*EPF202 04/02/2002
Israelis, Palestinians Both Losing In Mideast Conflict, Says Powell
(Urges resumption of political process to end Mideast violence) (710)

By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are losing because of the continuing violence, said Secretary of State Colin Powell on the CBS "Early Show," "and it's time to find a way forward."

Speaking to major U.S. networks April 2, Secretary Powell conveyed the Bush administration's dismay at the dramatic escalation of Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli military actions over the past week.

Powell highlighted recent positive signs, including UN Security Council Resolution 1397, which had called for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, Vice President Dick Cheney's recent trip to the Middle East, and General Anthony Zinni's return to the region as President Bush's Special Envoy seeking to implement the Tenet work plan for security arrangements.

"All of these efforts were starting to come together, to include the Arab summit meeting last week, with a positive initiative from Crown Prince Abdullah, to include Prime Minister Sharon saying he would waive his requirement for seven days of quiet," said Powell on the NBC "Today" show.

However, the positive momentum was "blown apart again by the Passover massacre last week," he said.

The secretary called upon Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to "unconditionally commit to the Tenet work plan" and to do more to bring the level of violence under control.

"We believe that as a leader he can speak out against this kind of terrorist activity we have seen. We think he can do a better job in calming the passions of his people. We think he could do more with respect to bringing organizations under control," said Powell on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Powell said on NBC's "Today" that the notion of sending Arafat into exile from the Palestinian areas would not "help the situation."

"He is in Ramallah. He is seen as the leader of the Palestinian people. Whether that is attractive to others or not, that is the role he has," Powell said.

The secretary also denied that the United States had given Israeli Prime Minister Sharon a "blank check" for the current military incursions into Palestinian areas, and said he had told Sharon "whatever you're doing, get it over with as quickly as possible."

"We've never given him a blank check. We've never given him a green light," said Powell on CBS. "We've never talked about traffic signals at all. We have made it clear that we believe the right answer is a political process that moves us forward," Powell said.

"We're conveying a message to Prime Minister Sharon that he should use care in going after the terrorist organizations that he has targeted, and also to say to him, at the end of the day, we have to find a way to find a peaceful solution, a political solution, through this crisis," Powell said.

Prime Minister Sharon, said Powell, has "reaffirmed that he has no intention of staying within those Palestinian areas, because no matter how many tanks go through how many villages, at the end of this process you will still have suicide bombers."

When asked on CBS about any plans to travel to the region, the secretary said that while he has always kept himself "open to do whatever is appropriate," and the United States is "ready to send whoever we have to, to get this process moving forward," he will not make "trips just for the sake of trips."

Urging the Palestinians to commit to the Tenet work plan, Powell said on ABC's "Good Morning America," "Let's get the two sides talking to one another on security arrangements, to stop this violence. Let's move forward. We know that suicide bombers will not achieve the purposes of the Palestinian people, and we also know that ultimately the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, will finish what they're doing and have to leave the occupied territories."

"We have a political process. We have a route to negotiations. What we need is an end to the violence, an end to the terrorist activities, which are destroying the dreams of the Palestinian people and killing innocent civilians; and in the response to that, other innocent civilians are being killed," said Powell on CBS.

(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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