Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Powell in Madrid Calls for West Bank Pullout

Aired April 10, 2002 - 08:02   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Colin Powell, who heads for Israel tomorrow -- that's a day ahead of time. And he happens to be in Madrid now, where he joined with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in condemning the bombing, while calling for an immediate Israeli pullout from the West Bank.

CNN's Andrea Koppel was traveling with Secretary Powell. She joins us now from Madrid with this live update -- good morning, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Well, expressing grave concern over the -- I am so sorry. I am getting return in my ear. I am not -- if somebody could please -- thank you very much -- grave concern over the situation in the region in the Middle East. Members of the international community, that is the United Nations, the European Union, the Russians, as well as the United States, came out with a very strong statement, Paula, putting the full weight of their governments behind Secretary Powell's so far less-than-successful peacemaking mission.

They said that the mounting death toll, not only of Israelis, but of Palestinians is something that must end immediately. Secretary Powell himself said that any act of terrorism is unacceptable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Violence of whatever form, whether one would call it an act of terrorism or an act of resistance, at this point is counterproductive. It does not lead to the vision that the Palestinian people have of a state, where they can live side by side in peace with Israel. What we have to see now is an end to the violence, with whatever title you want to give to that violence is violence nonetheless. And it is totally destabilizing the region, and it is destroying that vision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Powell repeated what has become the new U.S. position that there must be a political process that goes along with a cease- fire. What does that mean? It means that if there is going -- before the U.S. and others have said that there should be a cease-fire in place before they would get down to talks, like whether or not there should be a Palestinian state, what that state would look like. Now, the U.S. is pushing, Paula, so that could take place simultaneously. Now, members of the European community, the Russians and others, aren't optimistic necessarily that Secretary Powell's mission will succeed. But in the words of one senior European official, if Powell can't do it, who could?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS PATTEN, EUROPEAN UNION COMMISSIONER: He is uniquely well- placed to make progress, but he has got one hell of a difficult job. But he is a man of immense personal and political authority. He carries with him all the prestige of the world's only superpower, superduperpower as somebody called it recently. And the United States has been a great friend to and of Israel, and if Mr. Sharon doesn't listen to Colin Powell and the rest of the international community, then God help the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: At the same time, though, Secretary Powell travels to Israel at the end of this week actually, tomorrow, without a rabbit to pull out of his hat, as one official put it, both the United States, the international community, the Europeans, all say that the Israeli incursion into the West Bank must end immediately. They say these suicide bombings, Paula, must end immediately, but there is no magic pill. They don't know how they are going to achieve this other than by the sheer force of presence and the continued call by the international community on both sides to end the violence -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right. Andrea Koppel, we look forward to your continued reports, as you travel with the secretary of state. We'll let you get out of that wind and rain.

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