30 May 2003
Wolfowitz: U.S. Firmly Committed to Asia-Pacific Security
(Deputy Defense Secretary briefs May 30 in Singapore) (1720)
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz stressed to reporters
in Singapore May 30 that the United States "is committed to security
and stability" in the Asia-Pacific region.
"We are in the process of taking a fundamental look at our military
posture worldwide ... (because) We're facing a very different threat
than the one we have faced historically," Wolfowitz said, referring to
the post-Cold War and post-September 11 global reality.
"It's appropriate to look at how those forces are postured, how we can
get the most effectiveness out of them, in this (Asia-Pacific) region,
the same basic commitments to stability and deterrence that we've had
all along," he continued.
Despite this deployment review, however, "speculation that we might
take our Marines out of Okinawa and move them to Australia ... simply
have no foundation," Wolfowitz said.
Senators Jack Reid (Democrat from Rhode Island) and Chuck Hagel
(Republican from Nebraska) were at the news briefing and also
emphasized the U.S. commitment to peace and security in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Wolfowitz, Reid and Hagel are in Singapore for a conference on
Asia-Pacific security issues arranged by the International Institute
of Strategic Studies.
Following is a transcript of the May 30 news briefing, as released by
the Department of Defense:
(begin transcript)
U.S. Department of Defense News Briefing
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
Friday, May 30, 2003
(Press availability with Senators Chuck Hagel and Jack Reid,
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.)
Wolfowitz: Good afternoon, I'm Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of
Defense, and with me is Senator Jack Reid from the state of Rhode
Island and Senator Chuck Hagel from the state of Nebraska. I think
we're all delighted to be here in Singapore, and to be here at the
second Shangri-La Conference. I appreciate very much the effort that's
been made by our host, the government of Singapore, and by the
organizers of the conference, the International Institute of Strategic
Studies, to pull together government officials and non-government
experts on defense and security matters from throughout the Pacific
region for this second annual conference.
We have conferences of this kind on a fairly regular basis in Europe.
There's a famous one that's been taking place in Munich for some 40
years that I know all three of us have been to. Asia needs more of
this kind of consultation and dialogue and three of us are here to
give our support to that kind of effort. I think I would say if
there's one important message, and I think you'll here from them in
just a minute, I think I'm speaking for a bi-partisan consensus
between both the executive branch and the Congress in the United
States, and that is that the U.S. is committed to security and
stability in this important part of the world.
We understand how important the Asia Pacific region is to the future
of the whole world. It's particularly important to the future of our
country and we understand that America's role in Asian security has
been crucial over the last 50 years. Right now one can in fact say
that the Pacific, i.e. peaceful, is a term that applies correctly to
this region but it's not been often in history that you can say that.
I think the American commitment to this region is an important part of
keeping this a peaceful part of the world. We are here to understand
better how the U.S. can continue to play that role and to convey our
views about the major security issues of the day. Senator Hagel --
Hagel: Secretary Wolfowitz, thank you, and I'll be very brief. Senator
Reid and I were here last year as Secretary Wolfowitz noted, and just
as the Secretary noted, we came last year as we come back this year to
once again assure our friends and our allies that this part of the
world remains a critical part of the interest of the U.S. It has for
some time. It will for a long time in the future.
It's important that Secretary Wolfowitz be here because he represents
the administration's view of the priorities we place in this part of
the world. Our friends, our allies, and we are interconnected in every
way. One other point I would make is Secretary Wolfowitz's comment
regarding the congressional and the executive branches of government
in some unison on this issue I think he is exactly right. This is an
issue that crosses all governmental boundaries and party boundaries
and that is America's interest in Asia and our future being bound to
this region of the world and it is very important that we stay close
to our friends and our allies. We continue to reach out and we
strengthen our relationships and our friendships and we listen to our
friends and allies and that's as much why we're here as any other
reason. Secretary Reid -- Senator Reid -- I m sorry (Laughter.).
Reid: Thank you Senator Hagel. I don't know if I've been promoted or
demoted. (Laughter). I will be equally succinct as Senator Hagel. It
is a pleasure to be here for the second year in a row and I think it s
important, and what we're saying is that Asia is an important area of
the world and my coming here and listening to our colleagues and our
contemporaries, we're learning more, specifically about the issues
that are here, that the issues affect not just the people of this
region but the whole world and I think that again seconding Senator
Hagel's important and Secretary Wolfowitz is here because he
represents the administration and both Senator Hagel and I come from
the Congress, from both sides of the aisle -- Democrat, Republican --
so this is an issue that is one of consensus.
We understand the importance of Asia. We understand this dynamic
world, we have to know more and the best way to find out more is to
listen to the leaders that are assembled here. Thank you.
Q: I'd like to ask you about Indonesia. Something you know a lot
about. What's your assessment of the performance of the Indonesian
military action in the first two weeks of May and in light of that,
when would the administration consider distributing the IMET
(International Military Education and Training) money which Congress
has authorized and which they haven't done so far and when you take
that into consideration how far would you consider the amendment that
was passed was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last
week asking for more cooperation by Indonesia's military with the FBI
(Inaudible.) --
Wolfowitz: Actually we're meeting with the Indonesian defense minister
shortly and I think I'll save most of the answer for that. But I think
it is important in our belief that ultimately the solution in Aceh has
to be a political one, and we're disappointed that the talks broke
down, but we still think that ultimately there has to be some kind of
a political solution to that problem.
Q: But what about the military action in the past two weeks?
Wolfowitz: You'll get another shot after the Indonesian defense
minister. Yes sir?
Q: What can you tell us about the LA Times story regarding the
realignment of U.S. forces in Asia, including the pulling out of
substantial number of marines from Okinawa?
Wolfowitz: There's a lot in that story, including that point that's
simply wrong. But let me put it this way. We are in the process of
taking a fundamental look at our military posture worldwide, including
the United States. We're facing a very different threat than the one
we have faced historically. Our forces have very different kinds of
capabilities, dramatically different kinds of capabilities, than we've
had before. And its appropriate to look at how those forces are
postured, how we can get the most effectiveness out of them, in this
region, the same basic commitments to stability and deterrence that
we've had all along. But there are things in that story including the
speculation that we might take our Marines out of Okinawa and move
them to Australia that simply have no foundation.
Q: There was an article published yesterday in Vanity Fair which
quoted you as saying that weapons of mass destruction were chosen for
bureaucratic reasons to justify war in Iraq.
Wolfowitz: I'm sorry, first of all, that isn't even the way the
article puts it, but if you want to know what I actually said I would
suggest you read the transcript of the interview which is on our
website. What I said very clearly is that we have from the beginning
had three concerns. One was weapons of mass destruction, second was
terrorism, and the third -- and all three of these by the way are in
Secretary Powell's presentation at the U.N. -- the third was the abuse
of Iraqis by their own government. And in a sense there was a fourth
overriding one, which was the connection between those first two, the
connection between the weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. All
three of those have been there, they've always been part of the
rationale and I think it's been very clear. One last one --
Q: Has the war in Iraq created tensions with Muslim countries in this
region that you're going to need to smooth over? Over this weekend?
Wolfowitz: Well, I came here to listen, and as I said I'll be meeting
the Indonesian defense minister shortly. My impression from talking
just this week with our ambassador to Indonesia is that the effects in
many ways have been much less than people feared, and as these mass
graves are uncovered in Iraq, I think it's increasingly clear to
everybody, Muslims particularly, that this horrible regime in Iraq was
one that abused Muslims perhaps worse than any other government in the
world.
There's an opportunity now of working together, and we welcome help
from any direction to give the people of Iraq a chance to build a much
better free democratic country that can be an example for the Muslim
world.
Thanks very much.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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