*EPF404 04/11/2002
Transcript: Accelerated Political Process Can Fuel Palestinian Hope
(Powell anticipates direct talks to urge Israeli withdrawal) (1850)
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to promote the vision of Middle East peace expressed April 4 by President Bush, and backed in Madrid April 10 by the United Nations, the European Union and the Russian Federation.
"There is a political process in Mitchell which we believe has to be accelerated and expanded upon in order to show the Palestinian people that there is hope out there; hope for them to have their own state living side by side in peace with Israel," said Powell in Amman April 11, following his talks with His Majesty King Abdullah II.
Speaking to reporters with Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher, Powell repeated President Bush's desire for Israel to immediately end its military operations in the West Bank, and said he would be having a "straightforward discussion" with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon April 12 to that effect.
"The President has made his position clear. He wants the incursions stopped. He has noted some progress but he wants to see more progress and this is what I will be discussing with Prime Minster Sharon in the morning," said Powell.
"[I]t will be a straightforward discussion. We know each other well, we speak to each other frequently, we speak to each other directly and you'll hear the results of those conversations in due course," he said.
Secretary Powell also warned of the need for the international community to address humanitarian concerns in the Palestinian territories once the fighting ends.
"[W]hen this crisis comes to an end or is abated, there will be a need for this humanitarian effort and I am pleased that Jordan stands ready to provide that kind of assistance, as does the United States. And there is much work that will need to be done," said Powell.
Powell said he made his visits to Jordan, Egypt and Morocco in order to generate "interest and energy and new ideas that would further our efforts," to bring about a ceasefire and the resumption of political discussions between the parties.
For his part, Foreign Minister Muasher spoke of the need to jointly create a "detailed and timelined plan that would give people hope that indeed there is an end to this, and there is a credible alternative to the path that some are advocating today."
Following is a transcript of Secretary Powell and Jordanian Foreign Minister Muasher:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
April 11, 2002
PRESS AVAILABILITY
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
And Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher
April 11, 2002
Amman, Jordan
(2:18 p.m. EDT)
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: -- address the needs of both sides, but to hopefully come up with a detailed, specific and time-lined plan of action that would start maybe with the implementation of Tenet and Mitchell, and end with the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
We in the Arab world have come forward with a very forthcoming proposal in the Arab initiative that satisfactorily addresses the needs of both sides. We hope that we can translate this vision, the Secretary's own vision in Kentucky, the President's vision and other UN resolutions into something that can be implemented with milestones along the way, something that, as I said, would go far beyond pacifying the security situation, and hopefully address the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all.
We know how important the Secretary's mission is. We want to help ensure its success, and His Majesty expressed the view that Jordan stands ready and is very committed to work with the United States and with all the parties to ensure the success of this mission and to ensure a peaceful solution the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. You have given a comprehensive overview of the discussions that I had earlier this evening with His Majesty and members of his cabinet. I might add one word, that we also discussed the humanitarian needs that exist in the territories. And when this crisis comes to an end, or is abated, there will be a need for this humanitarian effort, and I am pleased that Jordan stands ready to provide that kind of assistance, as does the United States. And there is much work that will need to be done.
I very much value the advice and counsel that I received from my colleague. This is the second time we've met in the last ten days, and I always value the advice I receive from His Majesty. I leave now and go on to Jerusalem, where I'm looking forward to conversations with Prime Minister Sharon in the morning, and then on Saturday I look forward to conversations with Chairman Arafat.
I go committed to carry forward the President's vision as expressed in his April 4th speech, the vision that was expressed by my colleagues in Madrid yesterday -- the UN, the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States -- and we look forward not only to find a way that will bring the violence down, end the incursion that is currently underway, which the President has asked for the Israelis to bring to a conclusion, and get a cease-fire in place, if that is possible; but also, as the Minister said, move aggressively with respect to political action, move aggressively with respect to getting a political track started, so that while security is restored, while confidence is being built up as provided for in Tenet and Mitchell, there is a political process in Mitchell which we believe has to be accelerated and expanded upon in order to show the Palestinian people that there is hope out there -- hope for them to have their own state living side by side in peace with Israel.
I very much appreciated the vision put forward at the Arab League summit not too long ago. It is a powerful vision speaking of these two states, a vision that all 22 Arab nations have solidified behind. And I think there is much to work with there, and I appreciate the efforts of the Jordanian Government to bring about that vision.
So once again, Mr. Minister, thank you for your advice and counsel, and of course for your hospitality.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, (inaudible) Sharon's rejection of George Bush's call for a cease-fire and pulling out from the West Bank as an affront to the US, a superpower. How do you see that?
SECRETARY POWELL: I don't see it as an affront. The President has made his desires very clear to Mr. Sharon. In my conversations with Mr. Sharon this morning, he was pointing out some of the withdrawals that are taking place, in addition to some earlier. It's perhaps not as fast as some might like, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss the schedule with Mr. Sharon in the morning, and to hear what his plans are. And we're looking forward to a very long conversation on this subject in the morning.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, far from withdrawing, the Israelis have indicated that they intend to stay on an ongoing basis. After two weeks of defiance, do you have anything in your pocket to pressure the Israelis to comply with UN resolutions and international requests, and is the United States prepared to use it? And to Mr. Muasher, the King mentioned a "mechanism" that Jordan and Egypt might be able to discuss with the United States to facilitate the American mission. What specifically was he talking about?
SECRETARY POWELL: What I'm planning to do is to have very extensive conversations with Prime Minister Sharon in the morning. And if there are things in my pocket or not things in my pocket, I think I'd better discuss that with Prime Minister Sharon.
And it will be a straightforward discussion. We know each other well, we speak to each other frequently, we speak to each other directly, and you will hear the results of those conversations in due course.
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: I think we are talking both about an endgame that is clear and that will clearly define the other, all parameters of a solution. We are also talking about a road map to take us towards that endgame, so that we truly present a credible alternative to the violence that is going on today.
And this is still work in progress. We stand ready to work with Egypt and the United States to translate these ideas into concrete steps that might be taken in the future in order to affect such an outcome.
SECRETARY POWELL: Let me say that I welcome what the Minister just said, and part of the reason for my swing through the area -- speaking with the Egyptians, the Moroccans, the Saudis and now the Jordanians -- was to generate that kind of interest and energy and new ideas that would further our efforts.
QUESTION: Sharon made it very clear that he is not going to stop the attack until he concludes his mission. Do you have, as US, political will to make Sharon to stop such (inaudible) aggression right now against the civilians and daily killing of the (inaudible) Palestinians?
SECRETARY POWELL: I think the President has made his position clear. He wants the incursions stopped. He has noted some progress, but he wants to see more progress. And this is what I'll be discussing with Prime Minister Sharon in the morning.
QUESTION: A question for Mr. Minister. Secretary Powell, several times over the last week, has asked or said that if a cease-fire is in place and this political track begins, he would expect Arab governments, including Jordan, to call for an end to the violence, he said, on the Arab street. Given the anger that your country confronts, do you see that politically possible for Jordan?
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: I think everybody has to do its part, and the way to do this is for us jointly to come up with, again, the sort of plan that I talked about -- a detailed and time-lined plan that would give people hope that indeed there is an end to this, and there is a credible alternative to the thoughts that some are advocating today. Only if we can do that, we feel, will we have a reasonable chance of getting out of the present situation and engage in a political process that would end in a reasonable time frame. And I think this is the kind of effort that we all agree on, and the kind of effort that we intend to engage in in the future.
QUESTION: But would you call for an end to the violence?
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: Within the context of an agreed plan, and detailed, absolutely. Everybody has to do its part.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, why have you stopped using the word "immediate" or "now" when you're calling for Israeli troops to pull out?
SECRETARY POWELL: The President said "now". The President said "immediately" -- (off mike) --
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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