What the UN inspectors can do is demonstrate to the world, help the Iraqi government demonstrate to the world that the Iraqis are cooperatively disarming if that is in fact what the Iraqi government decides to do.
Quotes about inspectors (16 Quotes)
One month, two months, I am ready to accept any accord on this point that has the approval of the inspectors.
I am deeply concerned that the FAA is losing a number of its most senior safety inspectors and does not have the ability to replace them,
The thing that should determine our military action and the timing of it is the justice of the case and also whether the U. N. process through the inspectors can work.
We can't get to the $4 trillion in savings that we need by just cutting the 12 percent of the budget that pays for things like medical research and education funding and food inspectors and the weather service. And we can't just do it by making seniors pay more for Medicare.
I want to spell out to the people of Britain why our forces are bravely risking their lives destroying Saddam's threat to humanity. Our objective is to achieve by military action the disarmament Saddam will not allow the UN inspectors to carry out on the ground.
We are only two months into the agreement, and what we are looking for it long-term cooperation -- cooperation that will allow inspectors to do their work in an unrestricted manner.
The inspectors have been forbidden from being as aggressive as they need to be. They can't go ahead and close the mine and use the authority that they have to do the job that they've been charged to do.
It sounds like it's an interesting development. We'll have to wait and see what further develops on this question. ... I'm sure the inspectors are giving this their most rapid attention possible. I'm sure we'll be learning more as the day and the week progresses.
If you look out into next week, you've got the weapons report from inspectors due and the current view is that people may be reluctant to put money to work ahead of that.
Inspectors do not have the duty or the ability to uncover terrible weapons hidden in a vast country. The responsibility of inspectors is simply to confirm evidence of voluntary and total disarmament. Saddam Hussein has the responsibility to provide that evidence, as directed, and in full.
No military timetable should compel war when a successful outcome, namely a disarmed Iraq may be feasible without war, for example by allowing more time to the UN inspectors.
We would certainly welcome the recipient nation to put their inspectors on our shores, if they wanted to make that investment to help protect that shipment that is outgoing.
We're pleased that they (USDA inspectors) did go out there but still feel cautious about this situation because the regulations that the USDA enforces are minimum, and I emphasize minimum. In cases where they declare that there are no violations of the Animal Welfare Act, animals can still be languishing in really abysmal conditions.
If after sanctions, if after a refusal to let inspectors in, you still don't have action, it might very well be at that point that the United States would have to consider a pre-emptive strike, ... That's something we haven't done in the past. Or at least we haven't done it very often and it would have to be carefully considered.
But, as you have intimated, I am among those who would be very wary of any military action in the light of Saddam Hussein's willingness to allow the weapons inspectors to go in.