Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

07 September 2003

Powell Says U.S. Wants U.N. To Play "Vital Role" in Iraq

Interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" September 7

The United States wants the United Nations to play "a vital role" in Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" September 7.

The draft resolution on Iraq the United States is discussing with its fellow U.N. Security Council members outlines "many areas we want the U.N. to work in -- with respect to electoral reform, putting in place an electoral system in Iraq, reconstruction, [and] humanitarian efforts," Powell said.

"We also want the U.N. to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority, Ambassador Bremer, and with the Governing Council of Iraq to come up with a political process," the secretary said. "The resolution asks the Governing Council, the Iraqis themselves ... to come up with a plan as to how they want to resume control for their own government, their own country, and on what timetable. It seems to me that's the best way to do it."

Powell noted that currently 28 or 29 other countries are providing troops to help secure and rebuild Iraq.

"This resolution would put an umbrella over that, making it a multinational force with a U.N. mandate, and hopefully that would encourage more countries to contribute troops," he said.

The Secretary cited several positive trends in Iraq.

"Most of the towns and cities in Iraq now are being governed by councils that have been ... spontaneously formed. Schools are open. Hospitals are open. The power systems are coming back up. The sewage systems are coming back up. A lot of the damage caused by Saddam Hussein is being repaired," he said. "[W]e are on our way to creating the kind of country the Iraqi people deserve, and as soon as we can, we want to turn sovereignty over to the Iraqi people, and come home."

Following is a transcript of the interview, as released by the State Department September 7:

(begin transcript)

Interview on CBS's Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Washington, D.C.
September 7, 2003

MR. SCHIEFFER: And we begin this morning with the Secretary of State Colin Powell. Joining in the questioning this morning, David Brooks, now of The New York Times, formerly of the Weekly Standard. His column will now appear twice a week on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times. David, congratulations.

Mr. Secretary, let's begin with this U.N. resolution. So far, what you have proposed to the U.N. has been rejected by both France and Germany. How much control, how much say, is the United States willing to give the United Nations now over what happens in Iraq?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, first of all, I wouldn't use the headline that appeared in a number of papers about the rejection of the resolution. Both France and Germany have said they saw it as a positive step; it didn't go as far as they thought it should. So we're in a process of discussion and negotiations with the French and the Germans. Let's keep in mind, there were 15 members of the Security Council, not just three -- us, France and Germany. I think that as we pursue our discussions with our Security Council colleagues, we'll be able to find a way to move forward with this resolution.

We want the U.N. to play a vital role; the president has said this from the very beginning. And when you read this resolution, you will find that there are many areas we want the U.N. to work in -- with respect to electoral reform, putting in place an electoral system in Iraq, reconstruction, humanitarian efforts -- many, many things for the U.N. to do. We also want the U.N. to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority, Ambassador Bremer, and with the Governing Council of Iraq to come up with a political process. The resolution asks the Governing Council, the Iraqis themselves, these 25 leaders, now also with 25 cabinet ministers, for them to come up with a plan as to how they want to resume control for their own government, their own country, and on what timetable. It seems to me that's the best way to do it. Have them come up with it, working with Ambassador Bremer, and with the U.N.'s representative there. And let them come forward with a plan to present to the Security Council, and not have it dictated by either the United States or Germany or France or any other Security Council member.

MR. SCHIEFFER: But what -- the idea here is to make it possible to get troops from other countries to come in there with the U.N.'s approval. And so I go back -- what you seem to be saying to me this morning is the resolution you put forward so far is really just a first offer, that you're willing to work with other countries to maybe give more control than they would think that that resolution presents.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I'm not sure what we're going to give, if anything, yet. What we're going to do is, we start discussions with other countries. Somebody always puts forward a resolution, and then a negotiation begins on that resolution. And that's what we're going through now. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes it takes more time.

If I could just make one more point. There are some 28 or 29 -- the number shifts by the arrival of units -- countries that are standing alongside of us in Iraq now with over 20,000 troops. This resolution would put an umbrella over that, making it a multinational force with a U.N. mandate, and hopefully that would encourage more countries to contribute troops. I'm not expecting a huge number of additional troops, but there are some countries who have asked for a broader mandate than the current mandate that exists under U.N. Resolution 1483.

MR. SCHIEFFER: When you -- (laughing).

SECRETARY POWELL: Thanks.

MR. SCHIEFFER: When you mentioned the U.N., you did not mention -- and you just said, not many more troops -- I've heard you say elsewhere, 10- or 15,000, which, considering the troops we have there seems like a pittance -- seems like we're going to the U.N., a long way of compromising with the U.N., not getting much out of it. A few lawyers to help with electoral reform? Is that the point of going to the U.N.?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, I think we can get a lot more than a few lawyers to help with electoral reform. I think we can get more troops, as I said, and on top of the 22- -- roughly 20- to 22,000 that are there now, that would not be an insignificant number. But in addition to help with electoral reform, and the writing of a constitution, there are a number of U.N. agencies that can do a number of things, having to do with medical care, having to do with infrastructure development, having to do with community development, having to do with political reform, and all of these can be brought to bear on this challenge that we have before us.

So much has been done that we overlook as we just focus on the problems. But most of the towns and cities in Iraq now are being governed by councils that have been formed, spontaneously formed. Schools are open. Hospitals are open. The power systems are coming back up. The sewage systems are coming back up. A lot of the damage caused by Saddam Hussein is being repaired. And so we are on our way to creating the kind of country the Iraqi people deserve, and as soon as we can, we want to turn sovereignty over to the Iraqi people, and come home.

MR. SCHIEFFER: But how many more troops, Mr. Secretary, do you think are going to be needed?

SECRETARY POWELL: I don't know that -- I don't have an answer to that question. Right now, military commanders think that they have enough U.S. troops. And I would hope for as many additional coalition troops as we can get. But the real answer to the question, is not how many outsiders can come in, but how quickly we can be -- we can build indigenous forces, a new national army, police forces, border patrol forces to secure the border. That's the answer to the problem, not how many more additional foreign troops, but how quickly can we build up Iraqi forces to take control of their own country.

MR. SCHIEFFER: Every time you take an endeavor this big, you're bound to make mistakes. What mistakes did this administration make, and what do you do to correct them?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I think what we might have underestimated was the fact that all of the institutions would collapse. We didn't realize how rotten the whole place was, so that when it really got hammered, all of the institutions collapsed -- political institutions, military, police, the governing bodies all over the country. And it has taken us more time than I think we might have anticipated to deal with this and start to put in place a plan to reform governing councils, to put in place town councils, and city councils, and all the rest of it. I think we did not realize how badly the infrastructure -- how bad the infrastructure was, how much damage had been done in the 30 years of Hussein's regime.

And so it's taking us, perhaps, a little longer than we might have anticipated, to bring those systems back on line. And until we have the infrastructure working, electricity, power -- I mean electricity and power -- water, the oil pumping now, all that's starting to come up. We've done a great deal to put this country back on its feet. And, you know, you can't anticipate every problem you're going to run into. The real challenge is, can you adjust to the situation, and I think we're adjusting very well.

MR. SCHIEFFER: Mr. Secretary, we've heard estimates of 60- to 80 billion dollars as to what this might cost. Is that right?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, the president in his speech tonight to the nation will talk about the successes we've had in the global war on terrorism, and he'll talk about Iraq and Afghanistan. And he will also say to the American people that there is more work that has to be done, and he will be asking for supplemental [funds]. But I think I'll leave it to the president to make a --

MR.SCHIEFFER: Are we -- is that the right ballpark, what I've just --

SECRETARY POWELL: I'll leave it to the president to make the announcement.

MR. SCHIEFFER: Will he talk about the sacrifice the American people are going to have to make? This is clearly going to cost more, that's what you suggested.

SECRETARY POWELL: It's going to cost more, and there will be continued sacrifice on the part of our young men and women. Hopefully, the number of incidents will go down, and hopefully, in the very near future, we'll get control of the security situation. I have no doubt about the competence of our commanders in the field to do this. And slowly but surely, the security will be brought under control. The terrorists will be dealt with, and more and more evidence will emerge of the success we're having in rebuilding the infrastructure, getting the economy going, and taking care of this country and these people.

MR. SCHIEFFER: But if you look at the polls, the American people still agree with the mission. They still know we can't cut and run. But they're not convinced you have a plan, and they're not convinced the administration acknowledges how badly things have gotten in some certain respects. Is the president going to level with the American people, and say, "Yes, I acknowledge things went wrong we didn't anticipate"?

SECRETARY POWELL: He will level with the American people. He will say we're in this for the long haul. There have been some difficulties. But we do have a plan, we have a strategy. Ambassador Bremer spoke to the Iraq people on Friday and laid out a seven-step plan that leads to their assuming control of their country again. And we are well on the way into that plan. We are forming constitutional commissions, we are expanding the role of the international community through this new resolution, and the resolution builds on earlier resolutions. But he will also make it clear to the American people that we have a long way to go, sacrifices will be required, and it's going to cost quite a bit of money.

MR. SCHIEFFER: Mr. Secretary, if we're not able to bring in troops from other countries, does that mean we will have to put more American troops in Iraq, and if so, how do we do that without expanding the overall size of the American military?

SECRETARY POWELL: Our commanders are satisfied with the number of American troops there. And I think if more troops are needed to guard things, or to secure things, let's build the Iraqi army back up as quickly as we can, and not ship in highly qualified combat troops from the United States to do those kinds of jobs. We ought to be turning those things over to others, which is what we're doing with some of the coalition troops that are coming in, and that's what I know our commanders are planning to do, and Ambassador Bremer's planning to do, with the Iraqi security forces they are creating. And there is a very aggressive plan -- General Abizaid, our CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command] commander, has been briefing on an aggressive plan to create the Iraqi army again, police forces, border patrols, militias, all of these kinds of forces, so that our troops are not tied down with these sorts of missions.

MR. SCHIEFFER: Secretary, thank you so much.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you.

MR. SCHIEFFER: We'll look forward to what the president has to say tonight.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)