public defender in the Los Angeles County public defender's office, 1965-1968. Mr. Kranz graduated from Stanford University (B.A., 1959), University of California at Berkeley (LL.D., 1964), and University of California at Los Angeles (M.A., 1973). He was born March 18, 1938, in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Kranz served in the U.S. Navy, 1959-1961. He is married, has two children, and resides in McLean, VA. Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Popadiuk on the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait August 1, 1990 The United States strongly condemns the Iraqi military invasion of Kuwait and calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces. We have conveyed this message to the Iraqi Ambassador in Washington and to the Iraqi Government through our Embassy in Baghdad. We deplore this blatant use of military aggression and violation of the U.N. Charter. Together with Kuwait, we are calling for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Popadiuk on the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait August 2, 1990 National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft has been chairing an interagency task force in the Situation Room monitoring the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The President was informed of the initial signs of the Iraqi action at approximately 9 p.m. yesterday by National Security Adviser Scowcroft and has been receiving periodic updates since. The United States is deeply concerned about this blatant act of aggression and demands the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces. We do not have exact details at this time concerning the extent of the Iraqi action, although it is clearly extensive. We have no reports of any harm to American citizens. The State Department is in constant contact with our Embassy in Kuwait concerning the status of U.S. citizens. At the urging of Kuwait and the United States, the United Nations Security Council will be meeting early this morning to consider this matter. In addition, we have been informed that the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference will be convening to review the situation. We are urging the entire international community to condemn this outrageous act of aggression. The United States is reviewing all options in its response to the Iraqi aggression. Executive Order 12722-Blocking Iraqi Government Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Iraq August 2, 1990 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code. I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, find that the policies and actions of the Government of Iraq constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. I hereby order: Section 1. All property and interests in property of the Government of Iraq, its agencies, instrumentalities and controlled entities and the Central Bank of Iraq that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons, including their overseas branches, are hereby blocked. Section 2. The following are prohibited, except to the extent provided in regulations which may hereafter be issued pursuant to this Order: (a) The import into the United States of any goods or services of Iraqi origin, other than publications and other informational materials; (b) The export to Iraq of any goods, technology (including technical data or other information controlled for export pursuant to Section 5 of the Export Administration Act (50 U.S.C. App. 2404)) or services from the United States, except publications and other informational materials, and donations of articles intended to relieve human suffering, such as food, clothing, medicine and medical supplies intended strictly for medical purposes; (c) Any transaction by a United States person relating to transportation to or from Iraq; the provision of transportation to or from the United States by any Iraqi person or any vessel or aircraft of Iraqi registration; or the sale in the United States by any person holding authority under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, as amended (49 U.S.C. 1514), of any transportation by air which includes any stop in Iraq; (d) The purchase by any United States of goods for export from Iraq to any person country; (e) The performance by any United States person of any contract in support of an industrial or other commercial or governmental project in Iraq; (f) The grant or extension of credits or loans by any United States person to the Government of Iraq, its instrumentalities and controlled entities; (g) Any transaction by a United States person relating to travel by any United States citizen or permanent resident alien to Iraq, or to activities by any such person within Iraq, after the date of this Order, other than transactions necessary to effect such person's departure from Iraq, or travel for journalistic activity by persons regularly employed in such capacity by a newsgathering organization; and (h) Any transaction by any United States person which evades or avoids, or has the purpose of evading or avoiding, any of the prohibitions set forth in this Order. For purposes of this Order, the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, juridical person organized under the laws of the United States, or any person in the United States. Section 3. This Order is effective immediately. Section 4. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Order. Such actions may include prohibiting or regulating payments or transfers of any property or any transactions involving the transfer of anything of economic value by any United States person to the Government of Iraq, its instrumentalities and controlled entities, or to any Iraqi national or entity owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by Iraq or Iraqi nationals. The Secretary may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the Federal government. All agencies of the United States government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this Order, including the suspension or termination of licenses or other authorizations in effect as of the date of this Order. This Order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Reg invasion of Kuwait by Iraq constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States and have declared a national emergency to deal with that threat. I hereby order blocked all property and interests in property of the Government of Kuwait or any entity purporting to be the Government of Kuwait, its agencies, instrumentalities and controlled entities and the Central Bank of Kuwait that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons, including their overseas branches. For purposes of this Order, the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, juridical person organized under the laws of the United States or any person in the United States. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to employ all powers granted to me by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to carry out the provisions of this Order. This Order is effective immediately and shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register. The White House, August 2, 1990 George Bush [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:45 a.m., August 2, 1990] Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters on the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait August 2, 1990 The President. Let me make a brief statement here about recent events. The United States strongly condemns the Iraqi military invasion of Kuwait. We call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the Iraqi forces. There is no place for this sort of naked aggression in today's world, and I've taken a number of steps to indicate the deep concern that I feel over the events that have taken place. Last night I instructed our Ambassador at the United Nations, Tom Pickering, to work with Kuwait in convening an emergency meeting of the Security Council. It was convened, and I am grateful for that quick, overwhelming vote condemning the Iraqi action and calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Tom Pickering will be here in a bit, and we are contemplating with him further United Nations action. Second, consistent with my authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, I've signed an Executive order early this morning freezing Iraqi assets in this country and prohibiting transactions with Iraq. I've also signed an Executive order freezing Kuwaiti assets. That's to ensure that those assets are not interfered with by the illegitimate authority that is now occupying Kuwait. We call upon other governments to take similar action. Third, the Department of State has been in touch with governments around the world urging that they, too, condemn the Iraqi aggression and consult to determine what measures should be taken to bring an end to this totally unjustified act. It is important that the international community act together to ensure that Iraqi forces depart Kuwait immediately. Needless to say, we view the situation with the utmost gravity. We remain committed to take whatever steps are necessary to defend our longstanding, vital interests in the Gulf, and I'm meeting this morning with my senior advisers here to consider all possible options available to us. I've talked to Secretary [of State] Baker just now; General Scowcroft [Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs] and I were on the phone with him. And after this meeting, I will proceed to deliver a longstanding speech. I will have consultations-short ones-there in Aspen with Prime Minister Thatcher [of the United Kingdom], and I will be returning home this evening, and I'll be here in Washington tomorrow. I might say on a much more pleasant note, I just hung up from talking to Mr. and Mrs. Swanson, the parents of Tim Swanson, the Peace Corps volunteer who has been held against his will-held hostage or kidnaped-there in the Philippines. And I want to thank everybody in the U.S. Government that was so instrumental in working for his release. And, Bob [Robert M. Gates, Assistant to the President and Deputy for National Security Affairs], I hope you'll convey that to the Ambassador and others in our Philippines country team. Q. Mr. President? The President. Yes, Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press International]? Q. Do you contemplate intervention as one of your options? The President. We're not discussing intervention. I would not discuss any military options even if we'd agreed upon them. But one of the things I want to do at this meeting is hear from our Secretary of Defense [Richard B. Cheney], our Chairman [Gen. Colin L. Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], and others. But I'm not contemplating such action. Q. You're not contemplating any intervention or sending troops? The President. I'm not contemplating such action, and I again would not discuss it if I were. Q. What is the likely impact on U.S. oil supplies and prices? The President. This is a matter that concerns us, and I don't know yet. Again, I'm going to hear from our experts now. Our Secretary of Energy [James D. Watkins] is here, if you'll note, and others who understand this situation very well indeed-our Secretary of Defense. And we'll be discussing that. But this is a matter of considerable concern, and not just to the United States, I might add. Q. Are you planning to break relations? The President. You've heard me say over and over again, however, that we are dependent for close to 50 percent of our energy requirements on the Middle East. And this is one of the reasons I felt that we have to not let our guard down around the world. Q. Are you contemplating breaking diplo matic relations? The President. I'm discussing this matter with our top advisers here in just a minute. Q. Is this action in your view limited to Kuwait? The President. There's no evidence to the contrary. But what I want to do is have it limited back to Iraq and have this invasion be reversed and have them get out of Kuwait. Q. Do you think Saudi Arabia is threatened or any of the other Emirates? The President. I think Saudi Arabia is very concerned; and I want to hear from our top officials here, our Director of Intelligence [William H. Webster] and others, as to the worldwide implications of this illegal action that has been condemned by the United Nations. Q. And you were taken by surprise? The President. Not totally by surprise because we have good intelligence, and our intelligence has had me concerned for some time here about what action might be taken. Thank you all very much. And I expect I will say something further because I'm having a joint press meeting with Margaret Thatcher and, at that time, I might be able to take a few more questions on this subject. But the main thing I want to do now is hear from our advisers, and then we will go forth from this meeting all on the same wavelength. I'm sure there will be a lot of frenzied diplomatic activity. I plan to participate in some of that myself, because at this time, it is important to stay in touch with our many friends around the world, and it's important that we work in concert with our friends around the world. Q. Gorbachev? The President. Thank you very much. Obviously-Helen, you might be interested-this matter has been discussed at very high level between Secretary Baker and the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union [Eduard A. Shevardnadze]. And so far I've been pleased with the Soviet reaction. Q. Well, do you expect to make decisions? The President. That's all I've got to say right now. We've got to go on with this meeting. Note: The President spoke at 8:05 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White House. Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait The President. Let me first welcome Prime Minister Thatcher back to the United States. It's a very timely visit, and as you can well imagine, we have been exchanging views on the Iraq-Kuwait situation. Not surprisingly, I find myself very much in accord with the views of the Prime Minister. I reported to her on contacts that I've had since I left Washington: personal contacts with King Hussein [of Jordan]; Mr. Mubarak of Egypt, President Mubarak; President Salih of Yemen-a long conversation just now. I can tell you that [Secretary of State] Jim Baker has been in close touch with the Soviet leadership, and indeed, the last plan was for him to stop in Moscow on his way back here. We are concerned about the situation, but I find that Prime Minister Thatcher and I are looking at it on exactly the same wavelength: concerned about this naked aggression, condemning it and hoping that a peaceful solution will be found that will result in the restoration of the Kuwaiti leaders to their rightful place and, prior to that, a withdrawal of Iraqi forces. Prime Minister, welcome to Colorado and to the United States. And if you care to say a word on that, then we can take the questions. The Prime Minister. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for the welcome. We have, of course, been discussing the main question as the President indicated. Iraq has violated and taken over the territory of a country which is a full member of the United Nations. That is totally unacceptable, and if it were allowed to endure, then there would be many other small countries that could never feel safe. The Security Council acted swiftly last night under the United States leadership, well-supported by the votes of 14 members of the Security Council, and rightly demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi troops. If that withdrawal is not swiftly forthcoming, we have to consider the next step. The next step would be further consideration by the Security Council of possible measures under chapter VII. The fundamental question is this: whether the nations of the world have the collective will effectively to see the Security Council resolution is upheld; whether they have the collective will effectively to do anything, which the Security Council further agrees, to see that Iraq withdraws and that the government of Kuwait is restored to Kuwait. None of us can do it separately. We need a collective and effective will of the nations belonging to the United Nations-first the Security Council and then the support of all the others to make it effective. Q. Mr. President, when Kuwaiti shipping was in danger in the Gulf war, you put those ships under American flags. Now Kuwait itself has been invaded. The Kuwaiti Ambassador says that they're desperate for help and that American intervention is of paramount importance. Will you answer that call, and how will you? The President. I answer that we're considering what the next steps by the United States should be, just as we strongly support what Prime Minister Thatcher said about collective action in the United Nations. Q. Are you still not contemplating military intervention? The President. No. I mentioned at the time we were going to discuss different options, which I did after that first press conference this morning. And we're not ruling any options in, but we're not ruling any options out. And so, that is about where we are right now. We had thorough briefings you know who was at the meeting today— by General Powell [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], General Schwarzkopf [Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Central Command, USA] and others. But I think it would be inappropriate to discuss options. Q. What are the chances of U.S.-Soviet cooperation in restoring peace to the Gulf? The President. I would say they're very good. I reported to Prime Minister Thatcher on a conversation that I had with Jim Baker on the plane flying out here. And I think you could say that he would not be stopping in Moscow unless there would be a |