State Department Noon Briefing

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2001 - 12:30 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

MR. BOUCHER: The meetings and consultations that we are having with
the Iraqi opposition - we have had meetings yesterday. The Iraqi
National Congress met with officials of the Bureau of Near Eastern
Affairs. They asked to meet with Assistant Secretary Walker, and that
will be scheduled probably later this week. Obviously we are looking
at our options with regard to Iraq policy. We have not taken a
decision on many of these issues that have been raised.

Q: (Inaudible) - the package yourself? Is that money - you didn't
answer the question of whether the money is being --

MR. BOUCHER: The money, the package, the proposals, are all sort of
together. Many of these things have not been decided.

Q: So do you expect to take a decision while they are here, or is that
--

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know. I'm not sure there is any particular
deadline on some of these issues.

Q: The opposition folks have been described in various reports from
out there, not - I don't mean this current report - but as you have
tried this policy in the previous administration, as kind of
disorganized, at odds with each other, and not very effective.

What is the assessment of - I know the program is rolling now. Do you
think you have a group that can pull together and try to unsettle
Saddam Hussein, or are they sort of jockeying among themselves?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I am in a position to really characterize
the group in the terms you want me to. I would say this is a group of
people that we work with, that we have worked with over time, on a
variety of programs. We have made public announcements about some of
those programs last September and before, and it's a group of people
we continue to meet with to discuss issues and work with. So I am not
going to try to give them any different characterization than we have
in the past.

Q: Are most of them expatriates, by the way? Are any of them operating
in Iraq?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know the exact details. Obviously we are going to
talk to them. We are going to talk about the issues with them and
continue to cooperate and work with them.

Q: Richard, to say that "they are a group that we have worked with
over time" is hardly a ringing endorsement. I mean, can you not say
anything a bit more sort of friendly towards them? I mean, you could
say that about the FARC, for example, as a group you've worked with
over time.

MR. BOUCHER: No, I couldn't, because they are not a group that we have
worked over time. Yes, I will say many things friendly towards these
people. I don't want to criticize them through lack of enthusiasm. Let
it be considered that I have said many friendly things.

Obviously our cooperation with them has been important to us. We are
confident that we can continue to work with them, that they will
continue to advance the overall program that we laid out in September,
and that they remain important players for us in terms of how we
advance the overall policy.

Q: Can I change the subject?

Q: Can I just follow up on this? The support for the INC is one of
these subjects that we read about that there is a division in the
Administration on, specifically between the Secretary and the Vice
President. I understand that the Vice President was here for lunch
with the Secretary today.

Can you say anything about whether this subject came up?

MR. BOUCHER: They are still having lunch as we speak. Let me --

Q: But can you say anything about the purpose of the lunch? I mean, is
this going to be a regular --

MR. BOUCHER: We can make a list of questions; I'll answer them all at
the end. I will do it however you guys want.

Q: No, no.

MR. BOUCHER: Okay. Let's start with the issue - I mean, first of all,
on the question of the Iraqi National Congress, as I said, this is an
ongoing cooperation with the United States Government. It has been
something we have done in the past, something we continue to be --they
remain important players and continue to be part of our national
policy. I think there has been no differences in the way various
Administration officials have addressed this.

The Vice President is indeed here for lunch today with the Secretary.
The Secretary has weekly lunches with the Secretary of Defense and the
National Security Advisor. Secretary Powell is hosting this here today
in the building, and they are joined today by Vice President Cheney,
who has been with them from time to time.

So this is one of the means that they use to coordinate policy, to
discuss things, and to work things out together on how they want to
proceed as an Administration. Whether this specific topic will come up
today or not, I don't know.

Q: Do you have an idea what the Secretary wanted to - did he want to
discuss everything, or is there just a limited --

MR. BOUCHER: They usually discuss everything, and I would expect them
to do that again today.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:05 P.M.)