Controlling insurgency key to Iraqi progress, Powell says
Iraq-USA, Politics, 9/29/2004

As the insurgency in Iraq is brought under control, particularly in the Sunni areas, reconstruction will become more effective and prospects for nationwide elections in January 2005 will brighten, Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a wide-ranging interview with the editorial board of the New York Times on September 24 in New York.

Powell did not downplay the seriousness of the violence occurring daily in Iraq, but he said that it tended to obscure positive signs of progress, such a steadily growing and increasingly effective military and police force; school attendance by 95 percent of Iraqi school-age children; a Transitional Administrative Law that protects minority rights and will serve as a precursor to a new constitution; successful municipal elections; and oil revenues that are being used to benefit the Iraqi people.

In addition, Powell said, "We have succeeded in putting in place an interim administration of dedicated men and women who get up every day and put their lives at risk, people such as Prime Minister Allawi."

The main source of the insurgency is in the Sunni triangle cities like Samarra, Fallujah, and Ramadi, Powell said, and if those areas are brought under better government control, the level of violence will drop significantly, to the point where it can be dealt with largely by Iraqi security forces.

Better security will make reconstruction more effective, according to Powell. "We have tripled the amount of money that has gone into reconstruction," he said. "As security is reasserted and communities are reclaimed, the money will flow more rapidly. [In] Najaf, for example, we're going to be doing a lot more with the government to rebuild the infrastructure."

On Iran, Powell said that the Bush administration has been pressing the international community for years about the threat of its nuclear development program, and, despite a lack of consensus, the United States has continued to urge that the issue be brought before the U.N. Security Council.

Powell said, "I think we have now reached a point where, if Iran does not satisfy the concerns we have and answer the questions that the international community has, there is a much higher likelihood than ever before that the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] will refer to the Security Council."

Asked about Israel's plans for a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Powell said that the United States did succeed in getting agreement on the removal of some West Bank settlements "in order to bring the whole process into the roadmap."

The United States has continued to insist that there must be a freeze in settlement activity, most recently in President Bush's U.N. address, according to Powell.

"We are engaged in the most elaborate discussion with the Israelis as to what 'freeze' means, and how to define settlements," he said.

Powell said that the United States had held positive talks with Syria about border security and terrorism with Iraq, adding that "we need actions, not just announcements."

Powell said that his week at the U.N. General Assembly demonstrated the importance of the United Nations to the United States, as well as the value of "interlocking relations" reflected in such organizations as the Broader Middle East forum, the Adriatic Charter, and the European Union.

"It's reassuring that we are participating in these fora, notwithstanding claims to the contrary from time to time," Powell said. "And people still look to us for leadership and for inspiration in what they are doing around the world and we're pleased to be able to give it to them."

The Israeli-Palestinian and Iraq conflicts are the chief factors in the current low public opinion polls for the United States abroad, according to Powell, who said that it was sometimes difficult to gain recognition for the U.S. leadership role in places like Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, and Congo, and with the HIV/AIDS initiative.

With progress in Iraq and the Middle East peace process, Powell said, "You

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