- Title: USA: SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL TALKS ABOUT SUDAN AND IRAQ
- Date: 24th June 2004
- Summary: (W8) WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 24, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL WALKING TOWARDS MICROPHONES 0.07 2. SLV REPORTERS AT PRESS CONFERENCE 0.11 3. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL SAYING: "Darfur, I just want to get a hands-on opportunity to see how people are being dealt with, to see whether the aid is starting to flow, to see whether or not efforts are being made to reign in the militias, Janjawid and the others who are causing such difficulties in the area. I'll have AID people with me to take a look. Kofi Annan will also be in the region, and I hope that he and I will also have a chance to talk. We also have some congressional delegations that will be in the region. So it was a good opportunity for me to actually see things on the ground, as well as to talk with government leaders. And the President and I discussed this at length this morning. He and I have discussed this the last several days, and when the logistics were able to be worked out, the President pproved my trip this morning." 1.08 4. SLV REPORTER 1.11 5. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL SAYING: "The situation is so dire that if we were able to do everything we wanted to do, tomorrow, there would still be a large loss of life because of the depravations that people are under now - the lack of health care, the manner in which they've been living, 110 degrees, 115 degree heat (Fahrenheit), in the middle of a very arid area, desert area. The rains have not started yet, so we need to get help to these people now. And I hope that the leaders in Sudan would also give a message of co-operation to Kofi Annan and other foreign officials that are travelling in the region and from other countries that have an interest in this as well. This is a catastrophe, and it is incumbent upon the international community to come together solidly, to do everything we can to bring it to an end and to bring relief to these desperate people." 2.13 6. SCU REPORTER ASKING A QUESTION 2.16 7. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL SAYING: "The new government is displaying a great deal of courage. The Prime Minister is not blinking in the slightest - terrible loss of life today. You've all heard the numbers I've heard - 68 killed and a couple of hundred people injured. These are murderers. These are terrorists. Who are they attacking? They are attacking innocent Iraqis who just want to go about their lives, who want to wait and see what this new government will do for them. Let's not forget who's responsible for this. It's the terrorists and the murderers - the people who are setting of the bombs, the people who are attacking their own people and they are attacking the coalition forces over there to help them. They have to be defeated. They will be defeated, and they cannot be allowed to deny the people of Iraq the better future that is awaiting them. Thank you."/ POWELL WALKING INTO BUILDING 3.13 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th July 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA3ORWEBUKZEVJDP0ONIWCWEMJE
- Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell talks about his
upcoming trip to Sudan and the situation in Iraq.
After a meeting with the interim Haitian President,
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke with reporters
on Thursday (June 24) about a visit he plans to Sudan's
Darfur region next week to press Khartoum to stop
government-backed Arab militias who have driven thousands
of black Africans from their homes.
Powell will travel to Khartoum on Tuesday and then on
to Darfur, where Washington says militias have carried out
"ethnic cleansing" by burning and looting villages and
leaving tens of thousands homeless and vulnerable to famine
and illness.
"Darfur, I just want to get a hands-on opportunity to
see how people are being dealt with, to see whether the aid
is starting to flow, to see whether or not efforts are
being made to reign in the militias, Janjawid and the
others who are causing such difficulties in the area. I'll
have AID people with me to take a look. Kofi Annan will
also be in the region, and I hope that he and I will also
have a chance to talk. We also have some congressional
delegations that will be in the region. So it was a good
opportunity for me to actually see things on the ground, as
well as to talk with government leaders. And the President
and I discussed this at length this morning. He and I have
discussed this the last several days, and when the
logistics were able to be worked out, the President
approved my trip this morning," Powell said.
Fighting in Darfur has forced more than 1 million
people to flee to other parts of Sudan and driven more than
150,000 to neighbouring Chad.
Washington says the Khartoum government has interfered
with delivery of food and shelter to the roughly 2 million
people in the region whom the United Nations estimates need
outside aid.
"The situation is so dire that if we were able to do
everything we wanted to do, tomorrow, there would still be
a large loss of life because of the depravations that
people are under now - the lack of health care, the manner
in which they've been living, 110 degrees, 115 degree heat
(Fahrenheit), in the middle of a very arid area, desert
area. The rains have not started yet, so we need to get
help to these people now. And I hope that the leaders in
Sudan would also give a message of co-operation to Kofi
Annan and other foreign officials that are travelling in
the region and from other countries that have an interest
in this as well. This is a catastrophe, and it is incumbent
upon the international community to come together solidly,
to do everything we can to bring it to an end and to bring
relief to these desperate people," Powell said.
Powell would be the first secretary of state to visit
Sudan since Cyrus Vance made a brief stop in April 1978.
The Secretary of State also spoke about the situation
in Iraq, where a series of bombings, and attacks left
scores dead Thursday.
"The new government is displaying a great deal of
courage. The Prime Minister is not blinking in the
slightest - terrible loss of life today. You've all heard
the numbers I've heard - 68 killed and a couple of hundred
people injured. These are murderers. These are terrorists.
Who are they attacking? They are attacking innocent Iraqis
who just want to go about their lives, who want to wait and
see what this new government will do for them. Let's not
forget who's responsible for this. It's the terrorists and
the murderers - the people who are setting of the bombs,
the people who are attacking their own people and they are
attacking the coalition forces over there to help them.
They have to be defeated. They will be defeated, and they
cannot be allowed to deny the people of Iraq the future
that is awaiting them," Powell said.
About 100 people were killed and several hundred
wounded in Iraq when insurgents launched bloody assaults in
five cities to disrupt next week's formal handover to Iraqi
rule.
Three U.S. soldiers were among those killed in bold
assaults on Iraqi security forces in Baghdad and the mainly
Sunni Muslim cities of Baquba, Falluja and Ramadi.
Iraq's third largest city Mosul was the worst hit, with
suicide bombings killing 62 people and wounding 220, said a
senior military official with the U.S.-led coalition
provisional authority in Iraq.
He said the attacks showed signs of loose co-ordination
between various groups intent on destabilising Iraq and
warned of more bloodshed before and after the June 30
handover of power to Iraqis by the U.S.-led administration.
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