative process. The diplomatic window remains a window in which the president will fully engage, to reach out and enter into discussion with our friends and allies. And I think he is having quite a bit of success." Regarding the Middle East, Bush "in his meetings reiterates the important need to focus on the peace process in the Middle East and the bringing together of the Palestinian Authority, through reform and new leaders of the Palestinian Authority, with Israel. Particularly now that the election in Israel has come and gone, the president wants to renew the focus on how to promote peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. And that's an area where many of the Arab states, as you know, are heavily invested," Fleischer said. "The president has spared no effort to work directly with many of the Arab leaders in the region to help bring about the process toward peace." (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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