Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Secretary of State Powell on U.S. International Policy

Aired May 14, 2001 - 11:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: If you were with us in the last hour, you saw CNN's exclusive one-on-one interview with Secretary of State Colin Powell. Our Andrea Koppel, our State Department correspondent, conducted that interview. And she is with us now to bring us some highlights -- Andrea, hello.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. Secretary Powell fairly predictably, when I asked him about the latest killing of five Palestinian policeman by Israeli soldiers, refused to take sides. He didn't want to use words he had used just a few weeks ago calling the Israeli action excessive and disproportionate. Instead, what Secretary Powell did is to say that this is a time for leaders to act like leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It's very disturbing that the cycle of violence continues to go upward. And it just reinforces my view and the view of every leader in the world right now that we have got to do everything we can to get the cycle moving in the other direction. We need to keep appealing to both sides to be restrained, to not use violence as way of solving problems that exist in the region. And we continue to give that message in a very, very strong and positive voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: I also asked Secretary Powell about the latest round of consultations, which just wrapped up this weekend in Moscow on missile defense. This is something that Moscow continues to say that it opposes as far as any unilateral actions regarding the ABM treaty. It doesn't want the United States to unilaterally withdraw from this treaty.

And for the first time, Daryn, Secretary Powell said that he is prepared to talk about language and may in fact discuss some words with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov when he's in town later this week. And those words would go into potentially a new treaty, Daryn.

KAGAN: And, Andrea, you were also able to talk to secretary of state about spy plane still on ground in China. Did the secretary of state have anything encouraging words about the U.S. getting that plane back? KOPPEL: What he said was. in fact, that there were going to be serious discussions with China in the coming days and that he thought that there might be a positive outcome on that front. Now, privately, Chinese officials have told CNN that they don't want the U.S. -- and they refuse to have the U.S. -- fly that EP-3 off Hainan Island. They said that the U.S. could perhaps disassemble it, take it apart, and then ship it off Hainan Island home. And that's something Secretary Powell sidestepped, Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com