*EPF204 04/02/2002
Transcript: Powell's Interview on CNN April 2 on Mideast Conflict
(Says Bush administration deeply involved in peace effort) (940)

Following is the transcript of Secretary of State Colin Powell's interview with CNN April 2 about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians:

(begin transcript)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman April 2, 2002

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell Interview On CNN's American Morning with Paula Zahn

April 2, 2002

(7:06 a.m. EST)

MS. ZAHN: And joining us now from the State Department is Secretary of State Colin Powell. Welcome back. Good to see you again, sir.

SECRETARY POWELL: Hi, Paula. How are you?

MS. ZAHN: I am fine, thanks. So you just heard what your predecessor had to say last night. Will you be traveling to the region?

SECRETARY POWELL: I think that Madeleine was saying that I should be deeply involved in the process, and I am deeply involved in the process. And the process was producing results up until last week. As a result of the United States efforts, both at the level of the President, the Vice President, myself and my colleagues, we had helped the Arabs shape a summit last week that endorsed Crown Prince Abdullah's vision of peace and all of the Arab nations recognizing Israel and having normal relations. We had succeeded in putting together a UN resolution two weeks ago that called for the creation of a Palestinian state and a ceasefire. We had succeeded through our efforts with Prime Minister Sharon to encourage him to set aside his requirement for seven days of quiet. We sent the Vice President to the region, and he showed a willingness to return to the region to meet with Chairman Arafat if some conditions were met.

And then, because both sides indicated they were ready to get started again, we sent General Zinni to the region, ready to start the Tenet work plan, which is the work plan that allows both sides to take steps that will lead to a ceasefire, and then rapidly through that ceasefire to the Mitchell process, which rapidly gets us into a political process and negotiations.

All of those things were in train. The United States, to include your Secretary of State was deeply involved in it. And then, it all came a cropper last week, when we had the Passover massacre, and 22 Israelis were killed in a suicide bomb. Suicide bombs that are going off at a rate of one a day, these actions perpetrated by terrorists who do not want to see General Zinni succeed, do not want to see the Mitchell plan or the Tenet work plan succeed, destroying the vision of the Palestinian people and killing innocent Israelis. I am prepared to go anywhere, anytime, when it serves a useful purpose, but I can assure you that I am deeply engaged every day for hours of the day, as are my colleagues in the Bush Administration, to include the President.

MS. ZAHN: Secretary Powell, do you think it was helpful this morning that Ariel Sharon offered, once again, Mr. Arafat exile? Is that going to move the two sides any closer to the peace table?

SECRETARY POWELL: Oh, I don't think it will have any effect one way or the other. Chairman Arafat is head of the Palestinian Authority, and he is recognized, whether you approve of it or not, as the leader of the Palestinian people. And he will be the leader of the Palestinian people whether he is sitting in Ramallah or whether he is sitting in some exile location elsewhere in the Middle East or somewhere in Europe. He will still have that role.

So it seems to me let's deal with him where he is, and let's continue to apply pressure to him and other leaders of the Palestinian people to get into the Tenet work plan. In due course, the Israeli Defense Forces will finish the military actions they have under way. They are trying to uproot terrorist infrastructure, seize weapons, things of that nature. That will come to an end. They have no intention of staying in those occupied areas. It's not something they can do over time.

And when they withdraw, we will find that we are going to need a political process to move forward, and that process is there waiting. It is the Tenet work plan. It is the Mitchell peace process, which gives us a political solution or a route to a political solution. And the United States will be engaged. General Zinni will be engaged. I will be engaged. And when it is useful for people to travel, such as the Vice President did two weeks, ago, we will travel.

MS. ZAHN: I know the President has been loath to call Yasser Arafat a terrorist, because he has said he has signed onto the peace process. But how many more days of these kinds of activities, suicide bombings, can go on before you will declare him a terrorist?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, these are terrorist activities, and we condemn them. There is no question what they are. They are killing innocent civilians. But Chairman Arafat still has a legitimate role within the Palestinian movement, and we think at this point it is best to deal with him in that role and see if we can move the process forward, rather than to designate him as such.

MS. ZAHN: Okay, our time is up. Secretary Powell, thank you for joining us this morning on American Morning. Always appreciate your presence here.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much.

MS. ZAHN: Good luck.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you.

(end transcript)

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