[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[February 22, 1991]
[Pages 165-166]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Persian Gulf Conflict
February 22, 1991

    Good morning.
    The United States and its coalition allies are committed to 
enforcing the United Nations resolutions that call for Saddam Hussein to 
immediately and unconditionally leave Kuwait. In view of the Soviet 
initiative which, very frankly, we appreciate, we want to set forth this 
morning the specific criteria that will ensure Saddam Hussein complies 
with the United Nations mandate.
    Within the last 24 hours alone we have heard a defiant, 
uncompromising address by Saddam Hussein, followed less than 10 hours 
later by a statement in Moscow that, on the face of it, appears more 
reasonable. I say ``on the face of it'' because the statement promised 
unconditional Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, only to set forth a number 
of conditions. And needless to say, any conditions would be unacceptable 
to the international coalition and would not be in compliance with the 
United Nations Security Council Resolution 660's demand for immediate 
and unconditional withdrawal.
    More importantly and more urgently, we learned this morning that 
Saddam has now launched a scorched-earth policy against Kuwait, 
anticipating perhaps that he will now be forced to leave. He is wantonly 
setting fires to and destroying the oil wells, the oil tanks, the export 
terminals, and other installations of that small country. Indeed, 
they're destroying the entire oil production system of Kuwait. At the 
same time that

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that Moscow press conference was going on and Iraq's Foreign Minister 
was talking peace, Saddam Hussein was launching Scud missiles.
    After examining the Moscow statement and discussing it with my 
senior advisers here late last evening and this morning, and after 
extensive consultation with our coalition partners, I have decided that 
the time has come to make public with specificity just exactly what is 
required of Iraq if a ground war is to be avoided.
    Most important, the coalition will give Saddam Hussein until noon 
Saturday to do what he must do: begin his immediate and unconditional 
withdrawal from Kuwait. We must hear publicly and authoritatively his 
acceptance of these terms. The statement to be released, as you will 
see, does just this and informs Saddam Hussein that he risks subjecting 
the Iraqi people to further hardship unless the Iraqi Government 
complies fully with the terms of the statement.
    We will put that statement out soon. It will be in considerable 
detail. And that's all I'll have to say about it right now.
    Thank you very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 10:43 a.m. in the Rose 
                        Garden at the White House. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to President Saddam Hussein and Foreign 
                        Minister Tariq `Aziz of Iraq.