*EPF402 04/18/2002
White House Report, April 18: Middle East, Milan, Venezuela
(Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed reporters midday) (1310)

POWELL REPORTS TO BUSH ON MIDDLE EAST TRIP; BUSH REMAINS INVOLVED

Asked about the meeting at the White House April 18 between President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, who has just returned to Washington following a ten-day trip to Europe and the Middle East, Fleischer said the purpose of the meeting "was for the Secretary to give the President and the Vice President the full in-person detailed briefing about the conversations he had, the events that took place," on his trip.

Powell remains in contact with Middle East leaders, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East William J. Burns, remains in the region, Fleischer said. "So there continues to be a ongoing series of talks to try to follow through on the President's (April 4) Rose Garden speech, and those talks are constructive and important.

"The process will continue. And one of the things that I think is very important, and the Secretary stressed this in his meeting, is the humanitarian issue on the West Bank," Fleischer said.

"The United States currently provides $80 million of aid to the Palestinian people through the United Nations. The Secretary announced on his trip an additional $30 million will be provided. And as the President has said, at the end of the day, whenever Israel pulls back, military force alone will not solve this problem."

Fleischer said, "it's important to continue to work with the parties so that whenever the violence is at a level that is sufficiently reduced, political aspirations, political talks, humanitarian assistance can really be focused on in earnest."

He noted that Secretary General Kofi Annan said April 18 that "the Powell mission has lessened the violence in the region" and that "there is no military solution to the conflict, which is a position that the President agrees with."

Asked if the United States government would be willing to participate in an international conference on the Middle East, Fleischer said Powell "has raised this issue, and it's an idea that is being discussed in various circles in the Middle East, as well as in the United States. It's an interesting idea. No decisions have been made about it."

"The conference is in the idea stage, being something that has just been discussed generally, nothing beyond that, other than ministerial level, as the Secretary announced it," Fleischer said.

The White House Press Secretary urged reporters to focus on the continuing efforts of President Bush to try to find a peaceful resolution to the decades old Middle East problem.

Bush phoned King Abdullah of Jordan first thing April 18 and discussed with him "the importance of America's ongoing commitment to bringing peace to the region by working with the parties in the region to help them find a path to peace," Fleischer said.

The two, he said, "agreed about the vital role the United States is playing and will continue to play in securing peace for the region, and they agreed about the responsibilities of all three parties in the Mideast to take the actions necessary to help continue the progress that Secretary Powell has made."

On April 17, Bush met in the Oval Office of the White House with Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and they discussed "avenues to pursue peace in the Middle East," Fleischer said.

In both his meeting with the President, and in remarks to reporters following the meeting, Fleischer said that Hariri made clear "that this is a process, this is a series of events that takes time.

"What's important now," he said, "is that the diminution in the violence, the lack of suicide bombings that have taken place, the commitment by Chairman Arafat and the statement he put out last Saturday, all those were important developments that took place as a result of the Powell mission. Those now need to be followed up on; those will be followed up on. And as part of that process Secretary Burns remains in the region and other contacts continue to be made to try to help the parties to come together to further that process. It's not an instant process," said Fleischer.

Next week, he noted, President Bush "will welcome King Mohammed VI of Morocco. And following that, the President will also meet with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Abdullah. So there is a series of meetings that the President is undertaking directly with some of the key Arab leaders in the region," the Press Secretary said.

BUSH INFORMED IMMEDIATELY OF PLANE CRASH INTO MILAN SKYSCRAPER

President Bush was immediately informed of the April 18 plane crash into a Milan skyscraper and U.S. officials were eager for facts from Italian authorities, Fleischer said.

Shortly after a small plane slammed into downtown Milan's Pirelli building, Fleischer opened his daily press briefing with word that National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and White House chief of staff Andrew Card had already informed the President.

"The President just moments ago was informed about the incident in Milan. I have no additional information for you at all at this time. This is a breaking story. And I do not have anything else beyond that. The President has been informed," said Fleischer.

BUSH HOPES CHAVEZ WILL BE A FORCE FOR DEMOCRACY IN LATIN AMERICA

Asked about the situation in Venezuela as the Organization of American States began a special meeting on the turmoil of the last few days there, Fleischer said: "you're going to see continued unanimity -- with the United States, shoulder to shoulder with our friends in the OAS about the situation in Venezuela."

Fleischer noted that President Bush, following an Oval Office meeting April 18 with Colombia's President Andres Pastrana, was asked by a reporter about the removal of Chavez and then his return to office.

Bush responded that his administration "was very clear when there were troubles on the streets in Venezuela, that we support democracy and did not support any extraconstitutional action. My administration spoke with a very clear voice about our strong support of democracy."

Bush also said that "it is very important for President Chavez to do what he said he was going to do, to address the reasons why there was so much turmoil on the streets. And it's very important for him to embrace those institutions which are fundamental to democracy, including freedom of press, and freedom for the ability for the opposition to speak out.

"And if there are lessons to be learned, it's important that he learn them."

Fleischer said "it's a question of, will President Chavez learn the lesson after the tumult that took place in the streets that led to his fall and to his return to office? So we'll see what the events play out in Venezuela with President Chavez. The President certainly hopes that he'll learn the lessons and will be a force for democracy in the region."

The White House spokesman added that "one of the great prides and success stories in American politics has been that in the last 20 years, there has been a wonderful sea change in Central and South America, brought in large part as a result of people like Otto Reich and Elliot Abrams and others -- Ronald Reagan, George Bush -- who worked very hard to bring democracy to the region.

"And as a result, there is a difference in the military in those regions. And one of the big changes is, in the United States military's cooperative programs with the militaries of the region focused on making sure that they adhere to the rule of law.

"It has been a dramatic and very helpful change that brought democracy to the region. And that's why President Bush traveled to El Salvador and Peru -- to highlight the importance of democracy," Fleischer said.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents