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06 March 2001
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Swedish Minister of Foreign
Affairs Anna Lindh said the U.S.-European Union Ministerial March 6 in
Washington focused on several important issues, including the Middle
East, the Balkans, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and the
European Security and Defense Policy.
Powell said he "made clear that the United States welcomes the
development of a European Security and Defense Policy that strengthens
the NATO Alliance and increases Europe's capacity to deter and manage
crises." They agreed that ESDP and the proposed EU rapid-reaction
force should complement NATO, not duplicate it, and should be planned
and developed in a transparent manner.
Speaking as the current president of the EU Council, Lindh concurred
with Powell's comments on ESDP. She also said Europe and the United
States need to be "very closely coordinated when dealing, for example,
with conflicts in the Middle East and the Balkans, where coordinated
efforts mean that we will be much more efficient."
Asked about missile defense, Lindh said that as Swedish foreign
minister she stands by her belief that the program should be
abandoned, and she reiterated the EU position that "we do see the ABM
Treaty as very strategic and we don't want this ABM Treaty
threatened."
Powell said he welcomed the recent offer by Greek Foreign Minister
Yeoryios Papandreou to travel to the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia to help with the troubled situation on the border with
Kosovo, and he mentioned that the EU is planning to move some
observers into the region. "We are also using KFOR assets to monitor
the situation and to report on what's going on and, in effect, to be
more of a presence in the region," he said.
The secretary expressed his dismay over the crackdown on political
opponents, dissidents and the independent press in Ukraine, noting
that "all of this has sidetracked economic reform, it has sidetracked
the agenda of the Prime Minister, and it is a source of considerable
concern."
"The United States and the EU are standing by wanting to help Ukraine,
but they've got to get these kind of political difficulties beyond
them and show that they're worthy of that kind of investment," he
said.
Powell also answered reporters' questions about U.S. policy towards
North Korea, China, and Iraq, and destruction of statues in
Afghanistan by the Taliban.
On North Korea: "We do plan to engage with North Korea to pick up
where President Clinton and his administration left off... We think we
have a lot to offer that regime if they will act in ways that we think
are constructive," including helping curb the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and missiles, and opening their society.
On China: "We have areas where our interests coincide and areas where
our interests do not coincide, but we are not an enemy of China, nor
need China view us as an enemy.... We will be watching their [defense]
build-up carefully, see...if it in any way is threatening to our
interests in the region or whether it's just modernization... We will
also be especially sensitive to how this build-up relates to its
situation with Taiwan..."
On IraQ: "The sanctions policy was collapsing before our eyes, and
this is an effort -- and I think it will be a successful effort -- to
stabilize it and get it to a new altitude that will serve our
purpose..."
On the destruction of ancient statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban:
"It's horrible, it's a tragedy, it's a crime against humankind, and I
deplore it. I don't know the extent of damage at this time."
Following is a transcript of the press availability with Powell and
Lindh:
U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
March 6, 2001
Joint Press Availability with
Her Excellency Anna Lindh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden
And Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, D.C.
Secretary Powell: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I was pleased
to meet today with Foreign Minister Lindh, High Representative Solana,
and Commissioner Patten. In today's discussions we enjoyed a positive
and constructive exchange as we addressed some of the most important
issues on the United States-European Union agenda. These matters
included fostering peace and stability in the Middle East, promoting
democracy in the Balkans, combating the spread of weapons of mass
destruction, and developing a European Security and Defense Policy
that strengthens the NATO alliance.
We had a good discussion on the Middle East and were in strong
agreement on all points. We believe that the violence must end
immediately and that both sides must do all they can to accomplish
this. We also call for an end to incitement and easing of the
restrictions on economic activity. In this regard, I would like to
express our appreciation to the EU for its generous budgetary support
to the Palestinian Authority.
As far as our discussion on the Balkans were concerned, the United
States and the EU reaffirm our commitment to help strengthen democracy
and stability in Southeast Europe, where our goal is to foster the
integration of this region into the transatlantic community. We
deplore the recent violence in southern Serbia and Kosovo and welcome
Belgrade's restraint. NATO and the EU are working closely together to
facilitate negotiations and to stabilize this troubled region. We also
reiterated our call on Belgrade to cooperate with the International
War Crimes Tribunal.
We talked also about how we can combine our efforts to address the
proliferation challenges that threaten our interests. We discussed how
to dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons and missiles and how to
encourage North Korea to comply with its nonproliferation obligations.
We also discussed our desire to engage Russia in cooperative efforts
to resolve nonproliferation issues.
On Iraq, we discussed ways to ensure that Iraq honors its UN
obligations. I told my colleagues today that one consistent message I
heard during my recent meetings with Arab leaders is to modify the
sanctions so their effect is reduced on the Iraqi people and
strengthened as regards anything else that could contribute to the
production or development of weapons of mass destruction. We agreed on
this, as we did on the need for strong controls on weapons of mass
destruction and the money used to acquire such weaponry.
And finally, as I did in Brussels, I made clear that the United States
welcomes the development of a European Security and Defense Policy
that strengthens the NATO Alliance and increases Europe's capacity to
deter and manage crises. We agreed that we need to ensure that ESDP
complements NATO, that there is no duplication of planning or
operational capabilities, and that all NATO members are assured the
fullest possible participation in EU defense and security
deliberations affecting their interests.
And with this brief overview of our discussions, let me again stress
my gratitude to my three colleagues and friends and to their
associates for their visit today, and say how pleased I am to
introduce them to you now. And let me begin with Foreign Minister
Lindh.
Foreign Minister Lindh: Thank you very much, and I would also like to
say that we had very good discussions today, and I think that shows
the transatlantic partnership is really vital on both sides of the
Atlantic.
As Secretary Powell has already said, we have dealt with a long range
of issue, and it's very clear from what we've discussed on the agenda
that we do have a lot in common. Europe and the United States are
interlinked very closely, and we also have to be very closely
coordinated when dealing, for example, with conflicts in the Middle
East and the Balkans, where coordinated efforts mean that we will be
much more efficient.
On European Security and Defense Policy, we agreed that this is
important for the EU as well as for the US. ESDP is really about
better capabilities to have in a crisis in Europe; it's not about
duplicating NATO.
On nonproliferation, as Secretary Powell has said, we have discussed a
number of measure to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
And I have also reported from the Swedish contacts with North Korea
and South Korea during the weekend, looking at the possibilities also
for the EU to promote continued dialogue between North and South
Korea.
And we have also listened with a great positive interest to Secretary
Powell's ideas on sanctions on the Iraqi regime, not to damage the
Iraqi people.
We look forward to a future dialogue and to future cooperation, and
also to the summit later on during the Swedish presidency.
Secretary Powell: Thank you very much.
Q: Mr. Secretary, you just mentioned North Korea (inaudible) too much,
could you tell us what you have in mind for North Korean policy?
Secretary Powell: First of all, we want to make sure that our North
Korea policy is totally synchronized with what our South Korean
friends are doing. They have the lead. Kim Dae Jung has certainly
earned his Nobel Peace Prize by what he started last year, and we will
makes sure during the course of this meeting over the next day or so
with me and with the President that he understands we support him and
that we want to coordinate our efforts.
As I said previously, and especially in my confirmation hearings, we
do plan to engage with North Korea to pick up where President Clinton
and his administration left off. Some promising elements were left on
the table and we will be examining those elements. We haven't begun
that consultative process yet with the North Koreans because we
thought it was important to first talk to our South Korean friends.
And so we are not avoiding North Korea. Quite the contrary, we think
we have a lot to offer that regime if they will act in ways that we
think are constructive, ways that reduce the threat of proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction and missiles, and ways that help open
their society and give transparency into their society. And so in due
course you'll hear about our plans, but all of that will flow from the
meetings with President Kim Dae Jung tomorrow.
Q: Mr. Secretary, a question regarding the situation in Macedonia. Can
you tell us what is the US policy there, and also your reaction to the
initiative by the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Papandreou, to travel
there today?
Secretary Powell: I spoke to Mr. Papandreou the other day and
supported his efforts to go there and to help with that troubled
situation. I spoke to the President of Macedonia last week and we have
been in constant communication with the NATO allies, the NATO military
command, as well as with our EU partners, on the situation.
We know that the EU is anxious to move some observers into the region,
and we want to see if we can be helpful in that regard. We are calling
on both sides to show restraint. We are examining how we can begin to
transfer the ground safety zone back to Yugoslav authorities over time
-- not all at once, but perhaps beginning with the most difficult area
in the south.
We are also using KFOR assets to monitor the situation and to report
on what's going on and, in effect, to be more of a presence in the
region. We hope that both sides will realize that this is not the
solution to any problem and that Macedonia should be free to live in
peace without being attacked from across a newly defined border.
So I think we're doing everything we can on a political, diplomatic
and military level to respond to the situation, working closely with
NATO and with our EU colleagues.
Q: Secretary Powell, I was interested in your thoughts on the
revelation that a tunnel existed under the Russian Embassy here in
Washington. The Russians reacted about this. They want an explanation.
Do you think this will have any negative impact on US-Russian
relations, and what will you tell the Russians in response to their
request?
Secretary Powell: I have no comment on this item. It's best dealt with
by other agencies as an intelligence item, so I think I will just take
what is known as a full swan dive. (Laughter.)
Q: Secretary Powell, as you are aware, the Chinese Government has just
announced that it plans to increase its military budget by almost 18
percent. Considering the fact that China in recent months has made
very clear that it sees the United States as its chief military
threat, what does that say to you about the US-China relationship and
about the stability in Asia? Thank you.
Secretary Powell: I've tried to convey, and President Bush has tried
to convey, to China that we do not view them as an enemy; we view them
as a trading partner, we view them as perhaps a regional competitor
from time to time. We have areas where our interests coincide and
areas where our interests do not coincide, but we are not an enemy of
China, nor need China view us as an enemy.
We will be watching their build-up carefully, see how they spend this
money, see if it in any way is threatening to our interests in the
region or whether it's just modernization because they need
modernization or they've been lagging behind. We will also be
especially sensitive to how this build-up relates to its situation
with Taiwan, whether it presents any new threat to Taiwan, and we'll
look at that carefully.
In our discussions with the Chinese, which begin very shortly, we will
also try to see if they would not give greater transparency into their
defense budget and to the kind of force structure that they are
creating so that we can see this for what it is. Is it just a
defensive build-up on their part? Is it just a modernization? Does it
have some offensive potential? All of these are questions I think we
should ask the Chinese, but I am not prepared to say this creates a
new system or a new -- let me put it this way -- a new state of
conflict. I think we have to learn more about it, we have to monitor
it, and we have to ask the Chinese about it when we have that
opportunity.
Q: Mr. Secretary, the European Union has called for a special effort,
with the United States and Canada, to help Ukraine with its economic
and political reforms. Can you tell us what concrete steps you're
taking in this regard? And also could you comment about recent
developments in Ukraine concerning a crackdown on political opponents
and reports of corruption and crackdown on media freedoms?
Secretary Powell: Obviously we are very concerned, and we discussed
this during the course of our meeting about the situation in the
Ukraine. There has been a crackdown on political opponents and
dissidents. There has clearly been a crackdown on the press, in a very
horrible, potentially horrible way. And all of this has sidetracked
economic reform, it has sidetracked the agenda of the Prime Minister,
and it is a source of considerable concern.
The United States and the EU are standing by wanting to help Ukraine,
but they've got to get these kind of political difficulties beyond
them and show that they're worthy of that kind of investment. I think
the Foreign Minister might wish to say another word on that.
Foreign Minister Lindh: I can just add that we were in Ukraine on a
troika visit from the EU two weeks ago, and we could clearly see that
there is a very difficult situation. We, of course, discussed the
media situation and the Gongadze case, the disappeared murdered
journalist. We got no good answers. So obviously they do have a lot of
both political and economic problems, but at the same time it's
important to continue to cooperate with Ukraine, not to let them fall
down even deeper.
Q: I have a question for Foreign Minister Lindh. A couple of weeks
ago, you said that the United States should abandon its plans to build
a missile defense. I wondered whether the Secretary has told you
anything today which makes you change your mind or reconsider your
opinion.
Foreign Minister Lindh: I haven't changed my mind, but I was talking
with my Swedish hat on in the Swedish parliament. When standing here,
I'm talking with the hat of the EU presidency, and the position of the
presidency, of the EU, has been that we do see the ABM Treaty as very
strategic and we don't want this ABM Treaty threatened.
Q: Foreign Minister Lindh, according to Swedish newspaper reports
today, the United States Government believes that the Swedish EU
presidency has not reacted strongly enough to information about
Russian tactical nuclear warheads in Kaliningrad. Was this something
you discussed today, and do you have any comments on it?
Foreign Minister Lindh: No, we have not discussed that issue today.
And what I have said is that we have raised the issue, and I raised
the issue with my Russian colleague, Igor Ivanov, a week ago, two
weeks ago. He denied it. Then we cannot really do anything else
concerning Kaliningrad than to claim that it's important that we
continue to discuss the tactical nuclear warheads in general, because
we do have a lot in the region, not only a discussion about
Kaliningrad but also about other regions. And therefore, it's
important to include tactical weapons, tactical nuclear arms, also in
the future international negotiations and in START III. And that I
will also raise with Igor Ivanov when he is coming to Stockholm on
Friday.
Q: Does Secretary Powell have a comment on that?
Secretary Powell: I don't know what reports you're referencing that
said we took issue or attacked on this. I glance sideways to my
colleagues, and they seem not to know the report either. But if we did
issue such a report or made such a statement, I will recover it, look
at it, and then have a chance to discuss it with the Foreign Minister.
Q: Mr. Powell, after your trip to the Middle East, you said that you
had received positive indication from the Arab leaders that they
supported your idea of tightening some of the sanctions on Iraq and
easing some of them on consumer goods. But the reports in the press,
that are given by the Arab leaders, have been, on the whole, negative
to your trip and still saying that the main problem is Israel and the
Palestinians.
Can you assure us that you still feel that the Arab leaders support
your moves to tighten the sanctions on oil exports, and have there
been any indications that you've gotten any cooperation, either with
Syria or Turkey or Jordan or any of the Gulf states, on tightening the
smuggled oil?
Secretary Powell: The expressions of support that I received there
remain intact. I still feel that there is support for this kind of a
change. But as you noted from the article you are citing, or the
articles you are citing, there is linkage to the situation between the
Israelis and the Palestinians. And as I think you heard me report on
previous occasions, this is now a regional situation; you have to look
at it regionally; the issues are linked.
But I am still optimistic about the support that I received, and I
think that support will become public in the days and weeks ahead as
they consider how to support the initiatives we will be taking with
the United Nations to bring such a change in policy into effect. And
we will have to see whether I was overly optimistic or I was -- we'll
see. I'm fairly confident that this is the right policy.
Frankly, the alternative was just to keep on a downward path crashing
into a hillside. The sanctions policy was collapsing before our eyes,
and this is an effort -- and I think it will be a successful effort --
to stabilize it and get it to a new altitude that will serve our
purpose, an altitude where we know at that altitude we will keep them
from moving toward weapons of mass destruction, and we will keep them
from developing their military capability again, just the way we have
for the last ten years, but we will not be the ones to blame because
the Iraqi people, it is claimed, are not getting what they need to
take care of their children or to take care of their needs. And I
think it is a sensible policy to move to, and I'm still moving in that
direction, and I'm reasonably assured of support as I move in that
direction.
Q: My first question is to Secretary Powell. Regarding the European
force and the NATO, could you discuss more carefully how this kind of
transparency would work? And my question is also to Ms. Lindh, if the
collaboration would include any visit from the United States,
including Powell or the President, Bush.
Secretary Powell: I'm sorry, the first part was transparency within
the ESDI [NATO's European Security and Defense Identity]?
Q: Yeah, with the force -- the new force that the European Union is
creating. And NATO -- it's been before in discussion if NATO would be
sidestepped or --
Secretary Powell: I think when a crisis arises or a pre-crisis
situation arises or a humanitarian crisis arises, or something of that
nature, NATO, as the major military alliance in Europe, would take it
under consideration and a judgment would be made as to whether this is
something NATO felt it was best for NATO to get involved in; and
because it rose to the level of capacity that only NATO had. And if
for one of many, many reasons NATO chose not to involve itself in this
one, then the EU at that point has the option to use a capability that
is developed within the ESDI to respond to that. The planning could be
done in a common way between the two headquarters, and NATO would
stand ready to provide assets to the European Union as it undertook
the mission. And I think the way in which this is all being developed,
there will be full transparency because, in effect, it will be the
same group of planners who are working on this all the time.
Foreign Minister Lindh: On the second question, we have of course
invited, as you know, Secretary Powell and the President to come to
the summit, and we will come back to the question.
Q: Secretary Powell, could you tell us what you know about the statues
in Afghanistan that are being destroyed, whether the destruction is
complete, what this means and your thoughts about this?
Secretary Powell: The second part is easy. It's horrible, it's a
tragedy, it's a crime against humankind, and I deplore it. I don't
know the extent of damage at this time. I simply haven't been briefed
in the course of the morning because I've been in other meetings, and
so I don't know whether the two major Buddhas have now been taken down
totally. I don't know, and I'll have to ask Richard Boucher to follow
up with you later. He has been in meetings with me all morning as
well, so we'll get the information out to you as soon as we can.
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