*EPF407 12/12/2002
Middle East Partnership Initiative to "Lay A Firm Foundation of Hope"
(Powell says initiative places U.S. on side of reform in Middle East) (550)

By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington ���� The Bush Administration announced a comprehensive program to promote democracy and economic development throughout the Middle East. The plan, known as the Middle East Partnership Initiative, will initially commit $29 million to fund several reform projects. The administration will seek significant additional funding for the initiative from the U.S. Congress the following year.

"It is time to lay a firm foundation of hope," said Secretary of State Colin Powell, announcing the plan at Washington's Heritage Foundation think tank December 12.

Powell said the initiative would place the United States "firmly on the side of change, of reform, and of a modern future for the Middle East."

In the first sections of his speech, Powell described current political and economic conditions in the Middle East, as well as existing problems hindering the countries in the region from realizing their full economic and social potentials. He made references to the 2002 Arab Human Development Report issued by the United Nations, and written by leading Arab scholars.

The findings of that report, he said, led those Arab experts to pose a fundamental choice to the people and leaders of the region. They must either accept inertia, or embrace "an Arab renaissance that will build a prosperous future for all Arabs," he said.

Members of the audience included the Ambassadors of Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria, and the official Palestinian representative in Washington, Hasan Abdel Rahman. They and staffers from U.S. congressional offices listened intently as Powell outlined what he described as "one of the most challenging undertakings that we and our friends in the region have ever considered."

The secretary was also joined by several of his key State Department advisors on Middle East policy, including Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Elizabeth Cheney, as well as his Press Spokesman Richard Boucher.

Following Powell's announcement of the initiative, he answered several questions from the assembled press, which included journalists from the Arabic media, Japan, Spain, and the United States. The secretary explained that the initiative was not a response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2002, since the United States had recognized the difficulties faced by the people of the Middle East and was, in fact, designing the initiative before the attacks took place.

Powell was also asked to address the idea that many people in the region did not feel hatred towards America itself, but rather toward its policies in the Middle East, especially those pertaining to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

The secretary acknowledged that, indeed, "there is concern about the policies we follow." The people of the region look to the United States to "play a leadership role" in order to find a solution, he said, and "to some extent we are held to account for the problem until the solution is found."

"We would do anything to find a solution, a way to move forward," said Powell, and he called upon extremists within the Palestinian community to end terror and violence against Israelis. "Most parts of the Palestinian community want the same thing we want for our communities: Peace and security for our children. If we can get the terror and the violence down, then we're in a position to get movement from the Israeli side," he said.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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