Powell Confident of Afghan Leader Karzai's Authority

(Says interim government is "off to a pretty good start") (2900)

Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed his confidence in the
interim Afghan government and its chairman, Hamid Karzai, saying "his
authority is in charge."

Powell was interviewed by major U.S. networks during his January 17
visit to Afghanistan. He refuted press reports that local warlords had
"hijacked" Karzai's administration.

"We have broken the back of warlordism," Powell said on ABC's Good
Morning America.

"[Karzai's] authority is in charge. They have been here for three
weeks. I think they are off to a pretty good start, and the United
States will continue to help them through Operation Enduring Freedom,
and so will the international security assistance force," Powell
added.

Powell said his talks with the Afghan interim authority focused upon
how to address the needs of Afghanistan in its effort to recover after
two decades of conflict.

"In my conversations today, we were concentrating on the future. We
were concentrating on the reconstruction of Afghanistan. We were
concentrating on security, how to get security out throughout the
whole country, and we were talking about humanitarian relief and the
restoration of services and the financial needs of the interim
authority," said Powell on CNN.

Powell said he conveyed the message to Chairman Karzai that the United
States would assist in the humanitarian relief and reconstruction
efforts. He said Karzai told him how the interim government wished to
proceed on those efforts.

"I'm very impressed by the plans that he has on the drawing board
already to use the reconstruction aid that will be coming in from the
conference that I'll be attending in Tokyo with him next Monday. He
knows that he has to provide security for his people. He knows he has
to then get on to basics -- education, health care, clean water, make
sure everybody has a meal on the table and a roof overhead. And so I'm
very impressed by Mr. Karzai and his team and what they've
accomplished in just three weeks' time," said Powell on the CBS Early
Show.

Powell also said that Karzai would establish a system to effectively
use international funds for Afghan relief and prevent possible
corruption by Afghan warlords.

"He made a very powerful commitment in that press conference and to me
personally not to allow any corruption. He said it's going to be an
open society, it's going to be a tolerant society, except when it
comes to corruption. Sounds like to me he went to school in a number
of other countries who have gone through a process similar to this,
and he's determined that corruption not be a means by which the future
of his country is destroyed because people are stealing the money,"
said Powell on the CBS Early Show.

Powell urged the international community to generously provide aid for
the daunting task of rebuilding Afghanistan.

"It's going to take the effort of the entire international community.
This country needs everything. It needs a basic infrastructure. It
needs a government that will provide the most fundamental kinds of
services. It needs a banking system. It needs a health care system. It
needs a sanitation system. It needs a phone system. It needs road
construction -- everything you can imagine," said Powell on NBC's
Today Show.

From Afghanistan, Powell was due to travel to Islamabad and New Delhi
to continue his efforts in encouraging a de-escalation of tensions and
a peaceful dialogue between India and Pakistan.

"The important thing we want to do right now is to get a political
commitment from both sides that they want to continue to pursue the
political and diplomatic track rather than allow a confrontation to
take place at this time. What we want is a campaign of all sides
against terrorism and not a campaign against each other. And we're
anxious to see a beginning of dialogue between India and Pakistan,"
said Powell on the CBS Early Show.

Powell will also visit Nepal before attending the January 21
conference on Afghan reconstruction in Tokyo.

Following are the transcripts of Secretary Powell interviews with ABC,
CBS, NBC, and CNN:

(begin transcript)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman
January 17, 2002

INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL BY GEORGE
STEPHANOPOLOUS OF ABC'S GOOD MORNING AMERICA

January 17, 2001

Washington, D.C. Aired 7:16 a.m. EST

MR. STEPHANOPOLOUS: There are new reports out this morning that these
warlords are blocking US military efforts to root out the Taliban and
have essentially hijacked the new Afghan government.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I think we're the ones who are dominating
Afghanistan at the moment. I think that Operation Enduring Freedom has
been a tremendous success, and it continues, as General Franks and
Secretary Rumsfeld have repeatedly said, we will stay here and finish
the job until al-Qaida, the Taliban and the kinds of things you
describe are no longer a threat to the Afghan people.

But Chairman Karzai is right. We have broken the back of warlordism.
His authority is in charge. They have been here for three weeks. I
think they are off to a pretty good start, and the United States will
continue to help them through Operation Enduring Freedom, and so will
the international security assistance force.

MR. STEPHANOPOLOUS: Over the long term, is the United States willing
to help extend the role of that international security force and
actually join the international security force?

SECRETARY POWELL: We will always have a connection to the force and
some part of the force in the sense that we are the enablers. I think
it is unlikely, though, it would be necessary for us to have troops on
the ground as part of that force, and that will be the case once
Operation Enduring Freedom is over.

MR. STEPHANOPOLOUS: Unlikely, but you're not ruling it out?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I don't know that I need to rule it out or in
right now. I'm just stating the situation; that is, there are more
than enough other countries that are ready, willing and able to be
part of that security force, and we are cooperating with them,
providing them enabling capabilities. And we'll continue to
concentrate on Operation Enduring Freedom and going after al-Qaida and
the Taliban.

MR. STEPHANOPOLOUS: Sir, you're on your way to India in your mission
to help reduce tensions between India and Pakistan. Just how dangerous
is the situation between India and Pakistan now?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I think the situation has been very dangerous,
and it continues to be dangerous. My most important desire and goal
right now is to have both sides recognize that the way to move forward
is with political and diplomatic actions and dialogue, and not let
this slide into war.

MR. STEPHANOPOLOUS: Finally, sir, several hundred United States troops
are on their way to the Philippines to help train the Philippine
military in their fight against terrorism. How is this different from
the kind of incremental Vietnam-like missions that you have been very
wary of over the course of your career?

SECRETARY POWELL: It's quite different. I mean, this is nothing like
Vietnam. The Philippine Government has asked us to provide training to
their forces so that they can conduct the kind of counter-terrorism
operations that they feel they need to. The Philippine Government
needs some assistance from us, and that is what our trainers will be
doing. There is no intention for them to become active combatants.
They are trainers. That is what the Philippines asked for, and that is
what we have provided.

MR. STEPHANOPOLOUS: Secretary Powell, thank you very much.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, George.

(end ABC transcript)

(begin CBS transcript) 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman  
For Immediate Release January 17, 2002 2002/44

INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL BY JANE CLAYSON OF
CBS'S THE EARLY SHOW

January 17, 2002 Kabul, Afghanistan

7:01 a.m. EST

QUESTION: Secretary Powell is in Afghanistan this morning. He is the
highest ranking US official to travel to Kabul since September 11th.

Early this morning, I asked Secretary Powell about what he
accomplished in his first face-to-face meeting with Afghanistan's
interim president, Hamid Karzai.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, it was a very good meeting. I wanted to make
sure that he understood that the American commitment to his efforts
was a total commitment. We are here not just for the short run but for
the long run. And we are committed, first, to making sure we have
destroyed al-Qaida and the Taliban, and to assist him in humanitarian
relief for his people, but more importantly than that, the
reconstruction of the country, to give the people of Afghanistan hope.

It was an important message for us to convey. He was very pleased to
receive it. I'm very impressed by the plans that he has on the drawing
board already, to use a reconstruction aid that will be coming in from
the conference that I'll be attending in Tokyo with him next Monday.
He knows that he has to provide security for his people. He knows he
has to then get on to basics -- education, health care, clean water,
make sure everybody has a meal on the table and a roof over their
head.

And so I am very impressed by Mr. Karzai and his team and what they
have accomplished in just three weeks time.

QUESTION: You talk about that assistance, that US assistance. How does
a country, Secretary, with such a broken infrastructure digest all
this relief, and what assurances do you have that this money won't
just disappear in a country full of warlords?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we talked about this, and we talked rather
candidly. I believe that he is putting in place a system that will be
able to absorb this money and use it effectively, and make sure it
gets out to the people who need it and goes to the rebuilding of the
country, and does not get lost along the way.

He made a very powerful commitment in that press conference, and to me
personally, not to allow any corruption. He said it's going to be an
open society, it's going to be a tolerant society, except when it
comes to corruption. It sounds like to me he went to school on a
number of other countries who have gone through a process similar to
this, and he is determined that corruption not be a means by which the
future of his country is destroyed because people are stealing the
money. He walked in and found empty banks.

QUESTION: Did Mr. Karzai, Secretary Powell, give you any indication
where Usama bin Laden might be?

SECRETARY POWELL: No. We didn't talk about that. There are other
officials who can speak to that. We talked about not the past, where
Usama bin Laden might be right now, but we're looking about the
future, we're looking toward the future, and that's what I wanted to
talk to him about, and that's what he was interested in talking about.

QUESTION: Let me ask you for a moment, if I might, Mr. Secretary,
about India and Pakistan, because you're leaving for New Delhi now.
Both countries, as you know, literally have troops stationed across
the border in a state of readiness staring at each other. What is the
possibility? How significant is the danger of a confrontation between
these two nuclear powers?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, it is still a dangerous situation. I don't
think it's as dangerous as it was, say, a week or two ago. I think
there has been progress as a result of President Musharraf's speech
this past weekend, and the actions that he has taken, actions that are
a direct response to the concerns that India had with respect to
terrorism emanating from Pakistan or areas under Pakistani control.
The Indians have responded positively. They want to see more action,
and in my meetings this afternoon and tomorrow morning in India, I
will review with my Indian colleagues the situation as they see it.

The important thing we want to do right now is to get a political
commitment from both sides that they want to continue to pursue the
political and diplomatic track, rather than allow a confrontation to
take place at this time. What we want is a campaign of all sides
against terrorism, and not a campaign against each other, and we are
anxious to see a beginning of dialogue between India and Pakistan.

QUESTION: What's the one thing, Secretary, you'd like to accomplish
this trip?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, several things this trip. In Tokyo, I hope to
encourage all of the participating nations to make a major
contribution of the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. Here in
Kabul today, I reopened the American Embassy and gave a signal of
support, another signal of support to Mr. Karzai from President Bush
and the American people. And I hope as a result of my conversations in
New Delhi and Islamabad, we can make sure we remain on the political
track to the solution of the crisis between India and Pakistan, and
not see it turn into a conflict between those two very important
nations.

QUESTION: Good luck in New Delhi today, Secretary of State Colin
Powell. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Jane.

(end CBS transcript)


(begin NBC transcript)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman  
For Immediate Release January 17, 2002 2002/45

INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL ON NBC'S TODAY SHOW

January 17, 2002 Kabul, Afghanistan

QUESTION: Secretary Powell, now that you have come here, you have seen
this devastation yourself. What is it going to take to put the country
back together?

SECRETARY POWELL: It's going to take the effort of the entire
international community. This country needs everything. It needs a
basic infrastructure. It needs a government that will provide the most
fundamental kinds of services. It needs a banking system. It needs a
health care system. It needs sanitation systems. It needs a phone
system. It needs road construction. Everything you can imagine.

QUESTION: But you heard Hamid Karzai say that the days or warlordism
are over. Yet, we talked to people here today who say that actually
security is worse now.

SECRETARY POWELL: I'm sure you can also talk to people who say
security is better, and they're glad the Taliban are gone. And we all
are glad they're gone. It will take a while for the interim authority
and the government that will come after the interim authority to put
in place a national police force, to put in place a national army that
is loyal to the people and not to the warlords, and it will take the
continued involvement of American troops under Operation Enduring
Freedom to get rid of the Taliban and al-Qaida.

QUESTION: You're going on to India.  What should India do now?

SECRETARY POWELL: The important thing is to keep both countries
talking to each other through intermediaries such as the United
States, and keep the diplomatic and political process going, so that
we don't resort to conflict. The only campaign we need right now is a
campaign, all of us, against terrorism, not a campaign with these two
countries against each other.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Secretary Powell.

(end NBC transcript)


(begin CNN transcript) 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman  
For Immediate Release January 17, 2002 2002/43

INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL ON CNN

January 17, 2002 Kabul, Afghanistan

MS. ZAHN: Secretary Powell spoke with CNN about how the US plans to
help rebuild Afghanistan. Here is some of what he had to say.

QUESTION: -- in the discussions today, the locations of Usama bin
Laden came up and were a topic of discussion?

SECRETARY POWELL: No. In my conversations today, we were concentrating
on the future. We were concentrating on the reconstruction of
Afghanistan. We were concentrating on security, how to get security
out throughout the whole country, and we were talking about
humanitarian relief and the restoration of services and the financial
needs of the interim authority.

QUESTION: Did they ask for additional US troops, or have any position
about US troops remaining in the country?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, there was no request for additional US troops,
and there was no concern about US troops in the country. I think they
welcome the presence of US troops, and it helps to provide some sense
of stability to the people of Afghanistan, working alongside the
International Security Assistance Force.

QUESTION: Do they have any specific economic requests?

SECRETARY POWELL: They had a number of requests that had to do with
how they would go about rebuilding a national army and a national
police force, and they frankly need operating cash, to pay salaries,
to pay for telephone services, to bring in office supplies -- the very
basic essentials one needs to put an administration, a government in
place. And we talked about all of the various economic and
administrative needs that they have. And one of the priority needs,
really, is just cash to get going.

MS. ZAHN: And, of course, Secretary of State Colin Powell speaking
with us from Kabul a little bit earlier on this morning.

(end CNN transcript)

(end transcript)

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