ACCESSION NUMBER:00000

FILE ID:97111910.txt

DATE:11/19/97

TITLE:19-11-97  TEXT:  ALBRIGHT STATEMENT ON IRAQ AT CAIRO EN ROUTE GENEVA



TEXT:

("Iraq must let weapons inspectors get back to work") (450)



Cairo -- Secretary of State Albright says Iraq "must let the weapons

inspectors get back to their vital work of preventing Iraq from

building nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, and it must permit

those inspections to proceed without interference or conditions."



Stopping at the airport in Cairo en route Geneva, Albright said "We

continue to hope we can achieve this objective peacefully. But we

cannot rule out other options. I look forward to hearing an account in

Geneva of Foreign Minister Primakov's discussions with Iraqi

officials."



Albright said she will "re-iterate the U.S. position on what it will

take to resolve the situation created by Iraqi non-compliance. As

President Clinton has said, Iraq must not be allowed to threaten the

world through the development of nuclear, biological or chemical

weapons. No outcome short of that is acceptable."



Following is the State Department text:



(begin text)



Statement by

Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright in Cairo



November 19, 1997



Good evening.



I am grateful to Foreign Minister (Mahmoud) Moussa for agreeing, at

short notice, to meet with me and for coming to the airport to do so.



I also want to use this opportunity to re-iterate the shock and sorrow

of the United States at the sickening and cowardly crime committed in

Luxor this week. We condemn this act of terror and hope that those

responsible will be quickly apprehended,



As you know, following my meeting with the Foreign Minister, I will

depart for Geneva to meet with the Foreign Ministers of France, Russia

and the U.K. There, we will discuss ways to ensure the prompt

resumption of thorough UN monitoring and inspections in Iraq.



Since this crisis with Iraq began, we have been seeking to achieve one

overriding objective -- Iraq's compliance with the will of the

international community.



Iraq must let the weapons inspectors get back to their vital work of

preventing Iraq from building nuclear, chemical or biological weapons,

and it must permit those inspections to proceed without interference

or conditions.



We continue to hope we can achieve this objective peacefully. But we

cannot rule out other options. I look forward to hearing an account in

Geneva of Foreign Minister Primakov's discussions with Iraqi

officials.



I will also re-iterate the U.S. position on what it will take to

resolve the situation created by Iraqi non-compliance. As President

Clinton has said, Iraq must not be allowed to threaten the world

through the development of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. No

outcome short of that is acceptable.



Thank you very much.



(end text)

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