TIME’S UP: SADDAM’S BREACH OF U.N. CEASE-FIRE JUSTIFIES CONCERTED ACTION TO END HIS MISRULE

(Washington, D.C.): The cease-fire
resolution agreed to by Saddam Hussein on
3 April 1991 stipulates that Iraq must
declare, surrender or otherwise destroy
all its nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons and ballistic missiles by 25 July
1991. That day having arrived and
there being clear evidence that Baghdad
has not complied with this
requirement, it is time for civilized
nations — led by the United States
— to take the actions required to bring
Iraq into conformity with its
obligations.

As a practical matter — in the face
of Saddam Hussein’s obvious determination
to persist in the development of such
weapons of mass destruction, to prepare
for their use and to lie about both his
intentions and capabilities in these
regards — there is only one hope
for securing genuine Iraqi compliance
with the terms of the cease-fire: an
early end to the ruling clique’s reign of
terror.

The Center for Security Policy has,
from the moment nearly a year ago when
Iraq invaded Kuwait, contended that this
sort of systemic treatment of
the problem was in order. While it has
welcomed the symptomatic relief
(belatedly) provided by U.S. initiatives
which accomplished the liberation of
Kuwait, offered sanctuary to the Kurds
and interrupted at least a portion of the
Iraqi nuclear program, the Center has
remained convinced that — in the absence
of an end to Baathist tyranny — the
benefits from such actions would prove to
be highly ephemeral.

The Center’s position has been
eloquently seconded by The New
Republic, one of the nation’s most
thoughtful and influential journals. In
this week’s lead editorial entitled href=”index.jsp?section=papers&code=91-P_68at”>”Staying
There” (a copy of which is
attached), the magazine concluded:

“The termination of Baath
rule should…become a stated
goal of U.S. policy — and if
Iraq is fragmented in the
process, the stability of the
region will not suffer unduly. If
Saddam does not scrupulously
honor a deadline for surrendering
every ounce of uranium, along
with everything else covered by
the cease-fire, we should enforce
its terms against the violator,
rather than his unfortunate
subjects. Until the
butcher of Baghdad is gone or
buried the Gulf war cannot be
won, despite all of Mr. Bush’s
triumphalist rhetoric.“
(Emphasis added.)

The Center fully concurs with these
sentiments and reiterates in this regard
the recommendations made in its recent
release entitled Wanted:
Saddam Hussein, Dead or Alive
(91-P 49, 12 June
1991):

“A bounty should be
placed on Saddam Hussein —
a sizeable cash reward for anyone
who can end the reign of terror
he and his ruling clique are
evidently determined to
perpetuate indefinitely. In
addition, all appropriate
resources of the United States
government should be devoted to
removing him from power.”