[House Document 106-304]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
106th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 106-304
STATUS OF UNITED STATES EFFORTS REGARDING IRAQ'S COMPLIANCE WITH UNSC
RESOLUTIONS
__________
COMMUNICATION
from
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
transmitting
A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF EFFORTS TO OBTAIN IRAQ'S COMPLIANCE WITH THE
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL, PURSUANT TO 50
U.S.C. 1541
October 24, 2000.--Referred to the Committee on International Relations
and ordered to be printed
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
89-011 WASHINGTON : 2000
The White House,
Washington, October 18, 2000.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: Consistent with the Authorization for Use
of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1 as
amended by Public Law 106-113) and as part of my effort to keep
the Congress fully informed, I am reporting on the status of
efforts to obtain Iraq's compliance with the resolutions
adopted by the United Nations Security Council. My last report,
consistent with Public Law 102-1, was dated July 17, 2000. I
shall continue to keep the Congress informed about this
important issue.
Sincerely,
William J. Clinton.
Status of U.S. Efforts Regarding Iraq's Compliance With UNSC
Resolutions
overview
As long as Saddam Hussein remains in power, he will
continue to threaten the well-being of the Iraqi people, the
peace of the region, and vital U.S. interests. We will continue
to contain these threats, but over the long term the best way
to end them is through a new government in Baghdad. To this
end, we support the Iraqi Opposition as part of our program to
support a transition to democracy in Iraq. The Opposition has
made good strides in the past year in reestablishing its
presence, developing its plans, beginning administrative and
some program operations using United States Government funding,
and beginning training under the Iraq Liberation Act (ILA).
Another aspect of our efforts to bring about a new
government in Baghdad is our support for the creation of an
international tribunal to address the crimes against humanity
committed by the current Iraqi leadership. Saddam Hussein and
his most senior henchmen should be held accountable for their
three decades of misrule. Their glaring abuse of human rights
in Iraq, and in those countries subjected to Iraqi aggression,
underscore the fact that the current Iraqi regime will never
live at peace with its people or its neighbors.
Iraq continues to reject United Nation Security Council
Resolution 1284, a binding Resolution adopted under Chapter VII
of the U.N. Charter, including its requirement that Iraq
provide the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection
Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) with immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access.
Nonetheless, the U.N. continues to implement those parts of the
Resolution that do not require Iraqi cooperation. In its
quarterly report to the Council on August 28, UNMOVIC signaled
it is ready to begin preparatory work in Iraq. We consult with
Dr. Blix and his staff regularly to provide the best support
possible.
Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, the Secretary General's high-
level coordinator for Kuwait Issues, presented his first report
to the council on Kuwaiti and third-country national prisoners
on April 23; and on June 14, he submitted his first report on
stolen Kuwaiti property. Both of these reports demonstrate
Iraq's continuing failure to cooperate fully with its
obligations to the international community. The Iraqi
Government continues to deny Ambassador Vorontsov entry to the
country.
The oil-for-food program, which is designed to provide for
the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people as long as U.N.
sanctions remain in place, continues to expand. During the
seventh six-month phase of the program, which ended on June 8,
Iraq exported more than $8.4 billion worth of oil. On June 8,
the Council extended the program for an additional six months.
U.S. and Coalition Force Levels in the Gulf Region
Saddam Hussein's record of aggressive behavior necessitates
the deployment of a highly capable force in the region in order
to deter Iraq and respond to any threat it might pose to its
neighbors, the reconstitution of its WMD program, or movement
against the Kurds in northern Iraq. We will continue to
maintain a strong posture and have established a rapid
reinforcement capability to supplement our forces in the Gulf,
if needed.
Operation Northern Watch and Operation Southern Watch
Aircraft of the United States and coalition partners
patrolling the No-fly Zones over Iraq under Operations Northern
Watch and Southern Watch are still routinely tracked by Iraqi
radar, are regularly engaged by anti-aircraft artillery, and on
occasion, are attacked by surface-to-air missiles. Our aircrews
continue to respond in self-defense to threats against and
attacks on our aircraft patrolling the No-Fly Zones.
The Maritime Interception Force
The maritime Multinational Interception Force (MIF)
continues to enforce U.N. sanctions in the Gulf. The United
States continues to approach potential participants in the MIF
to augment current partners, and expects Poland to join later
this year.
Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
continue to support the MIF and accept vessels diverted for
violating U.N. sanctions against Iraq. After a near record
level in June and a still high level in July, the smuggling of
petroleum products through the Gulf has been significantly
reduced in August and September, principally because Iran is
now generally denying smugglers access to their territorial
waters. There is no indication that this state of affairs will
be permanent.
The MIF, and our ability to rapidly augment it, will
continue to serve as a critical deterrent to both the smuggling
of petroleum products out of Iraq and the smuggling of
prohibited items into Iraq.
UNMOVIC/IAEA: Weapons of Mass Destruction
There have been no inspections in Iraq since December 15,
1998. Iraq's defiance of the international consensus as
expressed by Resolution 1284 has meant that no progress has
been made in addressing Iraq's outstanding disarmament
obligations. Iraq remains in violation of its obligations to
end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction and
long-range missiles.
UNMOVIC has now nearly completed the hiring of its core
staff in New York and is continuing to hire people in an on-
call or ``roster'' category, including Americans. UNMOVIC
completed its first training course on August 10. The United
States supported this training by providing UNMOVIC with course
instructors and facilities for hands-on training. We consult
with Dr. Blix and his staff regularly to provide the best
support possible. On August 28, UNMOVIC stated it is ready to
begin preparatory work in Iraq in its quarterly report to the
Council.
Dual-Use Imports
Although the ``oil-for-food'' program revenues are
designated for humanitarian purposes only, we remain concerned
that Iraq is using this program in an attempt to acquire goods
and materials for its weapons programs. The United States, as a
member of the U.N. Iraq Sanctions Committee, reviews all
contracts under the ``oil-for-food'' program to ensure that
items that are explicitly prohibited or pose significant dual-
use concerns are not allowed to be imported.
Resolution 1051 established a joint UNSCOM/IAEA unit to
monitor Iraq's imports of allowed dual-use WMD items (known as
``1051''--listed goods). Under U.N. Security Council Resolution
1284, UNMOVIC has assumed this responsibility from UNSCOM.
Since weapons inspectors left Iraq in December 1998, the U.N.
Office of the Iraq Programme is the only organization allowed
to observe goods going into Iraq under the ``oil-for-food''
program. In the absence of weapons inspectors and other experts
on the ground in Iraq, the United States has placed holds on a
number of 1051 and dual-use contracts that otherwise might have
been approved with UNMOVIC/IAEA monitoring.
The UN's ``Oil-for-Food'' Program
We continue to support the international community's
efforts to provide for the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi
people through the ``oil-for-food'' program. In Resolution
1284, the U.N. Security Council authorized Iraq to export as
much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs of the Iraqi
population. Under U.N. control, the proceeds are used to
purchase humanitarian goods, fund awards against Iraq arising
out of its invasion and occupation of Kuwait, and to meet U.N.
administrative costs. According to U.N. data, since the start
of the ``oil-for-food'' program, 10,863 contracts for
humanitarian goods worth nearly $13 billion have been approved
through July 31. Recently, we cleared a large number of holds
on these contracts in order to better help the Iraqi people. We
view Resolution 1284 as a vehicle for significant improvement
of the humanitarian situation in Iraq and are eager to see all
aspects of it implemented as rapidly as possible.
The ``oil-for-food'' program maintains a separate program
for northern Iraq, administered directly by the U.N. in
consultation with the local authorities. This program, which
the United States strongly supports, ensures that when Iraq
contracts for the purchase of humanitarian goods, 13 percent of
the funds generated under the ``oil-for-food'' program are
spent on items for northern Iraq.
International humanitarian programs including, most
importantly, the ``oil-for-food'' program, have steadily
improved the life of the average Iraqi and led to improvements
in health care, water, sanitation, agriculture, education, and
other areas, while denying Saddam Hussein control over Iraq's
oil revenues.
We will continue to work with the U.N. Secretariat, other
members of the Security Council, and others in the
international community to ensure that the implementation of
Resolution 1284 better enables the humanitarian needs of the
Iraqi people to be met while denying political or economic
benefits to the Baghdad regime.
Norther Iraq: Kurdish Reconciliation
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) continue their efforts to implement
the September 17, 1998 reconciliation agreement.
Vice President Gore met with leaders of both Kurdish
parties in the Iraqi National Congress delegation on June 26,
2000. Immediately thereafter, the Department of the State
hosted negotiations with those leaders. The parties
successfully narrowed their differences on a number of key
issues, though a small number remained unresolved. The parties
remain engaged with one another and have reiterated their
commitment to address their issues peacefully through continued
negotiation. They work together effectively in a number of
areas, including joint efforts to bring the needs of their
region to the attention of the U.N. and the international
community, and within the larger Iraqi national democratic
opposition movement. The situation in northern Iraq remains
tense, however, and we continue to look for ways to encourage
the parties to make greater progress toward resolving their
differences.
The Human Rights Situation in Iraq
As reflected in the Department of State's International
Religious Freedom Report for Iraq, released September 9, the
human rights situation in Iraq generally, and the tolerance for
free religious expression specifically, continue to fall far
short of international norms. UNSCR 688 expressly notes that
the consequences of the regime's repression of its own people
constitute a threat to international peace and security in the
humanitarian aid organizations to all Iraqis in need in all
parts of Iraq. Yet, for over nine years, the Iraqi Government
has refused to allow the U.N. Human Rights Commission's Special
Rapporteur for Iraq to visit the country. U.N. human rights
monitors have never been allowed in. Newly appointed Special
Rapporteur Andreas Mavrommatis asked the Government of Iraq for
access so that he might make a personal inspection; the Iraqi
Government has refused his request.
Human rights NGOs and other interested voices continue to
call for creation of an international tribunal to address the
war crimes and crimes against humanity of the Iraqi leadership.
United States Government policy supports this view: the
leadership of the Iraqi regime should be indicted and
prosecuted by an international criminal tribunal or by a
national court that can properly exercise jurisdiction over
them.
The Iraqi leadership's abuse of resources for personal
enrichment and attempts to manipulate the oil-for-food program
continued unabated. Due to higher world oil prices, Iraq has
more revenue available to it to address the humanitarian needs
of its people via the ``oil-for-food'' program. The Iraqi
leadership's command of illicit revenue has also risen sharply
for the same reason. Nonetheless, the government fails to use
such resources for the most benefit to the people of Iraq.
In the north, outside the Kurdish-controlled areas, we
continue to receive reports of the regime forcibly expelling
ethnic Kurds and Turkomans from Kirkuk and other cities, and
transferring Arabs into their places. There have also been
reports of Shia in certain sections of Baghdad being relocated.
The Iraqi Opposition
We are continuing our support for the Iraqi Opposition,
helping Iraqis inside and outside Iraq to become a more
effective voice for the aspirations of the people, and working
to build support for the forces of change inside the country.
They are working toward the day when Iraq has a government
worthy of its people--a government prepared to live in peace
with its people and its neighbors.
We signed our first grant agreement with the Iraqi National
Congress (INC) in late March and deposited the first direct
funding into their account in April. This grant provided them
the resources necessary to open and run their headquarters,
hold a Central Committee meeting, undertake outreach programs
to further develop their organization, deploy teams to advocate
the interests of the Iraqi people at international fora, and
manage assistance provided under the Iraq Liberation Act (ILA).
We are currently negotiating a follow-on agreement for up to $4
million to expand their capacities and allow them to run a
public information campaign, administer ILA training, and
deliver humanitarian assistance to Iraqis, among other
programs.
The United Nations Compensation Commission
The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), was
established and operates pursuant to UNSCRs 687 (1991) and 692
(1991). It continues to process claims and pay compensation for
losses and damages suffered by individuals, corporations,
governments, and international organizations, as a direct
result of Iraq's unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait. To
date, the UNCC has issued approximately 1.5 million awards
worth about $15.5 billion. Of these, the United States
Government has received approximately $66.1 million from the
UNCC for payment to U.S. claimants. Awards and the costs of the
UNCC's operation are paid for from the Compensation Fund which
is funded through the allocation to it of thirty percent of the
proceeds from authorized oil sales under Security Council
Resolutions 986 (1995) and subsequent extensions.
In its September 26-28 session, the UNCC approved an award
of $16 billion to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation for damages
suffered during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, along with a number
of other awards. (These rewards are not reflected in the $15.5
billion figure above.) In these sessions, the UNCC also decided
to temporarily reduce the percentage of Iraqi oil exports set
aside to UNCC claims from 30 percent to 25 percent for the next
six-month phase of the oil-for-food program. The additional
revenues freed up by this move will go to fund specific
programs intended to meet pressing humanitarian needs.
conclusion
Iraq remains a serious threat to international peace and
security. I remain determined to see Iraq comply fully with all
of its obligations under UNSC resolutions while at the same
time endeavoring to see that the humanitarian needs of the
Iraqi population are addressed. The United States will continue
to encourage and support those Iraqis working for the day when
Iraq rejoins the family of nations as a responsible and law-
abiding member under a new government that serves its people
rather than represses them.