*EPF105 05/06/2002
Powell, Rice See "Window Of Opportunity" in Mideast
(Reaffirm Bush's opposition to Israeli settlements) (800)

By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Tough issues will be on the agenda for the planned international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be held in summer 2002, including security cooperation, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians, and the creation of a democratic Palestinian state.

"People are looking for not only a process, but progress," said Secretary of State Colin Powell May 5 on ABC's "This Week."

Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice were interviewed on major American Sunday morning talk shows May 5, with many of their comments focused upon U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Rice, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," said the period in the aftermath of Israel's military incursions into Palestinian areas is a "time to take stock, to see where the parties are," before moving forward.

"I think everyone understands that we have a window of opportunity here, and we'd like to move forward. But we want to move forward in a way that is going to succeed," said Rice.

Powell meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Jordan's King Abdullah May 6 to continue the Bush Administration's consultations and discussions with regional leaders on the conflict.

"We plan to come up with concrete suggestions and ideas, and that's what we're going to spend the next several weeks, month, month and a half, doing," said Powell on ABC.

Powell said the Bush Administration felt an obligation to work with both sides to move forward, and pointed out on NBC's "Meet the Press" that "a large percentage of the American people want the United States to play the neutral, honest broker role."

On the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, both Powell and Rice reaffirmed President Bush's statement of April 4 that settlement activity "must stop."

"I think it's clear, both in the previous administration and in this administration, that something has to be done about the problem of settlements. The settlements continue to grow; they continue to expand," said Powell on NBC.

Rice said on Fox that the settlements were an issue to be discussed within the context of an overall political solution "that will serve all sides."

With the end of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's isolation in his Ramallah compound, both Bush Administration officials called upon him not only to move the Palestinian Authority away from advocating and condoning violence, but to also commit the Authority to reform itself into a "more democratic, non-corrupt, transparent organization that will be able to serve the interests of the Palestinian people," said Powell on ABC.

Rice said the Palestinian leadership must become "the kind of leadership that can really do for the Palestinian people what they need done."

"The Palestinian Authority will eventually have to deal with constitutional matters. The Palestinian people will have to deal with constitutional matters. And we think that's an extremely important step on the road to peace," said Rice on Fox.

Powell said on ABC that the United States would now start making the point to the Palestinian leadership that "as they reconstruct themselves from the destruction of recent weeks and months, they have to do it in a way that is non-corrupt, that is democratic, that is transparent, if they want all of us to help them."

The secretary also said that all parties, including Israel "need to keep the vision of a Palestinian state alive." Speaking on NBC, he said there could be no solution to the crisis "unless you solve the underlying problems of the Palestinians feeing that they are disenfranchised, that the occupation continues."

Turning to Iraq, Powell said Saddam Hussein's government was continuing to "stiff" the United Nations on the issue of allowing weapons inspectors to return to the country in their discussions with Dr. Hans Blix, the head of the inspections group.

"Dr. Blix has made it clear that the only way he will go back in is if he is allowed to do what he believes is necessary to do in order to determine whether or not they are continuing to develop weapons of mass destruction," said Powell on ABC.

Should the inspectors return, Powell said the United States will be very interested in what they find and report to the United Nations.

Rice said she had no doubt that the Iraqi leader was continuing to develop weapons of mass destruction, despite his 1991 agreement not to, and his promise to allow inspectors into Iraq to verify he was abiding by that agreement.

"I don't see how anyone can doubt his intentions," said Rice on Fox. "He didn't kick inspectors out because he needed the hotel rooms. He kicked them out because he wanted to hide something."

(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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