Clinton: Iraq has backed down
Iraq, Politics, 11/15/1998

The US said that Iraq has met its demands to let the UN Special Commission team in charge of disarming Iraq (UNSCOM) do its work, with the US President Bill Clinton today saying "Iraq has backed down, but that's not enough, now Iraq must live up to its obligations"

The US has demanded a statement from Iraq stating "publicly" and "unconditionally" that Iraq would cooperate with the UN and and that Iraq takes concrete steps towards that end.

Iraq yesterday agreed to this demand by sending a letter. However, the letter contained a two page addendum listing a so-called "Iraqi concerns and views." This addendum became the subject of contention as to whether this addendum constituted conditions by Iraq, to which Iraq later submitted clarifications that they were not conditions, and that its acceptance of cooperation is "unconditional" and "unequivocal."

Today US President Bill Clinton added that the US will test Iraq by asking the UNSCOM team to start its work and that the US will remain vigilant citing "very credible threat of overwhelming force" and international support for the success of the US position.

He said "I believe we have made the right decision." adding "if we take military action, we can significantly degrade the capability of Saddam Hussein to develop weapons of mass destruction and to deliver them, but that would also mark the end of UNSCOM, so we would delay it, but we would then have no oversight, no insight, no involvement in what is going on within Iraq." The president stressed the importance of the success of the work of UNSCOM as example for future cases where the threat to the world from chemical and biological weapons will be prevalent.

He said "the return of the inspectors if they can operate in an unfettered way, is the best outcome, because they have been and remain the most effective tool to uncover, destroy and prevent Iraq from rebuilding its weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them."

The President added a list of conditions that Iraq would provide full and complete access, with Secretary of Defense William Cohen saying that Iraq must provide "information that he has not given in the past."

The president said the US will continue to eliminate the threat that he poses by "working for the elimination of Iraq's mass destruction capability under UNSCOM, enforcing the sanctions and 'no-fly zone', responding firmly to any Iraqi provocations. However, over the long term the best way to address that threat is through a government in Baghdad, a new government, that is committed to represent and respect its people, not repress them."

He added "Over the past year we have deepened our engagement with the forces of change in Iraq, reconciling the two largest Kurdish opposition groups, beginning broadcast of radio free Iraq throughout the country. We will intensify this effort, working with Congress to implement the 'Iraq liberation act' which was recently past. Strengthening our political support to make sure the opposition, or to do what we can to make the opposition a more effective voice for the aspirations of the Iraqi people."

He said stressing more than before support for the opposition saying "What we want and what we will work for is a government in Iraq that represents and respects its people and not represses them, and one that's committed to live in peace with its neighbors."

Previous Stories:
  US plan to topple Saddam by Iraqi opposition   (10/21/1998)
  Arab League: Weapons inspection groups lost credibility, Iraq should be inside Arab fold   (10/14/1998)
  Barzani and Talibani to visit Turkey this week   (10/3/1998)

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