21 September 2001
Text: Secretary Powell Addresses Organization of American States
(Thanks OAS member states for solidarity against terrorism) (1860)
Speaking at a special session of the Organization of American States
(OAS) on September 21, Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed his
appreciation for the OAS invocation of the Inter-American Treaty of
Mutual Assistance (commonly known as the Rio Treaty), which states
that "an armed attack on one member is to be considered an attack on
all."
Powell noted that "some 80 nations" were directly affected by the
attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and that the citizens of
29 OAS member states were killed in the catastrophe. He offered his
thanks for the hemisphere's "outpouring of condolence and support,"
while extending the deepest sympathy of the United States for the
grievous losses suffered by its OAS neighbors as well.
"Yet it is not tragedy, but unity, which brings us this day to the
Organization of American States: unity of values, unity of interest,
unity of purpose," he said, adding that "we act in concert with the
rest of the civilized world" in denouncing the scourge of terrorism.
Following is the text of Powell's remarks, as prepared for delivery:
(begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
September 21, 2001
REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL
TO THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
Organization of American States Building
Washington, D.C.
September 21, 2001
SECRETARY POWELL: Mr. Secretary General, Ministers and Permanent
Representatives, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the privilege of
speaking in an early spot at this very important meeting. I also thank
my colleagues for their expressions of support this morning delivered
to me one-on-one, personally, and also for the many supportive words
and complimentary words I have heard so far this morning concerning
President Bush's important speech last night, where he laid out a
campaign for the world, a campaign for the world to pursue against
terrorism. And I thank you all for that support.
I thank you also for the declaration of solidarity that I have just
had a chance to read. This is very reassuring to me, it's reassuring
to President Bush, and it is reassuring to all Americans to have this
kind of support from our friends in the hemisphere.
On September 11, a grievous blow was visited upon our hemisphere and
upon humanity. Yet it is not tragedy, but unity, which brings us this
day to the Organization of American States: unity of values, unity of
interest, unity of purpose. Twenty-nine out of the 34 nations
represented here today have citizens who were lost in the World Trade
Center bombing last week. Families mourn from one end of this
hemisphere to the other.
On behalf of President Bush and the American people, I want to extend
our heartfelt thanks to you, our neighbors, for your outpouring of
condolence and support, even as we extend to you our deepest sympathy
for all those whom you yourselves have lost.
Much has been made [of the idea] that it was an attack against an
American interest, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But, in
fact, it was an attack against civilization. Some 80 nations lost
citizens in the World Trade Center. They struck home -- my home, your
home, my nation's capital and democracy's oldest home in our
hemisphere, and New York City, the trading house of the world. Truly,
this attack against one of us was an attack against all of us.
This is not the first time that nations of our hemisphere have
suffered at terrorists' hands. The United States has stood with you
and now you stand with us, partners in resolve as well as in grief:
free peoples committed to the collective defense of our security and
of the democratic ideals that we hold so dear.
Just 10 days ago, and another world ago, we were all assembled in Lima
for a special session of the OAS. It was to be a happy and historic
occasion for our hemisphere. We were adopting our democratic charter
in an unprecedented demonstration of shared political will. A few
months earlier in Quebec, at the Summit of the Americas, our leaders
had set the goal of establishing a free trade area embracing all of
our democracies. Never had our hemisphere been closer in values and in
common vision at that time of the future that lay before us as we
looked forward from Quebec and as we looked forward from Lima.
And then came the terrible news. And with sudden clarity, we all
understood that the house of democracy and prosperity that we have all
worked so hard to build for our hemisphere was under attack and must
be defended. We realized that the great strength that comes from
solidarity, the kind of solidarity that we have achieved in the past,
will be absolutely critical as we move forward through this crisis:
critical to our democracies, critical to our prosperity, critical to
our very security.
We have now invoked the Rio Treaty in recognition of the common peril
we confront and in defense of the great promise for our hemisphere
that we must protect. And I want to especially convey my country's
gratitude to Brazil, for its leadership in initiating the resolution
to invoke the treaty.
In taking action under the Rio Treaty, our hemispheric community is
not alone. We act in concert with the rest of the civilized world. The
United Nations has risen in condemnation of the attacks. The Arab
League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the
Organization of African Unity have denounced them. The collective
defense provisions of the NATO and ANZUS alliances have been invoked.
The European Council meets in extraordinary session today and is
expected to approve major counter-terrorism initiatives.
President Bush and I have met with and talked to our counterparts all
around the globe. And the overwhelming message we are hearing is this:
we are with you; terrorism is our common foe; we must act together
against this international scourge, and against all who aid and abet
it.
We, the united democracies of the Western Hemisphere, join the world
in the global campaign against terrorism. We have pledged to deny
terrorists and their networks the ability to operate within our
territories. We have resolved to hold to account all those responsible
for aiding, financing, and otherwise supporting and harboring
terrorists.
The path-breaking resolutions already passed by the OAS Permanent
Council and those being considered today call on the members to use
all necessary and available means to pursue, capture, and punish those
responsible for the recent acts and to prevent further acts from
occurring.
Now, the long hard work must be done. Now, our governments, our law
enforcement authorities and our civic institutions must find ways to
work together at all levels and more cooperatively than ever before,
exchanging life-saving information, coordinating our activities. Now,
individually and collectively, we must take concrete steps to tighten
border controls, enhance air- and seaport security, improve financial
controls and increase the effectiveness of our counter-terrorism
forces.
Now, we must charge all relevant bodies at the national and
hemispheric level, our law enforcement agencies, our financial
organizations, those concerned with transportation, tourism, aviation,
disaster assistance, migration and so many other functions -- all of
them to integrate counter-terrorism measures into the daily
performance of their individual missions.
There is one hemispheric body in particular we need to galvanize and
strengthen: the OAS Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism. The
committee was established two years ago with a mandate to "prevent,
combat and eliminate terrorism." We have this tool; we need it; we
must use it.
Let there be no question, let there be no doubt: we are in this
worldwide campaign together for the long haul. We have endured an
enormous tragedy but we will overcome. We will defend the rule of law
against the lawless. We will not allow murderers to destroy our
democracies and devastate our economies. We will never let our future
be hijacked by terrorists.
And so today we commit ourselves to concerted action in defense of
freedom, our common home. We will do it in accordance with the Rio
Treaty, in the spirit of the OAS charter and in the name of the men
and women of our hemisphere and throughout the world who believe in
the sanctity of life, in justice, and in the power of good to prevail
over evil.
I will never forget the morning of the 11th of September, as I sat at
breakfast with President Toledo and messages were handed to me telling
me of the tragedy that happened in my country, in New York City. And
as the messages came in and gave me a further indication of the horror
of what was happening in New York and Washington, I immediately made
plans to return home. But I also wanted to stop by our meeting that
morning.
I wanted to stop by our meeting that morning to participate in our
acclamation of the power of democracy. And I will never forget the
reception I received that morning as all of you allowed me to step
forward and to say a few words about this tragedy and how it would
make my country a stronger country when we came through this tragedy,
that you could destroy our cities, you could kill our citizens but you
will never destroy our spirit, you will never destroy what the United
States is made from and what we are all about: the steel that resides
in our spirit and in our bodies.
And I will never forget, never, the response that you gave to me that
morning when, by acclamation, you passed the resolution. And then you
stood as a group and applauded. I deeply appreciated that. It meant a
lot to President Bush when I told him about it. You were applauding in
that instance for the United States and for me. But, in reality, we
were applauding for all of us. We were applauding for humankind. We
were applauding for the rule of democracy, the rule of law. We were
applauding the simple proposition that if we are a civilized people,
we must work together in concert to defeat evil, to defeat terrorism.
And that is what we are going to be doing in the world and especially
here in our hemisphere.
And so I thank each and every one of you for the expressions of
support that you have extended to us. I thank you for your collective
efforts on our behalf and on behalf of the hemisphere. And I regret
that I cannot stay for the whole meeting due to pressing matters, but
I did want you to know of the deep appreciation that we have for what
we have done here together as an important organization, the
Organization of American States.
And so I thank you once again, and may God bless all the Americas.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
NEWSLETTER
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|