Little Hope Iraq Intends to Comply, Negroponte Says

Remarks by Ambassador John D. Negroponte
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

January 27, 2003

Ambassador Negroponte: Eighty days ago, on November 8, in a historic display of unity, the Security Council passed Resolution 1441 and gave Iraq a final opportunity to voluntarily disarm.

Unfortunately, nothing we have heard today gives us hope that Iraq intends to fully comply with Resolution 1441 or any of the 16 resolutions that preceded it over the last twelve years.

The purpose of 1441 was disarmament. It was never the task of the inspectors to look under every rock to find Iraq's hidden weapons. Inspections are a means to verifying and achieving disarmament when a country has determined that it will voluntarily disarm. Inspections are a means to an end and they cannot be expected to achieve disarmament when a country has an active program of denial and deception, as is the case with Iraq.

The international community knows what voluntary disarmament looks like. We've seen it with South Africa, the Ukraine and other nations. And what we have seen from Iraq over the past 12 years and over the past 80 days is not it.

Resolution 1441 presented Iraq with at least two important tests. First, would Iraq submit a "currently accurate, full and complete" Declaration of all aspects of its WMD programs and delivery systems and second, would Iraq "cooperate immediately, unconditionally and actively with UNMOVIC and the IAEA"?

What we have seen over the past 80 days is that, in spite of the urgency introduced in Resolution 1441, Iraq is back to business as usual. The danger is that the Council may return to business as usual as well.

We received a revealingly inadequate declaration that the inspectors themselves have called "rich on volume and poor on information." It was a declaration that did not even address the most basic questions of concern dating back to 1999 as contained in the Compendium of Outstanding Disarmament Issues, prepared by UNSCOM. And we have seen nothing since the December 7 Declaration to indicate that they plan to remedy this situation and come into compliance with Resolution 1441.

In the past few weeks alone, inspectors found 12 chemical warheads that should have been in the declaration but were not. They also found 3,000 pages of secret Iraqi government documents -- documents, I would note that should have been included in the declaration but were not -- hidden in the home of an Iraqi scientist. This is physical evidence that Iraq's declaration is inaccurate and incomplete.

In terms of cooperation, there is an entire state apparatus in Iraq whose sole purpose is to obstruct the inspections. Inspectors are outnumbered by minders, sometimes by as many as 5 to 1 each time they head out on a mission. Iraq has cancelled interviews and has refused Dr. Blix's request to employ the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, a clear violation of Resolution 1441. They are not cooperating unconditionally.

Iraq is failing both of these tests and in the days ahead, we believe the Council and its member governments, must face its responsibilities and consider what message Council irresolution sends to Iraq and other proliferators. It benefits no one to let Saddam think he can wear us down into "business as usual" as he has practiced it over the past twelve years.

Thank you very much.

Reporter: Which way America will go? Will go unilaterally, or it still wants to work with Security Council?

Ambassador Negroponte: We're going to go into these consultations now and again on Wednesday, and I'm sure there will be more on this as the situation unfolds, but I must excuse myself.

Reporter: Dr. ElBaradei has made a plea for a few more months. Sir, what is your reaction?

Ambassador Negroponte: Time is getting short.