[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[December 19, 1998]
[Pages 2199-2201]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Address to the Nation on Completion of Military Strikes in Iraq
December 19, 1998

    On Wednesday I ordered our Armed Forces to strike military and 
strategic targets in Iraq. They were joined by British forces. That 
operation is now complete, in accordance with our 70-hour plan.
    My national security team has just briefed me on the results. They 
are preliminary, but let me say just a few words about why we acted, 
what we have achieved, and where we want to go.
    We began with this basic proposition: Saddam Hussein must not be 
allowed to develop nuclear arms, poison gas, biological weapons, or the 
means to deliver them. He has used such weapons before against soldiers 
and civilians, including his own people. We have no doubt that, if left 
unchecked, he would do so again.
    Saddam must not be prepared to defy the will--be permitted--excuse 
me--to defy the will of the international community. Without a firm

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response, he would have been emboldened to do that again and again.
    For 7\1/2\ years now, the United Nations weapons inspectors have 
done a truly remarkable job in forcing Saddam to disclose and destroy 
weapons and missiles he insisted he did not have. But over the past 
year, Saddam has repeatedly sought to cripple the inspection system. 
Each time, through intensive diplomatic efforts backed by the threat of 
military action, Saddam has backed down. When he did so last month, I 
made it absolutely clear that if he did not give UNSCOM full cooperation 
this time, we would act swiftly and without further delay.
    For 3 weeks, the inspectors tested Saddam's commitment to cooperate. 
They repeatedly ran into roadblocks and restrictions, some of them new. 
As their chairman, Richard Butler, concluded in his report to the United 
Nations on Tuesday, the inspectors no longer were able to do their job. 
So far as I was concerned, Saddam's days of cheat and retreat were over.
    Our objectives in this military action were clear: to degrade 
Saddam's weapons of mass destruction program and related delivery 
systems, as well as his capacity to attack his neighbors. It will take 
some time to make a detailed assessment of our operation, but based on 
the briefing I've just received, I am confident we have achieved our 
mission. We have inflicted significant damage on Saddam's weapons of 
mass destruction programs, on the command structures that direct and 
protect that capability, and on his military and security 
infrastructure. In a short while, Secretary Cohen and General Shelton 
will give you a more detailed analysis from the Pentagon.
    So long as Saddam remains in power, he will remain a threat to his 
people, his region, and the world. With our allies, we must pursue a 
strategy to contain him and to constrain his weapons of mass destruction 
program, while working toward the day Iraq has a government willing to 
live at peace with its people and with its neighbors.
    Let me describe the elements of that strategy going forward. First, 
we will maintain a strong military presence in the area, and we will 
remain ready to use it if Saddam tries to rebuild his weapons of mass 
destruction, strikes out at his neighbors, challenges allied aircraft, 
or moves against the Kurds. We also will continue to enforce no-fly 
zones in the north and from the southern suburbs of Baghdad to the 
Kuwaiti border.
    Second, we will sustain what have been among the most extensive 
sanctions in U.N. history. To date, they have cost Saddam more than $120 
billion, resources that otherwise would have gone toward rebuilding his 
military. At the same time, we will support a continuation of the oil-
for-food program, which generates more than $10 billion a year for food, 
medicine, and other critical humanitarian supplies for the Iraqi people. 
We will insist that Iraq's oil be used for food, not tanks.
    Third, we would welcome the return of UNSCOM and the International 
Atomic Energy Agency back into Iraq to pursue their mandate from the 
United Nations, provided that Iraq first takes concrete, affirmative, 
and demonstrable actions to show that it will fully cooperate with the 
inspectors. But if UNSCOM is not allowed to resume its work on a regular 
basis, we will remain vigilant and prepared to use force if we see that 
Iraq is rebuilding its weapons programs.
    Now, over the long-term, the best way to end the threat that Saddam 
poses to his own people in the region is for Iraq to have a different 
government. We will intensify our engagement with the Iraqi opposition 
groups, prudently and effectively. We will work with Radio Free Iraq to 
help news and information flow freely to the country. And we will stand 
ready to help a new leadership in Baghdad that abides by its 
international commitments and respects the rights of its own people. We 
hope it will return Iraq to its rightful place in the community of 
nations.
    Let me say in closing, again, how terribly proud I am of our men and 
women in uniform. Once again they have done a difficult job with skill, 
dedication, and determination. I also want to say that I am very proud 
of our national security team. I want to thank Secretary Cohen and 
General Shelton; I want to thank Secretary Albright and Sandy Berger. 
The Vice President and I have relied on them very heavily; they have 
performed with extraordinary ability and restraint, as well as 
effectiveness. I am very, very grateful for the way this operation was 
planned and executed.
    But again, foremost, I want to give my thanks to our men and women 
in uniform. We are waiting for the last planes to come home and praying 
that we'll be able to tell you tomorrow

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that every last one of them has returned home safely.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the White 
House. In his address, he referred to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; 
and Richard Butler, executive chairman, United Nations Special 
Commission (UNSCOM).