    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [September 23, 1997]
    [Pages 1215-1218]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on Iraq's Compliance With
    United Nations Security Council Resolutions
    September 23, 1997

    Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)
        Consistent with the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against
    Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1) 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 (UNSC). This report covers the period from July
    9 to the present.
        Saddam Hussein remains a threat to his people and the region, and
    the United States remains determined to contain the threat posed by his
    regime. Secretary of State Albright stated on March 26 that the United
    States looks forward to the day when Iraq rejoins the family of nations
    as a responsible and law-abiding member but until then, containment must
    continue. Secretary Albright made clear that Saddam's departure would
    make a difference and that, should a change in Iraq's government occur,
    the United States would stand ready to enter rapidly into a dialogue
    with the successor regime.

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        In terms of military operations, the United States and its coalition
    partners continue to enforce the no-fly zones over northern Iraq under
    Operation Northern Watch and over southern Iraq through Operation
    Southern Watch. We have not detected any confirmed, intentional Iraqi
    violations of either no-fly zone during the period of this report. We
    have repeatedly made clear to the Government of Iraq and to all other
    relevant parties that the United States and its partners will continue
    to enforce both no-fly zones, and that we reserve the right to respond
    appropriately and decisively to any Iraqi provocations.
        In addition to our air operations, we will continue to maintain a
    strong U.S. presence in the region in order to deter Iraq. United States
    force levels include land- and carrier-based aircraft, surface warships,
    a Marine amphibious task force, a Patriot missile battalion, and a
    mechanized battalion task force deployed in support of USCINCCENT
    operations. To enhance force protection throughout the region,
    additional military security personnel have been deployed for continuous
    rotation. USCINCCENT continues to monitor closely the security situation
    in the region to ensure adequate force protection is provided for all
    deployed forces.
        United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 949, adopted in
    October 1994, demands that Iraq not use its military or any other forces
    to threaten its neighbors or U.N. operations in Iraq and that it not
    redeploy troops or enhance its military capacity in southern Iraq. In
    view of Saddam's accumulating record of unreliability, it is prudent to
    retain a significant U.S. force presence in the region in order to
    maintain the capability to respond rapidly to possible Iraqi aggression
    or threats against its neighbors.
        Since my last report, the Government of Iraq has continued to flout
    its obligations under UNSC resolutions. During the last 60 days, the
    Government of Iraq has continued to fail to fully disclose its programs
    for weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Without such full disclosure--
    mandated by Security Council Resolutions 687, 707, and 715--the U.N.
    Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency
    (IAEA) cannot effectively conduct the ongoing monitoring and
    verification mandated by relevant UNSC resolutions. UNSCOM and the IAEA
    continue to provide Iraq every opportunity for full disclosure. What
    Iraq will not disclose, UNSCOM and IAEA will try to discover, in an
    effort to fill in the huge gaps in Iraq's declarations.
        Iraqi threats, lying, and hiding during the past 6 years have not
    deterred UNSCOM and IAEA dedication to their mandates. While some
    nations have begun to display sanctions-fatigue, the United States
    remains committed to sanctions enforcement. We shall continue to oppose
    any suggestion that the sanctions regime should be modified or lifted
    before Iraq demonstrates its peaceful intentions by complying with its
    obligations under UNSC resolutions.
        We anticipate the UNSCOM and IAEA 6-month reports to the Security
    Council, due October 11, which will record their conclusions regarding
    whether the Government of Iraq has provided the ``substantial
    compliance'' called for in UNSCR 1115 of June 21, 1997--especially
    regarding immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access to
    facilities for inspection and to officials for interviews.
        The United States is committed to providing first-class professional
    support to UNSCOM and the IAEA in the conduct of their highly technical
    work in Iraq, so that both organizations are staffed and equipped to
    conduct objective and accurate inspections in order to determine whether
    Iraq has, or has not, complied with its obligations in the field of WMD.
        Implementation of UNSCR 1051 continues. It provides for a mechanism
    to monitor Iraq's effort to reacquire proscribed weapons capabilities by
    requiring that Iraq notify a joint unit of UNSCOM and the IAEA in
    advance of any imports of dual-use items. Similarly, U.N. members must
    provide timely notification of exports to Iraq of dual-use items.
        Regarding northern Iraq, the United States continues to lead efforts
    to increase security and stability in the north and minimize
    opportunities for Baghdad or Tehran to threaten Iraqi citizens there. An
    important part of this effort has been to work toward resolving the
    differences between the two main Iraqi Kurd groups, the Kurdistan
    Democratic Party (KDP), led by Massoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union
    of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Jalal Talabani. Talabani visited the United
    States in late July to meet with National Security Advisor Sandy Berger,
    Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering, and U.N. Ambassador Bill
    Richardson. At these sessions, he reaffirmed his interest in the
    ``Ankara process'' of ongoing reconciliation talks jointly

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    sponsored by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.
    Recently, the KDP's Barzani has also accepted our invitation to
    Washington.
        As part of the Ankara process, the United States provides political,
    financial, and logistical support to the neutral, indigenous Peace
    Monitoring Force (PMF), comprised of Iraqi Turkomans and Assyrians. The
    PMF has demarcated and monitors the cease-fire line established between
    the two Kurdish groups in October 1996. United States support takes the
    form of services and commodities provided in accordance with a drawdown
    that I directed on December 11, 1996, and funds for other nonlethal
    assistance provided in accordance with a separate determination made by
    former Secretary of State Christopher on November 10, 1996.
        The PMF also helps the Iraqi Kurds move forward on other confidence-
    building measures, including joint committee meetings to address a range
    of civilian services and humanitarian issues affecting all residents of
    the north. Local representatives of the two Kurdish groups, the three
    co-sponsors of the Ankara process and the PMF continue to meet at least
    biweekly in Ankara to discuss, inter alia, other confidence-building
    measures.
        The PMF began full deployment in mid-April 1997 and its size is
    expected to double later this year to more than 400. The PMF continues
    to investigate and resolve reported cease-fire violations. Its work has
    become more difficult as elements of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers
    Party (PKK) have moved from the Turkish border toward the PUK-KDP cease-
    fire line. The KDP alleges that PKK elements have been operating across
    the cease-fire line to attack the KDP. The KDP also alleges that the PUK
    has joined in some of these attacks, a charge that the PUK denies. The
    United States, together with the United Kingdom and Turkey, continues to
    stress the importance of strict observance of the cease-fire.
        Another important aspect of our commitment to the people of northern
    Iraq is in providing humanitarian relief for those in need. As part of
    this commitment, AID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance will direct
    an additional $4 million for relief projects to the region. These
    supplemental programs, announced July 31, will provide emergency health
    and nutritional support to 80,000 displaced women and children and
    improve water supplies and sanitation, particularly in the PUK-
    controlled province of Suleymaniyah.
        The oil-for-food arrangement under UNSCR 986 was reauthorized by
    UNSCR 1111 on June 4, 1997, and went into effect on June 8, 1997. Under
    UNSCR 1111, Iraq is authorized to sell up to $1 billion worth of oil
    every 90 days, for a total of $2 billion during a 180-day period (with
    the possibility of UNSC renewal for subsequent 180-day periods).
    Resolution 1111, like its predecessor, requires that the proceeds of
    this limited oil sale, all of which must be deposited in a U.N. escrow
    account, will be used to purchase food, medicine, and other material and
    supplies for essential civilian needs for all Iraqi citizens and to fund
    vital U.N. activities regarding Iraq. Critical to the success of UNSCR
    1111 is Iraq's willingness to follow through on its commitments under
    the resolution to allow the U.N. to monitor the distribution of
    humanitarian goods to the Iraqi people. Although UNSCR 1111 went into
    effect on June 8, Iraq unilaterally suspended oil sales until a new
    distribution plan was submitted and approved. The U.N. Secretary General
    approved a distribution plan on August 13 and oil sales have resumed.
        Iraq continues to stall and obfuscate rather than work in good faith
    toward accounting for the hundreds of Kuwaitis and third-country
    nationals who disappeared at the hands of Iraqi authorities during the
    occupation. It has also failed to return all of the stolen Kuwaiti
    military equipment and the priceless Kuwaiti cultural and historical
    artifacts that were looted during the occupation.
        The human rights situation throughout Iraq remains unchanged. Iraq's
    repression of its Shi'a population continues, with policies that are
    destroying the Marsh Arabs' way of life in southern Iraq and the ecology
    of the southern marshes. The U.N., in its most recent reports on
    implementation of UNSCR 986, recognized that the Government of Iraq
    continues forcibly to deport Iraqi citizens from Kirkuk and other areas
    of northern Iraq still under the Iraqi government's control. The
    Government of Iraq shows no signs of complying with UNSCR 688, which
    demands that Iraq cease the repression of its own people. The effort by
    various Iraqi opposition groups and non-governmental organizations to
    document Iraqi war crimes and other violations of international
    humanitarian law, known as INDICT, continues.

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        The Multinational Interception Force (MIF) continues its important
    mission in the Arabian Gulf. The United States Navy provides the bulk of
    the forces involved in the maritime sanctions enforcement authorized
    under UNSCR 665, although we receive much-needed help from a number of
    close allies. In recent months, ships from The Netherlands, Canada, New
    Zealand, and the United Kingdom have participated in MIF operations. We
    continue active pursuit of broad-based international participation in
    these operations.
        Illegal smuggling of Iraqi gasoil from the Shatt Al Arab waterway
    continues to increase at an alarming rate. We now estimate that over
    150,000 metric tons of gasoil each month is exported from Iraq in
    violation of UNSCR 661. The smugglers use the territorial waters of Iran
    with the complicity of the Iranian government that profits from charging
    protection fees for these vessels to avoid interception by the MIF in
    international waters. Cash raised from these illegal operations is used
    to purchase contraband goods that are then smuggled back into Iraq by
    the same route. We continue to brief the U.N. Sanctions Committee
    regarding these operations and have pressed the Committee to compel Iran
    to give a full accounting of its involvement. We have also worked
    closely with our MIF partners and Gulf Cooperation Council states to
    take measures to curb sanctions-breaking operations. A recent spill of
    illegal Iraqi gasoil caused the desalinization plant in Sharjah, United
    Arab Emirates (UAE), to suspend operation for 2 days, highlighting the
    environmental threat these activities pose to Gulf states. Recent
    announcements by the Government of the UAE that it intends to crack down
    on smugglers who operate UAE-flagged vessels has been backed up by
    strong actions against violators detained by the MIF.
        The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), established
    pursuant to UNSCR 687, continues to resolve claims against Iraq arising
    from Iraq's unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait. The UNCC has
    issued almost 1.1 million awards worth approximately $5.9 billion.
    Thirty percent of the proceeds from the oil sales permitted by UNSCR 986
    have been allocated to the Compensation Fund to pay awards and to
    finance operations of the UNCC, and these proceeds will continue to be
    allocated to the Fund under UNSCR 1111. To the extent that money is
    available in the Compensation Fund, initial payments to each claimant
    are authorized for awards in the order in which the UNCC has approved
    them, in installments of $2,500.00.
        Iraq remains a serious threat to regional peace and stability. I
    remain determined to see Iraq comply fully with all of its obligations
    under U.N. Security Council resolutions. My Administration will continue
    to oppose any relaxation of sanctions until Iraq demonstrates its
    peaceful intentions through such compliance.
        I appreciate the support of the Congress for our efforts and shall
    continue to keep the Congress informed about this important issue.
            Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House
    of Representatives, and Strom Thurmond, President pro tempore of the
    Senate.