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The Standoff with Iraq

Cohen arrives in Kuwait on Persian Gulf tour

Cohen

Iraq, Arab League launch diplomatic initiatives

February 9, 1998
Web posted at: 7:16 a.m. EST (1216 GMT)

In this story:

• Diplomatic talks intensify
• International support growing, Cohen says
• Maneuvering at the U.N.

KUWAIT (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen arrived in Kuwait Monday on his tour to brief American allies on preparations for a possible military strike against Iraq.

Cohen is meeting with Kuwaiti officials and F-117 stealth bomber pilots in the region before leaving later in the day.

On Sunday, the defense secretary, while in Saudi Arabia, announced that the United States would not ask permission to launch strikes against Iraq from U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have been reluctant to back possible military action against their neighbor to the north, and a refusal of such a request was likely.

On the flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Kuwait, Cohen told reporters he was confident of Saudi support, even though the kingdom did not publicly support military confrontation.

"We had a very good meeting. ... I am now confident we have a very strong relationship," Cohen said.

He did not specify whether the Saudis would allow logistical operations from their territory in the event of strikes from other Persian Gulf states.

Sunday's decision not to use the Saudi bases removes about 50 aircraft from a possible strike on Iraq. But Pentagon officials said the current military forces in the region, with another 40 planes on the way, would suffice if the United States goes through with a bombing campaign.

Diplomatic talks intensify

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff intensified Monday, as Iraq dispatched Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Sahaf on a tour of Arab countries in search of support. Iraqi officials told CNN that Sahaf planned to visit Jordan, Syria, and Egypt, and might visit other countries on the tour.

The League of Arab States announced Monday that the league, France, Russia and Iraq were drafting a proposal to end the standoff. In a news conference after a meeting of the League's permanent member states, Secretary-General Esmat Abdel Meguid said that the proposal would call for a special commission to inspect 68 sites in Iraq, including eight "presidential" sites that Iraq has thus far declared off limits.

The United Nations Security Council will meet this week to consider how to persuade Baghdad to grant inspectors access to all suspected weapons sites, and how to help ease suffering caused by seven years of economic sanctions on Iraq.

International support growing, Cohen says

Cohen and Prince Sultan Sunday
VXtreme Video CNN's Brent Sadler reports

In a joint statement early Monday, Cohen and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan said they "continue to hope that the crisis with Iraq will be resolved by diplomatic means."

"But if (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein refuses to comply with the U.N. Security Council resolutions, he alone will be responsible for the consequences of his action. We are pleased with our talks and confident that the fine close cooperation of our two countries will continue," the statement said.

Cohen said he believed international support for a possible military strike was growing.

Following his Monday meetings in Kuwait, Cohen will travel to Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. On Wednesday, he will fly to Moscow.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Bill Clinton called Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada and Prime Minister Wim Kok of the Netherlands on Sunday to discuss the Iraq standoff.

U.S. officials suggested Chretien would publicly indicate soon "an interest in supporting or participating" in possible military action.

Cohen met Sunday with Israel's defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai, in Munich. Afterward, Cohen said Israel has "the right of self-defense and will exercise it if necessary."

Maneuvering at the U.N.

The 15-member Security Council on Monday is to take up a proposal by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to double the amount of oil Iraq can sell over six months to buy food and medicine for its 22 million people suffering from the effects of seven years of U.N. sanctions.

The issues of oil sales and weapons access are supposedly separate. But they are tied together because they involve the overall issue of how to deal with Hussein and ensure that Baghdad complies with U.N. orders to destroy all long-range missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

The embargo against Iraq was relaxed in December 1996 to allow Iraq to sell limited amounts of oil, $2.14 billion worth under the current formula. But U.N. agencies say that amount is not enough to prevent malnutrition and suffering among Iraq's civilians.

Annan recommended raising the ceiling to $5.2 billion for the next six months, including a one-time expenditure of $1 billion to repair infrastructure.

Iraq has rejected key parts of the Annan proposal. The Iraqis say they -- and not the United Nations -- should protect the young, the elderly and other "vulnerable groups."

Iraq also wants infrastructure repairs to be made nationwide and not focused in the north, where Baghdad has limited control.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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