UNITED STATES: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL LEAVES FOR HIS MIDDLE EAST TRIP

Record ID: 222801

  • Title: UNITED STATES: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL LEAVES FOR HIS MIDDLE EAST TRIP
  • Date: 23rd February 2001
  • Summary: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, USA (FEBRUARY 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV: HELICOPTER CARRYING U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL ARRIVING 0.09 2. SCU: COCKPIT OF HELICOPTER 0.13 3. MV: POWELL DISEMBARKS, WALKS DOWN RUNWAY 0.35 4. MV: POWELL GETTING ON PLANE, STUMBLES NEAR TOP 0.53 5. SV: AIR FORCE OFFICIAL ON RUNWAY 0.57 6. PAN: PLANE TAKES OFF 1.29 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 10th March 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAEGA3DSRAW4FK96GRM5DG3NO6W
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell left Washington on
    Friday (February 23) for his first trip to the Middle East
    with his attention fully fixed on rebuilding a crumbling
    alliance behind economic sanctions on Iraq.



    Powell left the US on Friday (February 23) to go and
    listen to the proposals of the parties involved in the
    Arab-Israeli conflict but in the absence of an Israeli
    government U.S. officials do not expect any bold U.S.

    initiatives.

    Powell's first stop is in Cairo, where he will have his
    first meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on
    Saturday. They will talk about U.S. plans for a missile
    defence system, strongly opposed by the Russians, U.S.

    officials say.

    The other stops on the crowded four-day schedule are
    Jerusalem, Gaza, Amman, Kuwait, Damascus and Riyadh, with a
    day in Brussels on his way home on Tuesday.

    President George W. Bush said on Thursday that Powell
    would "listen to our allies as to how best to effect a policy"
    towards Iraq based on preventing Iraq from developing weapons
    of mass destruction or threatening its neighbours.

    The challenge for the United States is to stop Iraq
    obtaining military technologies while ensuring that Baghdad
    cannot blame sanctions for the hardships of ordinary Iraqis.

    The sanctions, first imposed in 1990 after Iraq invaded
    Kuwait, have started to erode, especially with an increase of
    the amount of oil Iraq exports outside the U.N. system.


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