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Military

28 November 2001

Transcript: Powell, UN Secretary General Discuss Afghanistan, Middle East

(Speak with reporters following meeting at State Department) (1280)
Secretary of State Colin Powell and United Nations Secretary General
Kofi Annan told reporters November 28, following their meeting at the
State Department in Washington, that they had discussed all aspects of
the situation in Afghanistan -- military, political, and humanitarian
-- as well as the situation in the Middle East.
Annan, in his remarks to reporters, said that his message to Afghan
leaders meeting in Bonn is that "they have a unique and historic
responsibility to do something for their people who have suffered for
far too long."
Annan urged the meeting participants to "seize this moment" and form a
broad-based transitional administration," so that the international
community can put in to Afghanistan "the kinds of resources that will
be required to develop the country."
Powell was also asked about Iraq, and President Bush's executive order
that would permit U.S. military tribunals to try suspected terrorists.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
November 28, 2001
REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL
AND SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS,
AFTER THEIR MEETING
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It's been
my pleasure to receive once again Secretary General Kofi Annan, who
has been here in the course of the day to meet with President Bush, to
receive a number of awards in the course of the day befitting the
contributions that he has made to peace and humankind, and we are
especially pleased to have him in Washington, just about on the eve of
his departure for Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Price. And, once
again, Mr. Secretary General, congratulations.
We have had a chance to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to
talk about not just the military campaign but the humanitarian effort
that we are all committed to, the reconstruction effort that we are
all committed to, and to review the progress of the discussions in
Bonn with respect to the creation of a provisional government. Those
talks seem to be going reasonably well in their second day.
We also talked about other areas of interest, especially the Middle
East, and the usual range of issues that the Secretary General and I
speak of. So I would like to invite him to say a word or two and then
we will take a question or two before the Secretary General has to
leave to be up on Capitol Hill by 4 o'clock.
So, Mr. Secretary General, Kofi, my friend, welcome again.
SECRETARY GENERAL ANNAN: Thank you very much. I am very happy to be
here once again, to be able to continue our usual constructive
discussions. We have had a very good exchange. And I think on the
talks in Bonn, my only message to the Afghans and the Afghan leaders
who are in Bonn, is that they have a unique and historic
responsibility to do something for their people who have suffered for
far too long not to be given a chance to live in peace and in
stability. And that if they seize this moment and form a broad-based
government, a broad-based transitional administration, the
international community will have a partner to be able to carry out
the kinds of programs Secretary Colin Powell has referred to. Because
without a credible partner, we are not going to be able to put in the
kinds of resources that will be required to develop the country.
So I urge them and plead with them for the sake of their people and
their country and the region to show the leadership required and work
with Lakhdar Brahimi, my representative, to come up with the right
decisions.
Thank you.  We will take your questions.
QUESTION: Secretary Powell, has anyone outside of our ilk asked you to
explain what exactly the President meant when he said on Monday that
Saddam Hussein would just have to wait and see what happens if he
doesn't allow weapons inspectors back in? And if they haven't, if they
do ask you, what will you tell them?
SECRETARY POWELL: I will tell them to listen carefully to what the
President said. The President said that the Iraqi regime should allow
the UN inspectors back in to complete their very, very important work.
And when the President was asked, and what if they don't, what will
happen, what he said was, "He'll find out." And I think that's a
pretty good statement. I'll leave it stand. I don't think it requires
any amplification at this point.
The President and the international community, we all have a full
range of options available to us to keep trying to get rid of these
programs of weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein has been
trying to work on for the last 10 years. But the President's statement
seemed to me to be clear, declaratory, and not requiring an
amplification. I think everyone understood what he meant.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary General, would you like the -- this is a
question addressed to both of you, if I may -- would you like the
parties in Bonn to agree to non-Afghan peacekeepers to be deployed in
Afghanistan?
SECRETARY GENERAL ANNAN: I think obviously we are all looking at the
security environment in which we will have to operate, either to
deliver humanitarian assistance or for the new administration to
assume its responsibilities and carry on the rehabilitation and
reconstruction. But this is an issue that I think, as we move forward,
we will also discuss with the Afghan leadership as it is emerging.
But I will have to say that we are looking at the security situation
which, for the moment, is impeding some of the assistance in certain
parts of the north and the south. But we haven't taken any concrete
decision as to what sort of security regime should be put in place to
secure the environment. We will get to that later.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you. I've got to get the Secretary General on
his way.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, can you take one more? Mr. Secretary, with
the Spanish Prime Minister here today, it seems as if some of the
European countries are concerned about military trials, that the
suspects would not be guaranteed civil liberties, or perhaps the death
penalty. Are you prepared to offer any assurances, and do you see this
as an impediment to trying suspected terrorists for crimes?
SECRETARY POWELL: The President has a full range of legal options to
deal with those who commit crimes against US citizens. The President
has a full range of legal options to deal with terrorists. One of
those options includes what has come to be called the military
commission option. But that's not the only option he has, and that
option has not been exercised against any particular individual.
What President Aznar of Spain said earlier was that he is not in
receipt of any requests for extraditing anybody to the United States
for prosecution by any kind of tribunal. And if such a request had
come to him, he would take it under consideration. And so I don't
think it is a problem at the moment.
I know that concerns have been expressed. But I think those concerns
can be dealt with as we go forward. So I was quite satisfied with the
answer that President Aznar gave at his press conference earlier
today.
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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