ACCESSION NUMBER:00000

FILE ID:97112006.txt

DATE:11/20/97

TITLE:20-11-97  SECSTATE:  PERM FIVE UNITY BRINGS APPARENT REVERSAL IN IRAQ



TEXT:

(But "wait and see, actions speak louder than words") (520)

By Wendy Lubetkin

USIA European Correspondent



Geneva -- Secretary of State Albright says Saddam Hussein's apparent

reversal on weapons inspections was the result of unified and

intensive diplomacy by the five permanent members (the Perm Five) of

the U.N. Security Council and the threat of force in the Gulf against

him.



"Let me just say that it appears that Saddam Hussein has reversed

course, and that the U.N. inspectors will be able to go in and do

their work unconditionally," Albright told reporters at the Hotel

Intercontinental in Geneva November 20.



The Secretary of State spoke briefly with the press several hours

after reports from Iraq indicated that the Iraqi leader had changed

his position on inspections.



A first public indication of the shift came following a predawn

meeting of the Perm Five in Geneva which included the Foreign

Ministers of the United States, Russia, France, and Great Britain and

a high level diplomat from China. The meeting was rapidly convened by

Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Primakov after he received

indications that Iraq might be changing its stance.



Albright said the Geneva meeting, which called for unconditional

access for the UNSCOM inspectors, demonstrated that the five permanent

members of the U.N. Security Council "are determined to have the will

of the international community carried out."



"The important thing here is that as a result of the determination and

unanimity of the great powers on the Security Council, Saddam Hussein

has reversed course. That is what it appears at this point," Albright

said.



Albright said no concessions were made to Iraq to win the reversal.

"The United States has agreed to no conditions, there are no

conditions," she said.



She added that UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler believes the team may be

able to return to Iraq to resume its work "in the next 24 hours."



Asked whether U.S. troops will remain deployed in the Gulf, Albright

responded "no decisions have been made to change anything. The

deployments are there."



"So far what we have are statements by Saddam Hussein to reverse

course," she added. "We want to be sure that has really happened.

Actions speak louder than words."



State Department Spokesman James P. Rubin termed the Iraqi leader's

reversal "a step in the right direction," but the "proof of whether

our objectives have been met is whether the teams do in fact go back

to Iraq and are allowed to perform their work unconditionally."



A senior U.S. official said the United States has "deep concerns" that

the interval during which inspections were obstructed might have

"affected the baseline" of UNSCOM's work.



But the U.S. official insisted that Saddam Hussein will still turn out

the loser since any impairment of the inspector's job will only mean a

longer delay before the certification that all weapons have been

destroyed and the lifting of sanctions.



"The reality is ... that (Saddam Hussein) tried to divide the

coalition, tried to divide the Council, and ran into a brick wall, and

turned around and walked the other way."

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