U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
DPB # 74
THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2001  1:05 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

QUESTION:  Could you bring us up to date on what's happening at the UN 
concerning Iraq? 
MR. BOUCHER:  Yes, I think I can.  There was a meeting this morning of the 
Perm 5.  There will be a meeting of all the Council members this afternoon.
As we I think have explained to you before - and if not, let me take the 
occasion today - that we do think there is agreement among Council members
on 
the direction, on setting a new political direction for the sanctions.  That
the sanctions, as we have said before, need to get back to their original 
purpose, which is to be focused on control of Iraq's ability to develop 
weapons of mass destruction; and that we and others in the Security Council 
want to provide the civilians goods that the Iraqi people need without 
problems.
Ironically, Iraq seems to think that the sanctions should remain.  Be that
as 
it may, this is the right step for the international community, so in the 
upcoming resolutions we want to set that direction.
Now, there is a lot of detailed work that has to be done:  there are
detailed 
lists of items that need to be approved; there are procedures that have to
be 
put in place; there are what you might call auxiliary questions that have to
considered, like how you stop smuggling and how do you handle money, what if
Iraq retaliates, how do you make sure there is no economic loss to states
that 
might implement the policy.  Those questions will indeed be looked at, 
especially the lists, which require a lot of detailed work by experts.
So we have talked to other governments about this.  The Secretary had
meetings 
in Budapest with the French, Russian and British Foreign Ministers, and then
talked about it again in his meeting with Foreign Minister Ivanov yesterday.
And I think we all agree - and increasingly the countries we're talking to
at 
the UN agree - we do need to set a new political direction, but others have
said they need more time to do the detailed work that's necessary.  
So we're looking at having a resolution that would move us forward in this 
direction, that would change the direction of the sanctions and that would 
also give some time - we think about a month, we hope about a month - to 
countries to examine the list of goods carefully and for the experts to come
to agreement on that.  We think that work can take about a month if the
others 
are serious in getting it done.  
So that is what is under discussion right now in New York.  This is the
right 
policy.  We think it's the right direction.  Others think it's the right 
direction.  We're all going to try to move that way, whatever Iraq says.
And 
it may take a little while to get the details finished, but we think the 
direction can be set now.
Anything else, George? 
QUESTION:  No.
MR. BOUCHER:  You can get the two first questions because I neglected-- all 
right, let's go to Elise.
QUESTION:  Well, I have a question on something else, but can I follow up on
Iraq first?  Are you doubting some of the seriousness of some of the other 
Council members, without mentioning anyone in particular? 
MR. BOUCHER:  No, I'm not going to mention anybody in particular.  I think
we 
have found in the discussions that the Secretary had in Budapest with the 
other Foreign Ministers that those people certainly agreed that this was the
right direction, that we needed a resolution to set this new direction, but 
the other UN resolutions, the sort of structure of the program, Resolution 
1284 and those things remain, but on this particular aspect we needed to set
a 
new direction.  So that's where we're going, and I think we have others who 
agree with that.