02 April 2002
Powell's Interview with Fox News on Mideast Conflict
(Says terrorism is keeping parties from achieving peace vision) (1230)
Following is the transcript of Secretary of State Colin Powell's April
2 interview with the Fox News Channel on the conflict in the Middle
East:
(begin transcript)
Interview by E.D. Donahey on Fox News Channel
Secretary Colin L. Powell Washington, DC April 2, 2002
MS. DONAHEY: (Unrecorded.)
SECRETARY POWELL: Good morning, E.D. How are you?
MS. DONAHEY: (Unrecorded.)
SECRETARY POWELL: Because Chairman Arafat is the head of an
organization called the Palestinian Authority, which we recognize, and
because over the last several years, we have worked with him to come
into the Mitchell process and the Tenet work plan. And so there are
mechanisms with which we can deal with the Palestinian leadership. He
is also the recognized leader of the Palestinian people.
When this current, terrible crisis we are in right now passes -- the
Israeli army finishes its sweeps of these various cities and towns --
we will be right back to seeking a political solution. And that
political solution will need two parties, the Israelis and the
Palestinians. And right now, Chairman Arafat is the leader of the
Palestinian movement.
And so we're trying to keep our channels open to him. We're talking to
him. We're trying to get him into the Tenet work plan, which, as you
know, is that work plan that allows both sides to take steps that will
permit a ceasefire and then rapidly move into the Mitchell process,
which gets us into the political discussions that are necessary to
find a negotiated solution to this crisis.
What we need now is to get the terrorist violence down. We need
Chairman Arafat and all Palestinian leaders to speak out against this,
to do everything they can to persuade their people that they are
destroying their own dreams with these kinds of terrorist activities.
MS. DONAHEY: (Unrecorded.)
SECRETARY POWELL: There's quite a bit of difference. The only
agreement he has entered into, which he has been violating ever since
he entered into it, was to allow the UN in to see if he has weapons of
mass destruction. But he is participating in no other process that one
could say was a responsible way of trying to find a political solution
to the dilemma that he has created for himself.
MS. DONAHEY: What is the United States' next step? There's been talk
of trying to find someplace for Yasser Arafat to go. Are any Arab
nations willing to accept him?
SECRETARY POWELL: No, I'm not aware of anyone saying that they wanted
to receive Yasser Arafat. I've heard of no suggestion that he wants to
go anywhere.
He's in Ramallah. That is the headquarters of the Palestinian
Authority. I'm pleased that the Israelis recognize it would be wise
not to kill him or harm him, although he has been inconvenienced,
certainly, and he has been isolated. But nevertheless, he has access
to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, and he should use that
access to persuade them that this is the time to step it back down,
stop the suicide attacks.
What's so disturbing about all of this is that last week, we were on
our way somewhere. We had a good Arab summit meeting that put forward
an initiative from Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, that said we
should move in a process, in a way so that all Arab nations could
recognize Israel.
We had a good UN Security Council resolution two weeks ago, which
talked about two states living side by side. We had Prime Minister
Sharon willing to waive his requirement for seven days. We had the
Vice President in the region. We had both sides indicating they were
ready to start the Tenet work plan, and we sent General Zinni in to
bring that plan together. The Israelis accepted General Zinni's ideas;
The Palestinians did not.
And then suddenly, while these pieces were coming together, we had the
terrible Passover massacre, which killed 22 people last week, at which
point the Israeli leadership decided we've got to do something about
these terrorist organizations and this terrorist infrastructure, which
brought us to the current crisis.
But I also know the Israelis do not intend to stay in these towns and
villages forever. They have indicated that they want to clean out what
they believe is a terrorist infrastructure, and then come on out
again. And when they do come out -- and I don't know how long it will
take -- we will be right back to a need for a political process to
move forward. And Tenet and Mitchell will be waiting for them. The
United States will be willing to be engaged, just as we have been on a
day-by-day basis -- to include the Vice President going to the region.
MS. DONAHEY: Yes. But the Arab world needs to back that as well. And
we know that today, at the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the
Arab countries were still divided over whether or not Palestinian
suiciders should be denounced as terrorists.
SECRETARY POWELL: They should be denounced. And I think most Arab
leaders --
MS. DONAHEY: But they're still divided.
SECRETARY POWELL: Most Arab leaders have denounced them. There may be
some who think it's a wise strategy, but it is not a wise strategy.
It's sending young people to their death. And in the process of
killing themselves, they're killing many innocent people.
This is murder. And this will not advance the Palestinian cause.
Israel will not buckle under and suddenly make the kinds of
concessions that Palestinians would like to see them make, in the
presence of this kind of violence.
Mitchell provides a measured way for both sides to make the
compromises necessary to get into a political discussion, quickly get
into a political discussion, that will lead to a solution and lead to
peace, so these two peoples and two nations can live side by side.
MS. DONAHEY: (Unrecorded.)
SECRETARY POWELL: You can -- the Tenet work plan provided for all
kinds of exchanges between the two sides, in order that both sides can
detect violence heading their way as they saw it. So all of that was
in the Tenet work plan. And you can be sure that these suicide bombers
are trying to destroy the Tenet work plan and the Mitchell process,
because they're not interested in peace. They're interested in terror.
They're interested in destroying Israel. And that is not going to
happen.
What we need is a political solution that will advance the cause of
the Palestinian people and the cause of the Israeli people, so both of
them can live side by side in states where both respect the rights of
the other state. President Bush was the first American President to
stand before the United Nations and call for the creation of that
state and give it a name, Palestine, living side by side with a Jewish
state, Israel.
We have done a lot to bring this vision forward, to bring this vision
closer to reality. It is tragic that it is suicide bombers,
terrorists, that are keeping us from moving this vision forward and
achieving it.
MS. DONAHEY: (Unrecorded.)
SECRETARY POWELL: I hope he will. I hope he will do more than he is
doing now.
MS. DONAHEY: (Unrecorded.)
SECRETARY POWELL: You're welcome.
(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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