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White House: No Diplomatic Solution In Sight On Iraq
Administration fears Albright's mission is doomed to failure
By Wolf Blitzer/CNN
WASHINGTON (Nov. 19) -- President Bill Clinton's top advisers say optimistic predictions from Russia of a diplomatic breakthrough in the standoff with Iraq are at best premature, but probably wrong.
And only hours before the foreign ministers of the U.S., Russia, France and Britain meet in Geneva, Clinton warned Iraq to let United Nations inspectors resume their search for weapons of mass destruction.
"The inspectors must be able to do so without interference," Clinton said. "That's our top line. That's our bottom line."
He used the occasion of an adoption bill signing ceremony to say what's at stake if there's no agreement: "I do not want these children we are trying to put in stable homes to grow up into a world where they are threatened by terrorists with biological and chemical weapons. That is not right," he said to applause.
Reacting to Iraq's rejection of a U.S. proposal to expand Iraq's sale of oil for food and medicine, the White House aimed its rhetoric directly and personally.
White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry told reporters, "They have utter disregard for the people of Iraq who would benefit from humanitarian oil sales. Saddam Hussein has no interest in feeding his suffering people or getting food and medicine and health care to those who need it, which would be allowed under those sales."
Just before the Gulf War in 1991, then-Secretary of State James Baker flew to Geneva, but his diplomatic mission failed. White House officials now fear Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's trip could meet the same fate.
In Other News:
Wednesday Nov. 19, 1997
• Starr Investigates Clinton's Lawyers For Obstruction
• White House: No Diplomatic Solution In Sight On Iraq
• Arkansas Embroiled In Investigations
• Gingrich Working On A New Book
E-Mail From Washington:
• White House Says U.S. Wants To Solve Iraq Situation Peacefully
• Albright Flies To Geneva For Iraq Meeting