02 October 2003
Powell Says U.S. Hopes for Iraq Resolution in "Very Near Future"
U.S. circulates revised draft to U.N. Security Council members
By David Anthony Denny
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- As the United States presented its revised draft resolution on Iraq to the U.N. Security Council October 2, Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters in Washington that he hopes the resolution will be adopted "in the very near future."
Briefing reporters at the State Department's Foreign Press Center October 2, Powell said the United States had distributed copies of the draft resolution the previous evening to the five permanent members of the Security Council, and that the ten elected Council representatives would receive a copy October 2.
The secretary also handled questions about Iraq and the U.N.'s role there, Cyprus, Turkey, Kashmir, Israel and the Palestinians, and North Korea.
Powell said that he had met with more than 100 foreign ministers gathered in New York September 22-26 for the start of the U.N. General Assembly, and that "[t]he major item of ... discussion ... was the situation in Iraq." The U.S. approach in the new draft resolution on Iraq, Powell said, "simply is to make it clear in the language of the resolution that the United States is anxious to return full authority to the Iraqi people as quickly as is possible, but at the same time, recognizing that much work has to be done before one can do that."
Recognizing that "the U.N. has a very major role to play," in Iraq, Powell said that the resolution "also talks about a role for the U.N. secretary general and the special representative [that is] broader than the current role."
Powell noted the progress made in many areas of rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, including roads, electricity, water, sewage, schools, and hospitals. However, he continued, "the security situation is the area that requires considerably more work, and that's why now you will see us expedite the training of Iraqi policemen and the raising of an Iraqi national army, so that Iraqis can become increasingly responsible for their own security."
Asked about the pending donors conference for Iraq, Powell said the World Bank "will be giving its estimate out," and that the United States has "asked for $20 billion on top of the monies we have already spent. I wouldn't expect that the international community could match that number, but we hope they will do the best they can."
Regarding the role of the multinational coalition force in the revised draft resolution, Powell said, "[W]e view the multinational force as having the imprimatur of the United Nations. ... But it still has to be a force under single authority to be an effective force, and that single authority must be in the presence of a U.S. commander, since we are the bulk of the force there and the only one with ... an ability to command such a force."
On the possibility of Turkish forces joining the coalition force, Powell said, "[W]e hope that the Turkish government, Turkish parliament, will find it appropriate to provide forces to the multinational force."
The secretary also responded to questions on the following issues:
-- Israel's building a security fence "presents a problem" in President Bush's view. "And to the extent that the fence intrudes on Palestinian land, that problem is exacerbated," he said.
-- With respect to the PKK/KADEK (Kurdistan Workers Party/Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress), the United States "consider(s) them to be terrorist organizations, and we have assured the Turkish government that we see them no other way," he said.
-- As for North Korea's latest announcement that it is planning to use reprocessed nuclear fuel rods to build its nuclear weapons, "[T]he North Koreans go out of their way to make these statements from time to time, and we will continue to pursue diplomacy and not react to each and every one of their statements which seem to be a repeat of the previous statement."
-- Concerning cross-border terrorism across the line of control between India and Pakistan in the province of Kashmir, Powell said, "We have condemned cross-border terrorism. And it's a matter of discussion with our Indian and Pakistani colleagues at every opportunity. ... [But] there is still room, I believe, for the two parties to engage in dialogue and find ways to go forward."
-- On the issue of Cyprus, Powell said he had met with the Turkish and Greek foreign ministers, and that "I told them that we believe that the plan put forward by Secretary General Kofi Annan is a good basis for discussions and we hope that both parties will continue to see the Annan plan in that light."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
