05 May 2003
NATO to Deploy Force in Afghanistan, Considering Iraq Role
(Powell, Lord Robertson speak following Washington meeting) (2210)
The NATO allies have accepted responsibility for the next deployment
of the International Security Force for Afghanistan [ISAF] and are
also considering a potential role in Iraq, Secretary of State Colin
Powell said.
Speaking to reporters in Washington May 5 with visiting NATO Secretary
General Lord Robertson, Powell said the NATO deployment in Afghanistan
"shows that the Alliance recognizes that it has new kinds of
responsibilities and is responding to new challenges and to new
threats." He said the NATO allies will explore a potential mission in
Iraq in the days and weeks ahead.
Robertson said the NATO deployment in Afghanistan is the result of a
"new reengineered and transformed" alliance that deals with "the real
and serious problems of the 21st century as and where they exist."
Commenting on North Korea's nuclear program, Powell said the United
States will work with its friends and allies to try to impress upon
North Korea that it is in its interest to eliminate the capacity to
develop weapons of mass destruction.
"[T]his is the time for us to work with our friends and allies and try
to impress upon North Korea that better opportunities await them,
support awaits them from nations in the region, if they would simply
begin acting in a more responsible way than they have in the past with
respect to nuclear weapons programs, as well as proliferation
activities and other activities of the regime such as the drug
trafficking," Powell said.
With regard to Iraq, Powell said the United States is working with the
United Nations to get economic sanctions lifted as soon as possible.
He said the United States is working for the establishment of a
government in Iraq that allows the Iraqi people to govern themselves.
He said the United States believes the coming government should be
composed of Iraqis who have returned from exile, as well as those who
stayed in the country under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Powell said that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage departs
May 5 for Pakistan and India to support positive statements from both
countries in recent days that could lead to a reduction of tensions in
South Asia.
"We are pleased that some of the developments that have taken place
over the last ten days or so, with positive statements coming from
both sides, with an intent to restore diplomatic relations, with the
opening up of transit routes. And so this is a moment of opportunity
where both sides seem to be reaching out, and Deputy Secretary
Armitage will encourage this process of reaching out," Powell said.
Following is the transcript of the press briefing by Powell and
Robertson:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman May 5, 2003
Remarks by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell And NATO Secretary
General Lord Robertson After Their Meeting
May 5, 2003 C Street Entrance Washington, D.C.
(1:30 p.m. EDT)
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's
been my pleasure to again host Lord Robertson here. We've had a good
conversation. I've had the opportunity to thank George for the work
that he has done in preparing NATO to accept responsibilities in
Afghanistan for the next ISAF deployment. I think this shows the
valuable nature of this great alliance that we are a part of and that
they are able to go out of area to an area that is far away from the
traditional boundaries of the Alliance, but it shows that the Alliance
recognizes that it has new kinds of responsibilities and is responding
to new challenges and to new threats.
I am also pleased that NATO continues to consider a potential mission
in Iraq and we'll be exploring that in greater detail in the days and
weeks ahead.
George, it's a great pleasure to have you here. We'll keep this short
and allow you to say a word, and then we'll take a question or two.
LORD ROBERTSON: Colin, it's nice to come to rainy Washington and talk
to one of the key allies in this great Alliance. When we were here
together in February, we said that we wanted NATO to play a role in
Iraq, and as a result of the request of Germany, the Netherlands and
Canada, the North Atlantic Council decided on the 16th of April that
we would take over the operation of the International Security
Assistance Force in Iraq, and, in doing so, change the whole of NATO's
history and move forward to a position where we now deal with the real
and serious problems of the 21st century as and where they exist. It's
a heavy responsibility, but the new NATO, the new reengineered and
transformed NATO, is up to the challenge and looking forward to
further challenges in the future.
QUESTION: You meant to say Afghanistan, right? Not Iraq?
LORD ROBERTSON: I meant to say Afghanistan. I do apologize. I'll do
the speech again, if you want. (Laughter.) Afghanistan.
QUESTION: A-f-g -- (laughter).
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, there's a report this morning that the United
States is prepared to acquiesce in North Korea's possession of
reprocessing again and some spent nuclear fuel. Do you have any
comment on that?
SECRETARY POWELL: I saw a press report that said that. We do not want
to see North Korea have a nuclear capability. We believe it is also
the opinion of all of North Korea's neighbors. North Korea entered
into an agreement with South Korea in 1992 that they would not do
that, an Agreed Framework agreement with us in 1994, and has made
other commitments that they would not move in this direction. But they
have moved in this direction.
And we will continue to work with our friends in the region -- Japan,
South Korea, China, Russia, Australia and others -- to have a solid
front in making it clear to North Korea that it would be in their best
interest to remove and eliminate all programs and facilities that they
have that would lead to the development of nuclear weapons.
At the same time, it is up to the North Koreans to make an informed
judgment as to what they wish to do, and we will work with our friends
and allies to make sure that whatever they might already have or might
develop in the future is not something that would be exported to the
rest of the world. It's a dangerous situation.
But this is the time for us to work with our friends and allies and
try to impress upon North Korea that better opportunities await them,
support awaits them from nations in the region, if they would simply
begin acting in a more responsible way than they have in the past with
respect to nuclear weapons programs, as well as proliferation
activities and other activities of the regime such as the drug
trafficking that they do, if you'll take note of the ship that the
Australians stopped not too long ago. These kinds of behavior will not
help the people of North Korea come out of the serious economic
difficulties that they find themselves in.
And so we'll continue to pursue the President's policy of diplomacy on
a multilateral basis, working with our friends in the region, as well
as with the United Nations.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, on the United Nations, can you tell me how
your effort is going in trying to get the sanctions lifted on Iraq? I
think General Garner was saying that they are having trouble getting
gasoline because of the sanctions.
SECRETARY POWELL: We are, of course, anxious to have the sanctions
lifted. I am not sure that's the direct cause of the gasoline shortage
in Iraq. But, certainly, General Garner is on the scene and knows
better than I do.
But we are in close consultation with a number of our allies. We, I
think, are making progress on specific language that we might want to
see in a UN resolution, and our consultations will increase in
intensity in the next several days, frankly, and over the next week or
two, in order to get some agreement on the kind of resolution that we
think would be successfully acted upon by the Security Council.
We are committed to lifting the sanctions and are anxious to see that
happen as soon as -- as soon as we can.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY POWELL: Yes.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I just returned from a short trip to Kashmir,
and people are telling me there that they want to lead a normal,
fear-free and without terrorism life. And what role the United States
play in that?
And what do you think message Mr. Secretary, Deputy Secretary Armitage
says he is going to India, what message he is carrying from the you
and from the President?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, Deputy Secretary Armitage leaves this
afternoon for a trip that will take him to both India and Pakistan.
And over the last several days, I have spoken to Foreign Secretary
Sinha of India, and I have spoken to the Prime Minister of Pakistan,
Mr. Jamali, as well as President Musharraf.
We are pleased that some of the developments that have taken place
over the last ten days or so, with positive statements coming from
both sides, with an intent to restore diplomatic relations, with the
opening up of transit routes. And so this is a moment of opportunity
where both sides seem to be reaching out, and Deputy Secretary
Armitage will encourage this process of reaching out, and the United
States will be ready to assist both sides as they move forward.
So I think we have seen this positive development, and we should
appreciate this positive development and build on it. Certainly, all
of the people in the region, Kashmiris and others, want to live a
peaceful life, want the same thing that anyone else wants in life, and
that's a safe, secure environment in which one can raise a family and
look to a more promising future for your children. And we will work
with both sides as they begin this new series of steps that we hope
will lead to a more positive relationship between the two nations.
QUESTION: On Iraq, General Garner was talking about an interim
administration, Iraqi administration, in the coming -- in the coming
weeks, and he named about five or six potential leaders for this
group. They're all exile leaders that the U.S. has been working with
before, but he didn't seem to single out any Iraqis from within the
country. And isn't this contrary to what you've been saying all along
and the White House has been saying, that it's important for both
Iraqis inside and outside the country to be part of an administration?
SECRETARY POWELL: The President's goal is to allow the Iraqi people to
decide how they will be governed, and we would expect that in the
process that is now underway, with the two meetings that have already
been held under the supervision of General Garner and Ambassador
Khalilzad and Ambassador Crocker, we are giving them that opportunity
to decide how they will be governed.
We would expect that the government, when it is formed, and on the way
to that government, the creation of an Iraqi interim authority, would
draw on the experience and the dedication of those who have been
outside, so-called exiles who have been outside and have been
committed to the liberation of Iraq, as well as the experience and
knowledge of those inside. And we think the best solution is a
combination of those, from the outside and inside, but above all, a
combination decided upon by the Iraqi people.
And I think General Garner was reflecting our desire to continue and
accelerate these series of meetings so that in the not too distant
future we will have developed a core of leaders that could be
designated as an interim authority. And that continues to be the
President's goal and General Garner's mission.
Thank you very much.
LORD ROBERTSON: Can I just make one --
SECRETARY POWELL: Yes, please.
LORD ROBERTSON: Can I just clarify what I said earlier on, just in
case my faux pas* stands on the record? NATO made a historic decision
on the 16th of April to take on responsibility for the International
Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and we did so at a time when many
people said that we would never get consensus in NATO in anything
after the debate on Iraq.
In relation to Iraq, the matter is being informally discussed,
following the meeting we had last month with Secretary Powell. No
decisions have been taken yet, but everyone recognizes that there is a
challenge there for the whole international community.
Thank you for your indulgence as I correct what might have been a
dangerous answer.
QUESTION: -- NATO role in Iraq? What is your envision of that?
LORD ROBERTSON: As I say, we're looking at it informally at the
present moment. Things may become clearer in days to come -- a lot
more clear than my first answer, anyway. (Laughter.)
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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