Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Iraq's Threat To Use Chemical Weapons

We have now had the opportunity to review the text of the address given yesterday by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The President finds the statements about Iraq's chemical weapons capability and his threatening Israel to be particularly deplorable and irresponsible. Such statements can only exacerbate tensions and further destabilize this already volatile region. What is needed in the Middle East is not inflammatory rhetoric but concrete steps to rid the region of chemical and other unconventional weapons and to move toward peace.