*EPF106 04/15/2002
Armitage Says Powell's Peace Mission Will "Exert Every Effort"
(Says Powell seeks to allow civilians to resume their lives) (580)

By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington - The United States will "continue to exert every effort for peace," said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on CNN, "and that's in keeping with our national character."

Armitage was interviewed in Washington by three major US networks April 14 about Secretary of State Colin Powell's trip to the Middle East to try to end the intensified violence in the region.

"Every night that goes by without a suicide bombing means many more families in Israel will be able to live and realize their dreams. Every moment that an Israeli tank pulls out of a West Bank town you have Palestinians who can resume their lives. This is what he is seeking. This is what he is working for," said Armitage on "CNN Live."

However, the deputy secretary said the United States was "looking at a very difficult situation. If it wasn't very difficult, then they'd have sent someone else other than Secretary Powell to try to manage it."

In the aftermath of Secretary Powell's talks with Chairman Yasser Arafat, Armitage urged the Palestinian leader to move forward in the spirit of his April 13 statement in Arabic where he had expressed a "deep condemnation for all terrorist activities."

"Mr. Arafat has done what the President called for when he specifically required him to denounce the suicide bombing of two days ago, and we're going to try to use that as a basis to move forward," said Armitage on CBS.

"He has 80 percent, or over 80 percent, popularity in the Palestinian community. He has to use that and exert his moral force, his moral authority, to make it clear to all that violence and suicide bombings for political ends is not a way forward," he said.

The deputy secretary also said that Powell would "continue the call for withdrawal without delay of Israeli forces" from areas they recently reoccupied in the West Bank.

Acknowledging that some withdrawals had occurred, Armitage said on CNN that Powell would "try to effect even further withdrawals," as President George W. Bush had called upon Israel to do.

Amid press reports of atrocities committed by Israeli forces in a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Jenin, Armitage said on CNN that it was "very incumbent upon Israel to open up Jenin as soon as possible," so that the international community and humanitarian workers can confirm or deny those circulating reports.

"Until the international community can get in there and find out what did or did not happen, then this thing continues to grow," he said on CBS.

Armitage also said the U.S. government was "quite concerned" over Hezbollah attacks along the Israeli-Lebanese border, and said on ABC's "This Week" that the Bush Administration has been "very straightforward, and indeed tough, on the Syrians and the Iranians to stop and restrain Hezbollah."

"We have sent messages. Vice President Cheney has contacted the Syrians about the absolute need to use their influence to restrain Hezbollah and not have this break out into a two-front conflict," he said on CBS.

The deputy secretary said the Bush Administration was receptive to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's vision for the region's future, and was "open to any ideas" from Arab and Israeli leaders to reach a peaceful settlement.

President Bush was "exerting every effort" to bring peace to the region, said Armitage.

(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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