*EPF303 05/08/2002
Transcript: Powell, Straw Ask "All Others" to Condemn Bombing in Mideast
(May 8: Powell, British Foreign Secretary after their meeting) (1660)
Speaking for British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw as well as himself after the first of their meetings at the State Department May 8, Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed "deep regret" for the May 7 terrorist incidents in the Middle East, "which once again puts at risk the possibility of going forward."
"We condemn them," Powell said, "and we ask all others to condemn them, and all others who have any hope for a peaceful life in the future for Palestinian people to do everything they can in their power to stop this terror and stop this violence."
Foreign Secretary Straw said his discussions with Powell and other U.S. officials would be "dominated by concerns about the Middle East," although next week's NATO ministerial in Iceland and the U.S.-Russia summit at the end of the month also were on the agenda.
Asked about the effect of the latest terrorism on U.S. peace efforts, Powell expressed determination to "keep moving forward."
"We must find a way through this crisis," he said. The United States is "gathering all the different ideas that are out there. ... We continue to look at ways to reform the Palestinian Authority, and we look at ways to bring hope to the Palestinian people through economic development and humanitarian efforts, and we look forward to security activity that [CIA Director] Mr. [George] Tenet will be pushing forward."
Asked whether he considered reform of the Palestinian Authority a prerequisite to political talks between Israelis and Palestinians, Powell replied: "I think reform is essential. ... But at the same time, I think you also have to consider the humanitarian part of it, the economic part of it, and a political dialogue."
Powell sought to put the May 7 terrorist incidents in perspective: "Yesterday's events were troubling, and every time one of these events happens it takes us off a course that we were on for a while," he said. "But I think it's a course that ultimately we have to get back to, because no matter how many military operations one conducts or how many suicide bombs are delivered, at the end of the day we have to find a political solution.
"And I recognize how difficult it is with some of the parties who are there, some of the leaders who are out there, and with this kind of violence and with responses that will come and acts of self-defense. But at the same time, we cannot lose sight of the reality that a political solution ultimately is what will be required to bring this long-running crisis to an end."
Following is the State Department transcript of the press conference:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL AND BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY JACK STRAW AFTER THEIR MEETING
May 8, 2002
C Street Entrance
Washington, D.C.
SECRETARY POWELL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to have Foreign Secretary Straw at the State Department again. We have just really begun our meeting, and we did a 30-minute conversation to begin, and then we'll be continuing our discussions over lunch. And as you might expect, we've been talking about the Middle East.
We've been talking about the upcoming NATO ministerial meeting in Iceland next week, where we hope to conclude our work with respect to the NATO-Russia Council.
And I also gave the Foreign Secretary a briefing on how the developments were coming along with respect to our meetings with the Russians in Moscow and St. Petersburg later this month when President Bush and President Putin will have a chance to get together.
It's always a pleasure to receive the Foreign Secretary and to once again express our support for the close cooperation that exists between the United Kingdom and the United States on all matters, but especially during this campaign against terrorism.
I think I can speak for the Foreign Secretary when we say that we note with deep regret the terrorist incidents yesterday in the occupied territories, which once again puts at risk the possibility of going forward, and we condemn them. And we ask all others to condemn them, and all others who have any hope for a peaceful life in the future for Palestinian people to do everything they can in their power to stop this terror and stop this violence.
Jack.
FOREIGN SECRETARY STRAW: Thank you very much, Secretary Powell. Good morning, everybody. It's a real delight to be back here in Washington to see Secretary Powell, and as I'll be seeing later on this afternoon, Vice President Cheney and Condi Rice.
Secretary Powell has already given an indication of the agenda we've been discussing. We'll also be discussing the continued tension across the line of control between India and Pakistan in Kashmir. But the discussions will be dominated by concerns about the Middle East, and I'd like to reiterate what I said earlier today at a lecture which I gave at the Brookings Institute of condemnation for these further suicide bombings, great sympathy and condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed and to those injured, and concern, as I said this morning, about the way in which these repeated suicide bombings arrange not only death and destruction, but also disrupting what will have to be a necessary process on the pathway back to peace.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Secretary Powell, first of all, have you talked to any Israeli officials? Even though the Prime Minister just left, have you been in touch with any Israeli officials about counseling restraint in terms of their reaction?
And secondly, does it change -- do these events change anything about your meeting or conference upcoming?
SECRETARY POWELL: On the first point, we were all together in the Oval Office -- Prime Minister Sharon, President Bush and their associates -- and I was present when the terrible news came in, and we were shocked and saddened. The meeting then continued, and we did not discuss anything further with respect to it.
The Prime Minister cut short his visit here, as you know, and headed back to meet with his cabinet with respect to whatever actions they believe are appropriate, but we did not discuss the incident any further or any response to the incident.
With respect to our efforts, we must keep moving forward. We must find a way through this crisis. And so the effort that began with President Bush's speech on the 4th of April laying out a vision for the future, which then continued with my trip to the region, which has continued with all of the visitors we've had here and the consultations we've had with the European Union, with the United Nations, with the United Kingdom, with Crown Prince Abdullah and King Abdallah, who is here today, and many other figures.
We are gathering all the different ideas that are out there. We continue to move forward. We continue to look at ways to reform the Palestinian Authority, and we look at ways to bring hope to the Palestinian people through economic development and humanitarian efforts, and we look forward to security activity that Mr. Tenet will be pushing forward next week when he goes over, whenever he goes over. I expect it will be next week.
So that remains our agenda, and it also remains part of our agenda to look at a political way to go forward, and we're gathering all the ideas as to how we can do all of that.
QUESTION: Secretary Powell, the Israelis are saying that the United States now agrees with them that a prerequisite to political talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians must be the overhaul of the Palestinian Authority. This is what officials are saying who are traveling with Sharon on the way back. Is that correct?
SECRETARY POWELL: We talked about the need to see reform within the Palestinian Authority, and we'll be discussing this with the Palestinian leaders and various elements of the Palestinian Authority in the days ahead. But we didn't get into any detailed discussions of what might be a precondition for something else.
I think reform is essential. You heard both the President and the Prime Minister speak about that strongly yesterday, and we have spoken about it at other times. But at the same time, I think you also have to consider the humanitarian part of it, the economic part of it, and a political dialogue. And we know what the Prime Minister thinks, and we'll certainly be taking his thoughts into consideration with the thoughts and views of many others as we go forward.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, but how relevant can Arafat be now? He failed to prevent the two attacks yesterday, and yet Prime Minister Sharon is going to go back and have to work on this political process, saying that Arafat should be made irrelevant. Did yesterday's events affect your view on whether Arafat is still relevant?
SECRETARY POWELL: Yesterday's events were troubling, and every time one of these events happens it takes us off a course that we were on for a while. But I think it's a course that ultimately we have to get back to, because no matter how many military operations one conducts or how many suicide bombs are delivered, at the end of the day we have to find a political solution.
And I recognize how difficult it is with some of the parties who are there, some of the leaders who are out there, and with this kind of violence and with responses that will come and acts of self-defense. But at the same time, we cannot lose sight of the reality that a political solution ultimately is what will be required to bring this long-running crisis to an end.
Thank you.
(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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