James Rubin Iraqi Quotations

Saddam is again pushing the canard that sanctions -- rather than the misrule and the cynical manipulation of his own people that Saddam Hussein propagates -- are responsible for the suffering of the Iraqi people.

The fact that Iraq is exporting nursing supplies (in exchange) for hard currency, in violation of sanctions, while babies and children are suffering from malnutrition is yet another indication of the Iraqi regime's cynical disregard for the welfare of its own citizens, ... and further proof that the responsibility of the suffering of the Iraqi children lies with Saddam Hussein -- and not sanctions.

The U.N. Security Council should be prepared to take firm action to bring about Iraqi compliance in the event they don't change their mind in the next day or so.

The international community cannot force the Iraqi regime to spend its money on its own people. Only the regime can do that. What we can do is force them to spend all the money they receive from the outside world for permitted imports on their own people.

We often hear that sanctions are hurting the Iraqi people, but an objective analysis of the facts reveals that Iraq has access to international markets and the money to buy food, but Saddam will not buy or distribute it to the needy.

We come at this problem of Iraqi compliance with a high degree of skepticism about their (Iraq's) intentions.