15 June 2003
Powell Sees Landscape of Peace Emerging in Middle East
(U.S. pledges support for Israeli-Palestinian commitments to end
violence) (4300)
The United States pledges its unwavering support for the efforts of
Israel and the Palestinians to reject violence and "embark on a path
to lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom," Secretary of State Colin
Powell said in an address on June 14 to the annual convention of the
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Washington.
"Prime Minister Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon have chosen the path
of peace," Powell said. "They have chosen the way of hope. Now, they
need and deserve support -- from the Arab world, from the United
States, and from all who want peace."
Arab leaders demonstrated that they are willing to do their part,
Powell stated, when President Bush met with five Arab leaders in Sharm
el-Sheikh. "These courageous Arab leaders committed themselves to the
President's vision and the roadmap to achieve it," Powell said. "We
must not let this new momentum toward peace lag. The parties must turn
these courageous commitments into peace on the ground. There is no
time for parsing promises. The two sides must now perform."
Acknowledging the recent round of terrorism and violence, Powell said
that the road to peace would need the fullest support from the
American people and government as well as other friendly governments
and concerned citizens everywhere. "I am here tonight to repeat
President Bush's pledge that we will do our part," Powell told the ADC
convention, the nation's largest and oldest Arab-American
organization.
Powell observed that the people of the Middle East had been on the
sidelines of democracy and the global marketplace for too long. But
now the landscape of the region was changing rapidly, Powell said,
with the liberation of Iraq from a savage, outlaw regime, and the
emergence of new Palestinian leadership under Prime Minister Abbas,
committed to ending violence and instituting economic and political
reform.
"The liberation of Iraq and the rekindled hopes for Arab-Israeli peace
mark the crest of a new and welcome wave of freedom, openness, and
economic reform in the Middle East," Powell said.
"If the Iraqi people are to turn their new hope into a new Iraq, they
will need our support," Powell said. "And we will not let them down."
Powell said, "We are, indeed, seeing historic change in the Middle
East. President Bush has a powerful vision for a new Middle East,
based on two democratic states living side-by-side in peace, security,
and freedom. Last week, on the shores of the Red Sea, President Bush
moved his vision a giant step closer to reality."
Secretary Powell also discussed the need to difficult balance between
open and secure borders in the post 9/11 world. Powell said that he
meets frequently with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and
Attorney General John Ashcroft to put a system into place as quickly
as possible, "so that America will always be seen as a welcoming
place, a place that wants people to come and visit, to get an
education, to take advantage of our healthcare system, our cultural
attractions."
Powell promised that the war against terrorism would remain
unremitting and ultimately successful. "We will continue to work with
our coalition partners to search out terrorists, smash their weapons,
smash their networks, and freeze their finances. There will be no
respite, no rest until terrorists and terrorism are defeated. And they
will be defeated," he said.
In his concluding remarks about the Middle East, Powell said, "We can
argue about how to get out of the cycle. But the reality is we must
end terror and violence, we must move forward, we must take this
chance for peace. And the United States will not get weary. We will
not waver. We will not stop. We will not step aside. The President is
committed. I am committed. His administration is committed. We will
succeed."
Following is the transcript of Secretary Powell's remarks to the
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's National Convention
Banquet on June 14:
(begin transcript)
Remarks at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's
National Convention Banquet
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Department of State
Office of the Press Spokesman
Washington, DC
June 14, 2003
Thank you very much, Ziad, for that very, very kind introduction. It's
a great pleasure for me to be with you this evening. I'm honored that
you would ask me to speak at this "Voices of Peace" banquet.
I want to say to my friend Jim, who a few moments ago gave you that
cautionary note -- (laughter) -- that I am not only not your worst
enemy, I am your friend. (Applause.)
I am so honored to be here on the occasion of your 20th national
convention. And, Ziad, I understand that this is your last day as ADC
president, but I also know what you're moving on to, and I know that
this is only the beginning of a new phase of your life as you work for
peace, reconciliation and civil rights. So I congratulate you on your
magnificent record as head of the ADC, and I give you my warm, best
wishes in your new endeavors. Not only Arab-Americans, but all
Americans, owe you a great debt of gratitude. (Applause.)
And my congratulations to you for having selected Mary Rose Oakar to
serve as your new president. I have known her for a number of years,
and she is a great choice for the ADC. (Applause.) I know that under
her leadership the ADC will remain a powerful voice for a
distinguished community of American citizens. Indeed, Arab-Americans
have enriched every facet of American life. Ralph Johns, son of Syrian
immigrants, was a pioneering figure in the civil rights movement, and
I have benefited from that movement.
This organization is dedicated to erasing discrimination. I know a
little bit about discrimination. As an African American, I suffered in
this, my own country, and it's only in my generation have I seen the
kinds of improvements that would allow a black man to stand before you
as Secretary of State and as former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. So I know all about discrimination. (Applause.)
We are also all privileged to be citizens of and live in a country
that is always moving forward to deal with discrimination in any
manner in which it manifests itself. Today is Flag Day. We celebrate
the flag of our nation. Isn't it interesting that the Alamo Flag
Company, the largest distributor of that quintessential American
symbol, was founded by Fawaz "Tony" Ismail. Fred Saidy has brought joy
to millions through his movies and his Broadway productions. George
Mitchell, our dear friend, senator and peacemaker extraordinaire, is
one of today's most distinguished Americans.
Arab-Americans serve the American people and serve our nation so well
in my own State Department, and I am honored to serve in President
Bush's cabinet with Spence Abraham, our distinguished Secretary of
Energy. (Applause.)
Our open borders, America's open borders, have brought us the talents
of so many people from around the world. Now in this post-9/11 world,
we need to make sure that we keep our borders open to the exchange of
people, the exchange of product and the exchange of ideas which have
made our nation great. But we have to do it in a way that does not
compromise our own security, and this is a difficult balance to reach
between having open borders but also secure borders.
And as you all know, in an effort to balance openness and security,
the Department of Homeland Security has instituted a system called the
National Security Entry/Exit Registration System, or NSEERS. Let me be
clear, absolutely clear, about what NSEERS is not. NSEERS is not a way
to keep Arabs out of this country, Muslims out of this country. It is
not a way to close our borders to anyone with a legitimate reason to
come to the United States, to the visit the United States.
What it is is an interim approach to securing our borders while we
work out a better long-term solution, and we are working on such a
solution. On a regular basis, Secretary Ridge and General Ashcroft and
I sit and talk about how we can put this system in place as quickly as
possible so that America will always be seen as a welcoming place, a
place that wants people to come and visit, to get an education, to
take advantage of our healthcare system, our cultural attractions. And
when fully in place, the new U.S. system, which is called U.S. VISIT,
will replace NSEERS. And we firmly believe the new system will help
ensure that all visitors to this great country are received with
dignity and with humanity.
Our immigration policies are meant to preserve the diversity in
American life that we all cherish, and that this organization, the
ADC, works so effectively to preserve. America is truly a country of
countries. We touch every nation, and we are touched by every nation.
We respect Muslims, we respect Jews, we respect Christians, we respect
Hindus -- we respect all of God's children worshipping in the manner
that they see fit.
I'm fond of saying to visitors who want to learn more about America --
they sit in my office in the State Department. I say to them, "You
know, I can walk out the front door, get in my car, and in five
minutes I can be at a mosque, I can be at a Catholic church, I can be
at an Orthodox church, I can be at Protestant church of any one of a
dozen different denominations. I can be in a temple, I can be in a
synagogue." I can be anywhere where God is worshiped in any manner
because of the beautiful nature of this land, and how we have found a
way to blend this diversity into a source of strength, not a source of
weakness.
Ladies and gentlemen of the ADC, you understand this so well, and you
are a vital bridge for understanding between Arabs and Americans, at
home and abroad. With a foot in both worlds, you have special insights
into America and the Arab world, and a special responsibility to share
your wisdom across cultural boundaries. And I salute you for doing
just that --for speaking out for peace in the Middle East and against
intolerance within our own borders. Ziad, I especially appreciated the
effort you made to reach out to the men and women of the State
Department when we invited you last year and you addressed our Open
Forum.
The ADC's condemnation of the May 12 terrorist attacks in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, carried an important message to the world. Like
President Bush, you have made it clear that our enemies are terrorists
and their supporters, not people of any single faith or ethnicity.
Murderers like those who killed the innocent in New York, in Riyadh,
in Bali are a threat to the entire civilized world. They make no
distinctions of religion or nationality. They kill Muslims. They kill
Christians. They kill Jews. Indiscriminately, and without mercy.
They must be stopped. They will be stopped. We are pursuing the
terrorists and their accomplices everywhere they plot their murders.
We will continue to work with our coalition partners to search out
terrorists, smash their weapons, smash their networks, and freeze
their finances. There will be no respite, no rest until terrorists and
terrorism are defeated. And they will be defeated.
The war against terrorism is vitally important. But, as President Bush
has often said, even as we make the world safer, we must also seize
the opportunities we see to make the world better. Nowhere is that
more true than in today's Middle East, where the peoples of that
embattled region have their best chance in generations to embark on a
path to lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom.
If our Arab brothers and sisters are to travel the road to a more
hopeful future, they will need support -- support from the American
government, support from other friendly governments, and from
concerned citizens such as you. I am here tonight to repeat President
Bush's pledge that we will do our part.
As you above all Americans know, the people of the Middle East have
for too long been on the sidelines of democracy and the global
marketplace. They have for too long been victimized by conflict
between Arabs and Israelis. They have for too long been on the outside
of hope looking in.
Today, however, the landscape is shifting, the landscape is changing.
We are seeing changes that promise to be of great and lasting
importance to every man, woman, and child who calls the Middle East
home. We are seeing change in Iraq. The Iraqi people have been
liberated by the armed forces of the United States, the United
Kingdom, Australia, and other coalition partners. They have been freed
from the terror of an outlaw regime that filled mass graves with the
bodies of its victims. They have been saved from the grip of a brutal
dictator who used the most terrible weapons to kill his neighbors and
even his own people.
Now, Iraqis are free to build their future. Make no mistake, it will
take time to heal the wounds of decades of tyranny and murder. Normal
life cannot simply be turned on like a light switch. But we are
already seeing signs of hope and progress.
Even though we continue to see trouble, we continue to see combat, we
see other things as well. Parents are returning to work, children are
going to school. Power plants are up and running again. Garbage is
being picked up. Normal life is returning. The oil will flow again --
and this time the proceeds from the oil, the wealth of the Iraqi
people, will not be squandered on palaces for potentates, but used to
feed and educate children. If the Iraqi people are to turn their new
hope into a new Iraq, they will need our support. And we will not let
them down.
So Iraq is free. The Palestinians have a new prime minister, Prime
Minister Abbas. And President Bush is committed to the cause of peace
between the Arab peoples and Israel. We are, indeed, seeing historic
change in the Middle East.
President Bush has a powerful vision for a new Middle East, based on
two democratic states living side-by-side in peace, security, and
freedom. Last week, on the shores of the Red Sea, President Bush moved
his vision a giant step closer to reality. In Aqaba, Jordan, he joined
with Prime Ministers Sharon and Abbas to pledge their hard work, good
faith, and courage to bring peace to the Middle East. It was a
remarkable moment, and I was proud and privileged to be there. For the
first time, the prime minister of Israel, the Palestinian Authority's
prime minister, and the President of the United States sat down
together to talk about how to share the Holy Land between the state of
Palestine and the state of Israel.
More important even than the symbolism of the moment are the
commitment that these courageous leaders made. Prime Minister Abbas
repeated his acceptance of the roadmap to peace, with which you all
are familiar. But he did much more. He reached out to the Israeli
people by renouncing terrorism against Israelis everywhere. He clearly
stated that it was time to bring all suffering, including the
suffering of the Jewish people, to an end. He pledged his authority to
act against incitement and hatred, and promised to do everything in
his power to end the armed intifada.
Prime Minister Sharon stated clearly that Israel wants peace, Israel
needs peace. But he also did much more. Prime Minister Sharon accepted
that Palestinians must have a viable state of their own. Standing next
to President Bush and Prime Minister Abbas, Prime Minister Sharon
pledged to restore normal Palestinian life and improve the
humanitarian situation on the ground. He promised to begin to remove
unauthorized outposts immediately, and they have begun to do so.
Ladies and gentlemen, Prime Minister Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon
have chosen the path of peace. They have chosen the way of hope. Now,
they need and deserve support -- from the Arab world, from the United
States, and from all who want peace. Arab leaders have shown that they
are ready to do their part. For, the day before the historic Aqaba
summit, President Bush met with five Arab leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh,
Egypt. There, President Mubarak of Egypt, King Abdullah of Jordan,
King Hamad of Bahrain, Crown Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia, and
Prime Minister Abbas pledged their full support for peace.
These courageous Arab leaders committed themselves to the President's
vision and the roadmap to achieve it. They pledged their support for
Prime Minister Abbas' efforts to end violence, build democratic
institutions, and improve the lives of the Palestinian people. And,
they promised, in President Mubarak's words, "to fight the scourge of
terrorism and reject the culture of extremism and violence."
We must not let this new momentum toward peace lag. The parties must
turn these courageous commitments into peace on the ground. There is
no time for parsing promises. The two sides must now perform.
Israel must meet Prime Minister Sharon's commitments on settlements
and begin improving conditions for the Palestinians. In its actions,
it must bolster Prime Minister Abbas as a partner for peace.
Prime Minister Abbas must also meet his commitments -- first and
foremost, his commitment at Aqaba to do everything possible to end
terrorist attacks against Israelis. We stand with him, and we expect
all freedom loving people to do likewise. But it's a tough job. Hamas
is a major obstacle to peace. Along with Palestinian Islamic Jihad,
and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, it has continued its destructive
attacks on Israelis. We must condemn these killings in the strongest
possible terms. They are only putting off the day of Palestinian
independence. All people who love peace must condemn them as well.
Israel has to defend itself, but it also needs to do so in a manner
that does not harm its interests in the long-term pursuit of peace. No
effort should be spared to avoid casualties. President Bush has made
this point very, very clearly. We must not allow, once again, terror
and violence, and the response to terror and violence, to destroy the
hope that was created in Aqaba. Only by punching through this latest
wave of terrorism and continuing down the path that was laid down at
Aqaba can Israel and the Palestinians end the scourge of violence,
once and for all. Only in this way can the children of Palestine and
the children of Israel live in the peaceful, hopeful Middle East of
President Bush's vision -- a vision that we all share.
If peace is to prevail, it needs the full support of all who care
about the Middle East, private citizens as well as governments. The
ADC has strongly supported President Bush's vision, and I thank you.
Now, as Arab-Americans, you have a unique and vital role to play by
lending your powerful voice, your powerful voice of encouragement, to
the brave leaders who are working to turn commitments into reality.
You can help build peace by taking your own experience with democracy
and free markets to the Arab world. We are counting on your continued
efforts on behalf of peace, reconciliation, and hope.
The liberation of Iraq and the rekindled hopes for Arab-Israeli peace
mark the crest of a new and welcome wave of freedom, openness, and
economic reform in the Middle East. From the Straits of Gibraltar to
the Strait of Hormuz, we are seeing stirrings of economic and
political reform.
Jordan and Morocco have put state-owned industries into more
productive private hands. Jordan was the first Arab country to prepare
its economy to benefit from a free trade agreement with the United
States. Morocco is now beginning that process.
Politically, countries from Bahrain to Morocco are embarking on bold
reforms. Qatar has its first woman cabinet minister. Yemenis voted in
the freest elections in their history. In Jordan, King Abdullah has
urged his people to use next week s elections to "promote our
democratic march," as he called it. In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince
Abdullah has proposed domestic reforms and offered an Arab charter for
enhanced political participation and economic revitalization.
As President Bush noted in his commencement speech at the University
of South Carolina recently, "reformers in the Middle East are gaining
influence, and the momentum of reform is growing." The time is ripe
for a concerted effort to help our friends in the Arab world achieve
their aspirations. They will have our full support. We will not turn
our backs on people reaching for hope.
We will work with our Arab friends to harness the engine of trade for
economic openness, development, and opportunity. Also in his
University of South Carolina speech, President Bush announced a
10-year push to form a U.S.-Middle East free trade area which would
lock in economic reform and open the countries of the Middle East to
global trade and investment.
Indeed, I will be traveling to Jordan, next week with my colleague Bob
Zoellick, the U.S. Trade Representative, to enhance and advance this
effort. There, we will meet with government and business leaders to
talk about how we can work together to expand opportunity, economic
opportunity, for the peoples of the Middle East. The President's bold
free trade proposal builds on our broader push to support the peoples
of the Middle East as they build a future of hope.
With the launch of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative last
winter, we have embarked on an innovative approach to U.S.-Arab
cooperation that places us firmly on the side of change, reform, and a
modern future for the Middle East. We are committed to engaging with
public and private sector groups to bridge the jobs gap with economic
reform, business investment, and private sector development. We are
partnering with community leaders to close the freedom gap with
projects that will strengthen civil society, expand political
participation, and lift the voices of women. And, we are working with
parents and educators to bridge the knowledge gap with better schools
and more opportunities for higher education.
President Bush's policies toward the Middle East are part and parcel
of his goals for America and the world. They are based on supporting
the human desire for dignity and well-being. They pledge cooperation
with our friends and allies, not only to meet the security threats we
face, but also to boost trade and strengthen democracy.
As the President has proclaimed, we are at a time of great and hopeful
change in the Middle East. But we need to be realistic. There will be
bumps along the road. So I ask for your patience, and I ask for your
support, as we work with our Arab and Israeli friends to overcome the
obstacles that we all face. The men, women, and children of that
region have too much to gain to let peace slip through their fingers
once again. They have too much to gain to let terrorists and
rejectionists pluck peace from their grasp.
Too much to gain. That should be the mantra of the new Middle East
which is being born before our very eyes.
The peoples of the Middle East stand on the brink of a region where
Israelis and Arabs can live together in peace, security, and dignity.
Where men and women can hold jobs that let them put bread on their
tables, provide a roof over their heads, and offer a decent education
to their children. And where respect for the sanctity of the
individual, religious tolerance, the rule of law, and the politics of
participation grow stronger day-by-day. The peoples of the Arab world
and the Middle East have too much to gain from the President's
wonderful vision. We must not fail.
Many of you have said to me in the course of the evening, "Is the
United States committed? Is President Bush committed?" And I say back
to you here now, the United States is committed, President Bush is
totally committed to achieving the vision that he laid out last year,
a vision of two states living side-by-side in peace.
What is the alternative? What is the alternative? We must take this
opportunity for peace and push forward. It will be difficult. Nobody
knows how difficult it is than I. Nobody knows more about the
difficulties that lay ahead than I do. I have been working on this now
from the first day that I became Secretary of State.
But we have no choice but to move forward. If we don't move forward,
if we don't take this opportunity, if we don't punch through this
current wave of violence, then where are we? We are nowhere, with two
peoples killing one another day after day after day.
We can argue about the cycle. We can argue about how to get out of the
cycle. But the reality is we must end terror and violence, we must
move forward, we must take this chance for peace. And the United
States will not get weary. We will not waver. We will not stop. We
will not step aside. The President is committed. I am committed. His
administration is committed. We will succeed.
Thank you 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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