Secretary Colin L. Powell CBS Early Show Harry Smith

Interview on CBS's Early Show With Harry Smith

Secretary Colin L. Powell Washington, DC December 28, 2004 (7:08 a.m. EST)

MR. SMITH: The United States is sending supplies, disaster specialists and an initial $15 million in aid. Secretary of State Colin Powell made that announcement yesterday. Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us this morning.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Harry. Good morning.

MR. SMITH: Well, we heard that number, $15 million, yesterday. I honestly thought that doesn't seem like very much money from the United States of America.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, it's a start, Harry. In addition to the $15 million, we have nine P-3 reconnaissance planes on the way, another dozen C-130s are on the way with relief supplies, and so we'll be making an assessment as the days go by to see what the need really is and we'll adjust our plans accordingly. But this was an initial infusion of money to join the international relief effort.

MR. SMITH: Does it seem like there will be more forthcoming?

SECRETARY POWELL: I think a lot more aid is going to be needed. The extent of this catastrophe is really not yet fully known. What makes it such a unique event is the number of countries that were involved. I mean, from an earthquake just off the coast of Sumatra, this tsunami went across the Indian Ocean and hit the subcontinent and then continued across and hit the west -- the east coast of Africa. So the extent of damage is quite significant and the loss of life still is not yet fully tallied up. So I think more aid will be required from the international community, but we've got to get started, and that's what we're doing now.

MR. SMITH: There's a lot to talk about this morning. There's a new tape purportedly by Usama bin Laden, who's backing Zarqawi, the terrorist leader in Iraq, also calling for a boycott of the elections next month in Iraq.

Do you want to respond to that?

SECRETARY POWELL: Yeah, of course, they'll call for a boycott. The last thing they want to see is the Iraqi people stepping forward and deciding who would be their leaders. They don't want democracy. They want tyranny. They want to go back to the past of a Saddam Hussein type regime, and that's not going to happen. The Iraqi people want to vote for their leaders and we're moving forward to give them that opportunity on the 30th of January.

MR. SMITH: The security situation in Iraq is tenuous, at best. The Iraqi Islamist Party -- that's a big Sunni party -- backed out of the elections yesterday, said they're not boycotting but they're backing out of the elections, citing security as an example. We saw a terrorist attack at our own base in Mosul just a week ago.

Is there sufficient security in this country for an election to take place?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, in most of the country, yes, there is sufficient security for elections to take place. In the Sunni areas, the security isn't what we would like it to be, and that's what we're working on. That's what the coalition troops are working on and the Iraqi forces and Iraqi police forces are working on. And we hope that by the end of January people will feel secure enough, even in the Sunni areas, to step forward and vote.

I know that that one party said that they would not be participating, but let's wait and see. They may be back in the game before this is all over.

I think it's important for us not to step aside from the requirement in the UN resolution for this election to take place on the 30th of January. And the Iraqi people have clearly indicated they want an election, and the President and Prime Minister of the Iraqi Interim Government are determined to make that happen.

MR. SMITH: We've had these benchmarks before when Iraq became sovereign, now we have an election benchmark, and always there was there hope that soon thereafter things would get better in Iraq. Can you promise, or at least believe, that things will improve after the election at the end of January?

SECRETARY POWELL: What I can say is that after the election at the end of January you will have a government that is representative of the Iraqi people. They will have voted for that government. The insurgency will not end. These insurgents are determined to have no representative government. They want to go back to a tyranny. And so the insurgency will continue and the insurgency will have to be defeated by coalition forces, but increasingly the insurgency will be defeated and brought under control, if not completely defeated, by Iraqi forces that we are building up as rapidly as we can under the distinguished leadership of General Petraeus.

MR. SMITH: Mr. Secretary, we thank you for your time this morning.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Harry.
2004/1402 [End] Released on December 28, 2004

Secretary Colin L. Powell ABC Good Morning America Christopher Cuomo

Interview on ABC's Good Morning America With Christopher Cuomo

Secretary Colin L. Powell Washington, DC December 28, 2004 (7:07 a.m. EST)

MR. CUOMO: What is the latest information about the status of Americans in the area? And how much is the U.S. doing to help?

SECRETARY POWELL: As best we know right now, 11 Americans have lost their lives, but there are still hundreds of Americans who are unaccounted for and we're doing everything we can to locate them and determine their status. The United States made an initial contribution of some $15 million, $4 million right away to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and another $10 million of assistance to non-governmental and other organizations. In addition, our military authorities in Hawaii have launched nine patrol planes, and another dozen or so C-130s carrying relief supplies.

We'll make an assessment as the days go by to see what else may be needed from us. This is a massive catastrophe. So many countries were struck by this Tsunami. It's rather unprecedented and it will take us a while to make a careful assessment of what is needed, and then we will work with the international community to provide what is needed.

MR. CUOMO: That said, the top United Nations' relief official has said that rich countries like the United States are stingy. You said, we'll do everything we can. Given how rich we are, can't we do more than the few million we have put up so far? Shouldn't we do more?

SECRETARY POWELL: We will do more. I wish that comment hadn't been made. I mean, the world is now responding to this catastrophe. The United States has given more aid in the last four years than any other nation or combination of nations in the world. We had a significant increase in our development assistance and other kinds of assistance and we will do more, but we're still getting an assessment of what is needed and it will take time for that assessment to be made, to see what nations can do for themselves, to see what the specific needs are, and then we'll respond to those needs.

MR. CUOMO: Moving on to another subject, Mr. Secretary. You're aware that many in Iraq believe that January 30th is simply too soon to hold an election, such a security-sensitive event. That being the case, does the Administration have a plan in place if the election is disrupted?

SECRETARY POWELL: Many people might believe that, but I believe most people feel that it is time to have this election. It is an election that is mandated by the United Nations Security Council resolution that set this up. The President and the Prime Minister of the interim government of Iraq want to move forward, and I think people want to have an elected government.

And so, there are security concerns, principally, in the Sunni areas. Most of the country, I think, is ready for an election. What we have to do is concentrate our coalition forces and Iraqi forces, police forces, on the Sunni part of the country in order to create conditions that will allow people to feel comfortable in coming out and registering and participating in the vote.

We're also talking to our friends in the region, the neighboring countries, for them to talk to Sunni leaders and encourage Sunni leaders to get their people to come out and vote, even if there is an element of danger associated with it. This is not the time to let the tyrants and the terrorists take us back to the past, to the days of a Saddam Hussein-type regime. The people of Iraq want their own freely elected government.

MR. CUOMO: Mr. Secretary, one of New York's favorite sons is going to push the button that brings down the big ball right here in Times Square on New Year's Eve. At once, you'll be beginning a new year and ending an era, effectively, as Secretary. As you've said, you plan to leave early next year. Any idea what your emotions will be that night?

SECRETARY POWELL: I've never been to Times Square on New Year's Eve, even though I'm a born and raised New Yorker, and I cannot tell you how honored I am to have been selected to do this and it's going to be so good to be home with millions of people celebrating a new year, millions of people who believe in their city, who believe in their country. And I think I'm just going to be a kid again on New Year's Eve, as I push that button.

MR. CUOMO: Thank you very much for coming on the show and have a Happy New Year, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POWELL: Same to you, Chris.
2004/1405 [End] Released on December 28, 2004