USA: SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL ADDRESSES KOFI ANNAN, NORTH KOREA AND THE U.S. RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPE AND RUSSIA IN REUTERS INTERVIEW
Record ID:
222913
USA: SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL ADDRESSES KOFI ANNAN, NORTH KOREA AND THE U.S. RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPE AND RUSSIA IN REUTERS INTERVIEW
- Title: USA: SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL ADDRESSES KOFI ANNAN, NORTH KOREA AND THE U.S. RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPE AND RUSSIA IN REUTERS INTERVIEW
- Date: 4th December 2004
- Summary: (U7)WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 3, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL SPEAKING WITH REUTERS REPORTERS 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POWELL SAYING "Secretary-General Annan is a good Secretary-General and the United States has tried to support him and the United Nations in every way that we can. Frankly the issue doesn't arise yet. Investigations are under way, an inquiry under the leadership of Paul Volker in whom we have great confidence, a number of investigations that are taking place up on Capitol Hill and these investigations are not of Mr. Annan, they're of the oil-for-food program, so let's wait and see what the results of these investigations are." 3. REPORTERS 4. (SOUNDDBITE) (English) POWELL SAYING: "In my conversations next week in Europe I will reinforce the point that the President wants to reach out, but it's not just the President and the United States reaching out, I think Europe also has to reach out toward us and we have to meet one another here and not just say come on United States it's all your fault, you heal these breaches. I think Europe has to reach out as well and that will be my message." 5. WIDE OF POWELL SPEAKING TO REPORTERS 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POWELL SAYING: "The reason I answered the question that way is that very often the way it's put to me is that what is the United States going to do? as if there's not a partnership. If there are problems then two partners have to come together to resolve these problems and heal these breaches. We'll explain our policies and positions and we want to listen and we want to hear what our European friends have to say." 7. CAMERAS 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POWELL SAYING: "With respect to the various reports about unrest in North Korea, I think you just have to see them as reports. I don't know that they represent anything fundamental that is taking place inside North Korea. It's very hard to divide from day to day and week to week exactly what is happening in this very, very sealed country." 9. REPORTERS 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POWELL SAYING: "We do have concerns, I've expressed those concerns and the President has expressed those concerns directly to the Russians. We have no problem, we have no thought that Russia is going back to the days of the Soviet Union, that's not the case. I think Russia is firmly grounded in democracy and in elections of a president such as we saw last year where President Putin won. But we have some concerns about how that democracy is going to be firmly grounded in institutions and with free and open media. With respect to the selection of governors or how governors are appointed, we have expressed some of our concerns to the Russians as to the manner in which this will happen. President Putin has in turn explained to the President why he has moved in this direction and the Duma has ratified that decision and so we will continue to speak out when we do have concerns but we also know that Russia is not going to go back and become the Soviet Union. We just want to encourage the Russians to ground their democracy on those institutions that are vital to a democracy, free elections, open elections, media that can represent all the interest of the people and this will be a subject of continued discussion with the Russians in the months ahead." 11. WIDE OF POWELL SPEAKING TO REPORTERS 3.55 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th December 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: WASHINGTON, D..C., UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA7S0TM7FUO7M2XDHSXFLFKKR5R
- Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses Kofi
Annan, North Korea and the U.S. relationship with
Europe and Russia in a Reuters interview.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Kofi
Annan a "good" U.N. secretary-general on Friday (December
3, 2004) after days in which Washington chose not to defend the
diplomat against a U.S. senator's demand he resign.
It was unclear whether Powell's comments signalled
genuine support for Annan, under fire over suspected
corruption in the U.N.'s now-defunct Iraq oil-for-food
humanitarian program, or simply aimed to soften the
widespread impression Washington has no great desire to
back the U.N. chief.
"Secretary-General Annan is a good secretary-general,"
Powell told Reuters in the first positive comment about
Annan from a top U.S. official since Sen. Norm Coleman, a
Minnesota Republican investigating the program, said he
should resign because of the suspected oil-for-food abuses.
Powell, echoing the view of U.S. President George W.
Bush -- who avoided any endorsement of Annan this week --
said people should wait until congressional and independent
probes of the program are complete before reaching
conclusions.
"We are deeply troubled by what happened (with) the
oil-for-food program. There can be no question in anyone's
mind that the program was corrupted by (former Iraqi
leader) Saddam Hussein," he said.
"These investigations are not of Mr. Annan, they are of
the oil-for-food program, so let's wait and see what the
results of these investigations are."
Iraqi authorities have released intelligence suggesting
Saddam exploited the program through kickbacks and
surcharges, earning billions of dollars through his grip on
which vendors could buy Iraqi oil and sell goods.
Saddam also used secret oil allocations to reward 1,300
individuals, government officials and political parties
from more than 40 countries, according to lists drawn up in
Iraq.
On mending ties with Europe following the war in Iraq,
Powell, who will travel to Europe next week, said he will
reinforce the message that President Bush wants to reach
out to Europe. He added: "I think Europe also has to reach
out toward us and we have to meet one another here and not
just say come on United States it's all your fault, you
heal these breaches. I think Europe has to reach out as
well."
Widely respected in Europe and perceived as favouring
traditional alliances more than other Cabinet members,
Powell said Europe should respond in kind to President
George W. Bush's pledge to reach out across the Atlantic.
"I think Europe has to reach out as well," Powell told
Reuters in an interview as he prepares to leave office. "We
have to meet one another here and not just say, 'Come on,
United States, it's all your fault. You heal these
breaches."
Bush's decision last year to invade Iraq without
explicit U.N. approval angered European powers such as
France, Germany and Spain, causing arguably the deepest
split since World War II.
Attempts at reconciliation have been fitful.
Immediately after winning re-election last month, Bush
vowed to mend fences with Europe and promised to visit the
region early next year. British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
Bush's top European ally, also urged his colleagues on the
continent to work on improving relations so that the sides
could cooperate on major issues such as Middle East peace.
On North Korea, Powell said the United States has
no reason to believe that a flurry of rumours about North
Korea reflects any fundamental change in that secretive
country. "I think you just have to see them as reports. I
don't know that they represent anything fundamental that's
taking place inside of North Korea," Powell said.
In the past week, rumours in financial markets in New
York, Tokyo and Seoul have variously had North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il assassinated or overthrown, just as
pressure grows for him to rejoin talks on his nuclear
ambitions.
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