Powell, Fleischer on Ukraine
01/28/2003 | republikanets
Both Powell and Fleischer mention Ukraine, South Africa and Kazkahstan as countries willing to disarm in context of Iraq
Powell: Ukraine willingly participated in disarmament along with Kaszakhstan and South Africa
Fleischer: Ukraine proved a committment to disarm
==========
Secretary of State Powell's Iraq Remark
By The Associated Press
January 27, 2003, 4:51 PM EST
Text of Secretary of State Colin Powell's remarks Monday at the State Department, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks, Inc.:
Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
[ . . . ]
Q: You, sort of, laid it out pretty clearly, but I wondered, does this report -- which I'm sure you anticipated -- does this move the administration closer to a showdown with Iraq? And if you care to -- and I'd understand if you chose not to -- have you got a response to the Iraqi foreign minister who doesn't think you tell the truth?
POWELL: With respect to the first part of your question, time is running out. We've made it clear from the very beginning that we could not allow the process of inspections to string us out forever.
There are some who would like to take months. Dr. ElBaradei made a reference today that he needed a few more months.
But make careful note of the context in which he was making that observation, and that is if there was active cooperation on the part of the Iraqis. If there isn't that kind of active cooperation, you could be sitting on the things you know and looking in the things you know about, but there may be many other things that you don't know about that that you're unable to get information on.
And so inspections only work in the presence of cooperation, active cooperation, and a willingness on the part of the side to participate in the disarmament. And we have examples of this in South Korea and Kazakhstan, Ukraine and other nations that have gone down this road.
With respect to the Iraqi foreign minister calling me a liar, this will not cause me any distress or loss of sleep.
===
27 January 2003
White House Briefing Transcript
(President's daily schedule, Blix report to U.N., Iraq, State of the
Union speech, U.S. weapons of mass destruction, president's tax cut
proposal, Israel elections, poll opinions) (6910)
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed reporters.
Following is the transcript of the briefing:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
January 27, 2003
PRESS BRIEFING BY ARI FLEISCHER
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
12:08 P.M. EST
[ . . . ]
Q: So you want basically a complete change of strategy from Iraq,
helping the inspectors instead of trying to hide things from them?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President wants to see Iraq do what Iraq has
pledged to do -- which is exactly what South Africa did, that
Kazakhstan did and that the Ukraine did -- which is prove a commitment
to disarmament. There's no reason it has to take this long. Saddam
Hussein, if he wanted to disarm, could have shown the inspectors where
his arms were and proved that he was a leader intent on peace, not
war. Obviously, he has made a decision not to do that, and that's why
Hans Blix this morning walked through all the weapons that the United
Nations knows Iraq has that remain unaccounted for.
Powell: Ukraine willingly participated in disarmament along with Kaszakhstan and South Africa
Fleischer: Ukraine proved a committment to disarm
==========
Secretary of State Powell's Iraq Remark
By The Associated Press
January 27, 2003, 4:51 PM EST
Text of Secretary of State Colin Powell's remarks Monday at the State Department, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks, Inc.:
Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
[ . . . ]
Q: You, sort of, laid it out pretty clearly, but I wondered, does this report -- which I'm sure you anticipated -- does this move the administration closer to a showdown with Iraq? And if you care to -- and I'd understand if you chose not to -- have you got a response to the Iraqi foreign minister who doesn't think you tell the truth?
POWELL: With respect to the first part of your question, time is running out. We've made it clear from the very beginning that we could not allow the process of inspections to string us out forever.
There are some who would like to take months. Dr. ElBaradei made a reference today that he needed a few more months.
But make careful note of the context in which he was making that observation, and that is if there was active cooperation on the part of the Iraqis. If there isn't that kind of active cooperation, you could be sitting on the things you know and looking in the things you know about, but there may be many other things that you don't know about that that you're unable to get information on.
And so inspections only work in the presence of cooperation, active cooperation, and a willingness on the part of the side to participate in the disarmament. And we have examples of this in South Korea and Kazakhstan, Ukraine and other nations that have gone down this road.
With respect to the Iraqi foreign minister calling me a liar, this will not cause me any distress or loss of sleep.
===
27 January 2003
White House Briefing Transcript
(President's daily schedule, Blix report to U.N., Iraq, State of the
Union speech, U.S. weapons of mass destruction, president's tax cut
proposal, Israel elections, poll opinions) (6910)
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed reporters.
Following is the transcript of the briefing:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
January 27, 2003
PRESS BRIEFING BY ARI FLEISCHER
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
12:08 P.M. EST
[ . . . ]
Q: So you want basically a complete change of strategy from Iraq,
helping the inspectors instead of trying to hide things from them?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President wants to see Iraq do what Iraq has
pledged to do -- which is exactly what South Africa did, that
Kazakhstan did and that the Ukraine did -- which is prove a commitment
to disarmament. There's no reason it has to take this long. Saddam
Hussein, if he wanted to disarm, could have shown the inspectors where
his arms were and proved that he was a leader intent on peace, not
war. Obviously, he has made a decision not to do that, and that's why
Hans Blix this morning walked through all the weapons that the United
Nations knows Iraq has that remain unaccounted for.