[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 39 (Monday, September 29, 1997)]
[Pages 1397-1400]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders on Iraq

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.
    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

[[Page 1398]]

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 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

[[Page 1399]]

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 vio

[[Page 1400]]

lations of international humanitarian law, known as INDICT, continues.
    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.