TIME IS RUNNING OUT
We Will Not Shrink From War
Iraq has flouted the will of the world with its deceptions and empty claims.
BY COLIN L. POWELL
Monday, February 3, 2003 12:01 a.m. EST
President Bush warned in his State of the Union address that "the gravest
danger facing America and the world is outlaw regimes that seek and possess
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons." Exhibit A is Saddam Hussein's
Iraq. As the president said, we need only look at how Saddam has
terrorized, oppressed and murdered his own people to understand his
methods. And, perhaps most critically, the president confirmed that Iraq
has open channels and ties to terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda.
Last November, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed Resolution
1441, giving Iraq one last chance to disarm peacefully or "face serious
consequences." However, instead of disarming, Iraq has responded to
Resolution 1441 with empty claims, empty declarations and empty gestures.
Just a week ago, U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix told the Security
Council that "Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not
even today, of the disarmament that was demanded of it." Indeed, the Iraqi
regime is going to great lengths to conceal its weapons of mass
destruction. It has removed material from sites it knew were likely to be
inspected. The regime also has an active program of coaching scientists
before they talk to inspectors and only permits interviews when minders are
present. On top of that, thousands of pages of sensitive weapons-related
documents have been found in private homes.
Resolution 1441 established two key tests: a full and accurate disclosure
of Iraq's weaponry and a requirement to cooperate immediately,
unconditionally and actively with the inspectors. Iraq has failed both
tests. Iraq's declaration of its weapons holdings is incomplete and
inaccurate and provides no substantive information on the disposition of
its weapons of mass destruction. Not surprisingly, the U.N. inspectors have
found it woefully deficient. In his report to the Security Council, Mr.
Blix noted that Iraq has failed to account for its production of the deadly
nerve agent VX, some 6,500 chemical bombs, and about 1,000 metric tons of
chemical agent. Iraq also previously acquired the materials to make much
more anthrax than it declared.
In their inspections, Mr. Blix's team discovered a number of chemical
warheads not previously acknowledged by Iraq. Iraq also continues to
acquire banned equipment, with proscribed imports arriving as recently as
last month. The inspectors also reported that Iraqi activity is severely
hampering their work. For example, Iraq has refused the inspectors' request
to use a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, a critical tool for inspections.
Inspectors are accompanied everywhere by Iraqi minders, are slandered by
Iraqi officials as spies, and face harassment and disturbing protests that
would be unlikely to occur without the encouragement of the authorities.
On Wednesday, I will present to the Security Council U.S. intelligence
showing further evidence of Iraq's pattern of deception. Our evidence will
reinforce what the inspectors told the Security Council last week--that
they are not getting the cooperation they need, that their requests are
being blocked, and that their questions are going unanswered. While there
will be no "smoking gun," we will provide evidence concerning the weapons
programs that Iraq is working so hard to hide. We will, in sum, offer a
straightforward, sober and compelling demonstration that Saddam is
concealing the evidence of his weapons of mass destruction, while
preserving the weapons themselves. The world must now recognize that Iraq
has not complied with the will of the international community as expressed
in Resolution 1441. Iraq has failed the resolution's two tests--to disclose
and to cooperate--in a manner that constitutes a further material breach of
the resolution.
In response, the U.S. will begin a new round of full and open consultation
with our allies about next steps. Much has been made of the friction
between the U.S. and some of its traditional partners over how to proceed
with Iraq. We will work to bridge our differences, building on the bedrock
of our shared values and long history of acting together to meet common
challenges. The fruits of our partnership are evident all around the globe,
from Western Europe to Japan, Korea, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
Together we must face the facts brought to us by the U.N. inspectors and
reputable intelligence sources. Iraq continues to conceal deadly weapons
and their components, and to use denial, deception and subterfuge in order
to retain them. Iraq has ties to and has supported terrorist groups. Iraq
has had no compunction about using weapons of mass destruction against its
own people and against its neighbors.
President Bush's message has been clear from the beginning. The President
eloquently and persuasively set forth the U.S. position at the U.N. on
Sept. 12: A peaceful outcome to this situation is possible if Iraq
cooperates with the U.N. and disarms. Unfortunately, Saddam seems to be
leading his nation down another path. The U.S. seeks Iraq's peaceful
disarmament. But we will not shrink from war if that is the only way to rid
Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction.
Mr. Powell is the secretary of state.
_______________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world,
it is God's gift to humanity." - George W. Bush 1/29/03
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