H.E. Dr. Marwan Muasher
Minister of Foreign Affairs
PRESS CONFERENCE
Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher & US Secretary of State Colin Powell
May 16, 2004
World Economic Forum Plenary Tent
Dead Sea, Jordan
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: Mr. Secretary, welcome to the World Economic
forum. We are very glad the Secretary is here. We've had the chance over the
last two days to discuss a number of issues of importance to this region,
including of course the Arab-Israeli peace process, the situation in Iraq and
the issue of reform. The Secretary has had the chance also to meet with civil
society leaders, who briefed him on what efforts they are making on reform. I
think we have moved a long way towards a very productive dialogue between us and
the United States and members of the G-8. We both agree that the reform process
should have ownership from this region, and we both agree also that we need help
in implementing this reform, and it is help that we are seeking from the
international community.
On the Arab-Israeli front, we are also very reassured by President Bush's letter
to His Majesty in which he reaffirmed that the terms of reference for the
process have not changed, that the United States will not be prejudging final
status issues, that it is up to the parties to negotiate these among them. And
again we had very candid discussions, we are glad that the Secretary met with
the Palestinian delegation yesterday, and we hope that the meeting tomorrow with
Dr. Rice is going to be a positive step towards moving the peace process
forward.
Obviously, we discussed the situation in Iraq as well, and we both agree that
the United Nations should really work with the United States and with all of us
in order to move the process forward there as well. We have trust in Mr.
Brahimi's mission and we hope that there will be a meaningful transition of
sovereignty on July 1st that would lead to a permanent Iraqi government. Mr.
Secretary, welcome again to Jordan.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister, and I thank you and
His Majesty for all the hospitality that has been extended to me and the members
of my delegation, and I also wish to extend my appreciation to Professor Schwab
for once again putting on this extraordinary meeting here at the Dead Sea, under
the auspices of the World Economic Forum. As the minister said, we've had good
discussions over the course of the last 24 hours, focusing on the situation in
Iraq, and our determination to push forward and allow the Iraqi people to
achieve sovereignty once again over their land by the first of July. And we've
had extensive discussions on the work of Ambassador Brahimi, and the process of
moving forward, the necessity of getting security under control and making sure
that everybody understands that on the first of July, it will be the Iraqi
interim government that will be replacing Ambassador Bremer and the Coalitional
Provisional Authority. The United States armed forces and coalition forces will
remain to work with the new government in creating a stable environment so that
they can get about the work of preparing for national elections next January.
We also had extensive discussions on the Middle East peace process, and I
conveyed to all I spoke with here that President Bush remains committed to his
vision of two states living side-by-side in peace, final status arrangements to
be determined by the two parties in negotiations with one another, on the basis
of 242, 338 and land for peace. We believe a new opportunity has been presented
by Prime Minister Sharon's ideas with respect to removing all settlements from
Gaza and beginning to remove their settlements in the West Bank. I think the
very large demonstrations that we saw in Israel yesterday in support of that
proposition indicates there is a groundswell of support among Israeli people to
move in that direction as well. We know that it will be difficult to move ahead,
but nevertheless we are determined to move ahead and that was the message I
conveyed to not only to all here but as well as Mr. Abu Ala', Prime Minister
Qurei, as he was leaving here for further discussions with Dr. Rice in Europe.
And finally, we spent a good bit of time, as the Minister mentioned, talking
about reform. Reform that ultimately has to come from within. Reform that is
coming from within. I sense that all the Arab nations understand the need for
reform, and understand that the United States and the industrialized world,
especially the G8, NATO, and other international organizations, want to assist
the Arab world in the process of reform. We can help, we can provide assistance,
we can do such things as create free trade arrangements, as we have done with
Jordan, and as we are looking to do with other nations in the region. We can
help with initiatives such as our Middle East Partnership Initiative, but we
know that ultimately reform has to come from within. So we are looking forward
to creating partnerships for reform. We are interested in putting in place, as
part of the G8 ministerial, and G8 summit process, a forum for the future,
where, on a regular basis, we can get together with our friends in the region to
talk about reform. Not a new organization with a Secretariat, trying in some way
to structure this in a manner that would be inconsistent with the desires of the
Arab nations, but a forum, where we can, on a regular basis, review progress,
see how else we can enhance the partnerships that we will be creating, and I
look forward to further discussion with my colleagues on that forum for the
future. So, all in all, I think we have had productive discussions and once
again (inaudible). I thank you for your hospitality, and I thank you especially
for the work that you have been doing, in a personal way, on the issue of reform
within the Arab League Minister's grouping. Thank you.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you spoke yesterday in your speech of a charm
offensive, a corrective curve in American foreign policy. And, the point is that
this audience looks across the sea and knows that the Israelis are daily
demolishing homes, leaving Palestinians homeless. They really need some action.
It didn't sell well. You tried, but it didn't sell well. What are you going to
do about that? What are you going to do about the issue of the Palestinians in
(inaudible)? What are you going to do about regaining the confidence of the Arab
World that you have lost? And, Mr. Foreign Minister, you seem to be putting all
your eggs in the basket, banking on an American correction of policies. You've
been criticized; you're taking chances, in the view of some. Are you on the
right track? Why do you trust there will be a correction?
SECRETARY POWELL: We oppose the destruction of homes; we don't think that
that is productive. We know that Israel has a right for self-defense, but the
kind of actions that they are taking in Rafah, the destruction of Palestinian
homes, we oppose. We've noted that the Israeli Supreme Court has also spoken on
this issue. The United States is anxious to do everything that it can to stop
this cycle of strike and counterstrike that has resulted in the loss of so many
lives within the last week.
It was the United States that came here last year, under the leadership of
President Bush, at Aqaba, and began a new process towards peace, using the
outline of the Roadmap. Unfortunately, we did not achieve the kind of success we
wanted under Prime Minister Abu Mazen, and we are now working with Prime
Minister Qurei to see if we can get the process moving once again. We need an
end of terror. We need an end of any concept that somehow killing innocent
people through suicide attacks is a legitimate political act. It is not, and it
has to stop. We need reform within the Palestinian community. We also need
action on the part of the Israelis, to stop the building of outposts. To destroy
the outposts that were supposed to have been destroyed as part of the Roadmap
process.
I think that the Quartet meeting two weeks ago in New York showed once again
that the entire international community is mobilized to get back to the Roadmap
and to use the opportunity presented by Prime Minister Sharon as a way of
finally removing settlements for the first time, and not just talking about
removing settlements, not just sitting on past policies and statements and going
around and around a circle. This is a way to get us out of that circle with the
actual removal of settlements in Gaza and in the West Bank, and we are anxious
to see how Prime Minister Sharon is planning to move forward to capture the
feelings of his people, who want this to happen.
And so the United States is not disengaged, we are engaged, and I think in the
weeks ahead the Palestinians and people in the Arab lands will see that the
United States is engaged, and President Bush has lost none of his interest in
the region, nor has he lost his passion for seeing created a Palestinian state
that will live side-by-side, in peace, with Israel.
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: As you know, there was an uproar in this region
because of the feeling that the United States has changed the terms of reference
for the process, particularly on the two issues of refugees and borders. The
importance of President Bush's letter to the King is that it reaffirms that the
terms of reference for the process have not changed, that it is still up to the
two parties to negotiate the two-state solution, a final settlement, and that
the United States will not prejudge the outcome of these negotiations. This is
the importance of the letter. But, the bottom line is that no letter, whether to
the Israelis nor to the Arab side, is going to move the peace process forward
without all of us making sure that the necessary steps are taken in order to
start building the Palestinian state in order to move forward to the end of the
Israeli occupation. This is why Jordan joins the international community in
supporting the Roadmap. Because the Roadmap outlines a series of steps that are
supposed to be taken on both sides in order to move the process forward and
reach that stage.
The letter to the King is a beginning, is a recommitment, a reaffirmation that
things have not changed, that we need to build on this letter and we need to
move forward on a series of steps that are clearly outlined in the Roadmap.
QUESTION: I wondered if in light of Arafat's statement yesterday where he
called on the Palestinian people to find whatever strength you have to terrorize
your enemy. At the same time (inaudible) how does that fit in with your efforts
with the Prime Minister? You know, for months you've been urging Palestinian
Prime Ministers to consolidate security forces, why do you suppose that hasn't
happened yet?
SECRETARY POWELL: Mr. Arafat refuses to allow the consolidation of
security forces. Mr. Arafat continues to make statements of the kind he made
yesterday about let's terrorize the region. Everybody says the United States
should do more, and we want to do more. But Mr. Arafat continues to take actions
and make statements that make it exceptionally difficult to move forward.
I discussed this with the Prime Minister in a very straightforward and very
candid conversation yesterday.
QUESTION: (In Arabic)
SECRETARY POWELL: With respect to the article in "The New Yorker," I haven't
read it. I think it is just now coming out and based on the quick summary I
read, I have nothing to say, and I'm sure that the Defense Department and
Secretary Rumsfeld will be commenting on it.
Reform in the region has to be a partnership. So, it's not a matter of the
United States once again walking away from the Arab world. We put out certain
ideas with respect to reform, but we cannot impose reform from the outside, nor
would we want to, nor would we even try to. We have ideas, let's share our ideas
with our friends, they will see some ideas in the G8 Ministerial statement that
we issued the other day and the documents we are working on for the G8 Summit
that is coming up. We will share them with our Arab friends. Our Arab friends
are sharing with us their ideas coming out of their Ministerial Meeting. So I
think there is a convergence of ideas coming from within and some ideas from
without. But ultimately reform has to be done by each individual country in
keeping with its own culture, its own history, its own tradition, its own
desires, the aspirations of its own people. The United States can help. The G8
members can help. There are a number of processes already underway, the Euro-Med
dialogue. NATO may be able to play a role. But ultimately it has to come from
within with the assistance from outside and partnership from outside.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, every Arab I have spoken to in this largely
pro-Western audience has expressed either frustration, anger, or, in some cases,
mentioned that they were insulted by your speech yesterday and the failure to
offer any new ideas to break the policy logjam and the failure to issue an
apology to an Arab audience over the behavior at Abu Ghraib.
First of all, to Minister Muasher, what action would it take by the United
States to ease Arab anger, and, Mr. Secretary, does the United States plan to
take any further action -- concrete action -- to deal with this lack of
credibility and frustration in the Arab world?
SECRETARY POWELL: With respect to Abu Ghraib, I think I made it clear
what my feelings were. The President has expressed an apology on behalf of the
nation. We will reinforce that apology. We are devastated by what happened at
Abu Ghraib. We apologized to those who were abused in such an awful manner.
Yesterday I was speaking as a soldier who was devastated by what had been done
by my fellow soldiers, and I think that should be clear to the audience. And the
President has spoken to the issue of apology.
We are doing everything we can to deal with what you described as the
frustrations within the Arab world. Everybody says we should return sovereignty
to the Iraqi people, so that it no longer looks like an occupation. That's
exactly what we're trying to do and what we plan to accomplish by the end of
June. And I think I made that clear.
With respect to the Arab-Israeli issue, we're working hard. We have taken
advantage of an initiative that has come forward from Prime Minister Sharon to
see if we can break ourselves out of this circle we have been trapped in.
And, so, I understand the frustration of the region, I understand the need for
us to be seen as taking action. And I think we are taking action with respect to
Iraq, I think we're taking action with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian issue,
and we're certainly helping our friends as they move forward on reform.
And so that is what the message was that I brought here yesterday, and I hope it
is a message that will be understood over time.
FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: His Majesty talked about this issue extensively
with President Bush when he was in Washington last week. As you know, the
President has publicly apologized and has assured His Majesty that those
responsible will be brought to justice. I think this is extremely important,
that justice plays its course here, and that those responsible are brought to
justice. But what we don't want to see happening in this region is frustration
against American policy turn into frustration against American individuals. That
would be a very serious and sad thing if it is to happen. And, we hope and have
every confidence that those responsible will be brought to justice.
QUESTION: Mr. Powell, you said that the United States is now taking
concrete steps to alleviate the frustration regarding Iraq, the Israelis and
Palestinians, but what about Syria? Arabs are really angered about slapping
sanctions on Syria this past week, and they say that this is just ill-timed.
What I'm wondering is whether or not the U.S. is going to be pressuring the
European Union to postpone a major trade and aid deal that they are planning to
sign with Syria?
SECRETARY POWELL: I spent a great deal of time with European leaders over
the last two weeks, both within the Quartet context and also in the G8 context
and we did not discuss this. The Europeans will make their own judgment on this.
We acted in accordance with United States law that was passed called the Syria
Accountability Act.
The reason there is a Syria Accountability Act is that last year when I visited
with the Syrian President, I laid out a number of things that were of concern to
the United States and that were of concern to nations in the world with respect
to Syrian behavior and performance. And I recommended to the President that
action be taken to deal with these issues, the harboring of terrorist-oriented
organizations in Damascus, working on weapons of mass destruction, insufficient
attention to who might be moving back and forth across the Syrian-Iraq border. A
number of other issues that I recommended action be taken on, and action was not
taken. And I had said to the Syrian leadership at that time that they should
expect the United States Congress to move forward with this legislation.
I would ask that those who are disturbed or outraged by this legislation should
be concerned about Syrian actions that continue to foment a climate for
terrorist activity in this part of the world. And, I would hope that there would
be people in this gathering here at the Dead Sea who would say to their Syrian
friends and colleagues that it's time for you to stop dealing with weapons of
mass destruction. Look at the example of Libya in that regard. And to do
everything you can to stabilize the situation along the Iraq-Syria border if you
want to see things stabilize in the region. And, so, the Syria Accountability
Act was a measure taken by our Congress to demonstrate to the Syrians that they
need to take action to deal with these kinds of concerns.
Thank you.