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U.S. Says It Exhausted All "Credible" Efforts to Avoid War with Iraq
Saddam Hussein had no need for alleged "backdoor contacts," spokesmen say
By Wendy S. Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent
Washington -- The Bush administration "exhausted every legitimate and credible opportunity" to resolve peacefully the world's differences with Saddam Hussein, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters November 6, and offered the Iraqi dictator's government "any number of channels" to communicate with it.
"There simply was no need for backdoor contacts. The front door was wide open. If people wanted to communicate with us, they knew how to do that," McClellan said.
He was responding to questions regarding a New York Times November 6 front page article and an ABC news broadcast November 5 alleging that in the two months before coalition forces attacked Iraq on March 20, officials claiming to speak for the Saddam Hussein regime were making a back-door attempt to avert the war.
Imad Hage, a prominent Lebanese-American businessman, reportedly told the New York Times and ABC that in February and March of this year he helped convey an Iraqi offer to open negotiations to U.S. officials, including Richard Perle, former chairman of the Defense Policy Advisory Board and an influential advisor to top Pentagon officials.
According to the Times, the messages from Baghdad were first relayed in February to an analyst in the office of Douglas J. Feith, the under secretary of defense for policy and planning, and raised enough interest so that in early March, Perle met in London with Hage.
The Times quoted Perle as saying he was prepared to meet with Iraqi officials to discuss their offer but was told by the CIA not to do so.
If there had been a credible and legitimate opportunity to resolve the situation peacefully, "we would have pursued it," McClellan told reporters, noting that Saddam Hussein "had any number of channels available to him through which he could have communicated with the United States or members of the coalition."
Saddam Hussein "could have gone to the world and said he was leaving his country and averted this military action," McClellan pointed out.
"He chose a final act of defiance with the international community, and the result was that the coalition, the international coalition, was forced to act and follow through on what (U.N. Security Council Resolution) 1441 called for, which was serious consequences if Saddam Hussein continued, after 12 years, to defy the international community," the press secretary said.
McClellan would not say whether the purported Iraqi effort to avert the war was brought to President Bush's attention.
State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli, at his November 6 briefing for reporters, was also asked about these reports of last minute overtures by the Iraqi government.
"Let me echo what the White House spokesman said earlier today, and that is that we never received any legitimate or credible opportunity to resolve the world's differences with Iraq in a peaceful manner," he said.
"What I would note is that number one, the Baghdad regime knew what needed to be done. They had many opportunities over the course of 12 years to signal to the United States and to the international community that Iraq was willing to accept its international responsibilities.
"Such a message of acceptance of those responsibilities was never conveyed officially by the former Iraqi regime. What we did see were vague overtures through third parties that appeared to be focused on attempts to forestall military action, as opposed to fulfilling U.N. Security Council resolution requirements."
"Based on Security Council resolutions and clear statements by the United States, as well as other countries, what Iraq needed to do was clear. An acceptance of those obligations was never made in a credible or acceptable way," Ereli said.
Asked specifically if the State Department was aware of these last minute attempts, Ereli said only that "what I can tell you is that when the responsible officials in the U.S. government looked at these offers, it was determined that they were neither credible nor legitimate."
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, briefing reporters at the Pentagon November 6, echoed that sentiment. He said he had no direct knowledge of the offer, but "clearly, the CIA considered it and dealt with it in a way that they felt was appropriate."
Rumsfeld said Saddam Hussein had "well-beyond-ample opportunities to avoid war," including a last chance ultimatum given him by President Bush.
