04 October 2001
Transcript: Powell with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Oct. 3
(Discuss terrorism, response to it at State Dept. luncheon) (1240)
Secretary of State Colin Powell says he and members of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, at a luncheon at the State Department
October 3, had "an excellent discussion" on terrorism and the U.S.
response to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Powell, who hosted the luncheon, and Committee chairman Joseph Biden
(Democrat-Delaware) talked with reporters following the lunch.
Powell said he had shared with the members of the Committee his
"satisfaction with the way in which the (international) coalition has
come together. And as President Bush has said, this will be a long
campaign. We will be patient, we will be persistent, and we will
prevail.
"And I also expressed my thanks to the Chairman and the ranking member
and the other members of the Committee for the strong support that
they have provided to the Department since I became Secretary, and the
strong support they are providing to us and to all the other Cabinet
departments of government as we work through this crisis."
Senator Biden said Democrats and Republicans on the committee
"expressed our thanks ... -- absolutely unanimous, both parties -- for
the fine work that the Secretary and his team and the President are
doing. Most of us believe that the President has time. The American
people understand the importance of making sure this gets done right.
And so we indicated to the Secretary, on a bipartisan basis, that our
support is real, and the way in which he has begun and undertaken this
effort building the multinational coalition is important.
"We also raised one thing, which we'll be speaking about later today,
that this is important, that we not only demonstrate that we are able
to take down Mr. bin Laden and al-Qaida, but that this is not about
Islam; this is not about Muslims; this is not a war on anyone other
than al-Qaida and those who support and sustain the undertakings of
al-Qaida and Mr. bin Laden."
Biden also said "after this is over, there was discussion and the
strong belief on my part that the world should be part of rebuilding
the region, and that this should not be something where we just give
food aid in the near term and walk away in the future."
Following is the State Department transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
October 3, 2001
REMARKS
Remarks By Secretary Of State Colin L. Powell
and Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
After Their Meeting
October 3, 2001
C Street Entrance
Washington, D.C.
SECRETARY POWELL: It's a great pleasure for me and my colleagues to
have hosted the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for
lunch today. We have had an excellent discussion on a variety of
issues, but especially the issue of terrorism and the actions that the
United States Government has taken to respond to this challenge and to
respond to the tragedy of September 11th.
I shared with the members of the Committee my satisfaction with the
way in which the coalition has come together. And as President Bush
has said, this will be a long campaign. We will be patient, we will be
persistent, and we will prevail.
And I also expressed my thanks to the Chairman and the ranking member
and the other members of the Committee for the strong support that
they have provided to the Department since I became Secretary, and the
strong support they are providing to us and to all the other Cabinet
departments of government as we work through this crisis.
So Senator Biden, thank you for being here. Senator Helms, ladies and
gentlemen, thank you very much.
SENATOR BIDEN: Mr. Secretary, thank you for having us. By way of brief
explanation, the Secretary and I had a discussion about whether or not
what the appropriate fora was for us to have a first detailed
discussion with the Secretary about what was under way. And it was
agreed -- suggested by the Secretary -- that we do an informal lunch
down here. The Secretary has agreed to come up and appear before the
Committee in public, but we thought this was an appropriate way to get
as much detail as we could as rapidly as we could.
And we not only -- the Secretary not only expressed his thanks for
what we are doing; we expressed our thanks for quite frankly --
absolutely unanimous, both parties -- for the fine work that the
Secretary and his team and the President are doing. Most of us believe
that the President has time. The American people understand the
importance of making sure this gets done right. And so we indicated to
the Secretary, on a bipartisan basis, that our support is real, and
the way in which he has begun and undertaken this effort building the
multinational coalition is important.
We also raised one thing, which we'll be speaking about later today,
that this is important, that we not only demonstrate that we are able
to take down Mr. bin Laden and al-Qaida, but that this is not about
Islam; this is not about Muslims; this is not a war on anyone other
than al-Qaida and those who support and sustain the undertakings of
al-Qaida and Mr. bin Laden.
And toward that end, we discussed and talked about in broad strokes
the aid that's already going to help the Afghani people, the refugee
camps in surrounding countries and within Afghanistan, and the need to
put together a broader coalition, probably under the mandate of the
United Nations, but with our strong support of follow-on after this
undertaking to take out Mr. bin Laden and his associates happens,
which I believe it will.
So there was general agreement on almost everything that was
discussed, and we appreciate the candor of the Secretary and his
deputies in letting us know exactly what they're doing and what's
under way.
And I now turn the microphone over to Senator Helms.
SENATOR HELMS: The Chairman speaks for all of us. Thank you, Mr.
Secretary.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
QUESTION: Senator Biden, when you talk about a UN mandate, to which
state are you referring? When you spoke about --
SENATOR BIDEN: I didn't say UN mandate. You didn't hear what I said. I
said, after this is over, there was discussion and the strong belief
on my part that the world should be part of rebuilding the region, and
that this should not be something where we just give food aid in the
near term and walk away in the future.
I indicated that I thought that would probably occur, and I hope under
a UN mandate, after the fact, with strong US support. But there is a
strong view that there should be a commitment on the part of the
United States not to just go in and get rid of al-Qaida, not just go
in and help right now with starving Afghanis, but to help with other
nations in the future to deal with the serious economic problems, the
serious food problems that are in the world now.
QUESTION: Does the Secretary share your opinion?
SENATOR BIDEN: Yes.
(end State Department transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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