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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Washington File

03 May 2003

Powell Outlines Objectives of Talks with Syrian Leaders

(Secretary briefs before meeting with President Bashar Asad in
Damascus) (1460)
Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking May 3 in Damascus shortly
before beginning talks with Syrian President Bashar Asad, told
reporters he would be discussing organizations with headquarters in
Syria that have "rejectionist agendas," weapons of mass destruction
development, sealing of borders with Iraq -- all within the context of
the changed situation in Iraq and release of the roadmap to Middle
East peace.
"I will mention to the president in no uncertain terms," Powell said,
"that even though the roadmap relates principally to the Palestinians
and the Israelis, the United States sees this as part of a
comprehensive settlement that must be achieved that would include the
interests of Syria and Lebanon, as well."
Following is a transcript of the briefing:
(begin transcript)
Press Briefing in Damascus
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Damascus, Syria
May 3, 2003
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, good morning everyone, I am very pleased to be
back in Damascus and I am looking forward to my conversations this
morning with the president of Syria, President Bashar Asad, and with
the Foreign Minister, my colleague Foreign Minister Shara.
Much has changed since my last visit to Syria. We have entirely a new
situation in Iraq, and I think another element that is significant is
the appointment of Mr. Abu Mazen as Prime Minister to the Palestinian
authority and the presentation of the road map to both parties and to
all other interested nations. So we have two dynamics at work: changed
strategic situation in Iraq with the elimination of a dictatorial
regime and a new opportunity for the people of Iraq to build a country
and a government that rests on democratic foundations and the
opportunity to move forward with a peace process between the
Palestinians and the Israelis.
I will mention to the president in no uncertain terms that even though
the Roadmap relates principally to the Palestinians and the Israelis,
the United States sees this as part of a comprehensive settlement that
must be achieved that would include the interests of Syria and
Lebanon, as well. That is part of the president's vision.
So I look forward to a productive series of discussions here this
morning. I also look forward to listening to the president as to his
analysis of this changed situation, and I hope that we will both have
candid exchanges of views and then take the time necessary to reflect
both back in Washington and here in Damascus on the results of today's
conversation in order to plot a way forward for the two parties to
work more closely to help bring peace to this part of the world and to
enhance relations not only between the United States and Syria, but
with all the nations in the region.
I only have a few moments, so I only have time for one or two
questions.
QUESTION: Secretary of State Powell, you have said previously that
Syria is not on a list right now of countries that the US might
consider at some point taking military action against. Is this
something that you are willing to take off the table? Is this
something if you hear the right things from the Syrian leaders that
you would be willing to offer security guarantees?
SECRETARY POWELL: It is not on the table. I haven't heard either the
president, Secretary Rumsfeld said the other day in one of his press
conferences such a suggestion that there was a list with nations on it
that we were getting ready to attack was a mischaracterization. We had
serious concerns about some of the actions that were being taken by
Syria during the course of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and we spoke out
clearly and candidly to the Syrians about that. The president always
has a full range of political, economic, diplomatic and military
options to pursue foreign policy objectives, but I am here to pursue
diplomacy and mutual political efforts that both sides can be taken.
So, the issue of war or hostilities is not on the table.
QUESTION: So, sir, are you saying that (inaudible)?
SECRETARY POWELL: It has always been a United States goal that
conditions could be created in this part of the world where no nation
would have a need for any weapons of mass destruction. And, so that
remains a long-standing United States goal. I think it is a goal that
we have to pursue over time, and I am not supportive at the moment of
a particular declaration that might be put forward for political
purposes or to highlight the issue, but it remains an overall US
objective that we would like to see the region free of weapons of mass
destruction.
QUESTION: (in Arabic)
SECRETARY POWELL: I'll need a little help, excuse me (laughter).
Question: (as translated) Mr. Secretary, I would like to find out the
comprehensive features for the solution that lies in the Roadmap that
has been presented to the parties, and I would like to know what are
the features of the proposed peace that is viewed within that Roadmap.
Secretary Powell: The president's vision and the vision of the Arab
League are identical in this regard. We wish to see a Palestinian
state come into being that will live side-by-side in peace with
Israel, and we hope to do it in a relatively short period of time, as
the president said, within three years or so.
But we have to get started, and the Roadmap is a way to get started.
And the reason the Roadmap was delivered at this point was we believe
that with the appointment of Mr. Abu Mazen as Prime Minister of the
Palestinian Authority, along with a new government in Israel, we had
leadership that we could work with, leadership that we hope now are
firmly committed to peace. Both sides will have obligations that they
will have to undertake and both sides have to reach out and begin
dialogue with one another on security issues, on economic issues, on
political issues, ultimately. It all has to begin, however, with the
cessation of violence and the ending of acts of terror.
I am very pleased that Prime Minister Abu Mazen, in his first
statement after being confirmed as Prime Minister by the PLC, spoke to
this point and recognizes that violence and terror must end, and with
that, then, I think all sorts of opportunities arise for both sides to
march down the Roadmap together -- both sides having obligations they
must perform and both sides risks they must take in the cause of
peace.
And so our goal remains the same, ultimately to bring into being a
Palestinian state and at the same time work with Syria and Lebanon to
make sure that those tracks do not appear to be neglected. They are
not neglected, even though they are only touched on and not dealt with
in detail in the Roadmap. They are never far from my mind, and in
every one of my previous meetings with the president of Syria we have
discussed the need for a parallel track that may or may not move at
the same time, at the same rate as the Palestinian-Israeli track, but
it must be there. We are interested in a comprehensive solution that
will involve creation of a Palestinian state and settling the
outstanding issues between Israel and Lebanon, and Israel and Syria.
I am afraid that I only had five minutes, and I must go. Thank you.
One more? Okay.
QUESTION: Nicholas Kralev of the Washington Times. Mr. Secretary,
yesterday you said that you will judge whether the Syrians have
received and understood your message by their action and performance.
What specific results will you be looking for?
SECRETARY POWELL: There are a number of areas that I'll be discussing
with the president today. They are well known, dealing with respect to
different organizations that are headquartered in Syria that have
rejectionist agendas. There are other issues with respect to weapons
of mass destruction development, sealing of borders with Iraq and a
number of issues that are well known. And I am sure that I will have
occasion to review all of those with the president, but overarching
all of that it is important for us today to have a discussion with the
president that goes to those issues, but beyond that. Talks about the
changed strategic context in which we are discussing these issues, and
I think the two elements that I've mentioned, the situation in Iraq
and the publication of the Roadmap give us more than enough to talk
about and review the strategic context in which we then can talk about
these kinds of specific issues. Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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