02 February 2002
Transcript: Secretary Powell Interview with Univision Television
(Discusses relations with Mexico, Colombia, Argentina as well as war
against terror) (3,060)
Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the United States is working
closely with Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia on such key issues as
immigration, trade, and security. The global coalition against
terrorism remains strong, the secretary stressed, and the detainees in
Cuba, while classified as unlawful combatants, are receiving excellent
treatment.
In a wide-ranging interview in New York with Univision Television on
February 1, Secretary Powell said that the United States and Mexico
are cooperating on cross-border safety and security, immigration, and
free trade. "We have excellent relations with Mexico," Powell said.
"President Fox and President Bush are personally close, but they are
politically close as well in terms of their beliefs in democracy,
their belief in economic development and reform and trade across
borders."
Secretary Powell said he was looking forward to the announcement of a
new economic plan from Argentina that "will give the international
community and the United States sufficient confidence that Argentina
is now making the right kinds of choices with respect to their
economic future." In Colombia, he noted that U.S. efforts are focused
on assisting anti-narcotics efforts and will not become engaged
directly in combat operations.
The al Qaeda detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are being well
treated, Secretary Powell stated, and while their exact legal status
is still under discussion, "They will not be accorded prisoner of war
status. They are terrorists."
Secretary Powell said that in his State of the Union Address,
President Bush identified North Korea, Iraq, and Iran as examples of
countries sponsoring terrorist activities who are also attempting to
develop weapons of mass destruction. "The President quite clearly
pointed out to the world that these are evil regimes -- not evil
people living in these countries," Secretary Powell said. "At the same
time, there are no war plans on his desk for him to do something
tomorrow; but we will continue to have firm policies with respect to
these countries."
Powell also responded to questions regarding the abduction of a U.S.
journalist in Pakistan, the hunt for Osama bin Ladin, recent events in
Afghanistan, and U.S. policy toward Cuba.
Following is a transcript of Secretary Powell's February 1 interview
with Univision Television:
(begin transcript)
Interview on UNIVISION Network Television
Secretary Colin L. Powell Interview
by Mr. Enrique Gratas
New York, New York
February 1, 2002
MR. GRATAS: Mr. Secretary, we have (inaudible) new reports from
Pakistan about Daniel Pearl. One is an email sent to the State
Department and the other one is a ransom or bounty. They are asking
for $2 million in 36 hours. We have to believe some of this stuff or -
SECRETARY POWELL: I really don't know. I haven't had a chance to
determine the authenticity, so to speak, of the various emails, and I
can't confirm whether he is alive or dead. We hope he is alive for the
sake of his family, and we hope that the kidnappers will come to their
senses and release Mr. Pearl. He did nothing to them. He was trying
to, frankly, get a story. He was trying to put their story before the
people of the world through the press. So he is innocent and not
deserving of any bad thing to happen to him, especially (inaudible)
his family.
MR. GRATAS: We hope so too, but if the worst happens and we found him
dead, what is the next step that you will take?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, at the moment, we don't know who is holding
him. We don't know who the kidnappers are, or we would be doing
something about it now. So would the Pakistan Government. So we'll
just have to wait and see what happens and not jump to conclusions.
Let's hope for the best.
MR. GRATAS: There's a big controversy domestically and around the
world on the prisoners in Cuba. How do you personally define them?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, they are detainees, and we are having a legal
discussion in Washington as to whether we should classify them under
the terms of the Geneva Convention or not under the terms of the
Geneva Convention. And we will resolve that in the next several days.
Either way, they will not be accorded prisoner of war status. They are
terrorists. They are people who were fighting for an illegitimate
regime, and therefore their (inaudible) characterization ultimately, I
am sure, will be unlawful combatants, not prisoners of war. The
question is whether this should be done through the Geneva Convention,
or does the Geneva Convention not apply. That is as much a legal
matter as anything else. We'll work our way through that in the next
couple days.
MR. GRATAS: Some people tend to believe that you have some differences
with (inaudible) members (inaudible) in that respect.
SECRETARY POWELL: Yes, in a legal opinion. We all have our lawyers. My
lawyers have one view; other lawyers of the administration have a
different view. It is an unprecedented legal situation where we went
into Afghanistan, went after a regime that we did not recognize
because they were harboring terrorists. And the terrorists themselves,
should they be accorded any status whatsoever?
So it was rather an unprecedented situation, and one should not be
surprised that different sets of lawyers and different cabinet
officials might have a different perspective. We did not have a
personal fight within the administration. It was a good legal
discussion and policy discussion.
A point I would like to make, and I hope it's clear to all now, is
that the detainees in Guantanamo Bay are being given the best
treatment, treatment that makes sure they are getting health care,
that they are kept safe, and that they are allowed to practice their
religion, and they're getting more than enough food to eat. They're
being very well cared for.
MR. GRATAS: So what would happen to them and whatever we will find
(inaudible) operations for the future?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, they are being detained for an indefinite
period as we work through our interrogation of these prisoners to see
what charges might be placed against them and how to dispose of those
charges. All of them are citizens of other countries. Perhaps some of
them will be returned to their countries for prosecution there. So
this will be a deliberative process that will take some time.
MR. GRATAS: (Inaudible) on Osama bin Laden and Omar. Do you know
anything about that?
SECRETARY POWELL: I don't know. We don't know if they are alive or
dead or, if they are alive, where they might be hiding out. But the
fact of the matter is that Mullah Omar is no longer in charge in
Afghanistan; and Osama bin Laden, if he is alive, does not have the
same kind of control or authority that he had some time ago. He's on
the run. He's not running after us right now; he's running to save his
own life.
MR. GRATAS: Can you say that we are closer to get them (inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: I just can't answer that because I don't know where
they are, so I can't tell you whether we're closer or not.
MR. GRATAS: On the coalition (inaudible) formed and worked very well
(inaudible) very solid or (inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: Very solid. Very solid. I think a lot of people said
this would never stick together; they will never stay together for an
extended period of time. Well, we're into the fifth month now, and not
only has the coalition stayed together, it has gotten stronger because
everybody has come to the conclusion that terrorism is a problem for
each member of the coalition.
And so they're not doing this for the United States; they're doing it
for themselves; they're doing it for a better 21st century; they're
doing it to protect civilization. As long as we keep that common
purpose in mind, then I think the coalition will stay together and get
stronger. We'll continue to work on law enforcement matters, on
intelligence matters, military matters. From time to time, as
appropriate, we'll cooperate with those countries that need our help,
such as the Philippines, who have asked us to assist them in training
their military personnel to go after terrorists. So the coalition is
strong, growing, and we'll be responding.
MR. GRATAS: Are you worried about this fight between -- within
Afghanistan between warlords that are trying to get their places and
fighting for power there (inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: It is a concern. We would not like to see any
further conflict in Afghanistan. But so far it is not of a nature that
it's going to affect the ability of the Interim Authority and of
Chairman Karzai to move forward. We hope that these minor problems
will be sorted out. But it also shows how we need to create an
Afghanistan national army and police force as soon as possible so that
they can take care of these kinds of disturbances.
MR. GRATAS: Iran, Iraq and North Korea were mentioned (inaudible) any
steps that (inaudible) taking in the next future?
SECRETARY POWELL: We are always taking a look at our policies with
respect to those countries. The reason the President identified those
three as symbolic of that group of countries is that all three of them
are involved in sponsoring terrorist activities; they are all involved
with the development of weapons of mass destruction or missile systems
to deliver such weapons; and they are led by regimes that are very
intolerant and dictatorial. And it is for that reason the President
quite clearly pointed out to the world that these are evil regimes --
not evil people living in these countries, but people who are led by
evil leaders and evil regimes on top of them. And so he wanted to make
it a stark presentation. At the same time, there are no war plans on
his desk for him to do something tomorrow; but we will continue to
have firm policies with respect to these countries.
The President has said he is inviting them to move away from their
past and to join the world that is moving forward, a world that they
should want to be a part of, once they stop producing weapons of mass
destruction, once they stop producing or trying to produce missiles to
deliver such systems, and once they join a world that is more
interested in peace, not war, and more interested in the safety of
individuals, not terrorism.
MR. GRATAS: (Inaudible) for some reason the United States (inaudible)
against North Korea, for example. And what about China (inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we have good relations with China, and we are
in constant touch with our Chinese colleagues. President Bush will be
visiting China next month. So we're not planning an invasion of North
Korea. In fact, our policy right now is an offer to North Korea: We
will meet you any time, any place, whenever you're ready, with no
agenda to discuss whatever issues exist between us. And North Korea
has not responded to that. So rather than people sort of looking at us
critically about what the President said, they ought to look at North
Korea critically for what North Korea has been doing and continues to
do. If one wants to be unhappy with somebody, they should be unhappy
with North Korea for the kind of actions it takes to destabilize the
region. And one should be very, very (inaudible) on Korea -- a good
word to use -- for what they have done to their people. There are
people starving so that leaders can live good lives and build
missiles. It just doesn't make sense.
MR. GRATAS: (Inaudible.) It seems that the United States (inaudible)
relations in many, many (inaudible).
SECRETARY POWELL: Absolutely. We have excellent relations with Mexico.
President Fox and President Bush are personally close, but they are
politically close as well in terms of their beliefs in democracy,
their belief in economic development and reform and trade across
borders. And Foreign Minister Castaneda and I have spent a lot of time
together, and we also have similar views as to how we should move the
relationship forward.
There are a number of issues we're working on having to do with
cross-border safety, having to do with regularization, having to do
with assisting Mexico in every way possible to enjoy the benefits of
free trade across our border, making sure that we secure our border to
protect both nations. So we have a lot that's going on with our
Mexican colleagues.
MR. GRATAS: Specifically, about regularization. (Inaudible) hoping
that some kind of agreement is done (inaudible) future and continue
(inaudible).
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we're hard at work on the whole process of
workers coming into the United States, and what to do about that
population of Mexicans residing in the United States right now. These
are difficult issues. Three million is a lot of people, and we want to
do it in a way that shows that we respect the dignity of the Mexicans
who are living in the United States. We also want to do it in a way
that will encourage them to go back and forth across the border so
that they can be with their families, take some of the success they
have enjoyed in the United States back home to inspire others and do
good things in their own country, and do it in a way that is faithful
to the values of both countries.
It's a difficult issue, and we were somewhat delayed by the crisis of
the last four months, but Foreign Minister Castaneda and I met two
weeks ago and wanted to get all of this moving again.
MR. GRATAS: Do you think it's better to have (inaudible) instead of
having (inaudible) of people, and you don't know who they are, and
(inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, what we're anxious to do is to find a way to
control movement into the United States across the border and get rid
of the illegal immigration that is taking place and that puts so many
people at risk. And we also recognize that the Mexicans who are living
in the United States, either improperly or without authorization,
illegally or improperly, are making a contribution to our economy and
to our society. And so we want to show that we value that
contribution, but we have to find a way to deal with this large
population of unregistered Mexicans in the United States. And that's
what we're working on, but it's going to take a great deal of time.
MR. GRATAS: Mr. Secretary, some people in the United States are asking
for the militarization of the border. Is that a reality?
SECRETARY POWELL: I don't think so. I think that we have improved
security along the border, and we have done a better job of protecting
the border. There may be some minor roles for the military, but nobody
is thinking in terms of militarization in the sense of stationing
military units along the border (inaudible) military units.
MR. GRATAS: (Inaudible) program in Colombia (inaudible) situation over
there. The FARC, the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, are in the
least a terrorist organization. (Inaudible) the United States troops
now have been in the Philippines. Are you planning to look at the
situation and probably send some troops to Colombia and (inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, our support to Colombia has been in the
counter-narcotics sector. Of course, we also have a
military-to-military relationship with them. But there are no plans
for the United States armed forces to become actively and
significantly involved in combat operations in Colombia (inaudible).
The FARC is fighting the government. The FARC is also terrorizing the
citizens of Colombia, and they've done that for many, many years. And
they have now another chance to try to move forward, venture into
negotiations with the Government of Colombia in this long armed
conflict.
MR. GRATAS: Argentina, finally, Mr. Secretary. There were -- Argentina
was an unconditional ally of the United States last (inaudible). And
when they came to Washington asking for help, Washington (inaudible).
Any reason for that?
SECRETARY POWELL: No, I think we're trying to be very helpful. We meet
with our Argentine friends all the time. We have been telling them
consistently over the past six or eight months that they really do
have to come up with plans to deal with their financial crisis.
We've had a number of suggestions. We have been supportive. But at the
same time, we have been honest with them. And now, I hope that today
or in the next few days, they will be announcing a new economic plan,
supported by President Duhalde, and hopefully this will give the
international community and the United States sufficient confidence
that Argentina is now making the right kinds of choices with respect
to their economic future, that will allow them to have confidence in
going to the international financial institutions to ask for more
help. So I hope that President Duhalde (inaudible).
MR. GRATAS: (Inaudible) situation a lot of talks in the last month, a
lot of people going to Cuba. Is there any way that we can say the
relations with Cuba will improve in the next year or so?
SECRETARY POWELL: There's going to be no change in our policy with
respect to Cuba. Whether relations will improve is a question
(inaudible) to Castro, who has kept up this dictatorial regime now for
many, many years and denied the Cubans so much. They could be such a
contributing part of the American family in the Western Hemisphere,
and they could be doing so much better than they are now, if only they
had claimed this revolution that is taking place at the end of the
20th and the beginning of the 21st century toward trade opening and
toward information technology and all of the things that the people of
Cuba could be enjoying if they were part of the democratic family of
nations in the Western Hemisphere.
MR. GRATAS: Thank you very much.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thanks 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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