UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Washington File

25 April 2003

No Reprisals for Hemispheric Nations Opposed to War, Powell Says

(U.S. disappointed, but has no desire to punish Canada, Mexico, Chile) (1630)
The United States does not envision reprisals against hemispheric
nations that opposed the war in Iraq, says Secretary of State Colin
Powell.
In an April 25 interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,
Powell offered assurances that Canada's failure to support the United
States in United Nations (U.N.) deliberations on Iraq, though
disappointing, will not have a lasting impact on the bilateral
relationship.
"The United States and Canada have been great friends for so many
years," Powell said. "Sure, we can have disagreements and issues that
come along that might make an outside observer say 'oh, heavens,
something has been fractured,' but there is no fracture in this
relationship, and there will be no consequences for Canada."
Powell said the United States was similarly disappointed with the
positions of Chile and Mexico on the Iraq war, but he did not envision
lingering tensions.
"With respect to Canada, with respect to Mexico, with respect to
Chile, these are close friends of ours -- all three -- and we will
work our way through this," Powell said.
Following is the transcript of Powell's interview:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
April 25, 2003
INTERVIEW
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation Television with Henry Champ
April 25, 2003
Washington, D.C.
(10:45 a.m. EDT)
MR. CHAMP: On any number of occasions, Mr. Secretary, you have given
reassuring statements about this current tense relationship between
Canada and the United States, but I can tell you that Canadian
officials, Canadian politicians and a good deal of the Canadian people
believe that there is going to be some consequence for their stand at
the United Nations prior to the war. They see a canceled presidential
trip. They see some vague responses to their requests about
participation in Iraq. What are the reassurances you can give now to
the Canadian people about this relationship?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, the first reassurance is, I think,
self-evident. The United States and Canada have been great neighbors
and friends for so many years. We have been through so many
experiences together, war together, peace together, the NATO alliance,
one of the greatest bilateral relations on the face of the earth, our
unguarded borders, the trade that goes across our border. I could go
on and on, the number of people who go back and forth. That's the real
strength of the relationship between the United States and Canada.
Sure, we can have disagreements and issues come along that might make
an outside observer say, oh, heavens, something has been fractured,
but there's no fracture in this relationship and there will be no
consequences for Canada.
But, obviously, we were disappointed that we didn't get the kind of
support that we had hoped for from Canada at the time of the U.N.
deliberations. That's now behind us. We are all now unifying again,
throughout NATO, throughout the United Nations, and with anybody who
wants to play a part, we're all unifying again to help the Iraqi
people. Saddam Hussein is gone. That issue has been dealt with. The
regime is gone. And now we are rebuilding a country, giving people
hope. We had a report this morning from [retired] General [Jay]
Garner, who is in charge of our reconstruction effort there, about the
people in the north who are happy to be free of this dictator and are
cheering Baghdad's coming back to life. The Shias in the south are
suddenly realizing they can practice their faith. So Canada can play a
role in this rehabilitation/reconstruction effort.
MR. CHAMP: But you know, the relationship issue between Canada and the
United States is not just solely between Canada and the United States.
At the beginning of the week, Vicente Fox in Mexico was talking about
exactly the same things, that there's disappointment being registered
by Washington towards his government. Chilean diplomats talk about the
possibility of sidetracking their free-trade agreement because they,
too, took a stand in the Security Council.
What is the future of relationships between the United States and some
of their neighbors when the disagreements appear to be genuine and
real from some of your neighbors?
SECRETARY POWELL: Our neighbors are sovereign democracies who can
determine what their positions should be. Obviously, we are going to
press our case and hope you will join us in common cause on a
particular issue. But with respect to Canada, with respect to Mexico,
with respect to Chile, these are close friends of ours -- all three --
and we will work our way through with this. We are not plotting in the
basement of the State Department or the Pentagon or the White House or
anywhere else how to get even with these three friends.
Were we disappointed? Yes. Was there a tenseness as a result of that
disappointment? Yes. Will we get over it? Sure, we will. The Chilean
Foreign Minister will be here to see me on Monday, and I am sure she
and I will have a great conversation.
MR. CHAMP: Mr. Secretary, there's been some suggestion that there's a
bit of vagueness at the moment in terms of what Canada's contribution
can be to reconstruction and humanitarian aid in Iraq. What thoughts
do you have for Canada?
SECRETARY POWELL: Canada has such skill in this kind of effort and
such experience with respect to peacekeeping operations and with
respect to helping people in need around the world. The Royal Canadian
Mounted Police have a great deal of expertise that might be useful as
we go forward with the reconstruction of Iraq. So it is up to Canada
to decide what contribution they would wish to make or what
participation they are interested in, and we and the other members of
the coalition are looking forward to discussing this in greater detail
with our Canadian colleagues. It's a bit of a moving picture right
now. The war is not yet completely over. Stability operations are just
really getting underway. We're just starting the political process.
We're just assessing what our needs are and we're just now beginning
to engage once again with the U.N. to determine what role the U.N.
should play. They played an important role yesterday when we had a
unanimous vote of an extension of the resolution that gives Kofi Annan
the authority to sign contracts under the Oil-for-Food program.
MR. CHAMP: But no question the Americans will have the prime role in
terms of the future for Iraq?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, let's be candid. It was a coalition of the
willing with the United States and the United Kingdom in the lead, and
Australia and other nations involved, that took on this task in the
face of direct political opposition from a number of nations around
the world, and, frankly, from Canada. And so we paid the political
price, the price in blood and the price in treasure, to bring about
what I think is a historic result, and the Iraqi people believe it's a
historic result, and so I think we have some equity, some standing at
the head of the class, so to speak, to make sure that this goes in the
right direction so that our investment pays off -- pays off not with a
military victory, but it pays off with a political victory, and that
political victory is a new Iraqi government that is firmly based on
democratic principles and will be proud to join the family of nations
of the region and of the world.
MR. CHAMP: Moving ahead to the roadmap on peace, another
direct-followed result from the war in Iraq, the issues of the
Palestinians and the Israelis -- you've taken some pretty significant
steps on the key issue, at least for the Israelis, the security issue.
You've warned Syria. You've warned Iran not to mess about in Lebanon,
to stop their support for terrorism. What else can you do to assure
Israel that their security will be in place?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I hope that with the appointment of a new
leader in the Palestinian Authority, a Prime Minister, Mr. Abu Mazen,
and I hope he will be speedily confirmed with a vote of confidence by
the Palestinian legislature next week, that gives us somebody who is
not a failed leader like Arafat, somebody who we can work with,
somebody that will have authority, somebody who has stood down Arafat
and got his cabinet the way he wanted it. And I hope that Mr. Abu
Mazen understands that his first task must be to make sure that
violence comes to an end and terrorism comes to an end.
With that as a beginning and with the roadmap as the way forward, I
believe both sides can now take steps, take reciprocal steps and gain
confidence with each other, and begin to trust one another and move
down a path to peace.
MR. CHAMP:  And you are -- 
SECRETARY POWELL: And we are talking to the Syrians and the Iranians
and others who have played in this grand game over the years that this
is the time to stop playing, to stop supporting terrorist activities,
and allow Israel and the Palestinians, with the help of the United
States and other members of the Quartet, to move forward down a path
of peace that will result in the creation of a Palestinian state,
which is what the Palestinian people want -- a state where they can
raise their families and achieve their own hopes and dreams, living
side by side with the state of Israel.
MR. CHAMP:  Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.  
SECRETARY POWELL:  You're welcome.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list