Pentagon: US not required to fund Iraqi opposition
Iraq-USA, Politics, 10/24/1998

US Pentagon Spokesman Kenneth Bacon said that the US government is "not required" to fund Iraqi opposition groups, although money has been made avaiable by the US Congress for that purpose.

Bacon responded to reporters' questions on Thursday on statements by General Anthony Zinni, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, that questioned whether a US plan to overthrow the Iraqi government by funding opposition groups would be able to succeed.

According to Bacon, Congress authorized the government to spend $97 million in support of Iraqi opposition forces to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The opposition groups would have to meet certain criteria to obtain funding, which he said include a requirement that the opposition groups contain a representation of the "Iraqi people or groups opposed to Saddam, and that they are committed to democratic values."

"We are not required to spend that money, as I understand it. We are authorized to spend the money if certain conditions are met. And over the next few months the administration will be looking at opposition groups in Iraq and deciding if any of them meet the standards that are specified in the law," Bacon said. The opposition groups will be evaluated for eligibility over a 90-day period by the US government.

"Look, I think we all agree that Iraq would be better off with a different leader. We are in favor of a unified Iraq. We would like to see an Iraq that does not threaten its neighbors. We would like to see an Iraq that is devoted to peace and stability in the Middle East, rather than disruption and conflict. We would like to see an Iraq that over time moves toward democracy," Bacon said.

The legislation also allows the US to send surplus tanks and other weapons to Iraq and to supply training and military education if the US government decides to utilize the funding.

"The administration will look at this and will take whatever actions are appropriate, given our policy," Bacon said, noting that US promises of use of "safe zones" in northern and southern Iraq as bases for the opposition groups under US protection "would impose very dangerous obligations on the United States right now."

Meanwhile, technical experts convened by UNSCOM met Thursday and yesterday to discuss the final results of test run by a French laboratory on Iraqi warheads to determine whether VX nerve gas was present, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe said yesterday. She added that their findings will be delivered in a report to the Security Council on Monday.

Previous Stories:
  US plan to topple Saddam by Iraqi opposition   (10/21/1998)
  No French confirmation on a poisonous gas in Iraqi missiles   (10/9/1998)
  Iraq accuses US of undermining Annan's initiative   (9/22/1998)

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