Appendix 2 to the hearing of
the House International Relations Committee

February 25, 1998

PREPARED STATEMENT OF

ROBERT MENENDEZ,
A Representative from New Jersey

House International Relations Committee

February 25,1998

Mr. Chairman, earlier this week we averted military action against Iraq. Koffi Annan should be commended for his timely and diligent efforts to bring Saddam Hussein into compliance with the UN Security Council resolution. While Saddam did finally concede - he is not a hero- we should not forget that this man is a tyrant who oppresses his own people and who seeks to hold the world hostage to his political whims - including the whim to develop weapons of mass destruction.

I am relieved that the current crisis has been resolved, but it would be naive to believe that this crisis will be the last. Saddam Hussein has a poor record on keeping commitments — he has habitually thwarted the efforts of UNSCOM and lied about his country's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Despite the damage inflicted on his weapons programs during the Gulf War, Iraq retains the production components, data and expertise to resume development and production of weapons of mass destruction - today, it seems likely that Saddam's biological and chemical, ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs remain intact.

Now more than ever, we need to be vigilant and unrelenting in our enforcement of the Security Council Resolution which demands that Iraq allow full access to UN weapons inspectors - to all sites, including presidential sites and without delay. We know that Saddam is willing to use these weapons, as he has on his own people. Absent full cooperation we will never be certain that Saddam is not secretly developing his deadly arsenal. It is in that vein, that we must send a message to Baghdad through the Administration and the Congress that should Saddam as much as consider breaking this agreement, we will strike militarily. There are no more chances, there are no more agreements to be had - there is only compliance.