pd09au99 Digest of Other White House Announcements...

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The Canal Hotel houses UNSCOM offices along with those of other U.N. 
activities in Iraq, such as the Office of the Iraq Programme, which 
implements the oil-for-food program. UNSCOM has analytical equipment and 
materials it would like to see removed in a straightforward technical 
operation as a precaution. The samples include less than one kilogram of 
seized Iraqi mustard agent. There are no immediate safety concerns. In 
June, UNSCOM recommended to the Security Council that UNSCOM send a team 
of experts to destroy the conventional lab chemicals, chemical 
standards, and biological samples, and request that Iraq cooperate. In 
July the U.N. Secretariat, in consultation with UNSCOM, deputized a team 
of experts to decommission the lab. UNSCOM provided an operations plan 
for the mission to the Secretariat. UNSCOM and U.S. experts trained the 
U.N. team in Bahrain. The U.N. team consisted of an UNSCOM 
administrator, a biologist from a German university, and four experts 
from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Dual-Use Imports

    Resolution 1051 established a joint UNSCOM/IAEA unit to monitor 
Iraq's imports of allowed dual-use items. Iraq must notify the unit 
before it imports specific items that can be used in both weapons of 
mass destruction and civilian applications. Similarly, U.N. members must 
provide timely notification of exports to Iraq of such dual-use items. 
Since the withdrawal of UNSCOM and IAEA monitors, only some limited 
monitoring in certain sectors is being conducted by the U.N. Office of 
the Iraq Programme inspectors. This situation has presented new 
challenges for the U.N. Sanctions Committee and is a factor in the 
contract approval process. As a precautionary matter, the United States 
has placed holds on a number of dual-use contracts that might otherwise 
have been approved.

The U.N. Oil-for-Food Program

    We continue to support the international community's efforts to 
provide for the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people through the oil-
for-food program. On May 21, the Security Council unanimously adopted 
Resolution 1242, extending the program for another 180 days. As in phase 
five, Iraq is again authorized to sell up to $5.2 billion worth of oil 
in the coming 180 days. Because of the increase in world oil prices and 
increased exports, Iraq may reach the ceiling during this phase. As of 
June 14, U.N. reporting indicates that since the start of the oil-for-
food program, 5,375 contracts for humanitarian goods worth over $7 
billion have been approved with 389 contracts worth $351 million on hold 
and approximately 1,000 contracts in various stages of processing in the 
United Nations.

    Within the oil-for-food program, Resolution 1242 maintains a 
separate program for northern Iraq, administered directly by the United 
Nations in consultation with the local population. This program, which 
the United States strongly supports, ensures that when Iraq contracts 
for the purchase of humanitarian goods, 13 to 15 percent of the funds 
generated under the oil-for-food program are spent on items for northern 
Iraq. The separate northern program was established because of Baghdad's 
repression and disregard for the humanitarian needs of the Kurdish, 
Assyrian, Yezidi, and Turkoman minorities in northern Iraq.

    Humanitarian programs such as oil-for-food have steadily improved 
the life of the average Iraqi living under sanctions while denying 
Saddam Hussein control over Iraq's oil revenues. Currently, the ration 
basket provides over 2,000 calories per day per Iraqi. We will continue 
to work with the U.N. Secretariat, the Security Council, and others in 
the international community to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the 
Iraqi people are met while denying political or economic benefits to the 
Baghdad regime. In addition, we are working with the United Nations and 
other Security Council members to mitigate the effects of the current 
drought in Iraq.

[[Page 1543]]

Northern Iraq: Kurdish Reconciliation

    In June, delegations from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and 
the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) traveled to Washington to discuss 
the next steps in implementing the accord they signed in September 1998. 
Consensus was achieved on a number of confidence-building measures, 
including opening party offices in major cities throughout northern 
Iraq, eschewing negative press statements, countering the divisive 
influence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), beginning the return of 
internally displaced persons, and creating a voter registration 
commission for upcoming elections. The delegations discussed other 
issues, such as revenue sharing, internal security, and the formation of 
an interim joint regional assembly and administration. They will 
continue these talks in northern Iraq and seek to implement steps that 
were agreed.

The Human Rights Situation in Iraq

    The human rights situation in Iraq continues to fall far short of 
international norms, in violation of Resolution 688. That resolution 
explicitly notes that the consequences of the regime's repression of its 
own people constitute a threat to international peace and security in 
the region. It also demands immediate access by international 
humanitarian aid organizations to all Iraqis in need. However, for over 
7 years the Iraqi government has refused to allow the U.N. Human Rights 
Commission Special Rapporteur for Iraq, Max Van der Stoel, to visit 
Iraq. U.N. human rights monitors have never been allowed into Iraq.
    Severe repression continues in southern Iraq, as the regime works 
toward the destruction of the Marsh Arabs' way of life and the unique 
ecology of the southern marshes. The regime has repeatedly ignored 
appeals by Max Van der Stoel and others for access by human rights 
monitors to investigate these reports. The human rights monitors have 
asked to investigate the alleged assassination of three of Iraq's most 
senior Islamic clerics: Ayatollah Mohammed al-Sader in February 1999, 
Ayatollah Borujerdi in April 1998, and Ayatollah al-Gharavi in June 
1998.
    In the north, outside the Kurdish-controlled areas, the government 
continues the forced expulsion of ethnic Kurds and Turkomans from Kirkuk 
and other cities.

The Iraqi Opposition

    We are deepening our engagement with the forces of change in Iraq, 
helping Iraqis both inside and outside Iraq to become a more effective 
voice for the aspirations of the people. We will work toward the day 
when Iraq has a government worthy of its people, a government prepared 
to live in peace with its neighbors, and respects the rights of its 
citizens. We believe that a change of regime in Baghdad is inevitable, 
and that it is urgently incumbent on the world community to support the 
Iraqis who are working to ensure that change is positive. These Iraqis 
include the resistance inside the country, and those free Iraqis now in 
exile or in northern Iraq, who seek to improve the chances that the next 
government of Iraq will truly represent, serve, and protect all the 
Iraqi people.
    The INC has stepped up its activities since the April 7-8 meeting of 
the Executive Council at Windsor. The Interim Presidency Committee 
visited Washington from May 24 to May 28 for meetings with the Secretary 
of State, the National Security Advisor, and several Members of 
Congress. In a demonstration of the growing cohesion among the Iraqi 
opposition, the INC leadership was accompanied by other key Sunni 
opposition leaders. The INC also sent a delegation to the United Nations 
in May to discuss humanitarian and human rights issues.
    Over the last several weeks, the INC Executive Committee met again 
in London and the Interim Presidency Committee has worked on 
preparations for their National Assembly. The Department of State 
assisted the INC in these efforts by funding conference planning 
services with Economic Support Funds. Using these same funds, the 
Department of State worked with other nongovernmental organizations to 
develop projects to assist the Iraqi opposition and the Iraqi people in 
their efforts to achieve regime change.

The United Nations Compensation Commission

    The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), established 
pursuant to

[[Page 1544]]

Resolutions 687, 692, and 1210, continues to resolve claims against Iraq 
arising from Iraq's unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait. The UNCC 
has issued over 1.3 million awards worth approximately $10 billion.
    Thirty percent of the proceeds from authorized oil sales are 
allocated to the Compensation Fund to pay awards and finance UNCC 
operations. The UNCC Governing Council has determined that certain small 
claims by individuals will receive initial payments of $2,500, before 
paying larger claims of either individuals or businesses and government 
agencies. In June, the Governing Council established the rules for 
making payments on the remaining small claims and the larger individual, 
corporate, and government claims. To date, the U.S. Government has 
received funds from the UNCC for initial installment payments for 
approximately 2,288 U.S. claimants.

Conclusion

    Iraq remains a serious threat to international peace and security. I 
remain determined to see Iraq fully comply with all of its obligations 
under Security Council resolutions. The United States looks forward to 
the day when Iraq rejoins the family of nations as a responsible and 
law-abiding member. I appreciate the support of the Congress for our 
efforts and shall continue to keep the Congress informed about this 
important issue.
    Sincerely,
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, and Strom Thurmond, President pro tempore of 
the Senate.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1544]
 
Monday, August 9, 1999
 
Volume 35--Number 31
Pages 1529-1576
 
Week Ending Friday, August 6, 1999
 
Message to the Congress Reporting a Budget Deferral

August 2, 1999

To the Congress of the United States:

    In accordance with the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974, I herewith report one revised deferral of budget authority, 
now totaling $173 million.
    The deferral affects programs of the Department of State.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
August 2, 1999.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1544-1547]
 
Monday, August 9, 1999
 
Volume 35--Number 31
Pages 1529-1576
 
Week Ending Friday, August 6, 1999
 
Remarks at a Democratic National Committee Dinner

August 2, 1999

    Thank you very much. I will be brief, but let me begin by thanking 
John Kerry for having us in his beautiful, beautiful home. He and 
Theresa have been very good for our country and very good for our party, 
and I am delighted to be here. And I want to thank all of you for 
coming.
    Let me ask you to think about what I hope we'll be discussing in the 
following way. When I became President, I was trying to make sure that 
America would begin to function again at an acceptable level of 
performance so that the American people, who are basically out there 
getting up every day, working hard, doing a good job, would find some 
way to be better rewarded, and so that we could maximize these sweeping 
changes going through the world in how we work and how we live and how 
we relate to one another, both within this country and beyond our 
borders.
    And so we set about trying to do that, and the results, I think, 
have been quite satisfactory in a lot of ways. And I'm grateful for 
that. If I could just make one point about it, the President does not do 
these things alone. John Kerry's leadership in the areas that he 
mentioned has been nothing short of brilliant. And without the support 
of the people in Congress who are our allies, none of it could have 
happened. So I'm grateful for that.
    Now, I have a year and a half left on my term, and yet, I'm thinking 
more about the long term than I did even when I got here, for the simple 
reason that we are now in a position to think about the long term and 
about how we can do more than just make the country work but how we can 
secure a framework for opportunity for America, for a greater social 
justice, for a greater good

[[Page 1545]]

at home and around the world than ever before. That's why I think it's 
important that we not blow this surplus we waited 30 years to produce 
until we have fundamentally secured the challenge of the aging of 
America by doing something about Social Security and Medicare. It's why 
I think it's important that we not, while the economy is rocking along 
very well, pass a tax cut that would undermine our ability to meet our 
commitments in education, the environment, biomedical research, and 
other areas. I think that's very important.
    But I also think we need to be thinking about those fundamental 
things in society that have not fully incorporated what most of you have 
done very well doing, which is riding the wave of the information 
revolution. We have, thanks to the Vice President, done our best to have 
good policies, whether it was in the Telecommunications Act or a lot of 
other specific issues, some of which Senator Kerry mentioned, or just 
doing no harm. And we've been able to, far more than ever before, 
maximize the use of information technology and Government, which is why 
we now have the smallest Government we've had since 1963. But if you 
really think about it, we should not be satisfied with where we are. And 
I'll just give you a few examples.
    In education, we finally have test scores turned around, not only in 
mathematics and science but also in reading, which is really quite an 
important achievement, since so many of our children do not have English 
as their first language. But no one seriously believes we have the best 
system of elementary and secondary education in the world. And we have 
all this diversity in our country. How can we use technology to lift the 
level of all education?
    I'll give you another example. We have now, as you all probably have 
seen, I think we have reached the benefit, the limit of the benefits 
that traditional management can bring in moderating inflation and health 
care costs. When I became President, health care was rising at 3 times 
the rate of inflation and people were dropping coverage dramatically. 
Now, unfortunately, that's continued to happen. But one of the reasons 
that there's this intense debate in Washington over the Patients' Bill 
of Rights is that so many people, including a lot of health care 
professionals, believe that we have reached the limit which you can get 
management-related--traditional, management-related savings out of 
health care without eroding the quality of care.
    What can we do to maximize the impact of all the things that we do 
to make the health care system work better and extend coverage to more 
people? I'll give you a third example. Someone told me in Silicon Valley 
one day that people in high tech businesses work 3 to 9 times faster 
than people in normal businesses do, and Government worked 3 to 9 times 
slower, and therefore, the marriage was impossible, which I thought is 
an interesting observation and painfully accurate from time to time.
    What can we do, what still is out there that we should be doing that 

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