Remarks at The Conference on Anti-Semitism of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

MR. KOCH: I thank you, Mr. Secretary. When I was asked to serve as Chairman…of course, I said yes…of the delegation…immediately. But I didn’t really know what I was in for. And I must say to you I did some research. I know that this conference occurred because of the involvement of President Bush and Secretary of State Powell. It wouldn’t have happened without their direct involvement and with the cooperation of Joschka Fischer, the Foreign Minister of Germany. But then I still didn’t know what would happen. I mean those were the three men who are men of good will, want to get something done, but it’s 55 nations and it requires unanimity and I just didn’t know what would happen. I must tell you I am so impressed with the caliber, not only of our own State Department people, who are magnificent, but with the caliber of the delegates that I’ve met. They provide opportunities where you can meet with other delegates and the quality of their presentations: Elie Wiesel’s opening presentation and the others who spoke, they are just wonderful in summing up what was involved. And it’s my hope, and I expect it to occur, that out of this conference will come enormous progress. Obviously, it’s for the delegates and the convention to make that decision. But based upon what they have said there will be enormous progress in dealing with anti-Semitism.

SECRETARY POWELL: Any questions for Mayor Koch?

QUESTION: No, for you sir, though.

MR. KOCH: You’re not going to get away easy.

QUESTION: I left New York; I never could vote for you.

Mr. Secretary, differences with Brahimi seem to be mounting: now he’s dismayed, he disapproves for firing on a mosque. The U.S. has put chips on Brahimi to create an interim government. Is this project in deep trouble?

SECRETARY POWELL: I don’t think so. I had a good conversation with Ambassador Brahimi yesterday before he made his presentation to the Security Council and I saw a good part of his presentation and I read the whole presentation later in the evening. He has given us a course to move down. I think it is a good way to get to the interim government. We will wait to hear what the Secretary General says about Mr. Brahimi’s presentation. We are being very careful in what we are doing in Fallujah and Najaf and Karbala and elsewhere in the country. But when individuals who are murderers, who are thugs, who are terrorists, go into holy places—places that they say are holy—for the purpose of shooting at and killing innocent people and killing our service men and women who are there to restore order, then this is a desecration of a holy place. And we have an obligation to protect our men as they are pursuing the objective of returning the city of Fallujah to its citizens. And I hope people will understand that. We are being as careful as we can not to injure civilians and not to damage holy places. There will be no problem if these murderers and thugs were not using holy places to store weapons, to use them as observation points and to shoot at our troops and to shoot at innocent civilians from these places.

QUESTION: A very quick follow up. You saw the Polish Foreign Minister. Any reassurance about Poland’s standing with the U.S. in Iraq?

SECRETARY POWELL: The Polish Prime Minister was clear as the Polish government has been clear that they are standing with us in Iraq.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, yesterday in Damascus there was unusual violence and obviously the details on it are sketchy. What’s the U.S. take on it? What happened and what do you think the motives of the perpetrators are?

SECRETARY POWELL: All we really know is what the Syrian authorities have said. Some sort of terrorist incident took place which was dealt with and I have nothing to add to it. And I would refer you to the Syrian government.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Apropos of Brahimi…apropos of your talks with Brahimi, recently he has referred to Israel as a poison, as a brutal country. Is that definable as anti-Semitism, is that something you have talked to him about?

SECRETARY POWELL: As you know the Secretary General disavowed any support or encouragement of such statements. It was a personal opinion Mr. Brahimi offered; I don’t think it is useful in this context. I believe that it is important for Ambassador Brahimi to get back to the region so we can focus on putting in place an interim government for the people of Iraq as quickly as possible. That kind of expression, I don’t think, assists us in what we are trying to do now or assists us in the region as we work toward using the initiative put forward by Prime Minister Sharon in a way that will ultimately bring into being a Palestinian state. The evacuation of settlements from Gaza and the evacuation of other settlements in the West Bank provide an opportunity for the Palestinian people to reassert civilian control over Gaza initially and then get us into the Road Map process. So we are working hard to solve this problem and to bring into being a Palestinian state in accordance with the terms of the Road Map. And I think we all should be working for that purpose and not using rhetoric that keeps us from that purpose.

QUESTION: (Inaudible)

SECRETARY POWELL: I can’t hear, I’m sorry.

QUESTION: A new Spanish initiative in Iraq. Are U.S. troops out; are U.N. troops in? What did you hear about that?

SECRETARY POWELL: I’m sorry I just can’t hear. Do I expect U.N. troops? No, I don’t expect …I don’t know what mean by U.N. troops. I expect that as we create the interim government we will get a U.N. resolution supporting that government and encouraging all nations to support that government. And hopefully as a result of such a resolution there may be more nations that are willing to contribute to the force that is there under a broader U.N. mandate.

QUESTION: Would you urge members of the Likud Party to vote for Mr. Sharon’s plan in Gaza?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I think that the Prime Minister has a very interesting proposal and I am sure that the members of the Likud Party are studying it in considerable detail. I’ll let each and every one of them make their individual judgment. They can make a judgment on their own recognizance.

QUESTION: Would you say that Israel at this time before the elections in the United States has moves that it can do to ease the Palestinians…to ease the lives of Palestinians?

SECRETARY POWELL: I regret very much, I simply cannot hear you.

QUESTION: I’m asking if you think Israel at this time can do moves in Gaza, can help Palestinians, can ease life for Palestinians before the elections in the United States?

SECRETARY POWELL: This is not geared to elections in the United States. What the Prime Minister said he will do is to evacuate the settlements in Gaza. I don’t expect that this would take place before the United States elections because it is not connected or geared in any way to the United States elections. He made this as a unilateral decision, which we hope to be able to use and build on as we proceed down the path laid out by the Road Map.

Thank you.