Clinton Administration's Deals with Rogue States Emboldened Saddam, Says UN Official

The Clinton administration's willingness to negotiate with rogue states has led to a perception among some of those countries that the US will make concessions to avoid confrontation, a senior UN official said. Rolf Ekeus, head of the UN commission to disarm Iraq, stated that this perception led Saddam Hussein to believe that a strategy of confrontation would ultimately result in the lifting of economic sanctions. This perception was sparked by US dealings with North Korea and Serbia, where concessions were made in exchange for cooperation. However, this approach backfired when Saddam deployed troops near the Kuwaiti border, prompting a US military buildup and bringing the two nations to the brink of war.

Key Takeaways:

• The Clinton administration's willingness to cut deals with rogue states has led to a perception that the US will make concessions to avoid confrontation, emboldening countries like North Korea and Iraq.
• US dealings with North Korea, where concessions were made in exchange for cooperation, were cited by Iraqi officials as an example of the US willingness to deal with despotic regimes.
• The Iraqi officials' statements to Rolf Ekeus highlighted the frustration with not being allowed to negotiate their own position, rather than a desire for confrontation.
• Robert Gallucci, the US negotiator in the North Korea accord, was reportedly concerned about the message being sent to despots around the world.
• A senior State Department official familiar with the exchange stated that Ekeus offered the view that the Iraqis were motivated by a misinterpretation of the US negotiations with North Korea.
• Ambassador Robert Gallucci replied that it seemed implausible the Iraqis were motivated by such a misinterpretation of the US negotiations with North Korea.

Statistics:

• 80,000: The number of Republican Guard troops that streamed toward the Kuwaiti border earlier this month, prompting President Clinton to send thousands of American troops.
• $4 billion: The amount of money invested in North Korea under the recent agreement to freeze its nuclear-weapons program in exchange for new light-water reactors, fuel, and rapprochement with Washington.
• 10 years: The supply of fuel that was negotiated with North Korea as part of the agreement.
• 25: The number of inspections allowed per year by the US in North Korea.
• 2 billion: The amount of money in addition to the $4 billion reactor deal that was negotiated for North Korea.

Sources:

*UPI Diplomatic Writer SID BALMAN Jr.

*Rolf Ekeus, United Nations official