I want to explain why I have decided, with the unanimousrecommendation of my national security team, to use force inIraq; why we have acted now; and what we aim to accomplish.
Six weeks ago, Saddam Hussein announced that he would nolonger cooperate with the United Nations weapons inspectorscalled UNSCOM. They are highly professional experts from dozensof countries. Their job is to oversee the elimination of Iraqscapability to retain, create and use weapons of massdestruction, and to verify that Iraq does not attempt to rebuildthat capability.
The inspectors undertook this mission first 7.5 years ago atthe end of the Gulf War when Iraq agreed to declare and destroyits arsenal as a condition of the ceasefire.
The international community had good reason to setthis requirement. Other countries possess weapons of massdestruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is onebig difference He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly.Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during adecadelong war. Not only against soldiers, but againstcivilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, SaudiArabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy,but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians inNorthern Iraq.
The international community had little doubt then, and I haveno doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will usethese terrible weapons again.
The United States has patiently worked to preserve UNSCOM asIraq has sought to avoid its obligation to cooperate with theinspectors. On occasion, weve had to threaten military force,and Saddam has backed down.
Faced with Saddams latest act of defiance in late October,we built intensive diplomatic pressure on Iraq backed byoverwhelming military force in the region. The UN SecurityCouncil voted 15 to zero to condemn Saddams actions and todemand that he immediately come into compliance.
