25 April 2003
Powell Discusses NATO, Coalition Efforts in Iraq With Latvia TV
(Sees U.S. approval of new NATO members, notes Latvian support for coalition) (1630)
Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is "quite confident" the
United States will approve NATO membership for Bulgaria, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
"I think this is a sure thing," Powell told Latvian National
Television April 25. "The American Congress representing the American
people want to see NATO expanded. We are so proud of the fact that
nations that were on the other side of the Iron Curtain just 10-12
years ago are now on this side."
Each existing NATO member must agree to the accession of new members,
and so on April 10, President Bush asked the Senate to agree to the
ratification of the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty regarding
the accession of the seven new member countries.
Powell commended the commitment being made by Latvia to democratic
principles, economic development, and honest and transparent
government, and also to coalition efforts in Iraq.
Asked if Latvia would benefit from post-war reconstruction contracts,
he said Latvia had "understood the importance of supporting us" and
"was there when it wasn't clear what the outcome would be, when
everybody was worried that this war might be terrible, it might take
so long." As a result, he said, "the United States will not forget
that support."
Powell acknowledged that in an enlarged, 26-member NATO, it would be
more difficult to get a consensus on issues. From time to time there
would be disagreements, he said, which "shouldn't shock or surprise
us."
"What we must not do, though, is let these disagreements split us
apart. Let's deal with the disagreements, let's get beyond the
disagreements and let's unify again. And that's what we're in the
process of doing now," he said.
In Powell's opinion, the rebuilding of Iraq will be "something that
can unify Europe again and unify the transatlantic alliance again; and
that is a common commitment to helping the Iraqi people build a better
country and a better life for themselves."
Following is a transcript of the interview:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
April 25, 2003
INTERVIEW
SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL ON LATVIAN NATIONAL TELEVISION WITH
MR. ANSIS BOGUSTOVS
April 25, 2003
Washington, D.C.
(11:05 a.m. EDT)
MR. BOGUSTOVS: So, thank you for interview. In a couple of the weeks,
the U.S. Congress will vote for NATO a new coming nations, I hope,
accessions. So can we expect a positive vote there even if we, as
Latvians, have still problems with this NATO confidential information
maintenance? So, you're sure?
SECRETARY POWELL: Yes. I'm quite confident of a satisfactory vote. As
we say in America, I think this is a sure thing. The American Congress
representing the American people want to see NATO expanded. We are so
proud of the fact that nations that were on the other side of the Iron
Curtain just 10-12 years ago are now on this side. And there is no
side anymore because the Iron Curtain is gone. So we are all now going
to be part of a grand transatlantic alliance, an alliance that will
link Europe even more firmly with the United States, with North
America, United States and Canada.
So Congress recognizes this. It also recognizes that even though
Latvia has some problems that have caused us concern, such as the kind
you just mentioned with NATO confidential material, the commitment
that your government, your president, and your prime minister and
others have made to democratic principles, to economic development, to
making sure there is no corruption in government and there's full
transparency in government, those kinds of commitments have impressed
us. And we have also been impressed by the commitment that Latvia has
made, frankly, to some of the efforts that were important to the
United States with respect to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
So for our Congress, this will be one of the easiest decisions they've
made in a long time.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: Now, in our national interests is to have a united and
whole Europe --
SECRETARY POWELL: Mm-hmm.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: -- and NATO, as well. So what you are going, now, to do
to diminish this gap which we have in between new Europe, old Europe
and indeed, in between the United States, as well?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, new Europe, old Europe, north Europe, south
Europe, it's still all Europe. It hasn't gone anywhere. It's still
there. And so the United States will work with Europe bilaterally,
country-to-country. We'll work in NATO. We'll work with the European
Union to make sure that we all pursue that common goal of a Europe
whole, free and at peace.
And in a grand alliance of democracies, there will be disagreements.
There will be fights. This happens. That's what democracy is all
about. Nations that didn't used to fight with each other or the
biggest power within that empire, those nations no longer are there. I
mean there's no longer a Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union there was
very little friction between the nations. But now, everybody is free,
everybody is sovereign, everybody has a right to speak its own view.
And from time to time there will be disagreements. What we must not
do, though, is let these disagreements split us apart. Let's deal with
the disagreements, let's get beyond the disagreements and let's unify
again. And that's what we're in the process of doing now.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: What further steps you will -- or coalition partners
will take in order to secure stability in the region and to avoid a
possible negative any other actions after now Iraqi Freedom operation
is more or less completed?
SECRETARY POWELL: Yeah, I, of course, will be spending more time in
the region, traveling in Europe. I've already made one trip and will
be traveling again in the very near future. But you know, what can
pull us all together again is if we all commit ourselves now to
helping the Iraqi people. The war is over. The issue of weapons of
mass destruction and monitoring and more monitors and all those sorts
of issues, that's all behind us now.
We can all now rally behind the need of the Iraqi people for
humanitarian aid to rebuild their schools, to rebuild their hospital
system, to give them clean water, to make sure that everybody is being
fed, to make sure they put in place a democratic form of government so
they can begin to look like the members of NATO with respect to
believing in democracy and having that kind of government.
So we have something that can unify Europe again and unify the
transatlantic alliance again; and that is a common commitment to
helping the Iraqi people build a better country and a better life for
themselves.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: And do you see here the Latvian possibility or new
coming NATO nation possibility --
SECRETARY POWELL: Absolutely.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: -- to react on construction? Maybe some contracts we
could get for our economy?
SECRETARY POWELL: Of course. Well, everybody wants -- everybody likes
contracts, and there will be many contracts. But Latvia was there when
it wasn't clear what the outcome would be, when everybody was worried
that this war might be terrible, it might take so long, would it be
successful, would the people welcome? When those questions were still
unanswered, Latvia understood the importance of supporting us and the
United States will not forget that support.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: So do you think we should, or NATO alliance, now,
should include the new members and also think about the new face of
alliance at the same time because, I mean, how NATO will change at the
end? We are joining, actually, the other NATO as we were going to
join.
SECRETARY POWELL: Yeah, well NATO will now be expanded to 26 nations.
It's getting large -- a little harder to get consensus on an issue
when you have more nations that can vote, but NATO has dealt with
challenges like this in the past. And so the so-called "differences"
between old Europe and new Europe, that won't have any meaning as we
move forward. It's one Europe. One Europe again with differences
within that Europe. That shouldn't shock or surprise us.
You know, Europe used to argue with itself when it wasn't arguing with
the United States. So it is not as if there have not been
disagreements before that had to be dealt with.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: You're confident NATO will be still strong alliance --
SECRETARY POWELL: Yes.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: -- because those days, you didn't use twice this
alliance for any operations in Afghanistan or Iraq. Are you going to
use now them for peacekeeping in Iraq?
SECRETARY POWELL: But you know the answer to that. NATO has just
agreed to take over the International Security Force in Afghanistan.
NATO is going to do that. And at our recent meetings in Brussels, NATO
expressed a willingness-in-principle to, perhaps, contribute to our
operation in Iraq with peacekeeping forces. Now it's up to the
alliance to decide this. But they haven't ruled it out and they said,
"Let's consider it. Let's see what the need is."
And so NATO has a role to play. NATO is playing a role. And NATO, I
think, is going to continue to be a strong alliance, and the addition
of seven new countries that used to be on the other side of an Iron
Curtain that no longer is there, will strengthen NATO, not weaken
NATO.
MR. BOGUSTOVS: Thank you very much. Thank you.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
