Noting the need for further steps on the ground, Boucher said "We're looking for progress in reestablishing a positive direction for the discussions with the parties and reestablishing progress toward implementation of the Mitchell committee recommendations. So if he has meetings over the weekend, I'm sure he'll want to use those meetings to contribute to that goal."

Asked whether the U.S. government would work with American-Muslims to help disseminate the U.S. policy in combating terrorism, Boucher said, "We certainly welcome the fact that American Muslims -- frankly, Muslims around the world are speaking out. You have prominent clerics like the ones in Cairo at the Islamic Research Center who are speaking out. You have Muslim leaders, the leaders of the Islamic countries, like King Abdullah and King Mohammed and Prime Minister Ecevit speaking out. You have the Arab League speaking out again, and Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, making clear that al Qaeda is in a war with the world. And I think those voices are most welcome, because they're true and they're accurate and they convey very clearly the sentiment in the rest of the Muslim world. I think the Kuwaiti minister today in our discussions with Secretary Powell, he said, you know, that if you read what the al Qaeda organization puts out, what Usama bin Laden says, he considers all of us infidels. He's turned against fellow Muslims as well as the rest of the world."

(begin excerpt)

Question: The Secretary, in his remarks down there with the Foreign -- Acting, whatever he is -- Acting Prime Minister of Kuwait, made an allusion to progress that he hoped might be made in the Middle East. Was he referring specifically to the weekend and to things that might happen during the UN General Assembly, or is he talking about something else?

Mr. Boucher: I think he was talking about the possibilities that we can get back to, as he said, where we were a few or a couple weeks ago before the horrible assassination of the Israeli minister. He noted that the Israelis have pulled out of Ramallah. He said he hoped that we would see further withdrawals in coming days. As we have always said, we look to the Israelis to complete the withdrawal. And we have always said we look to the Palestinians, Mr. Chairman Arafat, to keep taking action to identify and find people that engage in violence and terrorism.

So I think, first and foremost, we are looking for that kind of progress. Second of all, we are looking for progress in reestablishing a positive direction for the discussions with the parties, in reestablishing progress towards implementation of the Mitchell Committee recommendations. So if he has meetings over the weekend, I am sure he will want to use those meetings to contribute to that goal.

Question: Okay. So it was in general, not specifically related to --

Mr. Boucher: I think it was both, sort of. You know, they have to keep doing -- heading in that direction back to -- in the field, in the region. And second of all, to the extent that he has meetings, obviously he is having discussions almost every day with Israelis and Palestinians and others. Our people in the field are having those discussions as well. And we will continue to use our discussions, including any that he might have this weekend, to try to contribute to that progress.

Question: Do you have any thoughts on Sharon's decision not to come to the UN?

Mr. Boucher: No, that's a decision for them to make.

Question: Do you think that his presence in New York could have added to this progress that the Secretary said he would like to see?

Mr. Boucher: I can't speculate on that. Obviously we always like to see him, we always like to talk to him, we always like to keep in touch, and we have ways of doing that whether he comes to New York in person or whether we talk to him -- the Secretary or President talks to him on the phone or whether our representatives in the region are talking to him. So we have ways of working with him no matter where he is, really.

Question: There have been reports several weeks ago that prior to September 11th that Mr. Powell was considering making some sort of a Middle East peace proposal at the UN General Assembly. Is anything like that planned for this weekend or for this session now?

Mr. Boucher: Actually, I think some of the elements of those reports were wrong in terms of what might have been thought about in terms of -- because the Secretary normally doesn't have a big speech at the General Assembly, and he's not planning on having one over this weekend either.

Question: Can you talk a bit -- a brief change of subject. Can you talk a bit about what the US is going to do to try and involve more American Muslims in your public -- your effort to sell the US message overseas to other Muslims?

Mr. Boucher: I think that's a little too close to the question I was asked yesterday that says that, you know, there are various ideas floating around about personalities, American Muslims and others, who are speaking out or may want to speak out, and how we might involve them, now we might use them.

And certainly those kind of ideas are around. But in terms of defining how we're going to do that, it's a little too early to do that at this point. We certainly welcome the fact that American Muslims -- frankly, Muslims around the world -- are speaking out. You have prominent clerics like the ones in Cairo at the Islamic Research Center who are speaking out. You have Muslim leaders, the leaders of Islamic countries like King Abdullah and King Mohammed and Prime Minister Ecevit speaking out. You have the Arab League speaking out again and Amre Moussa, the Secretary General of the Arab League making clear that al-Qaida is in a war with the world.

And I think those forces are most welcome because they're true and they're accurate and they convey very clearly the sentiment in the rest of the Muslim world. I think the Kuwaiti minister today in our discussions with Secretary Powell, he said, you know, that if you read what the al-Qaida organization puts out, what Usama bin Laden says, he considers all of us infidels. He has turned against fellow Muslims as well as the rest of the world.

(end excerpt)

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