Interview with Kamal Abdel Raouf of Al Akhbar Newspaper

MR. RAOUF: I was watching the National Democratic Convention on TV from the last couple of days and they said a lot of things about this Administration and how they can beat, and expect that the Presidential race will be tough. What will you do from now until November? What will they do?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, the President will continue to follow the policies that he’s been following for the last three and a half years. He will continue to work hard to help the Iraqi people build a democracy that the people of Iraq can be proud of and to put down the insurgency. He will continue to be deeply involved in finding a solution to the Middle East problem. We are trying to build on the initiative that Prime Minister Sharon put forward with respect to removing settlements from Gaza and some settlements in the West Bank. We will be working with the Palestinian side if in fact they have now empowered Prime Minister Qurei to be in charge of the security services and to bring political order and security order to Gaza as the Israelis are withdrawing. So the President has had a very forward-looking agenda. And the President will respond to the Democratic Convention by speaking at the Republican Convention in one month, but he has a strong record upon which he is going to run, and the Democrats have their proposals. The President has a record and he will defend his record and not change his positions because he thinks his positions are strong and the correct ones.

MR. RAOUF: And will he ignore the accusations by the Democratic leaders of lying to the people, dividing the United States?

SECRETARY POWELL: Of course he will. He believes he has spoken candidly and honestly to the American people. He has pointed out to them that we are now facing a Global War against Terrorism, and it will take us a long time. We must have patience, we must have determination to succeed in this war. He will speak proudly about the fact that we have gotten rid of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and we have gotten rid of Hussein in Baghdad. And that in both of these countries the people are planning elections, they want elections, they want democracy, and they want to be free of these remaining elements of the old regimes that continue to kill and maim. These remnants of the old regime in Iraq right now are killing Iraqis. They are injuring Americans, but they are killing Iraqis, they are killing policemen, they are killing officials, they are killing people.

MR. RAOUF: And another today.

SECRETARY POWELL: Yeah, another one today. They are killing people who want nothing more than peace and democracy. And does somebody want to stand up for these murderers or stand up for the people of Iraq who want democracy? The President intends to stand up for those who want democracy and peace and good relations with their neighbors, and we will fight those who are against it.

MR. RAOUF: In your meeting with President Mubarak today, did he convince you about his approach to the Darfur question, or did you convince him with your approach?

SECRETARY POWELL: I think we had a good discussion, and both of us agree that the Sudanese government can do more and should do more. There is a debate taking place within the U.N., and between the United States and Egypt as to whether or not a U.N. resolution is appropriate at this time, and whether within such a resolution there should be the possibility of sanctions.

President Mubarak and I agreed with each other that we have to give the Sudanese government some more time, and the resolution that we are presenting to the U.N. does give the Sudanese government more time, but at the same time it says at the end of thirty days, one more month, then the Security Council has to consider possible measures, it might even include sanctions, but certainly measures to demonstrate its intent, to demonstrate its will. The Sudanese government knows what it has to do. It ought to be doing it now. It ought to be bringing the Jingaweit under control and not waiting to see, ‘how many more months do I get.’ Let’s do it now. Let’s not get into the…

MR. RAOUF: You are giving them a month?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well the Security Council will decide whether it’s giving them a month or not. I would like to have seen them do it a week ago. Why do they need a month? What is it that they need a month to do that they can’t do right now that they couldn’t have done over the past several weeks?

MR. RAOUF: Some analysts in the United States say that you, both you the Democratic and the Republican parties, are using this Darfur issue to get more black votes for them.

SECRETARY POWELL: We’re using the Darfur issue not at all. I would just as soon it was not an issue. I wish there was not a Darfur. And frankly I resent that kind of attack against either the Democratic or the Republican Party. The world has been presented with a terrible problem: hundreds of thousands of people, a million or more people, have been pushed out of their villages and pushed into the countryside and into camps.

MR. RAOUF: You have seen them?

SECRETARY POWELL: I have seen them. It is not something the United States has done, it’s a result of a war that is taking place within Sudan between the rebels and between the government. And so the United States believes that we have a responsibility to speak out about this issue and do everything we could to help these people. So this isn’t a matter of finding an issue that we can use politically, this is a catastrophe on Earth right now, and everyone should be doing everything they can to help these people and not find ways to say, well, who’s using this for political purposes? There’s no political benefit in Darfur for either the Democratic or Republican Party. It is American generosity that you are seeing. We are giving millions, hundreds of millions of dollars, to help these people. I wish every country that has the wherewithal to help would give money. We are using our political influence and our diplomatic influence to try to get the world to do something about this, to try to get the Sudanese to bring this under control. And so I think it’s inappropriate for anyone to question our motives. In fact, some people are attacking us for not doing more.

MR. RAOUF: In the United States?

SECRETARY POWELL: In the United States and elsewhere.

MR. RAOUF: And outside. Has the United States forgotten the road peace plan?

SECRETARY POWELL: Forgotten the peace plan? Quite the contrary.

MR. RAOUF: There's nothing mentioned...

SECRETARY POWELL: Oh that’s, I’m sorry. The United States is deeply involved in the Peace Plan. The President went to Aqaba last year, and stood there with Prime Minister Sharon and, at the time, Prime Minister Abu Mazen and committed himself to a Palestinian state and we have not been able to get progress on this path because we frankly can not find a responsible leadership on the Palestinian side, empowered responsible leadership. Prime Minister Abu Mazen was never able to get the authority he needed from President Arafat is our judgment. And now my hope that yesterday President Arafat gave sufficient authority to the new Prime Minister Abu Alaa--not that new anymore--but gave him sufficient authority so that he can start organizing security, work with the Egyptian authorities, who have promised to help him, and get ready to assume responsibility for Gaza when Prime Minister Sharon pulls out. I think Prime Minister Sharon is committed to disengagement in the 21 settlements in Gaza and beginning with four settlements in West Bank and more settlements would be removed over time, but the Palestinian Authority must organize itself so that when it receives full control of Gaza, it’s ready to exercise that control and ready to protect the region, protect Gaza, so that it isn’t a source of terrorist activity directed against Israel, forcing Israel to go back in, and we’re right back where we started.

So the United States is as engaged as we have ever been but we need, more than anything else, responsible leadership, accountable leadership with authority, on the Palestinian side. And hopefully we’re moving in that direction, as a result of the conversations between Mr. Abu Alaa and Mr. Arafat. But we have to be careful. We’ve seen these kinds of statements before with no real change, with respect to authorities.

MR. RAOUF: You mentioned in the plane for the press corps that you don’t believe in words and you want action.

SECRETARY POWELL: Yes.

MR. RAOUF: What kind of action do you want from Arafat?

SECRETARY POWELL: I want to see Prime Minister Qurei actually in charge of the security forces so that when he tells them to do something, or he directs every organization, it takes place. And it is not subject to being changed by Mr. Arafat. That’s what authority of a Prime Minister means. He has to have real authority. And Abu Mazen was not given that kind of authority, and so far Abu Alaa has not been given that kind of authority. It’s not enough just to make statements. We have seen these kinds of statements before from Mr. Arafat with no real change, and so we hope that this is now a serious statement on his part and that real action will take place. But we can not be satisfied just with statements, we have to see real action and that action will be demonstrated shortly if we see Mr. Qurei actually do things that demonstrate that he has the authority it is claimed he has, or Mr. Arafat says he now has.

MR. RAOUF: One last question, okay?

SECRETARY POWELL: Yes, please.

MR. RAOUF: Why did you vote, the United States, against the resolution in the General Assembly about the wall? And that this confirms your other attitudes in the world.

SECRETARY POWELL: We felt that the issue was not an issue that should have gone to the International Court of Justice. We didn’t think it was the right venue for such an issue and our vote in the General Assembly was consistent with that position.

MR. RAOUF: But you were a minority, a very minority.

SECRETARY POWELL: I understand we were a minority. But our vote in the General Assembly was consistent with the position we took with respect to this issue going to the ICJ.

MR. RAOUF: And your relations with Egypt are okay?

SECRETARY POWELL: Relations with Egypt are quite good. I had good meetings this morning with President Mubarak who I’m glad to see he is looking so well. And I had excellent meetings with the new Prime Minister, very good meetings with the new minister.

MR. RAOUF: No differences between Egypt and the United States?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well there are always some differences, but the areas of agreement are far greater and far stronger than the areas of disagreement.

MR. RAOUF: What are you going to tell the Saudi Arabians?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I’ll tell them. Thank you. (laughter)

MR. RAOUF: Thank you.

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