CONCERN OVER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ - October 9, 1998

Iraqwatch.com ^ | October 9, 1998 | Senator Carl Levin (D-MI)

[BigSkyFreeper]

CONCERN OVER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ (Senate - October 09, 1998)

HON. CARL LEVIN

in the Senate

October 9, 1998

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today, along with Senators McCain, Lieberman, Hutchison and twenty-three other Senators, I am sending a letter to the President to express our concern over Iraq's actions and urging the President `after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.'

At the outset, I believe it would be useful to review the events that led up to the requirement for the destruction of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. At the time that Iraq unlawfully invaded and occupied its neighbor Kuwait, the UN Security Council imposed economic and weapons sanctions on Iraq .

After Iraqi forces had been ousted from Kuwait by the U.S.-led coalition and active hostilities had ended, but while coalition forces were still occupying Iraqi territory, the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, conducted a review of Iraq's history with weapons of mass destruction and made a number of decisions in April 1991 to achieve its goals, including a formal cease fire.

With respect to Iraq's history, the Security Council noted Iraq's threat during the Gulf War to use chemical weapons in violation of its treaty obligations, Iraq's prior use of chemical weapons, Iraq's use of ballistic missiles in unprovoked attacks, and reports that Iraq attempted to acquire materials for a nuclear weapons program contrary to its treaty obligations.

After reviewing Iraq's history, the Security Council decided that `Iraq shall unconditionally accept the destruction, removal, or rendering harmless, under international supervision' of its weapons of mass destruction programs and all ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometers and conditioned the lifting of the economic and weapons sanctions on Iraq's meeting its obligations, including those relating to its weapons of mass destruction programs.

To implement those decisions, the Security Council authorized the formation of a Special Commission, which has come to be known as UNSCOM, to `carry out immediate on-site inspection of Iraq's biological, chemical and missile capabilities, based on Iraq's declarations and the designation of any additional locations by the Special Commission itself' and requested the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out similar responsibilities for Iraq's nuclear program. Additionally, the UN Security Council decided that Iraq shall unconditionally undertake not to use, develop, construct or acquire weapons of mass destruction and called for UNSCOM to conduct ongoing monitoring and verification of Iraq's compliance. The detailed modalities for these actions were agreed upon by an exchange of letters in May 1991 that were signed by the UN Secretary General, the Executive Chairman of UNSCOM and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq .

Thus, Iraq unconditionally accepted the UN Security Council's demands and thereby achieved a formal cease-fire and the withdrawal of coalition forces from its territory.

Mr. President, UNSCOM has sought to carry out its responsibilities in as expeditious and effective way as possible. UNSCOM Executive Chairman Richard Butler and his teams, however, have been confronted with Iraqi obstacles, lack of cooperation and lies. As UNSCOM has noted in its own document entitled `UNSCOM Main Achievements': `UNSCOM has uncovered significant undeclared proscribed weapons programmes, destroyed elements of those programmes so far identified, including equipment, facilities and materials, and has been attempting to map out and verify the full extent of these programmes in the face of serious efforts to deceive and conceal. UNSCOM also continues to try to verify Iraq's illegal unilateral destruction activities. The investigation of such undeclared activities is crucial to the verification of Iraq's declarations on its proscribed weapons programmes.'

Mr. President, I will not dwell on the numerous instances of Iraq's failure to comply with its obligations. I would note, however, that in accepting the February 23, 1998 Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by the UN Secretary General and Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister, that ended Iraq's prior refusal to allow UNSCOM and the IAEA to perform their missions, the UN Security Council warned Iraq that it will face the `severest consequences' if it fails to adhere to the commitments it reaffirmed in the MOU. Suffice it to say that on August 5, 1998, Iraq declared that it was suspending all cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA, except some limited monitoring activities.

In response, on September 9, 1998, a unanimous UN Security Council condemned Iraq's action and suspended its sanctions' reviews until UNSCOM and the IAEA report that they are satisfied that they have been able to exercise their full range of activities. Within the last week, Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister refused to rescind Iraq's decision. Throughout this process and despite the unanimity in the UN Security Council, Iraq has depicted the United States and Britain as preventing UNSCOM and the IAEA from certifying Iraqi compliance with its obligations.

To review, Iraq unlawfully invaded and occupied Kuwait, it's armed forces were ejected from Kuwait by the U.S.-led coalition forces, active hostilities ceased, and the UN Security Council demanded and Iraq accepted, as a condition of a cease-fire, that its weapons of mass destruction programs be destroyed and that such destruction be accomplished under international supervision and permanent monitoring, and that economic and weapons sanctions remain in effect until those conditions are satisfied.

Mr. President, by invading Kuwait, Iraq threatened international peace and security in the Persian Gulf region. By its failure to comply with the conditions it accepted as the international community's requirements for a cease-fire, Iraq continues to threaten international peace and security. By its refusal to abandon its quest for weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them, Iraq is directly defying and challenging the international community and directly violating the terms of the cease fire between itself and the United States-led coalition.

Mr. President, it is vitally important for the international community to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to allow UNSCOM and the IAEA to carry out their missions. To date, the response has been to suspend sanctions' reviews and to seek to reverse Iraq's decision through diplomacy.

Mr. President, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan noted when he successfully negotiated the memorandum of agreement with Saddam Hussein in February, `You can do a lot with diplomacy, but of course you can do a lot more with diplomacy backed up by fairness and force.' It is my sincere hope that Saddam Hussein, when faced with the credible threat of the use of force, will comply with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. But, I believe that we must carefully consider other actions, including, if necessary, the use of force to destroy suspect sites if compliance is not achieved.

Mr. President, the Iraqi people are suffering because of Saddam Hussein's noncompliance. The United States has no quarrel with the Iraqi people. It is most unfortunate that they have been subjected to economic sanctions for more than seven years. If Saddam Hussein had cooperated with UNSCOM and the IAEA from the start and had met the other requirements of the UN Security Council resolutions, including the accounting for more than 600 Kuwaitis and third-country nationals who disappeared at the hands of Iraqi authorities during the occupation of Kuwait, those sanctions could have been lifted a number of years ago. I support the UN's oil-for-food program and regret that Saddam Hussein took more than five years to accept it. In the final analysis, as the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council stated at the time of the February crisis: `responsibility for the result of this crisis falls on the Iraqi regime itself.'

I ask that the letter to the President be printed in the Record.

The letter follows: U.S. SENATE,

Committee on Armed Services, Washington, DC, October 9, 1998.

The President, The White House, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. President: We are writing to express our concern over recent developments in Iraq .

Last February, the Senate was working on a resolution supporting military action if diplomacy did not succeed in convincing Saddam Hussein to comply with the United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the disclosure and destruction of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. This effort was discontinued when the Iraqi government reaffirmed its acceptance of all relevant Security Council resolutions and reiterated its willingness to cooperate with the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by its Deputy Prime Minister and the United Nations Secretary General.

Despite a brief interval of cooperation, however, Saddam Hussein has failed to live up to his commitments. On August 5, Iraq suspended all cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA, except some limited monitoring activity.

As UNSCOM Executive Chairman Richard Butler told us in a briefing for all Senators in March, the fundamental historic reality is that Iraq has consistently sought to limit, mitigate, reduce and, in some cases, defeat the Security Council's resolutions by a variety of devices.

We were gratified by the Security Council's action in unanimously passing Resolution 1194 on September 9. By condemning Iraq's decision to suspend cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA, by demanding that Iraq rescind that decision and cooperate fully with UNSCOM and the IAEA, by deciding not to conduct the sanctions' review scheduled for October 1998 and not to conduct any future such reviews until UNSCOM and the IAEA, report that they are satisfied that they have been able to exercise the full range of activities provided for in their mandates, and by acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Security Council has sent an unambiguous message to Saddam Hussein.

We are skeptical, however, that Saddam Hussein will take heed of this message even though it is from a unanimous Security Council. Moreover, we are deeply concerned that without the intrusive inspections and monitoring by UNSCOM and the IAEA, Iraq will be able, over time, to reconstitute its weapons of mass destruction programs.

In light of these developments, we urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraq sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.

Sincerely,

Carl Levin, Joe Lieberman, Frank R. Lautenberg, Dick Lugar, Kit Bond, Jon Kyl, Chris Dodd, John McCain, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Alfonse D'Amato, Bob Kerrey, Pete V. Domenici, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Mikulski.

Thomas Daschle, John Breaux, Tim Johnson, Daniel K. Inouye, Arlen Specter, James Inhofe, Strom Thurmond, Mary L. Landrieu, Wendell Ford, John F. Kerry, Chuck Grassley, Jesse Helms, Rick Santorum.

[BigSkyFreeper]

The signatories and recipient of the letter are the ones I don't want to see put on the investigation panel. McCain is a good choice. Even while he signed on to the attached letter to Levin's speech, it just shows he hasn't wavered on his opinion regarding Iraq, and has been a steadfast supporter of Bush's Iraq policy which mirrors the same policy outlined in the letter that the Democrats think is weak and misguided.

[Peach]

Now I had FORGOTTEN that Republicans did that, but thanks for reminding me that our party remained honorable even though we knew it was all just lip service from the Impeached One.

[Tamzee]

Iraq attacked in 'Operation Desert Fox'

Anti-aircraft fire explodes over Baghdad

December 16, 1998
Web posted at: 6:39 p.m. EST (2339 GMT)

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A second round of explosions were seen and heard over Baghdad at 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The activity occurred shortly after U.S. President Bill Clinton announced he had ordered a "strong, sustained" series of airstrikes on military and security forces in Iraq, designed to degrade Iraq's ability to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The first anti-aircraft blasts were reported over Baghdad at about 1 a.m. local time (5 p.m. EST Wednesday). CNN nightscope video showed specks of white light flashing through the air, as explosions thundered in the distance.

In a televised address, Clinton accused Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of failing to live up to his commitment to allow unrestricted access to U.N. weapons inspectors.

"We had to act, and act now," he said.

"Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors with nuclear weapons, poison gas or biological weapons," Clinton said from the Oval Office. Clinton said he decided weeks ago to give Hussein one last chance to cooperate. But he said U.N. chief weapons inspector Richard Butler reported that Iraq had failed to cooperate -- and had in fact placed new restrictions on weapons inspectors.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the attack, named Operation Desert Fox, was necessary because Hussein never intended to abide by his pledge to give unconditional access to U.N. inspectors trying to determine if Iraq has dismantled its biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programs.


"He is a serial breaker of promises," Blair said of the Iraqi president.

Speaking outside his Downing Street residence, Blair said Britain had no quarrel with the Iraqi people and was taking every possible care to avoid civilian casualties.

Western leaders had conferred about possible military action against Iraq since late Tuesday, when Butler handed over his latest report to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Clinton and Blair had discussed the latest crisis during a phone conversation on Tuesday.

There are 15 U.S. warships and 97 U.S. aircraft in the Persian Gulf region, including about 70 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. More than 12,000 U.S. sailors and Marines are in the region.

U.S. sources said eight of the warships, equipped with cruise missiles, have been moved into the northern part of the Gulf, within easy striking distance of Baghdad.

More than 300 cruise missiles are available for use against Iraq, and there are air-launched cruise missiles aboard 14 B-52 bombers on the British island of Diego Garcia, sources said.

Britain has 22 strike aircraft in the region.


And early Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook warned Iraq that military strikes could come quickly and without warning.

Butler: 'We can't ... do our jobs'
Butler's report discussed events that had taken place since mid-November, when Baghdad last agreed to cooperate fully with U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) inspectors.

"Iraq's conduct ensured that no progress was able to be made in either the fields of disarmament or accounting for its prohibited weapons programs," the report said.

Butler late Tuesday ordered UNSCOM staff out of Baghdad. The entire staff was evacuated before dawn on Wednesday.

"I regret that I had to report the facts yesterday, which is that (unfettered access) had not been given, and we can't adequately do our jobs under these circumstances," Butler told reporters at the United Nations on Wednesday.

"It made logical sense therefore to pull our people out, and we'll see where this goes in the future," he added.

Military might in place for weeks
The military strikes -- which came at night -- followed a roughly 14-month period during which Baghdad officials periodically said they would no longer cooperate with the weapons inspectors.


Clinton
During that time, Baghdad also repeatedly demanded that crippling international sanctions, imposed after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait prior to the Gulf War, be lifted.

The most recent escalation in the ongoing weapons standoff came in early November.

At that time, Western powers threatened military strikes against Iraq. The threat was removed on November 14, when Baghdad agreed to cooperate fully with the weapons inspectors.

But, U.S. and British officials warned Baghdad that future airstrikes could come without warning should Iraqi leadership again refuse to cooperate with UNSCOM.

To back up their threat, Western powers left in place the military might they had positioned in the Persian Gulf, within striking distance of Iraq.

It was that military weaponry that was used on Thursday to conduct the strikes against Iraq.

Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.


http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9812/16/iraq.strike.03/

[BigSkyFreeper]

If I can find the transcript of Clinton's Rose Garden speech after this letter was delivered to the Oval Office, you would think it was Bush who was in office. The language is basically the same as Bush's 2002 and 2003 SOTU speeches.

[Peach]

I think I have it; give me a second.

[Tamzee]

Anti-aircraft fire explodes over Baghdad, 12-16-98

Clinton, 12-16-98

[Tamzee]

Clinton Says 'Mission Accomplished'

By Linda D. Kozaryn - December 21, 1998

American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON - Service members in the Persian Gulf did "a
difficult job with skill, dedication and determination,"
President Clinton said at the White House Dec. 19, the last
day of Operation Desert Fox.

Based on preliminary national security briefings, the
president said the 70-hour air strike campaign against
Iraqi military targets had achieved its mission. "We have
inflicted significant damage on Saddam's weapons of mass
destruction programs, on the command structures that direct
and protect that capability, and on his military and
security infrastructure," he reported.

During waves of attacks over four nights, U.S. and British
forces hit Iraq's air defense and command and control
systems, security forces and military infrastructure, and
the industrial base used to sustain and deliver deadly
weapons. Eight Tomahawk capable Navy ships fired hundreds
of cruise missiles into Iraq. Air Force and Navy fighters
and bombers hammered targets throughout the length and
breadth of the Gulf state.

Pentagon officials said initial damage reports and
satellite photos indicated the strikes caused significant
damage to airfields, electronics plants, Republican Guard
barracks, missile repair facilities and numerous other
targets. Defense officials estimate Hussein's missile
program, for example, has been set back by at least a year.

Overall, Clinton deemed the operation well planned and
executed. He pointed out, however, that even though the
strikes have ceased, the conflict with Iraq is not over. As
long as Hussein is in power, the president said, he remains
a threat to the world. Therefore, the United States will
continue it's strategy of containing Hussein and
constraining his military capabilities.

The United States will maintain a strong military presence
in the Gulf. U.S. forces will act if Hussein tries to
rebuild Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program,
threaten neighbors, challenge allied aircraft or move
against the Kurds, Clinton said. Allied aircraft will
continue enforcing the no-fly zones over North and South
Iraq.

The United States will sustain economic sanctions imposed
against Iraq by the United Nations. "To date, they have
cost Saddam more than $120 billion, resources that
otherwise would have gone toward rebuilding his military,"
Clinton said.

The United States will continue supporting the oil-for-food
program which generates more than $10 billion a year for
food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies, Clinton
added. "We will insist that Iraq's oil be used for food,
not tanks," he said.

The United States would like to see U.N. weapons inspectors
return to Iraq, providing the Iraqis take "concrete,
affirmative and demonstrable actions" to show full
cooperation, Clinton said.

The United States also will support Iraqi opposition groups
by working with Radio Free Iraq. "We will stand ready to
help a new leadership in Baghdad that abides by its
international commitments and respects the rights of its
own people," Clinton said. "We hope it will return Iraq to
its rightful place in the community of nations."


-----

[Peach]

What I have are past SOTU speeches and the parts about Iraq do sound just like President Bush. Don't have that Rose Garden speech but have seen it posted on here and then at the end one is surprised at who the president is!

[BigSkyFreeper]

Clinton accused Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of failing to live up to his commitment to allow unrestricted access to U.N. weapons inspectors.

"We had to act, and act now," he said.

As Kerry would say about Bush, "the decision was warhawkish and craven". Bush gave Saddam a 48-hour deadline, Clinton wanted to "act now".

[BigSkyFreeper]

I remember watching C-SPAN2 a couple years ago, Pete Domenici got up and started reading from a letter, and at the end he removed his glasses, looked over toward the Democrat side and said, "Bill Clinton said those words, not President George W. Bush". I was floored!

[Tamzee]

Nice catch! I've never seen anyone point that out before!

Also, the CNN article makes it pretty clear that Clinton and Blair didn't feel it at all necessary to get the U.N.'s advice or permission prior to striking.... and nobody was protesting or demanding they do so.

[Redleg Duke]

Levin...the Quisling of our time.

[nopardons]

Holy cow !

[MJY1288]

The face of a deeply disturbed man

[Annie03]

LOL-good work! While I haven't always agreed with Pres. Bush (spending/social programs), certainly I abhor the outright LIES that JF'inK spews about him (and himself). This is beautiful.

Thanks for the ping, Howlin. LOVE this.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Yup, and Bush ended up fudging around with the Germans, French, and the Russians at the UN for 6 months when we didn't need to, because the authorization was already in place around November 1998 and was to remain in place so long as Saddam was in flagrant violation of UN resolutions from the moment it was drafted.

[Annie03]

Well, depends on who it is. If it's a Democrat, it's okay. If it's Pres Bush, well, that's different.

[BigSkyFreeper]

I think if the Democrats want a full account of so called "intelligence failures" the independent panel should go back to the end of Gulf War I, right up to the point we liberated Baghdad.

[SnarlinCubBear]

(((Ping)))

[arasina]

Not quite 7 months before this letter was sent to President Clinton by the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, and approximately 1 month after the Lewinsky story broke in the news media, Harris Interactive conducted a poll regarding his handling of the Iraq situation:

THE HARRIS POLL #10, February 24, 1998

LARGE MAJORITY (71%-23%) FAVORS BOMBING IRAQ IF SADAM HUSSEIN REFUSES TO ALLOW U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTORS COMPLETE ACCESS TO ALL POSSIBLE WEAPONS SITES

As we await the details of the agreement reached between Sadam Hussein and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the American people strongly endorse the bombing of Iraqi weapons sites, if Sadam Hussein has not backed down completely. By 71%-23%, or more than 3-to-1, a big majority of adult Americans believe it would be right to bomb possible Iraqi weapons sites "if Sadam Hussein refuses to allow U.N. weapons inspectors, including some Americans, to check all possible weapons sites, at any time."

Bill Clinton had other things on his mind in 1998 for the intervening months --- his involvement with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was THE story in all the media. About a month before this letter was sent, September 11, 1998 to be exact, Kenneth Starr's report was released by Congress.

Just four days before this letter was sent, October 5, 1998, the Judiciary Committee voted to commence with a formal impeachment inquiry into the Lewinsky matter.

Slightly more than 2 months after this letter was sent, on Saturday 19 December 1998, President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached by the United States House of Representatives, becoming only the second President in U.S. History, and the only man popularly elected as President to have been so charged. December 19, 1998 was coincidentally the date that Operation Desert Fox concluded and considered a "Mission Accomplished."