*EPF201 01/21/2003
Bush Administration Presses for Disarmament of Iraq
(Says if Saddam does not do it, U.S. and Allies Will) (1080)

By Wendy S. Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent

Washington -- The purpose of having United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq is not to contain Saddam Hussein, but to make certain that he has disarmed his nation of weapons of mass destruction, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer reminded White House reporters January 21.

"That is the United Nations position," Fleischer said, noting that even France, which says it will veto any U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military action against Iraq, admits that Saddam retains weapons of mass destruction.

Fleischer noted that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in a speech in Washington earlier in the day pointed out that Saddam Hussein in the late '90s was found by the United Nations to be in possession of long-range missiles and to be in possession of anthrax, mustard gas, VX gas, sarin and botulinum.

"The question is, what has Saddam Hussein done with the very weapon systems prohibited to him that the United Nations said he has? Where are they? What has he done with them? He certainly has not provided the world with any proof that he has destroyed them, leading to the conclusion that of course he still has them," Fleischer said.

"The question then becomes what (is) to be done about it," Fleischer said, noting that Iraq is excellent at hiding what it has. "It has large areas of desert. It has large underground areas. It has mobile laboratories," he said.

Bush, in remarks earlier in the day to reporters, said "it's important for the American citizens and the citizens around the world to understand that Saddam Hussein possesses some of the world's deadliest weapons. He poses a serious threat to America and to our friends and allies.

"The world came together, including the French, to say he must disarm. He's not disarming. As a matter of fact, it appears to be a rerun of a bad movie. He is delaying, he is deceiving, he is asking for time. He's playing hide-and-seek with inspectors," the President said.

And this is why President Bush feels so strongly that the world faces a choice, Fleischer said. The President will not stand by if the United Nations becomes the League of Nations, but "will lead a coalition to disarm Saddam Hussein if Saddam Hussein will not disarm himself."

Fleischer pointed out that during the 1990's "many nations basically allowed Saddam Hussein to continue in his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. And it was President Bush who went to the United Nations (in 2002) and convinced the world that that path had to be altered."

The United Nations, Fleischer said, "needed President Bush to come along and give it the spine that was required to at long last get the inspectors back into Iraq so that peace could have one final chance.

"And so the President will continue his efforts in consultation with France and with other nations around the world to make certain that the will of the world is carried out and that Saddam Hussein does not have weapons of mass destruction. As the President said earlier today, this is a bad movie that he has no intention of watching again," Fleischer said.

Asked how critical is the January 27 report that U.N. weapons inspectors will make on Iraq to the Security Council, Fleischer said that "it remains just as we've indicated for a couple weeks now. We've said all along, it's an important date. The President has not called it a trigger for war. It's an important reporting date."

"(T)here's no question, when you look at what is unfolding, with Iraq developing weapons of mass destruction and Iraq's history of using weapons of mass destruction -- in other words, Iraq's failure to keep the peace -- this is a test of the United Nations.

"And it's an ongoing test. It's not a test that ended on September 12th or a test that ended in early November, when the United Nations passed a resolution. This remains a ongoing test of the will of nations, of the United Nations, to see if indeed it is a body that can keep the peace, given the threat that Saddam Hussein poses to peace," Fleischer said.

"And in that sense, the President does look at this as a very important moment for the United Nations and its member states to decide whether or not it is an organization that is capable of carrying out its original mandate, which was to use the collective power of the Security Council to make certain that regimes like Saddam Hussein's cannot rise up and develop weapons which could bring grievous harm and damage to the world."

Fleischer said that "there clearly is a need for international action and international focus on Saddam Hussein's violation of U.N. resolutions and his failure to file a complete, full and accurate declaration listing his weapons programs. We are doing that. We're doing that in multiple areas. We're doing it with the United Nations. We're doing it bilaterally. We're doing it through multilateral forum. And that will continue. And again, this remains a test of the resolve of the world to focus on peace by disarming Saddam Hussein."

"There is a process underway; the President is content to let this evolve. The President values the opinion and the judgment of our allies and their friends, and he will continue to do so. And I think it's fair to say that positions that various nations take can evolve over time themselves, and that various people in governments have various opinions, and this is not yet a matter that has been brought to its final conclusion," said Fleischer.

"And so I think it's also important, as you judge other nations, to be open to the fact that continued consultations will take place. Not all positions are final. Perhaps they will be, but I think that's not the case."

The point of any military exercise, Fleischer said, "would be to make certain that neither Saddam Hussein nor anybody else inside Iraq was in a position to use or launch weapons of mass destruction. And of course regime change is part of America's policy. And if there is a military operation, the President has made clear, its purpose will be to make certain that no one can use weapons of mass destruction."

(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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