Statement to the United States Senate by Sen. John Ashcroft, Republican from Missouri
March 9, 1998
Mr. ASHCROFT.
Mr. President, I rise to address the disturbing comments made yesterday by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Apparently emboldened by his recent agreement with Saddam Hussein, Annan stated on ABC's `This Week' that the United States would have to consult with the Security Council before launching military strikes against Saddam Hussein.
He stated:
If the United States had to strike, I think some sort of consultations with the other members would be required.
Let me state categorically that the United States does not require the permission of the United Nations to use our military forces in the pursuit of our national interests. Nor does the United Nations have any authority to require that the United States use our military forces if it would seek to deploy them.
The United States has never, at any time, ceded to the United Nations any power to require the deployment of American forces against the wishes or the judgment of the United States, nor have we ceded to the United Nations any power to forbid the use of our military force.
Mr. President, the comments by Secretary General Annan over the weekend are indicative of a growing arrogance of a United Nations that has grown accustomed to dictating American foreign policy toward Iraq. With U.S. policy toward Iraq in drift over the last 6 years, Secretary General Annan was able to take the lead in dealing with Saddam's provocations. What has the United Nations achieved? Has Saddam been punished? Have his weapons of mass destruction been destroyed?
On the contrary, Saddam is stronger today than he was before instigating the crisis 4 months ago. He is better off across the board militarily, politically, and economically. He has blocked weapons inspections and moved weapons technology and equipment for several months. He has won greater prestige in the region and in the Arab world generally. He will be allowed to sell more oil. There is growing talk of dismantling the rest of the sanctions regime.
The administration has compared Saddam to Hitler, but the President's policies are laying the groundwork for another Munich in the Persian Gulf. Saddam is the chief terrorist of a terrorist government whose weapons of mass destruction threaten the United States and our allies in the Middle East. The administration seems pleased, however, to make concessions to Saddam through the United Nations. More oil sales and a politicized inspection regime for Presidential sites in Iraq have meant victory for Saddam.
Mr. President, the absence of Presidential leadership on Iraq has not served the United States well in the Middle East. Statements by the U.N. Secretary General that imply U.N. oversight of U.S. military forces are indicative of U.N. arrogance and disrespect for U.S. sovereignty. The deployment of our forces to defend our national interests is not subject to the approval of the United Nations or any other multinational organization.
I intend to place before the Senate an opportunity for the body to state clearly the ability of the United States to make decisions about the deployment of its forces, without regard to, or prior consent from, the Security Council or any other international organization. I believe it is imperative that we make it clear that the United States will not cede any measure of sovereign control of its Armed Forces to the United Nations.
The Constitution charges the President with the duties of Commander in Chief, and it is time for this administration to defend America's interests with clarity and resolve. The drift and inconsistency that has defined this administration's Iraq policy over the last 6 years will only be perpetuated by subcontracting U.S. foreign policy to the United Nations.
If we continue to drift, Mr. President, the President of the United States will find himself asking permission of U.N. bureaucrats before he takes action to secure the interests of the United States. That cannot be allowed.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
