10/31/1998

“On October 31, 1998, Baghdad announced an end to all UNSCOM [United Nations Special Commission on Iraq] activity, including monitoring inspections. Later that same day, President [Bill]  Clinton signed the recently passed Iraq Liberation Act, a bill that directed U.S. support for Iraqi opposition groups, specifically, Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress. This gave the first tangible substance to the previously stated objective of regime change as an administration objective. …The UN dialogue was getting nowhere on the readmittance of inspectors, and Clinton was getting close to launching air strikes. …At the last minute, he [Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon] announced that Baghdad would agree. Washington had to recall aircraft that were positioned to attack. The Security Council agreed to a month-long test of inspections.”

 – Charles Duelfer, Hide and Seek, Pages 156-157