    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [January 18, 1991]
    [Pages 47-52]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference on the Persian Gulf Conflict
    January 18, 1991

        The President. I have a few opening remarks, and then be glad to
    take a few questions.
        We're now some 37 hours into Operation Desert Storm and the
    liberation of Kuwait, and so far, so good. U.S. and coalition mili-

    [[Page 48]]

    tary forces have performed bravely, professionally, and effectively. It
    is important, however, to keep in mind two things: First, this effort
    will take some time. Saddam Hussein has devoted nearly all of Iraq's
    resources for a decade to building up this powerful military machine. We
    can't expect to overcome it overnight--especially as we want to minimize
    casualties to the U.S. and coalition forces and to minimize any harm
    done to innocent civilians.
        Second, we must be realistic. There will be losses. There will be
    obstacles along the way. War is never cheap or easy. And I said this
    only because I am somewhat concerned about the initial euphoria in some
    of the reports and reactions to the first day's developments. No one
    should doubt or question the ultimate success, because we will prevail.
    But I don't want to see us get overly euphoric about all of this.
        Our goals have not changed. What we seek is the same as what the
    international community seeks--namely, Iraq's complete and unconditional
    withdrawal from Kuwait and then full compliance with the Security
    Council resolutions.
        I also want to say how outraged I am by Iraq's latest act of
    aggression--in this case, against Israel. Once again, we see that no
    neighbor of Iraq is safe. I want to state here publicly how much I
    appreciated Israel's restraint from the outset, really from the very
    beginning of this crisis. Prime Minister Shamir and his government have
    shown great understanding for the interests of the United States and the
    interests of others involved in this coalition.
        Close consultations with Israel are continuing. So, too, are close
    consultations with our coalition partners. Just a few minutes ago I
    spoke to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada. And in that vein, I
    also had a long and good conversation this morning with Soviet President
    Gorbachev in which we thoroughly reviewed the situation in the Gulf.
    And, of course, I took the opportunity from that call to express again
    my concern, my deep concern, over the Baltics and the need to ensure
    that there is a peaceful resolution to the situation there.
        Let me close here by saying how much we appreciate what our fighting
    men and women are doing. This country is united. Yes, there's some
    protest, but this country is fundamentally united. And I want that
    message to go out to every kid that is over there serving this country.
        I saw in the paper a comment by one who worried--from seeing
    demonstrations here and there in this country on television--that that
    expressed the will of the country. So, to those troops over there, let
    me just take this opportunity to say your country is supporting you--the
    Congress overwhelmingly endorsed that. Let there be no doubt in the
    minds of any of you: You have the full and unified support of the United
    States of America. So, I salute them. They deserve our full support, and
    they are our finest.
        And now I'd be glad to take a few questions.
        Q. Mr. President, has the United States asked Israel not to
    retaliate against Iraq for its attack, what commitments has the United
    States received in these consultations that we've had with Israel, and
    how long do you think Israel can stay on the sidelines if these attacks
    continue?
        The President. These questions, questions of what we're talking to
    Israel about right now, I'm going to keep confidential. No question that
    Israel's Scud--the attack on Israel was purely an act of terror. It had
    absolutely no military significance at all. And it was an attack that is
    symptomatic of the kind of leader that the world is now confronting in
    Saddam Hussein and that, again, I repeat, the man that will be defeated
    here.
        But Israel has shown great restraint, and I've said that. I think we
    can all understand that they have their own problems that come from
    this. But I don't want to go further into it because we are right in the
    midst of consultations with Israel. I think they, like us, do not want
    to see this war widened out, and yet they are determined to protect
    their own population centers. And I can tell you that our defense people
    are in touch with our commanders to be sure that we are doing the utmost
    we can to suppress any of these missile sites that might wreak
    havoc not just on Israel but on other countries that
    are not involved in this fighting. So, I'm going to leave it there, and

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    I am confident that this matter can be resolved.
        Q. Are you worried that it could change the course of the war?
        The President. I think that we ought to guard against anything that
    can change the course of the war. So, I think everybody realizes what
    Saddam Hussein was trying to do--to change the course of the war, to
    weaken the coalition. And he's going to fail. I want to say when the
    Soviet Union made such a strong statement, that was very reassuring. We
    are in close touch with our coalition partners, and this coalition is
    not going to fall apart. I'm convinced of that.
        Q. Mr. President, 2 days ago you launched a war, and war is
    inherently a two-way street. Why should you be surprised or outraged
    when there is an act of retaliation?
        The President. Against a country that's innocent and is not involved
    in it--that's what I'm saying. Israel is not a participant. Israel is
    not a combatant. And this man has elected to launch a terroristic attack
    against the population centers in Israel with no military design
    whatsoever. And that's why. And it is an outrage, and the whole world
    knows it, and most of the countries in the world are speaking out
    against it. There can be no--no--consideration of this in anything other
    than condemnation.
        Q. Why is it that any move for peace is considered an end run at the
    White House these days?
        The President. Well, you obviously--what was the question?
        Q. That----
        The President. End run?
        Q. Yes, that is considered an end run--that people who still want to
    find a peaceful solution seem to be running into a brick wall.
        The President. Oh, excuse me. The world is united, I think, in
    seeing that these United Nations resolutions are fulfilled. Everybody
    would like to find a way to end the fighting. But it's not going to end
    until there is total cooperation with and fulfillment of these U.N.
    resolutions. This man is not going to pull a victory off by trying to
    wage terrorist attacks against a country that is not a participant in
    all of this, and I'm talking about Israel.
        And so, I think everyone would like to see it end, but it isn't
    going to end short of the total fulfillment of our objectives.
        Q. Mr. President, you gave assurances on this platform a few weeks
    ago--reiterated here today--that the coalition would withstand an
    attempt to engage Israel, or perhaps even Israel's retaliation against
    an attack. Can you give us some better idea today, sir, of what the
    basis for your assurance is on that point?
        The President. Well, a lot of diplomacy has gone on behind the
    scenes in this regard, and I feel very confident about what I've said.
        Q. If I could follow up, sir, a particularly touchy situation
    obviously exists with regard to Jordan, whose position in the
    neighborhood is particularly sensitive, sir. Can you update us on any
    understandings that may exist, any diplomatic initiatives that may be
    ongoing to assure the Jordanians or to convince them to take no action,
    or about what would happen if they did?
        The President. Brit [Brit Hume, ABC News], I don't think there are
    any understandings on that with Jordan at this point, and so I can't
    elaborate on that.
        Q. Mr. President, there was some indication last night--I appreciate
    you not wanting to tell us what is going on right now--but last night it
    appeared that Israeli planes got off the ground and headed toward Iraq.
    Did this government stop an Israeli retaliation that was underway?
        The President. No.
        Q. Secondly, are we trying to kill Saddam Hussein? We have blown out
    several buildings where he could have been last night--yesterday.
        The President. We're not targeting any individual.
        Q. Mr. President, do you have any message of reassurance to the
    people of Israel that the restraint being shown by their government
    doesn't place them in risk?
        The President. I think that they know of our determination to
    safeguard them following this attack--or prior to this attack. And we
    are going to be redoubling our efforts in the darnedest search-and-
    destroy effort that has ever been undertaken out in that area. And I
    hope that that is very reas-

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    suring to the citizens of Israel.
        Q. Mr. President, are you trying to caution against overconfidence
    with your statement in--by concern that Saddam Hussein may have a lot
    more staying power than was originally thought, or is it based on a
    upcoming land warfare that is apt to be protracted?
        The President. No, I don't think there is any conclusion that he has
    a lot more staying power than anybody thought. But what I am cautioning
    against is a mood of euphoria that existed around here yesterday because
    things went very, very well--from a military standpoint, exceptionally
    well. This was received all around the world with joy, but I just would
    caution again that it isn't going to be that easy all the time. But we
    have not changed our assessment as to how difficult the task ahead is.
        Q. Sir, you said the Israelis have shown restraint. Are you
    confident that they will show restraint?
        The President. Well, we are working on that, and I am very hopeful
    that they will. They've been most cooperative. Secretary Baker talked to
    Prime Minister Shamir last night. I'll probably be on the phone with him
    in not so many minutes from now, and I could answer the question better
    after that. But I think they realize the complexity of this situation;
    we certainly do. But whatever happens, I'm convinced that this coalition
    will hold together.
        Q. Sir, will you be able to tell Prime Minister Shamir with any
    confidence that you have knocked out these missile sites?
        The President. Well, the problem, John [John Cochran, NBC News], on
    that is we can tell him with confidence what we've done in terms of some
    of the missile sites but not all, because you're dealing with mobile
    missiles that can be hidden.
        I'm getting a little off of my turf here because I've vowed to
    permit the Defense Department to respond to these military questions.
    But I think that one is rather clear--that when you can hide a mobile
    missile the way they've done, it's awfully hard to certify that all of
    them have been taken care of.
        Q. Mr. President, granted you say that there are some rough days
    ahead. But there's also been a considerable amount of discussion as to
    the relatively unexpectedly low rate of response on the part of the
    Iraqis--you've had some briefings on this. What are your thoughts? What
    do you think explains this?
        The President. Well, I don't know. But my thoughts are that as each
    hour goes by, they're going to be relatively less able to respond. And I
    say that with no bravado. I just simply say that because that's what's
    happening over there.
        So, he may well have been holding his mobile missiles back, for
    example--wheeling them out there when he thinks they will be undetected
    and then firing a few of these missiles into the heart of downtown Haifa
    to try to make some political statement. But there may be some more of
    that ahead for--maybe aimed at other countries. Who knows? But in terms
    of his ability to respond militarily, I can guarantee the world that, as
    every hour goes by, he is going to be less able to respond, less able to
    stand up against the entire world--the world opinion as expressed in
    these United Nations resolutions.
        Q. Mr. President, if I may follow: Do you have any hard intelligence
    information that would indicate to you that there is indeed still a live
    chemical weapons threat from Saddam Hussein?
        The President. I'd have to refer that to the--well, I would expect
    there is a threat because chemical weapons have been dispersed. He's
    used them on his own people. And that's something that our troops have
    been warned against, the people of Israel have been warned against,
    obviously, and others in the area have been warned against. So I can't
    say that every chemical weapon has been destroyed. But I think I said
    the other night in the speech from--comments from the Oval Office there
    that his ability to make chemical weapons will not exist. I can't tell
    you exactly where that stands, but I would refer you to the Pentagon.
        Mr. Fitzwater. Final question, Please.
        The President. This is the last one?
        Q. No. No.
        Q. Awww.
        The President. It's the new me. I'm going to do exactly what Marlin
    says on this

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    regard.
        Q. This is the first time there's been sustained combat between
    American soldiers and Arab forces. There's been an enormous amount of
    concern about what the reaction of the Arab world would be. Now that the
    war is underway, how concerned are you about that problem? Is there
    anything that could be done by you to minimize the damage to the links
    between Arab countries and the United States?
        The President. You're not talking about in--this in relationship to
    the attack on Israel.
        Q. More in terms of the Arab matter----
        The President. Gerry [Gerald Seib, Wall Street Journal], you see,
    I've never believed that the Arabs would oppose what's going on right
    now. I believe when you see the Arab League and Egypt itself, which I
    guess is the largest in population of Arab countries, strongly
    supporting what we're doing, that this idea that all Arabs--the idea
    that he tried to sell--Saddam did--that Arabs versus America is phony.
    It's a phony argument.
        There are Arab forces in the air probably right now--Kuwaiti or
    Saudi forces. There is a strong Arab element in this coalition. There
    are many countries in the Arab League that are opposed to Saddam Hussein
    and have long felt that he was the bully of the neighborhood. And it is
    about time that his aggression come to heel. And so, I don't worry about
    it, long run. I do think when this is over we will have some very
    sophisticated diplomacy to do. But I believe at this point that most
    people in the Arab world understand and approve of what the United
    Nations tried to do and is trying to do now. So it doesn't concern me.
        Now, there are some elements that, clearly, you might say, are on
    the other side. And that would worry me in a sense, but it worries me
    for the future, not so much for the present. I think when all this is
    over, we want to be the healers. We want to do what we can to facilitate
    what I might optimistically call a new world order.
        But that new world order should have a conciliatory component to it.
    It should say to those countries that are on the other side at this
    juncture--and there aren't many of them--look, you're part of this new
    world order. You're part of this. You can play an important part in
    seeing that the world can live at peace in the Middle East and
    elsewhere. So, there are some that oppose us. There are some of the more
    radical elements that will always oppose the West and the United States.
        But there are countries involved there that may have leaned--tilted,
    to use an old diplomatic expression, towards Saddam Hussein and towards
    Iraq that will clearly be in the forefront of this new world order. I am
    not going to write off Jordan. We've had a long-standing relationship
    with King Hussein, but he's in a very difficult position there. I have
    had some differences with him, but they've been respectful, but I would
    like to see him be more publicly understanding of what it is the United
    Nations is trying to do here and the United States role. We're not going
    to suggest that Jordan, because they've taken this position, can't
    continue to be a tremendously important country in this new world order.
        So, I don't accept the premise that Saddam Hussein tried to sell the
    world that it was the Arabs against the United States. There is
    overwhelming evidence to show that he is wrong. What he was trying to
    do, obviously, is divert world attention away from the brutal aggression
    against Kuwait. You heard it in the `Aziz press conference. I mean, if
    there ever was evidence as to what I'm saying, it was the way he
    conducted himself in that press conference.
        So, so far, Gerry, I think there has been understanding as to why
    we're doing what we are doing. And, I'd like to think, respect for the
    coalition because I think they see, as I do--the Arab world--that out of
    this there's a chance for a lasting peace.
        Thank you all very much.

                        Note: President Bush's 70th news conference began at
                            12:03 p.m. in the Briefing Room at the White
                            House. In his remarks, he referred to President
                            Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime Minister Yitzhak
                            Shamir of Israel; Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
                            of Canada; President Mikhail Gorbachev of the
                            Soviet Union; Secretary of State James

    [[Page 52]]

                            A. Baker III; King Hussein I of Jordan; and
                            Foreign Minister Tariq `Aziz of Iraq. Marlin
                            Fitzwater was Press Secretary to the President.