[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 2 (Monday, January 13, 1997)]
[Pages 16-19]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders on Iraq
January 7, 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 U.N.
Security Council (UNSC). This report covers the period from November 4
to the present.
Saddam Hussein remains a threat to his people and the region. The
United States successfully responded to the increased threat resulting
from Saddam's attack on Irbil in late August, but he continues to try to
manipulate local rivalries in northern Iraq to his advantage. The United
States and our coalition partners continue to enforce the no-fly zone
over southern Iraq. Enforcement of the northern no-fly zone also
continues uninterrupted, despite a restructuring of operations. Because
of changes in its mission as a result of the closing last fall of the
Military Command Center (MCC) in the city of Zakho, Iraq and the shift
of humanitarian assistance in the north under UNSCR 986 to international
organizations, the designation ``Provide Comfort'' will no longer be
used to describe the operation. The United Kingdom will continue to take
part in this mission; however, France has chosen not to continue to
participate in this endeavor. None of these changes affect our firm
commitment to ensuring that the northern no-fly zone is fully enforced.
Besides our air operations, we will continue to maintain a strong
U.S. presence in the region in order to deter Saddam. U.S. force levels
have returned to approximate pre-Operation Desert Strike levels, with
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. As an additional
deterrent against Iraqi aggression, F-117 aircraft remain deployed to
Kuwait. Since submission of my last report, USCINCCENT has completed the
initial phases of Operation Desert Focus, with the relocation and
consolidation of all combatant forces in Saudi Arabia into more secure
facilities throughout Saudi Arabia. To enhance force protection
throughout the region, additional military security personnel have been
deployed for continuous rotation. USCINCCENT continues to closely
monitor 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 threaten its neighbors or U.N.
operations in Iraq and that it not redeploy or enhance its military
capacity in southern Iraq. In view of Saddam's reinforced 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.
In northern Iraq, we have made some limited progress in
strengthening the October 23 cease-fire and encouraging political
reconciliation between the two main Iraqi Kurd groups, the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Pelletreau
co-chaired talks between the KDP and the PUK in Turkey on October 30 and
November 15, alongside representatives of the Turkish and British
governments. During these talks, we obtained agreement from the two
parties that the neutral, indigenous Peace Monitoring Force (PMF) would
demarcate and observe the cease-fire line. To support the PMF, I have
directed, under the authorities of sections 552(c) and 614 of the
Foreign Assist
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ance Act of 1961, as amended, the drawdown of up to $4 million in
Department of Defense commodities and services, and the Secretary of
State has made a determination under which we will provide up to $3
million for uniforms, tents, generators and other non-lethal supplies.
Issues related to PMF operations are discussed regularly by a
Supervisory Peace Monitoring Group that meets in Ankara and is composed
of U.S., U.K. and Turkish representatives, as well as members of the
indigenous relevant parties. In these and other high level meetings,
this Administration has consistently warned all concerned that
internecine warfare in the north can only work to the advantage of
Saddam Hussein and Iran, which we believe has no role to play in the
area. In this connection, we remain concerned about the KDP's links to
Baghdad and the PUK's ties to Iran.
Despite the cease-fire and other efforts, many residents of northern
Iraq continued to face threats from Baghdad due to their association
with U.S.-affiliated nongovernmental organizations, who had undertaken
relief work in northern Iraq over the past few years. In response, this
Administration, with the assistance of Turkey, conducted a third
humanitarian evacuations operation of approximately 3,780 residents of
northern Iraq whose lives were directly threatened by the Iraqi regime.
All of the evacuees are being processed on Guam under the U.S. refugee
resettlement program, while most of the 2,700 evacuated under two
previous operations are now resettled in the United States.
The United States, working through the United Nations and
humanitarian relief organizations, continues to provide humanitarian
assistance to the people of northern Iraq. We have contributed more than
$15 million this fiscal year to programs in the north administered by
the U.N. International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World
Food Program (WFP). Security conditions in northern Iraq remain tenuous
at best, with Iranian and PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) activity adding
to the ever-present threat from Baghdad.
On December 9, the U.N. Secretary General submitted his formal
report to the UNSC stating that all necessary conditions for
implementation of UNSCR 986 had been met. Following this action, the
resolution went into effect 12:01 a.m. on December 10. UNSCR 986
authorizes Iraq to sell up to $2 billion of oil during an initial 180-
day period, with the possibility of UNSC renewal of subsequent 180-day
periods. Resolution 986 provides 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 materials 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 986 is
Iraq's willingness to follow through on its commitments under 986 to
allow the U.N. to monitor the distribution of food and medical supplies
to the Iraqi people.
We have already seen good evidence that the safeguards systems is
working: when Saddam Hussein pushed a button in Kirkuk on December 10 to
turn on the flow of oil before any oil contracts had been approved by
the U.N., the U.N. made him turn it off. The oil flow began again, under
proper U.N. supervision, a short time later.
The Government of Iraq has, since my last report, continued to flout
its obligations under a number of Security Council resolutions in other
ways. Under the terms of relevant UNSC resolutions, Iraq must grant the
United Nations Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM) inspectors immediate,
unconditional, and unrestricted access to any location in Iraq they wish
to examine, and access to any Iraqi official whom they wish to
interview, so that UNSCOM may fully discharge its mandate. Iraq
continues, as it has for the past 5 years, to fail to live up either to
the letter or the spirit of this commitment.
In his October 11 semiannual written report to the Security Council,
UNSCOM Executive Chairman Rolf Ekeus outlined in comprehensive detail
Iraq's past and ongoing efforts to conceal evidence of its weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) programs. In his December 18 briefing to the
Security Council, Ekeus urged it to take action to reverse Iraq's
current blocking of UNSCOM removal of 130 SCUD motors from Iraq for
analysis. As reported to the press by Security Council President Fulci
that day, Ekeus informed the Council that he thought significant numbers
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of SCUD missiles still exist in Iraq. As long as Saddam refuses to
cooperate fully with U.N. weapons inspectors, UNSCOM will be impeded in
its efforts to fulfill its mandate to ensure that Iraq's WMD program has
been eliminated. We will continue to fully support the mandate and the
efforts of the Special Commission to obtain Iraqi compliance with all
relevant U.N. resolutions.
The implementation of the export/import monitoring mechanism
approved by the Security Council in Resolution 1051 began on October 1.
Resolution 1051 approved a mechanism to monitor Iraq's undertaking to
reacquire proscribed weapons capabilities by requiring that Iraq inform
the U.N. in advance of any imports of dual-use items and that countries
provide timely notification of the export to Iraq of dual-use items.
Iraq also 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, which were looted during the occupation.
Iraq's repression of its Shi'a population continues with policies
aimed at destroying the Marsh Arabs' way of life in Southern Iraq, as
well as the ecology of the southern marshes. The human rights situation
throughout Iraq remains unchanged. Saddam Hussein shows no signs of
complying with UNSCR 688, which demands that Iraq cease the repression
of its own people.
The Multinational Interception Force (MIF) remains on station in the
Arabian Gulf. Our commitment to the enforcement of the sanctions regime
is clearly demonstrated by the significant investment we have made with
our naval forces in this area. Since my last report, 10 vessels have
been intercepted and diverted for sanctions violations. Most of the
vessels diverted have been engaged in illegal oil smuggling, but in
recent weeks, we have begun to intercept smaller boats attempting to
smuggle Iraqi dates as well. Traditionally, our naval forces encounter
an increase in date smugglers as Ramadan approaches.
We continue to note suspected smugglers using the territorial waters
of Iran to avoid interception by the MIF. Due to the geography of the
Gulf, it is possible to transit from Iraqi ports to the UAE and the
Indian Ocean without entering international waters. We believe, and have
confirmed in some instances, that smugglers utilize these routes to
export Iraqi petroleum products in violation of UNSCR 661. We believe
that there are elements within the Iranian government who profit from
charging ``protection fees'' for the safe passage through Iranian
waters. We have presented evidence of this to the United Nations
Sanctions Committee, and I am pleased to report that the Committee has
decided to admonish Iran for failing to halt sanctions violators in its
waters.
The recent implementation of UNSCR 986 will increase the workload of
our naval forces participating in the MIF. We are prepared to meet the
increased monitoring effort in the coming months. The surge in maritime
traffic expected to occur with the implementation of UNSCR 986 will
necessitate extreme vigilance to ensure that those who would profit from
illegal trade with Iraq are not given the opportunity to succeed.
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 over 1 million awards worth approximately $5.2 billion. At its
most recent meeting, the UNCC Governing Council approved an award of
$610 million on the claim by the Kuwait national oil company for the
costs of extinguishing the oil well fires ignited by Iraq at the end of
the Gulf War. The UNCC has authorized to date only limited payments for
fixed awards for serious personal injury or death because additional
funds to pay awards have been unavailable due to Iraq's refusal to
comply with all relevant sanctions. With the advent of oil sales under
UNSCR 986, however, 30 percent of the proceeds (which is anticipated to
be as much as $100 million per month) will be allocated to the
Compensation Fund. These proceeds will be used to make installment
payments on awards already made and to finance the operations of the
UNCC.
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To conclude, 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. This letter was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
January 8.