The United States and its coalition allies, despite the current flare-up in insurgency, will not be deterred in its mission of helping the Iraqi people achieve the peace and democracy they deserve, Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an April 9 CNN interview.

"I think the Iraqi people want democracy, deserve democracy, and we're going to help them achieve that goal of having a democracy," Powell said. "And when you ask the Iraqi people what do they want, they want the same things that our own citizens here want. They want to live in peace. They want jobs. They want health care. And they want a better future. And we're determined to help them achieve those goals."

U.S. and coalition military forces and rolling back the current insurgency, Powell said, having retaken Al Kut and established positions in Fallujah, where they are dealing largely with remnants of the old regime that remain in the Sunni Triangle. Moreover, he added, the followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Powell noted, do not represent all of the Shia people.

Powell said, "So we can't let these individuals determine the future of a country or determine the future of 25 million people. And so we will go after them, and we are going to encourage Iraqi citizens to help us identify who these people are, get them under control, bring them to justice and destroy them."

Powell said that the June 30 date for the turnover of sovereignty remains achievable, noting that the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council are working with United Nations representative Lakhdar Brahimi about the shape and composition of an interim government for Iraq.

Powell rejected any analogies of the current situation in Iraq to that of Vietnam. "We should not try to contaminate the work we are doing -- the important, vital work we are doing now -- by trying to hang ancient labels on it. Let's view the situation for what it is. A dictator is gone. That regime is gone. He is in jail. What we are trying to do is build a democracy. We are there for the best purposes."

Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
CNN With Wolf Blitzer
April 9, 2004

MR. BLITZER: Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us. Honestly, did you expect a year ago, when we saw that statue of Saddam Hussein go down in Baghdad, that a year later it would be as violent and as dangerous as it is right now for U.S. military personnel?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, but we knew that there would be those who would stick with the old regime, the old despotic regime that filled so many mass graves and caused such trouble. And those elements haven't been fully dealt with yet, but they will be dealt with. We have remnants of the old regime in the Sunni Triangle, and you've seen them at work for the past week or so; and we have this situation down south with this cleric, Mr. al-Sadr, who has a militia that doesn't represent all of the Shia people, nor does he represent all of the Shia people, and he's caused a great deal of trouble over the last week.

But our military commanders are slowly rolling this problem back. They have retaken Al Kut. They're on the outskirts of Fallujah in the Sunni Triangle. And I am confident that they will bring the situation under control and then we'll get back on track with our movement toward an Iraqi interim government to be in place by the end of June and for the reconstruction effort to go forward.

MR. BLITZER: Former Senator Bob Kerry says that this was all very predictable: a largely Christian army, namely a U.S. coalition-led army, occupying a largely Muslim nation. Was this all predictable?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, I don't think it was all predictable. I think we knew it was going to be a difficult mission. We essentially took down a regime that had been there for many years, had oppressed its people for many years; and in taking down that regime we took down the political structure that supported it and a great part of the civil structure as well. All of that has to be built back up.

And I don't see it in those terms at all. I think the Iraqi people want democracy, deserve democracy, and we're going to help them achieve that goal of having a democracy. And when you ask the Iraqi people what do they want, they want the same things that our own citizens here want. They want to live in peace. They want jobs. They want health care. And they want a better future. And we're determined to help them achieve those goals.

MR. BLITZER: There's been a new and ominous development in the past couple days: kidnappings; hostage-taking of people, aid workers, journalists. What does this say to you, and are there, as far as you know, any Americans that have been taken hostage?

SECRETARY POWELL: There were reports earlier of a couple of Americans that were taken hostage, some news reports; but I haven't had any confirmation that any Americans have been taken hostages -- taken hostage. But there are hostages that have been taken, and you're familiar with the nations they are from: Japan, the United Kingdom and several others.

This shows that there are people out there -- think of what they're doing. They are going after those who are there to serve the Iraqi people. They are going after health care workers. They are going after people who are there to help with reconstruction, to help with fixing the sewage system, the sanitation system.

So we can't let these individuals determine the future of a country or determine the future of 25 million people. And so we will go after them, and we are going to encourage Iraqi citizens to help us identify who these people are, get them under control, bring them to justice and destroy them.

MR. BLITZER: Is there any wiggle room in the June 30 handover of sovereignty from the Coalition Authority to the Iraqis?

SECRETARY POWELL: We're sticking with June 30. We think it's the right date. We think it's achievable. Ambassador Brahimi, the United Nations representative, is in Baghdad now working with Ambassador Bremer and the coalition -- or the Governing Council to look at models of what this interim government might look like.

And so we're going to continue to drive ahead with that work. There's no point delaying it. While the security situation gets stabilized by our military forces, let's keep driving straight forward with our reconstruction efforts and with the political process.

MR. BLITZER: Is June 30 a goal or is that set in concrete?

SECRETARY POWELL: It is our goal, it is an achievable goal, and it is the goal that we're working toward.

MR. BLITZER: Mr. Secretary, you served with distinction in Vietnam. Senator Kennedy says Iraq has become President Bush's Vietnam. Has it?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, it's one of these interesting and charming, but rather unpleasant, labels. Vietnam was another time, another place, several presidents ago, and there is no parallel here.

And we should not try to contaminate the work we are doing -- the important, vital work we are doing now -- by trying to hang ancient labels on it. Let's view the situation for what it is. A dictator is gone. That regime is gone. He is in jail. What we are trying to do is build a democracy. We are there for the best purposes.

And what is happening right now is that there are remnants of this regime, there are terrorists and there are individuals who have no concept of democracy, don't want to see freedom for the people of Iraq, don't want to see anything other than a new dictator take over, who are trying to keep democracy from happening, trying to thwart our reconstruction efforts.

We must not let that happen, and we must not suddenly lose the energy needed for this task by dragging out old labels such as this is Vietnam, this is Beirut. This is Iraq 2004, and we're going to help the Iraqi people to a better life.

MR. BLITZER: Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Wolf.