30 June 2003
Powell Welcomes Partial Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza
(Says he wants to see total end to Palestinian terror capability)
(700)
By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has welcomed the Israeli
withdrawal from part of the Gaza Strip as "a positive development." He
also said the cease-fire declared by the Palestinian groups Hamas,
Islamic Jihad, and Fatah was "a step in the right direction."
Powell spoke with five major American news organizations (NBC, ABC,
CBS, CNN, and Fox) June 30 to comment on the new developments in the
Middle East road map, and U.S. policy toward the region.
The Israeli withdrawal, he said, came after the Palestinian Authority
had declared it was ready to take over security responsibility in Gaza
and promised to make sure that "no more terror comes from that
region," said Powell, speaking on NBC's "Today."
But a "cease-fire, in and of itself, isn't enough," he told ABC's
"Good Morning America."
"What we really want to see is the elimination of the terrorist
capability of those organizations, and we'll be working toward that
end," he said.
Powell said on Fox that the Bush administration no longer acknowledges
the difference between the military and political wings of Hamas.
"Hamas, over the years, has provided funds to people in need. It has a
social component to it. It provides help to people. But, you know, you
can no longer separate it out. If it is a terrorist organization, it
is a terrorist organization. If it has a military wing that is killing
innocent Israeli citizens, how can you separate that out from its
social wing or its civilian wing?" he asked.
On CBS's "The Early Show," Powell said Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas understands the need to build up the Palestinian
Authority's capability to disarm terrorist organizations.
"Prime Minister Abbas recognizes that he cannot be the prime minister
of a Palestinian state that is based on democratic principles if he
has terrorist organizations that have guns, that have weapons, and
have an intent to use those weapons that are outside the control of
the state," he said.
The secretary told CNN that discussions for an Israeli withdrawal from
the West Bank city of Bethlehem would begin "right away."
"[W]e hope that this will spread across the entire West Bank," said
Powell.
The Israeli presence in Palestinian cities was expensive for Israel
and "does not lead us toward peace," Powell added.
However, he warned that the peace process would be put in jeopardy if
the Palestinian security forces failed to prevent violent attacks by
Palestinian militants against Israel.
Powell said the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would make an immediate
impact upon the lives of Palestinians, with renewed freedom of
movement along Gaza's main north-south road to get to jobs, hospitals
and schools.
It means that a trip that might have taken half a day will now only
take half an hour or an hour," he said on CNN's American Morning.
Powell hoped that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would help to
increase Prime Minister Abbas' authority and his people's confidence
in his leadership.
"Now that the people of Gaza will be able to move freely back and
forth, they will see that Prime Minister Abbas and his new leadership
achieved this for them, and therefore, hopefully, they will invest in
him more power and authority and start looking away from Hamas,
saying, 'What have you gotten for us after all these months of terror
and violence? You have brought us not one step closer to peace, not
one day closer to a Palestinian state,'" he said.
Turning to Iraq, Powell said on NBC that the United States is seeing
"more disorder and looting and criminal activity and activities of
remnant elements of the regime than might have been expected."
But he described them as "pockets of resistance," and not a
"nationwide, coherent, organized resistance."
"I think as the situation improves and as people see that the economy
is starting and as the political process picks up and Iraqis start to
take responsibility for their own future, I think this will come under
control," said Powell.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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