NATO Enlargement

April 10, 2003 Thursday

HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
 
SUBJECT: NATO ENLARGEMENT
 
SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D-WV): Secretary Wolfowitz, both you and Secretary Rumsfeld—is this working? Is it? Both you and Secretary Rumsfeld have issued stern warnings to Syria in recent days to stop sending military supplies to Iraq. You said on a Sunday talk show that Syria will be held accountable for actions it has taken to support the regime of Saddam Hussein and that there has to be a change in Syria as well.

Just yesterday, I believe, Secretary Rumsfeld said that Syria is continuing to send supplies to Iraq, and senior Iraq officials are fleeing to Syria. What are you implying by these comments? And I ask the same with respect to Secretary Rumsfeld.

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator Byrd, only that there is a problem there. The Syrians are behaving badly. They need to be reminded of that, and if they continue then we need to think about what our policy is with respect to a country that harbors terrorists or harbors war criminals, or was in recent times shipping things to Iraq. It is very dubious behavior, and by calling attention to it we hope that in fact that may be enough to get them to stop.

SEN. BYRD: What discussions are underway in the event that is not enough?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: I would say so far we are just keeping an eye on them, hoping their behavior will change.

SEN. BYRD: Does the Defense Department intend to take any action against Syria to stop the movement of goods and people across the border with Iraq?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, that's not a decision the Defense Department makes. That's obviously—if we are talking about action against Syria, that would be a decision for the president and the Congress. We are taking action inside Iraq to stop both the exit and the entry of dangerous people and dangerous goods.

SEN. BYRD: Are there any plans to send any U.S. forces into Syria?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: None that I know of, sir.

SEN. BYRD: I wish to expand on some of Senator Levin's earlier questions about the role of the U.N. It is increasingly clear that rehabilitating Iraq will be an arduous and expensive endeavor. It would seem to be in our best interests to share this burden with those who are willing to assist us. The United Nations seems to be clamoring for a role in postwar Iraq. So far the administration has only made vague assurances that there will be a role for the U.N. Once military action is complete, if we do not have broad international assistance, the United States will find itself thrust into the position of undertaking the most radical and ambitious reconstruction of a country since the occupation of Germany and Japan after World War II. It would be costly both in terms of financing and of manpower. It would mean a significant sacrifice by the American people, a sacrifice that would be even larger if we turn away offer of assistance from the U.N. Should we not jump at the chance, Mr. Secretary, to include the U.N. with all of its nation-building experience, in our coalition of the willing for a postwar Iraq?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, we would jump at the chance—we do jump at the chance to have the U.N. participate and assist. I—let me say one thing too. When we talk, use words like "reconstruction" or "rehabilitation," we sort of think of it as sort of a postwar phenomenon. I think we are going to discover—we are already discovering that most of the rehabilitation that is needed in Iraq is rehabilitation from 30 years of a tyrant who spent the country's money on other things.

SEN. BYRD: I understand that.

MR. WOLFOWITZ: But it's a big job, and it's—our goal, our desire is to have that job taken over as quickly as possible by the Iraqi people, with as much international assistance as possible. And clearly the U.N. is a very important vehicle for mobilizing that assistance, and we hope the U.N. will play that role. I don't think we want to see a situation like we do in Bosnia for example where eight years after the Dayton agreement the U.N. is still running Bosnia. We want to see a situation where power and responsibility is transferred as quickly as possible to the Iraqis themselves.

SEN. BYRD: Why is the United States being so coy with respect to U.N. entreaties to a substantial role in rehabilitating Iraq, beyond just providing food and medicine?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator, we are not clamoring for an American role, and we are not being coy about a U.N. role. We are talking with the U.N. about what its role can be. Clearly we would—as I said repeatedly—we think it has an important role. We'd like it to be playing that role as quickly as possible. In fact, we welcome the fact that the U.N. has already passed one resolution to extend the Oil-for-Food Program for 45 days to continue it functioning in Iraq. It has a very important role to play, and we are talking with them actively about how to do that.

SEN. BYRD: Do we have a coalition of the willing to contribute to our Iraqi reconstruction, or just a coalition of the willing to let the United States handle reconstruction virtually alone?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: I think we actually have a larger coalition of the willing to participate in reconstruction than we did in the actual combat, and that's hardly surprising. There are a number of countries that have already stepped forward and said they want to contribute some with stability forces, some with money, some with both. There are a great many things that countries can do. And as I noted earlier, there's an enormous amount that those three countries who are meeting in Moscow can do in the financial area.

SEN. BYRD: What have our friends and allies pledged to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq?

MR. WOLFOWITZ: So far, we're still in the early stages of that. I think some people were, frankly, a bit taken by surprised by the images they saw on television yesterday. I think it's already changing the way people think about this issue. We are going to pressure all of our friends and allies to contribute as much as they can. And I think when they realize what the Iraqi people need and deserve, I think they will be very generous.

SEN. BYRD: I see my time is up. But let me urge you to pursue this course, Mr. Secretary.

MR. WOLFOWITZ: Senator Byrd, I agree emphatically. I mean, I will claim a little bit on a personal level that in 1990 it was my office that said we ought to be going to allies to get contributions to Desert Shield and what later became Desert Storm, and that was a spectacularly successful effort, as you know, in raising international support. It's a lot hard—it was a lot harder this time because of the political controversy. I think as people realize what is taking shape in Iraq, realize what is at stake in Iraq, and realize what the Iraqi people, that we will be able to do much more than we were in the last six months.

SEN. BYRD: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.