DATE=  11/21/97

TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT

NUMBER=5-38171

TITLE=ALBRIGHT / IRAQ

BYLINE=RON PEMSTEIN

DATELINE=VANCOUVER

CONTENT=

VOICED AT: 



INTRO:  SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT'S WEEK-LONG TRIP TO

SOUTH ASIA TURNED INTO A HECTIC SCRAMBLE AS SHE SOUGHT TO SHORE 

UP SUPPORT FOR THE U-S STAND ON IRAQ.  BAGHDAD FINALLY REVERSED 

COURSE AS A RESULT OF RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY AND THE UNITY OF THE FIVE

PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THE U-N SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING IN GENEVA 

-- AND IT ALLOWED U-N WEAPONS INSPECTORS TO RETURN TO WORK IN 

IRAQ.  CORRESPONDENT RON PEMSTEIN -- WHO WAS TRAVELING WITH MS. 

ALBRIGHT -- TELLS US A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION WAS NOT A SURE THING.



TEXT:  AT ONE POINT, WITH SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT IN NEW 

DELHI AND RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV READY TO 

LEAVE MOSCOW FOR BRAZIL, IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF ANY MEETING ON IRAQ 

WOULD TAKE PLACE IN GENEVA.  THE FOREIGN MINISTER WAS DETERMINED 

TO BE IN BRAZIL ON TIME THURSDAY AND SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT 

WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE HER TALKS WEDNESDAY WITH INDIAN LEADERS, 

EVEN IF WITH A REDUCED SCHEDULE.



THE TWO MINISTERS HAD BEEN IN TOUCH BY TELEPHONE FROM THE NIGHT 

OF NOVEMBER 14TH WHEN SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT FLEW ALL NIGHT 

FROM SWITZERLAND TO THE MIDDLE EAST ECONOMIC CONFERENCE IN DOHA 

(QATAR).  SHE URGED MR. PRIMAKOV TO STAY UNITED WITH THE UNITED 

STATES, BRITAIN AND FRANCE ABOUT INSISTING ON THE RETURN OF THE 

U-N WEAPONS INSPECTORS TO IRAQ.



THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RAISED THE CONCERNS OF IRAQ THAT U-N

SANCTIONS AGAINST BAGHDAD WOULD NEVER BE LIFTED.   TO THE 

SECRETARY OF STATE, THIS BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF WHEN SHE WAS 

U-S AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE RUSSIANS WOULD 

ADVOCATE THE ARGUMENTS OF IRAQ -- BUT IN THE END, THEY WOULD JOIN

WITH THE OTHER SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN DEFENDING U-N 

RESOLUTIONS.



SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT INSISTED TO MR. PRIMAKOV THAT THE 

INSPECTORS' RETURN TO IRAQ HAD TO BE UNCONDITIONAL, AS THE 

SECURITY COUNCIL HAD DEMANDED, AND THAT NO CONCESSIONS COULD 

PRECEDE THE RETURN OF THE INSPECTORS.



IT WAS AT THE POINT THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON TELEPHONED RUSSIAN  

PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN TO URGE RUSSIA TO USE ITS SPECIAL  

RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAQ TO MAKE BAGHDAD ALLOW THE INSPECTORS TO 

RESUME THEIR WORK.



IN BETWEEN THE CONVERSATIONS WITH MR. PRIMAKOV, SECRETARY OF 

STATE ALBRIGHT WOULD COORDINATE TACTICS WITH BRITISH FOREIGN 

SECRETARY ROBIN COOK AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER HUBERT VEDRINE. 

THE POINT SHE MADE WITH ALL THREE FOREIGN MINISTERS WAS THAT IF 

YOU DO NOT WANT MILITARY FORCE USED, IRAQ MUST CHANGE ITS MIND.



WHEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE REACHED INDIA, MR. PRIMAKOV WAS 

NEGOTIATING WITH IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TARIQ AZIZ IN 

MOSCOW.  HE TOLD HER IRAQ WAS REMAINING FIRM.  SECRETARY OF STATE

ALBRIGHT RESPONDED THAT THE RETURN OF THE INSPECTORS HAD TO BE 

UNCONDITIONAL.



SPEAKING HERE IN VANCOUVER, THE SECRETARY OF STATE ACKNOWLEDGED 

SOME TACTICAL DIFFERENCES.



                       ///ALBRIGHT ACT///



         THERE HAD BEEN SOME DIVISION, BUT IT WAS MY ASSESSMENT 

         THAT THAT WAS BASICALLY ON TACTICS AND NOT SO MUCH ON 

         THE GOAL OF MAKING SURE THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN IS NOT A 

         THREAT TO THE REGION.  AND MY OWN SENSE IS THAT SADDAM 

         HUSSEIN MISCALCULATED IN TERMS OF THINKING THAT HE COULD

         DRIVE A WEDGE THROUGH THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND, INSTEAD,

         WHEN REALLY PUSHED ON THE BASICS OF MAKING SURE THAT HE 

         CANNOT THREATEN THE REGION, THE COUNCIL UNITED.



                          ///END ACT///



THERE WAS NO UNITY ON FLIGHT SCHEDULES. AT ONE POINT, MR. 

PRIMAKOV SUGGESTED A MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL FIVE, BUT 

THEIR PLANS APPEARED TOO HARD TO RECONCILE. AMERICAN OFFICIALS 

SAY THE RUSSIANS APPARENTLY WANTED A MEETING WEDNESDAY WITH THE 

BRITISH AND FRENCH MINISTERS OR A LOWER-LEVEL MEETING OF ALL FIVE

PERMANENT MEMBERS.



SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT REFUSED TO ALLOW ANY MEETING THAT DID

NOT INCLUDE THE UNITED STATES.  SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT RUSSIA 

WANTED TO BE TOO FLEXIBLE WITH IRAQ.  IT BECAME A GAME OF WHICH 

MINISTER WOULD ADJUST THEIR SCHEDULE.  MR. PRIMAKOV BLINKED.  HE 

DELAYED HIS ARRIVAL IN BRAZIL BY EIGHT HOURS AND AGREED TO MEET 

MS. ALBRIGHT AT TWO A-M THURSDAY IN GENEVA AFTER HER FLIGHT 

ARRIVED FROM NEW DELHI.



WHEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE LEFT INDIA, MR. PRIMAKOV HAD GIVEN 

HER NO FINAL ANSWER ABOUT IRAQ'S INTENTIONS.  ACCORDING TO TARIQ 

AZIZ, RUSSIA ONLY PROMISED TO BE A STRONGER ADVOCATE FOR IRAQ IN 

THE SECURITY COUNCIL, AND MR. PRIMAKOV DID NOT GIVE IRAQ ANY 

CONCESSIONS IN RETURN FOR ALLOWING THE INSPECTORS TO RETURN.



AT THE POST MIDNIGHT MEETING IN GENEVA, MR. PRIMAKOV BROUGHT 

ALONG A STATEMENT AND HIS EXPECTATION THAT IRAQ WOULD AGREE TO 

ALLOW THE INSPECTORS TO RETURN.  THE AMERICANS STIFFENED THE 

LANGUAGE IN THE STATEMENT, INSISTING THAT THE SECURITY COUNCIL 

MUST APPROVE ANY CHANGES IN THE INSPECTORS' MANDATE.



SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT WAS QUOTED AS SAYING IN THE GENEVA  

MEETING TO MR. PRIMAKOV, 'ANYTHING YOU SAID TO THE IRAQIS HAS NO 

BEARING ON ANY SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBER.' 



A SHORT TIME AFTER THE JOINT STATEMENT THURSDAY MORNING IN 

GENEVA, IRAQ AGREED TO LET THE INSPECTORS RETURN. (SIGNED)



NEB/RP/RRM



21-Nov-97 7:03 PM EST (0003 UTC)

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Source: Voice of America

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