Item WASHINGTON VERSION 5/1 - Transcript of an American Enterprise Institute conference, 1991, discussing US policy and operations in the 1991 Gulf War

Typescript transcript of discussion of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) conference attended by the 'Deputies Committee' and key allies including Lawrence S Eagleburger, Deputy Secretary of State, 1989-1992; Richard N Haass, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, Near East & South Asian Affairs, National Security Council, 1989-1993; John Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, 1989-1991; Robert M Kimmitt, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, 1989-1991; Sir Charles Powell, Private Secretary to the British Prime Minister, 1980-1991; Dennis B Ross, Director, Policy Planning Staff, US Department of State, 1989-1992; Sheikh Saud Nasir Al-Sabah, Kuwait Ambassador to the US, 1981- present; Joseph Charles Wilson IV; Charge d'Affairs, US Embassy, Baghdad, 1988-1991; and Paul Dundes Wolfowitz, Under Secretary for Policy, US Department of Defense, 1989-1993. The conference was divided into three sessions, facilitated by Arthur Miller, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School; Richard Perle, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, 1981-1987, and Charles Wheeler, former BBC Washington Bureau Chief, respectively. Participants were led through events day by day and asked to explain events in the development of US policy and response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and their particular activities and responsibilities during this period. The first session chaired by Miller, begins with participants describing their whereabouts on first hearing of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 Aug 1990, and describing events up to 6 August 1990 when the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 661 imposing trade sanctions on Iraq. The second session, chaired by Perle, covers events beginning with the Iraqi violation of trade sanctions imposed by the UN, leading to a further resolutions involving the use of force; meetings of US President George H W Bush and his advisors during his holiday at Kennebunkport, Maine; continuing negotiations between the US and members of the coalition; the situation of US citizens trapped in Iraq; financial implications of the coalition military operation; and the 'last mile for peace' meeting between US Secretary of State, James Baker and Tariq Aziz, Iraqi Foreign Minister in Geneva, 9 Jan 1991. The third session, chaired by Wheeler, covers the coalition air strikes on Iraq; Iraqi SS-1 SCUD B missiles landing in Israel; provision of US Patriot missile defense equipment for Israel; so called 'Soviet peace plan' and diplomatic activity of Soviet negotiator Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov; communication between the leaders of the coalition; final ultimatum before the beginning of the ground war; the ceasefire decision, and the objectives achieved by the coalition military operation. 332pp, missing p142