12 March 1998
DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING INDEX Wednesday, March 11, 1998 Briefer: James P. Rubin IRAQ 15-17 Initial judicial finding that 6 Iraqis are ineligible for immigration relief in the U.S./Evacuation of Iraqi Kurds and opposition members in 1996/USG relationship with the Iraqi opposition ............... Q: Jamie, there apparently has been a court ruling that will result in the deportation of six members of the Iraqi National Congress or the Iraqi opposition, where generally -- first of all, what can you tell us that you know about the details of this, and what does that do to the Administration's efforts to work better with the Iraqi opposition, as stated some weeks ago? RUBIN: Let me give you a little background for people to understand it properly. It's a very complex issue. After Saddam Hussein brutally struck into northern Iraq in September 1996, a large number of Iraqis, most of whom had close connections to the United States, sought our protection. With the help of the government of Turkey, the United States Government evacuated over 6,500 Iraqis, mostly Kurds, from Iraq to Guam and then to the United States. These were mostly Iraqis who were associated with humanitarian programs in northern Iraq. This was an honorable and humanitarian effort to protect Iraqis who would otherwise have been harmed by Saddam's troops. We were aware at the time that Saddam had many infiltrators in northern Iraq, and to the extent we could, we would quickly review the backgrounds of these individuals prior to the evacuation. But because of the urgent circumstances surrounding the evacuation, we deferred complete background checks. Once the individuals arrived in Guam, further background investigations were completed and 25 individuals were identified as persons we believe to pose threats to our national security. The INS placed these individuals into exclusion proceedings on the grounds that they could pose a threat to the national security. They were brought to California for hearings before immigration judges. These cases are in various stages of the immigration process. Yesterday, a judge found that six of these individuals were ineligible for immigration relief based on classified information developed by the US Government indicating that these individuals posed a danger to our national security. No final decisions have been made about what the US Government will do if the exclusion orders in these cases become final. Further questions about the disposition of these six need to be directed at the Justice Department. With respect to how this will affect the prospect of working with opposition groups, let me say that we have no doubt that the people of Iraq and the rest of the world would be better off with a new government in Baghdad, but such an effort is a long-term process and involves many costs and risks. We have worked with the Iraqi opposition in the past and we are actively considering ways to do so more effectively in the future. The Senate, as you know, has put forward some ideas. Some of those are very interesting to us and we are carefully reviewing them. For example, Radio Free Iraq is an interesting idea that we are examining. With regard to humanitarian assistance, this is complicated by the fact that we have just increased the quota for northern Iraq to $682 million in humanitarian assistance, and before providing any humanitarian assistance to such an area, we would want to make sure we were using the money wisely. With regard to war crimes, we have supported the calls for an investigation into the Iraqi regime's war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possible genocide. In short, there are a lot of ideas out there. We are exploring them and I don't think the disposition of these cases has any impact on our ability to work more effectively with the Iraqi opposition that has been -- it's been difficult to work with in the past. Q: I'm sorry, if I may follow up. You started off with 25 and then six had sort of reached this level. Do you know what happened to the balance? RUBIN: You'll have to check with the Department of Justice on that. Q: Do you think that these six necessarily face retaliation or that their lives may be in danger? RUBIN: Again, the Department of Justice, in coordination with other agencies, will obviously be deciding what to do with them. And when those decisions are made -- no final decisions have been made -- we'll be in a position to judge or to explain why we took whatever actions we decide to take. Q: You're saying then that these six people were identified as infiltrators, Iraqi agents? RUBIN: I didn't say that. Q: No, you said that we were aware at the time that Saddam had many infiltrators in northern Iraq, then you described 25 people who were identified as such and singled out. RUBIN: No, I didn't say that. Sid, if you're going to read real carefully and try to catch me, then you should really listen more carefully. I said that we were aware that Saddam had infiltrators in the north and we wanted to review people's backgrounds. We didn't have a chance. When I got to a description of why 25 were isolated, I did not say that they were isolated because they were, you know, infiltrated by Saddam Hussein. I said that we believe they posed a threat to our national security. Q: So are you saying they were not -- you're just not commenting on that? RUBIN: Correct. Q: Do we have the Korea briefing coming right after this? RUBIN: Yes. In the back, yes. Q: Jamie, among the ideas that the Administration is considering in terms of supporting Iraqi opposition -- of people in the Iraqi opposition, would supplying arms be one of them? RUBIN: I'm sorry. Please repeat the question. Q: You listed several ideas like Radio Free Iraq that the Administration is looking at and possibly considering for support to help the Iraqi opposition. Would supporting -- or giving weapons to the opposition also be one of those efforts? RUBIN: The question of how we would implement any decision to more effectively support the opposition is something that is under discussion. I wouldn't be in a position to describe what tactics we might pursue. ....... (end transcript)