PPRESS CONFERENCE WITH COLIN L. POWELL
SECRETARY OF STATE

GEORGES PAPANDREOU
GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER

JAVIER SOLANA
EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE

AND CHRIS PATTEN
EU COMMISSIONER

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

February 27, 2003

Excerpts

SECRETARY POWELL: ...

This is a critical time for the United States and our European friends, our European allies. From our shared concern about Saddam Hussein's failure to disarm, to North Korea's prohibited nuclear program, our transatlantic agenda is daunting and it is global. Today we focused on four very important challenges: Iraq, the Middle East, North Korea and Cyprus.

On Iraq we all share the same objective -- Iraq's disarmament as required under UN Security Council 1441, Resolution 1441. The United States and some of our European friends do have some differences with regard to the next steps that should be taken and we are exploring those differences in an open, honest and candid fashion.

I was pleased to see the European Council's statement of February 17th which reinforced the need for Saddam Hussein to comply and to disarm. We are all hopeful for a peaceful solution, but we also understand that 1441 provided for serious consequences if Saddam Hussein did not comply. We and the European Union agree that it is important to keep the focus on Saddam and on his obligations to disarm. The responsibility and the decision to comply with the demands of the international community rest with him, and we believe it is time for him to come clean.

...

FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU: Thank you very much, Colin. Here with both Javier Solana and Chris Patten, I think we can also say we value very much this opportunity to exchange views and discuss our cooperation on a very large number of very important issues. And certainly today was a very constructive and useful discussion.

Obviously, Iraq is on our minds, and we do stand united in purpose, that is, for full compliance by Saddam Hussein of 1441 and full disarmament of Iraq. We are very concerned, not only in Iraq but around the world, on the issue of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation. And this, of course, is why we also are ready to help in any way we can on the North Korean issue.

On Iraq, we were able to, again, bring the EU discussions we've had amongst my colleagues and also the heads of states and government to the discussion today where we have, again, as I said, reiterated we are at common purpose. We also have said that we need to -- we don't exclude the use of force, but we need to use all possible diplomatic means, every window of opportunity, in trying to resolve this crisis, even at the last moment, peacefully; and of course the importance of the UN role in this whole process.

...

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary and the other gentlemen as well, if you could comment on this. Hans Blix's report, which has been filed, reportedly does not come down either way. It has something for everyone and no real ammunition for any side. If Iraq proceeds to destroy the Al Samoud missiles in the next day or so and begins to meet that deadline, how will the United States and Great Britain persuade the rest of the Security Council that there shouldn't be more time before facing serious consequences and taking military action?

SECRETARY POWELL: I think I'll wait and actually see the Hans Blix report in due course and not only see it, but I'm looking forward to watching and hearing what he has to say when he and Dr. ElBaradei report on the 7th.

With respect to the missiles, it doesn't change our view of the situation in the slightest. Those missiles were prohibited in the first place. They should have been destroyed long ago. They were told to destroy them some days ago and they've been stringing it out until the very last minute, and we will see what this letter they are going to send in within 48 hours actually says they're going to do. It's not entirely clear yet. But I think it's just more indication of the reality that we have been trying to convey to the world that Saddam Hussein is trying to string it out, trying to divert attention, trying to pretend he is cooperating when he is not cooperating, trying to use process as an excuse for not cooperating, and not complying with the will of the international community. It is just further chaff that he is throwing into the system to try to divert attention. And that is our view right now and that's the argument that we would take into the Security Council when we have the next debate on the resolution.

QUESTION: May I ask Mr. Solana or any of our other European visitors to comment on that?

FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU: Would you like to, Javier, would you like to say something?

REPRESENTATIVE SOLANA: I'd be glad to, but we do have, we do share our responsibilities here. I can say just something that, we obviously will be following the reports and what Hans Blix will be handing over to the Security Council. It's not the European Union per se that is going to make the decision, it's the Security Council. We have members of the Security Council that are members of the European Union, and we do exchange views and discuss amongst ourselves -- sometimes agree, sometimes disagree.

But what we have said as a European Union is that first of all, we want to exhaust all means. I think all 15 would prefer, if possible, a peaceful solution. Then there are different approaches as to how you, when that limit is exhausted, of course, different ideas on this. But we have also said that this is an issue for the Security Council. So we will have to wait to see what the Security Council says.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, is there a role for the presidents of the European Union and the Arab world, in this last moment, to do something before the inevitable war? And I'm saying that because, in the weekend we are having an Arab League summit, and actually the Greek Foreign Minister will be visiting Cairo for that. Is there something the Europeans in conjunction with the Arab world can do to avoid, maybe get a message to Saddam Hussein?

SECRETARY POWELL: I never see war as inevitable. But time clearly is running out. Saddam Hussein is trying to use time to his advantage to avoid the consequences of his failure to comply. And I would encourage the European Union, I would encourage the Arab League, I spoke to the Secretary General of the Arab League this morning, and I would encourage them to issue the strongest possible statement to Saddam Hussein that he must comply, and time is running out in which he can comply.

He's, frankly, running out of time. Or suggest to him that perhaps to avoid what might flow in terms of serious consequences, it might be in his best interest to step down and get out of the way and let some responsible leadership take over in Baghdad and allow the international community to help that responsible leadership disarm itself of its weapons of mass destruction as required by 1441, and work with the international community to provide a better life for the people of Iraq. And I hope that's one of the messages that might come out of the summit meeting. With respect to the European Union, the Minister can speak for the Union.

FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU: Well, I just don't have to add much to that than other that we will be there and that certainly we'll be conveying the discussions we've had here in Washington. And I think that the Arab world has a very major role to play as being part of the region, neighboring Iraq, and of course, a number of other countries, Turkey also has taken initiatives vis-à-vis Iraq with a regional initiative. We're in touch with both these initiatives, and I think it's, it is important and it, there is an opportunity to get a very strong message to Baghdad and if it's understood, to possibly have a full compliance, and therefore, as the Secretary said, war is not, in the end, inevitable.

COMMISSIONER PATTEN: Can I just add this, that the Foreign Minister and I were at, in Cairo for the Arab League Foreign Minister's meeting almost a fortnight ago. And we sent both the Arab League Foreign Ministers and the European Union sent very clear and strong messages to Baghdad. The problem is, I'm not sure whether Saddam Hussein has the radio switched on.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, a question involving diplomatic math. We may have, perhaps, a week or two to get -- for the U.S. and Britain to get nine votes. Do you think you can get the remaining votes needed, perhaps five at a minimum? And do you think you can persuade those with vetoes not to use them?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we are in contact with all of the members of the Security Council, both the permanent members as well as the elected ten. We're presenting our point of view why we felt it was necessary to put down a second resolution. And depending on what Dr. Blix and Dr. ElBaradei report, and depending on what the Iraqis do over the next week or two, we will see where we are with respect to support for such a resolution.

I think we have a good case, a solid case, and it's all, frankly ad ref until we do hear from Dr. Blix and Dr. ElBaradei, but I'm confident that if we don't see the kind of improvement that I think we must see in the form of compliance, in the form of full cooperation, in the form of answering all the questions that have been there for years; we don't need a new list of questions, we don't need new benchmarks. Everybody knows what Saddam Hussein should be doing.

And if he isn't doing it and shows no indication he's doing it, I think we can present a strong enough argument for the second resolution that we put down that will be able to get the support needed to pass it.

QUESTION: Secretary Powell, given the events of North Korea over the last few days it seems very, that it's certainly working towards a nuclear program. Why is North Korea not a more imminent threat than Iraq and why do we see a little bit of a downplaying of this as Iraq is, as you say, is a more imminent threat?

SECRETARY POWELL: We're not downplaying it. We are spending an enormous amount of time. We spent quite a bit of our time this afternoon talking about North Korea. It's just, we're dealing with them in two different ways at the moment. We still feel strongly that North Korea's a problem not just for the United States, it is a problem for the region and a problem for the world. And the region and the world have to be involved in finding a solution and being part of that solution. And we can't simply allow North Korea to make threats, present demands from a position of disobeying the will of the international community. They are the ones who are in violation of a number of years' worth of obligations.

We finally found out about their violations. We've called them to account, and now they are placing demands on how we have to meet their needs. And I don't think that's the way to solve this problem.

We will continue to work with the international community, but we are not downplaying it and we're not ignoring it. We're hard at work trying to find a diplomatic solution.

FOREIGN MINISTER PAPANDREOU: Chris, Javier, did you want to say something on North Korea?

COMMISSIONER PATTEN: They are both dangerous -- since you asked me -- they are both extremely dangerous problems. And In tackling both of them we have to maximize the amount of international cooperation and international consent if we're going to deal with them successfully, but maybe we have to apply that cooperation and consent in slightly different ways because of the different circumstances on the Korean Peninsula and in Gulf.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you.