24 October 2003
Bush Administration Pursues Four-Part Middle East Policy
State's Grossman says U.S. seeks peaceful, prosperous region
The United States has large foreign policy goals for the Middle East, including Israeli-Palestinian peace, a free Iraq, the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the establishment of a Free Trade Area, according to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman.
U.S. Middle East policy comprises all four of these elements, aiming for "a Middle East that is at peace, that is economically prosperous; that has dealt with some of the issues that the United Nations Development Program has talked about," such as "[l]ack of freedom, lack of information, lack of women's participation in society," said Grossman, speaking October 20 to Abu Dhabi Television.
President Bush's speech of June 24, 2002 calling for Israel and a Palestinian state living as peaceful neighbors "is a very important statement of American policy," he said.
The under secretary acknowledged that continuing violence between the two sides has made the peace process "more difficult," and said that while both sides had obligations under the road map drawn up by the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the United States, "the first obligation has to be upon the Palestinians to do all they can to stop the terrorism."
Grossman welcomed the October 16 unanimous United Nations Security Council vote on Iraq as a "big achievement," and said it shows the international community has accepted that Iraq's reconstruction "is not an issue for just the United States."
He reminded the viewers that, so far, 32 countries have contributed 23,000 forces in Iraq.
Turning to North Korea and its nuclear ambitions, Grossman said President Bush is committed to "a peaceful way to solve this, a multilateral way to solve this, and we hope everyone will move forward with us there."
Following is a transcript of Grossman's remarks:
(begin transcript)
Interview by Rachid Jaafar of Abu Dhabi Television
Marc Grossman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Washington, DC
October 20, 2003
(4:30 p.m. EDT)
QUESTION: Mr. Under Secretary, welcome.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Thanks for your time. If you would, we will talk about Iraq.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Please.
QUESTION: And the United Nations vote at the UN Security Council has been unanimous -- 15 to nothing -- and it's been hailed as an achievement for the Administration. What has been done since then, and what's the United States' next move?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: First of all, thank you very much for the chance to be with you. And I appreciate what you say about the UN Security Council resolution. It was a big achievement. It was a big achievement for our President and a big achievement for Secretary Powell. But you remember, the President went to the United Nations a year ago, and then again this year saying that Iraq is not an issue for just the United States. It's an issue for the international community. And I think the passage of this new UN Security Council resolution again recognizes that that is true.
We're very glad it was unanimous. It shows that the Security Council is united behind a theory that Iraq belongs to Iraqis, Iraqis should run their own country, and that we all ought to be involved in helping them.
The main thing, sir, that has happened since the passage of the resolution is it has opened up people's eyes to the possibilities that are available to us at the Madrid donors conference on the 24th of October.
And a lot of people were waiting -- "Let's see if this resolution passes. Let's wait to decide what to do," but you can see what's happened after this resolution. The Japanese have talked about $1.5 billion for Iraq. The United Kingdom has talked about $900 million for Iraq. Spain, today, talked about $300 million for Iraq; South Korea, $200 million for Iraq.
And so I think the most important new thing for the Security Council resolution has been to focus on the donors conference, which we hope will be very successful.
QUESTION: At the donors conference, there are some, some European allies that have been reluctant, but like you mentioned, now they're pledging more support. Will -- this donors conference will be a milestone in the post-war era in Iraq?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: First, I think in terms of what countries decide, that's up to them; and everyone can make their own decision. I do think it will be a milestone, because I hope that Iraqis will walk away from that conference realizing that the international community is in favor of them, is for them, is behind them. And that's a good thing. And I don't know if it will be this amount of money or that amount of money, but we will consider it a great success if the Iraqi delegation to that conference leaves the conference, goes back to Baghdad and to other places in Iraq and says "The international community is really behind us."
And when you think of President Bush's request of $20.3 billion, which I hope our Congress will pass in the next couple of weeks, we're talking about substantial support for Iraq.
QUESTION: The post-war period in Iraq, it has two tracks: military track and the economic track, financial aid. If we talk about the allies and their contribution --Turkey, for example -- the parliament has okayed sending troops to Iraq. It gave the green light to the government. If Ankara decides to do so, will that complicate matters or help the United States in fulfilling its dreams and goals in post-war Iraq?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Well, of course, the dreams and goals really are Iraqi dreams and goals. They're not ours. It's Iraqis who are glad to be rid of the tyrant and it's Iraqis who want to be free. And if I might just also say, I think there are more than two tracks: a military track, an economic track. There's a very important political track out there as well, when you think about what was happening in Iraq before. There were no newspapers and now there are hundreds of newspapers. There was no way for people to express themselves politically, and now there are 88 councils in Baghdad of people learning to have a democracy.
There are local councils around in the rest of Iraq, and those are all very good things. And you see an increase each day in the amount of things that Iraqis are able to do. Iraqis are going back to school. All the universities in Iraq are open; all the hospitals in Iraq are open. And so, I think those are important things as well.
But you're right. The security track's a key one. First, I think it's worth remembering, and I hope your viewers will remember, that there are already 32 countries with forces there. It's not just the United States and the United Kingdom, but 32 countries have contributed about 23,000 forces. We'd like some more. And we're very grateful that the Turkish Government and the Turkish Parliament have said, "Yes, we're ready to do this." The question now is, what will the Governing Council decide and how will this go forward? If you ask me if it complicates matters, I don't think so. We hope that Turkey will be able to play its part in securing stability in Iraq.
QUESTION: Mr. Under Secretary, if you don't mind, we will move to the Middle East.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Please.
QUESTION: And, with the Israelis strikes in Gaza early today, and the announcement that John Wolf would not be going back to the area any time soon, what will the United States' next move be to rescue the roadmap and help stop the situation from deteriorating any further?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: We need to keep speaking clearly, as the United States, to people in Israel and to people in the Palestinian area and to people in the Arab world to remind everybody of a couple of things: first, our commitment to the President's vision of the 24th of June last year: two states living side by side in peace. And I think sometimes people kind of wash that over. "Oh, yes, the President made a speech." But the President's speech is a very important statement of American policy, and I hope would give Arab people and Palestinian people and Israelis hope that two states can live side by side in peace.
Second, you say to "rescue the roadmap." We need to keep focused on the roadmap because it's what's brought everybody together so far: Russia, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States. And people in the area are committed to the roadmap as well. So the roadmap is there. The roadmap is there to be taken. And I believe that if people look at the roadmap, which is performance-based and also which has obligations on both sides -- people will have to return to it.
Is the peace process more difficult by what happens each day with terrorism and response? Well, of course it is. But I think as our President has said, everybody has obligations in this, but the first obligation has to be upon the Palestinians to do all they can to stop the terrorism.
QUESTION: Some argue that the situation in Iraq is shifting the focus of the United States -- is distracting the Administration from putting, from focusing its efforts on the Middle East peace process. Is this true?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: No, I don't really think so, in the sense that we have got large goals in the Middle East. Think of them: peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the President's vision of the 24th of June. We'd like an Iraq that is free and successful and has its territorial integrity. We'd like to see more democracy and economic development in the whole Middle East, which is why we support our Middle East Partnership Initiative and why the President has called for a Free Trade Area in the Middle East over ten years.
And so, our Middle East policy isn't just this part, that part, some other part in which you get distracted; it's a whole. And if you could think of, five years from now or even sooner if all of us are lucky, a Middle East that is at peace, that is economically prosperous; that has dealt with some of the issues that the United Nations Development Program has talked about that's holding back people in the Arab world, and what are those things? Lack of freedom, lack of information, lack of women's participation in society.
And so we're trying to work together with the great Arab world and with our Israeli ally to make sure that all of these things can happen simultaneously. So I don't think we're distracted. We're, in fact, trying to move on all of these areas at once.
QUESTION: Mr. Under Secretary, we'll move to another subject, which is the President's trip in Asia right now.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Yes.
QUESTION: How important the timing of this trip? This chore?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: The timing, of course, is defined by the meeting of the leaders, but I think it's an important trip because it allows the President to reconnect to leaders. It allows the President to speak out on issues that are of importance to him, like talking yesterday about North Korea and the importance of the six-party talks and our desire to solve this problem with North Korea peacefully. It's also a chance to check in with our great allies in Asia, very importantly, and also to open up some new levels of conversation.
So, so far, we're very pleased with this trip. It gives people a chance to see our President and really hear him and what his vision is for the United States as an important player in the world.
QUESTION: It won't be just security issues, like some argue; it will be also trade, economic prosperity?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Absolutely. When you think of our relationship with Asia, it is like our relationship with many parts of the world. It isn't just about security. So, the President has on his agenda as you say, trade, but also very important issues like the environment, HIV/AIDS. I'm sure they'll be talking about last year's SARS epidemic.
And so, one of the great things about being involved in foreign policy today is that it isn't just about the old topics. It's about a whole new range of things, and I believe that's very exciting.
Another important thing the President will be doing, of course, is highlighting human rights, and especially calling on the government of Burma to release the great human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi.
QUESTION: Okay, Mr. Under Secretary, we're almost out of time, but we have one last question even briefly.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Of course. Go ahead.
QUESTION: The President's announcement on North Korea.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Yes?
QUESTION: How important is it for a peaceful Korean Peninsula?
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: We certainly wish a peaceful Korean Peninsula, and also we wish a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula. And so I think our effort over these past few months has been to convince first, the North Koreans, and then also our allies and friends and others we work with in Asia that there can be a peaceful resolution to this but that the responsibility here lies on the North Koreans, and that they need to completely, transparently, and forever give up this nuclear program that they have.
And they promised to do it once before, but they didn't quite get it done. And so we hope that this will be a chance for them to do so. And I think the President's conversation about North Korea, again, shows our commitment to a peaceful way to solve this, a multilateral way to solve this, and we hope everyone will move forward with us there.
QUESTION: Mr. Marc Grossman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, thank you so much for your time, sir.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to be with you.
QUESTION: Thank you.
UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Thank you. [End]
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=October&x=20031024172839namfuaks6.547183e-02&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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