Bill Clinton: “Thank you very much. To Attorney General Gregoire and all the others who are here, and the attorneys general of North…”

“Thank you very much. To Attorney General Gregoire and all the others who are here, and the attorneys general of North Carolina and California who are not here but who are part of this initial group, I want to congratulate you. Bruce Reed, who spoke first and is my Domestic Policy Adviser, and I and the rest of us have been at this for quite a long time, and we are very pleased by your success. Situation in Iraq Because this is my only opportunity to appear before the press today, I'd like to begin by making a few comments about the situation in Iraq. I am pleased that the weapons inspectors will return to Baghdad tomorrow to resume their work. As I've said from the start, the best outcome is to get the inspectors back on the job, provided they have unfettered access and full cooperation. We know what the inspectors can accomplish. Since the system was created and the inspections began, Iraq has been forced to declare and destroy, among other things, nearly 40,000 chemical weapons, nearly 700 tons of chemical weapons agents, 48 operational missiles, 30 warheads especially fitted for chemical and biological weapons, and a massive biological weapons plant equipped to produce anthrax and other deadly agents. The weapons inspectors, in short, have done a remarkable job. They must be permitted to finish their work. The burden of compliance is where it has always been--on Iraq. Baghdad has an affirmative obligation to comply with the U.N.…”