[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[January 4, 1991]
[Pages 6-10]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the United States Discussions With Iraq and a Question-and-
Answer Session With Reporters
January 4, 1991

    The President. Let me just make a brief statement and take a couple 
of questions; then I've got to be on my way.
    But as you all know, Iraq has accepted my initiative for a meeting 
between Secretary Baker and Foreign Minister `Aziz. The meeting will 
take place on Wednesday, January 9th, in Geneva. And this is a useful 
step.
    I hope that Iraq's acceptance of the meeting indicates a growing 
awareness of the seriousness of the situation and a willingness to heed 
the international community's will as expressed in 12 United Nations 
Security Council resolutions. There can be no compromise or negotiating 
on the objectives contained in those U.N. resolutions. And so, it is now 
for Saddam Hussein to respond to the international community's plea for 
reason.
    I took this initiative yesterday with the view of going the extra 
mile to achieve a peaceful solution to the current crisis in the Gulf. 
Secretary Baker's mission to Geneva is to convey to Iraq the gravity of 
the situation and the determination of the international community to 
overcome Iraq's aggression against Kuwait. Iraq knows what is necessary: 
the complete and unconditional and immediate withdrawal of all Iraqi

[[Page 7]]

forces from all of Kuwait, and the restoration of the legitimate 
government of Kuwait.
    And now let me just take a couple of questions, and I'll be on my 
way. Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press International]?

Persian Gulf Crisis

    Q. Mr. President, do you back up Baker's statement that there would 
be no retaliation against Iraq if it complies with the resolutions?
    The President. I think it's been made clear to Iraq, not only by 
Secretary Baker but by others, that if they totally comply they will not 
be attacked. And as I have said, when they totally withdraw there still 
remains some problems to be solved, but they will not be under attack.
    Q. Mr. President, what is in the letter you are sending to Saddam 
Hussein? And are you willing to have Secretary Baker go on to Baghdad if 
that proves an option?
    The President. Well, the answer to your question is that letter has 
not been finalized yet. I'm working on it. I have a copy I'm carrying 
with me now. I want to talk to the Secretary of State some more about 
it. And the second part of the question is no.
    Q. Why not, sir?
    Q. Mr. President, you said you wanted Secretary of State Baker to 
speak eye to eye with Saddam Hussein. And he was willing to meet you on 
the 12th. You're willing to talk on the 9th. Why not wait 3 days and 
have that direct meeting?
    The President. Because we have exhausted that option. We put forward 
15 different dates. And I believe that the message that both Secretary 
Baker and I want to convey can be done in this matter.
    Q. You said you wanted him speaking directly and not to his 
intermediaries so he would know you were serious.
    The President. That was rejected by the Iraqi President, and so 
we're going to try it this way. And I hope that it will have the same 
result.
    Q. Does 3 days mean that much, Mr. President?
    The President. I hope this will have the same result.
    Yes?
    Q. Mr. President, in diplomacy, as you so well know, it is often the 
art of give and take. The Iraqis are already saying that they will talk 
about getting out of Kuwait, but they want to also talk in Geneva about 
the Palestinian problem, about Israel's occupation of the West Bank. How 
are you instructing Secretary Baker to handle that portion----
    The President. I don't need to instruct him because he and I are in 
total sync on this, and so are the rest of the alliance. There will be 
no linkage on these two questions.
    Q. If I may follow up, Mr. President: Quite apart from linkage--
whether it's called linkage or not--the Iraqis want to pursue these 
discussions. Is there room for some discussion on these other issues?
    The President. There will be no linkage on these other issues. We 
can't tell anybody what he can bring up at a discussion, but there will 
be no linkage.
    Q. Mr. President, what do you make of today's French proposal in 
which, outside of linkage, the French are saying that they think a deal 
is possible if you tell the Iraqis that sometime down the road you'll 
discuss the Middle East? How do you react to that?
    The President. I haven't seen the French proposal, so I wouldn't 
care to comment on it.
    Q. Do you think that undercuts what you're trying to say here?
    The President. No, I think Francois Mitterrand, if it has anything 
to do with him, has been a steadfast coalition partner. And I would want 
to know exactly what his feelings are on this before I commented.
    Q. Mr. President, there have been several suggestions, including one 
by Mr. Mitterrand, that perhaps there's room for one more Security 
Council meeting before there is any military force used. Will you tell 
Perez de Cuellar that you would approve of anything like that, or do you 
think at this point the United Nations sanctions ought to stand with no 
clarification?
    The President. I don't think any further U.N. action is required. I 
would be interested if the Secretary-General feels to the contrary. I 
again wouldn't comment on what President Mitterrand has suggested. Some-

[[Page 8]]

body told me he responded to some questions--somebody putting the 
question to him--and he said, well, maybe it would have some utility. 
There has been no formal proposal by the French Government to its 
coalition partners.
    Q. Mr. President, if at the meeting on the 9th there seems to be 
progress being made but is not finished, would you delay resorting to 
the use of force while these talks continue?
    The President. That is a little hypothetical for me to respond, and 
I'm not going to take any hypothetical questions on this because I don't 
want to show any deviation from the coalition's determination to see 
these United Nations [resolutions] fully implemented.

Republican National Committee Chairmanship

    Q. In that case, since you couldn't take the hypothetical question, 
can you I ask you if you want Clayton Yeutter to head the RNC?
    The President. He'd be very good, wouldn't he?

Economic Outlook

    Q. Mr. President, on the economy for a second, with today's latest 
unemployment numbers, how serious do you think the recession is, and 
what specifically are you doing about it?
    The President. I think the answer is that most people that have 
looked at the economy feel that the recession--should it be proved 
technically that this country is in recession--will be shallow. It will 
be not a deep recession. And wait and see what our proposals are for the 
economy in the State of the Union message.

Persian Gulf Crisis

    Q. Mr. President, is Secretary Baker prepared to discuss with Tariq 
`Aziz further steps on the Arab-Israeli issue--the Palestinian issue?
    The President. No, I don't think he's prepared to do that.
    Q. So, he'll just listen to anything he might have to say, but not--
--
    The President. You'd have to ask him how he plans to conduct the 
meeting. But he is going to conduct the meeting within the confines of 
the United Nations resolutions. And to do something different would be 
not in accord with what the coalition partners, including this one, 
wants to see happen.
    Q. Are you more optimistic now about the chances for peace, now that 
there is a meeting set up?
    The President. I haven't gotten pessimistic about it. But time is 
going on here, and the coalition remains united in every way on these 
U.N. resolutions. But I think you'd have to view this as a positive 
step, yes. I was pleased that the proposal has been accepted.
    Q. You say it's a positive step. Do you think that finally Saddam 
Hussein is starting to get the message, or not?
    The President. Well, I don't think he has gotten the message and, of 
course, the purpose here is that he do get the message. So, let's hope 
that it will work. I will say, just to be realistic about it, that there 
have been many meetings with Saddam Hussein, many meetings with Tariq 
`Aziz, and heretofore the message has not been gotten. But Jim Baker is 
quite persuasive. He is a man of great conviction on this question. And 
I think that this represents a real opportunity for the Iraqis to 
understand how serious this coalition partner is about seeing these 
resolutions fully implemented.

Federal Reserve Board Vacancy

    Q. Mr. President, do you expect to fill the Fed vacancy soon, and 
will it be Larry Lindsey?
    The President. The answer to the question is: yes, and I don't 
know--two-pronged question.

Persian Gulf Crisis

    Q. Mr. President, would you look without favor on a trip to Baghdad 
by some other members of the coalition right now, say a European 
representative?
    The President. Look, these coalition members are free to do whatever 
they want. Several have gone to Baghdad, I believe. I'd have to think 
back to the actual members of the coalition--representatives of 
governments there. I know there's a French representative there right 
now, I believe. So,

[[Page 9]]

they have to make that determination. But I am pleased with the way the 
EC has approached this matter, giving priority to the Baker-`Aziz 
meeting in Geneva. I am very pleased with the comments coming out of the 
EC by Mr. Poos, just as I was by the comments coming out from Andreotti 
and De Michelis who had the Presidency--the Italians having the 
Presidency beforehand. So, I have no hangups on that.
    Many people have tried to talk sense to the Iraqis and make them 
understand what they're facing. So, that's for others to determine. 
We're not trying to dictate to anybody what they do.
    Yes, Rita [Rita Beamish, Associated Press]?

Republican National Committee Chairmanship

    Q. Mr. President, have you offered the job of RNC chairman to 
Clayton Yeutter?
    The President. You're pinning me down too much, see. Because what I 
had planned to do is, if we had an announcement to make on that, I would 
sally forth and announce it. So, I don't want to respond except to 
reiterate that if Clayton Yeutter were asked to be chairman he would be 
a superb chairman.

Persian Gulf Crisis

    Q. Mr. President, does your meeting tomorrow with Perez de Cuellar 
offer some new hope?
    The President. I can't say that. I don't want to mislead the 
American people or the people around the world that are concerned and 
growing increasing concerned about this situation. But I go back with 
Perez de Cuellar for a long time. We were Ambassadors at the United 
Nations together in 1971 or '2. And I've known him, and I know him very 
favorably, and I have great respect for what he has tried to do, 
including a trip to that area of the Middle East to make the Iraqis 
understand that the United Nations was serious.
    I talked to him in Paris, and I am very anxious to see him and to 
compare notes with him. But I don't want to mislead you in answering the 
question. I don't have in mind any new initiative. But I do think that 
he stays in close touch with it. I heard what he had to say yesterday 
about things he is doing privately, keeping up with the key players on 
this Gulf situation. And so, I think it's more of a getting together and 
comparing notes. And he knows of my determination and our coalition 
position, so I don't need to reiterate that there. But I think it's more 
getting together, and if some new initiative, he has it in mind, why, 
I'm most anxious to hear what it might be.
    Q. Are you ruling out a meeting with Saddam by any American 
official?
    The President. I certainly don't have anything of that nature in 
mind. As I told you, the home and home is off, and this meeting has 
replaced it.

Arms Request by Saudi Arabia

    Q. Mr. President, isn't this a strange time to be canceling an arms 
deal for Saudi Arabia?
    The President. I'm not canceling any arms deal for Saudi Arabia.
    Q. I thought you had requested a $7-billion package and that you're 
not going to go ahead with it.
    The President. Well, I think the Saudi Arabians are free to make any 
request they want, and we would recommend it. But I think at this 
juncture, why, it may not be pushed forward right now. But that would 
not be without Saudi acquiescence, I can tell you that, because people 
are free to come in and make various requests, and if we think they're 
worthy, well, we'll push them. But they've got to satisfy themselves on 
the timing here.
    One last one? Yes. I'm sorry. The frantic--way over----

Persian Gulf Crisis

    Q. One of your key economic advisers, Michael Boskin, has said that 
the oil situation in the Middle East is putting a major drag on the 
economy. The fact that you are predicting that the recession will be 
short-lived--does that mean that you also expect the Gulf crisis to be 
short-lived and that you will resolve it quickly and decisively through 
military action?
    The President. I wouldn't read too much into that. But one of the 
reasons I don't want it to drag on, one of the reasons, is

[[Page 10]]

because of the adverse effect it is having not just on the United States 
economy but on the economies of the Third World, on the economies of the 
emerging democracies in Eastern Europe, on the economies of our friends 
in South America. This is universal.
    And on my recent trip to South America I heard it over and over 
again. Vaclav Havel told me of a cost to his country of $1.5 billion. 
I've heard indirectly from President Diouf of Senegal, and those that 
are concerned about the hardships that are being endured by the 
countries in Africa ought to hear what he has to say about what Saddam 
Hussein has done to his country by this adventure.
    And so, this economic effect is worldwide, and yes, it does 
adversely affect the economy of the United States. I think it makes this 
decline, economic slowdown, the recession that exists in some parts of 
this country much more serious. And so, that would argue for a rapid 
conclusion to the deal.
    And I see my wife telling me to get going, so thank you all very 
much. We'll see you all.

                    Note: The President spoke at 3:39 p.m. on the South 
                        Lawn at the White House, prior to his departure 
                        for Camp David, MD. In his remarks, he referred 
                        to Secretary of State James A. Baker III; 
                        Foreign Minister Tariq `Aziz and President 
                        Saddam Hussein of Iraq; President Francois 
                        Mitterrand of France; United Nations Secretary-
                        General Javier Perez de Cuellar de la Guerra; 
                        Secretary of Agriculture Clayton K. Yeutter; 
                        Lawrence Lindsay, Special Assistant to the 
                        President for Policy Development; Foreign 
                        Minister Jacques Poos of Luxembourg, President 
                        of the European Community; Prime Minister Giulio 
                        Andreotti and Foreign Minister Gianni De 
                        Michelis of Italy; Michael J. Boskin, Chairman 
                        of the Council of Economic Advisers; President 
                        Vaclav Havel of Czechoslovakia; and President 
                        Abdon Diouf of Senegal.