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06 February 2003

World Must Not Allow Iraq "Blatant Pattern of Noncooperation"

(Asst. Secretary Burns calls force "last resort," but perhaps
necessary) (710)
By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The State Department's senior diplomat to the Middle
East said that while the use of force would be a "last resort" in the
conflict between the international community and Iraq, the world
"cannot afford to allow a country to engage in such a blatant pattern
of noncooperation" with repeated United Nations resolutions to disarm
itself of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Ambassador William Burns, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near
Eastern Affairs, told journalists from Pakistan, Spain and Russia
February 6 that the Bush Administration still desired a peaceful
solution to the conflict, but for that to happen, the Iraqi leadership
needed to follow the example set by countries such as South Africa and
Ukraine which had satisfactorily disarmed themselves of such weapons.
"What you need to see is a strategic decision" by Iraq, Burns said, to
follow the course of action of such countries as South Africa and
Ukraine "when they have set about seriously to comply with obligations
to disarm weapons of mass destruction.... We've seen none of that
seriousness of purpose on the part of the Iraqi regime." He spoke to
the journalists from Washington in a digital video conference (DVC).
The assistant secretary said Secretary of State Colin Powell had made
"a very comprehensive and, we believe, compelling case" before the
U.N. Security Council February 5 in which he presented evidence that
Iraq was willfully not complying with the U.N. weapons inspection
team.
When asked about extending the mission of the inspectors, Burns said
it was "very difficult to see how the passage of time alone is likely
to produce better Iraqi behavior."
The task of the inspectors, he said, "is not necessarily to uncover
things in a kind of intricate game of hide and seek in Iraq. Their
task is to take from the Iraqis their commitment, their full
cooperation, to explain exactly what they've done" with their WMD
materials and components.
This conflict, he said, is not just an issue of contention between
"the United States and a particular regime in Iraq," but, rather, is
based upon Iraq's unwillingness to comply with "the will of the
international community."
"And that was the central point that Secretary Powell was making,"
said Burns. "It is significant that he made that point, that he made
that presentation in New York at the Security Council because it
reflects our commitment to working to the maximum extent possible
through the United Nations and with an international coalition of
countries to try to ensure that Iraq complies with its obligations,
because the issue is a very stark one."
With regard to the reluctance on the part of some countries to endorse
the use of force against Iraq, Burns acknowledged that "there are
obviously a lot of questions being raised," and he said the use of
force should continue be debated "because no one should look easily or
look lightly at some of the choices that are involved here." However,
"the international community cannot afford to allow a country to
engage in such a blatant pattern of non-cooperation."
The assistant secretary said the United States would also be mindful
of other issues of concern in the Middle East, such as the conflict
between Israelis and Palestinians and the need for economic and
political reform in the region. The Bush administration would seek to
pursue them "with equal vigor and equal sense of leadership," he said,
being aware of how many of these issues were interconnected.
The United States would also need to demonstrate to the people of the
Middle East, he said, that "violent extremist groups don't have
answers to the questions on the minds of most people in the region,"
in terms of economic prosperity or a solution to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"We have to demonstrate that we are actively and deeply committed to
producing those kinds of outcomes and to showing that, through
diplomatic and political means, you can produce positive outcomes in a
way that will never be achieved through violent extremism or the use
of terrorism," he said.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)