10 October 2001
Transcript: Powell, NATO's Robertson Remarks After Oct. 10 Meeting
(Powell pleased with Arab League, Islamic Conference meetings) (1240)
Secretary of State Colin Powell, who met with NATO Secretary General
Lord Robertson October 10 at the State Department, expressed his
thanks for the strong support NATO has offered the United States and
said NATO's actions "show the viability of the alliance, show that the
alliance is growing, the alliance has a role to play."
Powell and Robertson spoke with journalists after their meeting.
The Secretary said he was "very pleased" with the results of both the
Arab League meeting and the Islamic Conference meeting. "I thought it
was a good statement," he said, adding by way of explanation: "They
deplored what happened on the 11th of September, indicated this is not
the kind of behavior they would find favorable. It certainly doesn't
reflect the faith that they all believe in."
The Secretary of State refused to be drawn into speculating about
future military steps.
"We will take these things one at a time.... We will be persistent, we
will be patient, but we will be determined to not only get rid of the
al-Qaida network but to deal with terrorism around the world,
terrorism with a global reach that is a threat to all civilized,
democracy-loving nations."
Agreeing, Robertson said: "There is a sense of solidarity
internationally at the present moment. And that must lead to these
cells of terrorists being challenged. Because at the end of the day
the survival of civilization may stand here as the biggest challenge
for all of us."
Following is the State Department transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
October 10, 2001
REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL
AND NATO SECRETARY GENERAL LORD ROBERTSON
AFTER THEIR MEETING
October 10, 2001
C Street Entrance
Washington, D.C.
3:30 pm EDT
SECRETARY POWELL: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It has been my
pleasure today to once again host my colleague and dear friend Lord
Robertson, Secretary General of NATO. This occasion, I was able to
thank him as the President did earlier on behalf of the American
people for the strong support that we received from NATO in this time
of crisis.
Within 28 hours after the events of September the 11th, NATO had
acted, and NATO has continued acting in the four weeks since,
providing strong support, not only in terms of statements coming out,
but in terms of the invocation of Article V, and providing us the kind
of support that we will see manifested later this week when NATO AWACS
aircraft will be coming to the United States to help us with
surveillance. NATO naval forces will be moving into the eastern
Mediterranean to take up some of the slack. And individual countries
within NATO work with us to assist us in dealing with the situation
with respect to terrorism. Above all, with all of the NATO nations
making commitments under the Article V invocation to give us
over-flight rights and other things that have proven so helpful to our
efforts.
And so I think these actions show the viability of the alliance, show
that the alliance is growing, the alliance has a role to play. More
and more nations want to become a part of this great alliance, which
has done such a brilliant job of preserving the peace, and which is
finding new missions for the future that will make it as vital as it
has been in the past.
And so, George, once again, welcome to the State Department. And thank
you again for your support, sir.
LORD ROBERTSON: Thank you very much. It has been very good to meet
with Secretary Powell today and to talk over the agenda that I have
been discussing with President Bush, with National Security Advisor
Rice, with the Vice President by video conference. These are critical
issues at this time.
It is a defining moment for humanity now in facing up to these new and
unconventional challenges, and we must be prepared to think
unconventionally if we are going to deal with them. That is why the
agenda of NATO is so focused at the present moment on this challenge,
why NATO rose immediately to the events and invoked Article V for the
first time in history, and why we have to follow that through in an
operational and a practical way as well.
So our relationships, bilateral relationships as well as the
collective strength of NATO has been called into action, and we will
prevail.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, sir.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, a quick question, Mr. Secretary.
We know about NATO's support. What do you make of the Islamic
Conference? Is that somewhat less than the kind of support you would
like?
SECRETARY POWELL: No, I was very pleased with the results of both the
Arab League meeting and the Islamic Conference meeting. I thought it
was a good statement. They deplored what happened on the 11th of
September, indicated this is not the kind of behavior they would find
favorable. It certainly doesn't reflect the faith that they all
believe in. So, not at all. When one considers the kind of statement
that might have come out, I find it was a pretty good, pretty fair
statement.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary? Is there anything, Mr. Secretary, you can say
about the next stages beyond Afghanistan and al-Qaida, whether or not
you would go, as there have been some suggestions about Southeast
Asia, for instance? Can you talk about the kinds of steps that would
be used there?
And to Lord Robertson, would NATO require any more knowledge from the
US before it followed US moves into other geographical areas?
SECRETARY POWELL: As the President said, this is a campaign against
al-Qaida and the al-Qaida network, which is located in many countries,
and the head of al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden. But it is also a campaign
against terrorism, wherever it may exist in the world. As the
President also said, the first phase is directed against al-Qaida. And
we will see what we are able to flesh out as a result of intelligence
activity, as a result of law enforcement, and financial activities.
But there are no plans that are about to come down the pike with
respect to the kinds of actions that you are suggesting in your
question. We will take these things one at a time. And the President
said, we are in this for a long time. We will be persistent, we will
be patient, but we will be determined to not only get rid of the
al-Qaida network but to deal with terrorism around the world,
terrorism with a global reach that is a threat to all civilized,
democracy-loving nations.
LORD ROBERTSON: I think that answers the question on behalf of NATO as
well. The fact is that this campaign against terrorism is
multifaceted. It's political, it's diplomatic, it's economic, it's
financial. And countries who have got these cells within them are
required in their own self-defense to deal with that at the present
moment.
There is a sense of solidarity internationally at the present moment.
And that must lead to these cells of terrorists being challenged.
Because at the end of the day the survival of civilization may stand
here as the biggest challenge for all of us.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much.
(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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