In an interview on Portugal's SIC TV May 13, Secretary of State Colin Powell said there will be a full investigation into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib.

"You have seen how our congressional system, our Senators, have called the Secretary of Defense [Donald Rumsfeld] and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [Richard Meyers] and other officers up to explain," Powell said. "So what we have to do is to get to the very bottom of this. And, as Secretary Rumsfeld said, we want to make sure that all who are responsible and should be held accountable are held accountable. So let's let the various investigations proceed."

Asked about reports the United States has asked Angola to participate in the coalition in Iraq, Powell replied, "Well, we would welcome troops from any nation that has a willingness to participate." He denied, however, having discussed Angolan participation in Iraq during his recent meetings with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

The secretary of state also said no decision has been made as to when Saddam Hussein will be transferred to Iraqi authorities.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
May 13, 2004

INTERVIEW

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
On Portugal's SIC TV with Martim Cabral

May 13, 2004 Washington, D.C.

(1:15 p.m. EST)

MR. CABRAL: Hello, Mr. Secretary. Thank you very much for joining us. I understand that we have a very short amount of time. So if it's okay with you, I'll get straight into it.

SECRETARY POWELL: Go right ahead.

MR. CABRAL: Could you tell us, there was news coming out of Baghdad this week that Saddam Hussein was going to be handed over to the Iraqi authorities after June the 30th, is that your intention?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, no decision has been made about that yet. I saw the report, but the individual who made that statement qualified it within 24 hours or so. No judgment has been made as to when Saddam Hussein would be transferred over to Iraqi authorities. I think it will be quite some time before he goes to a trial.

MR. CABRAL: Could you tell me why this is happening? You've been holding onto him for a number of months now?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we want to make sure that he is secure, that he is protected, and we also want to make sure we get all the information from him that is appropriate to receive from him. But, in due course, you can be sure that he will be brought before Iraqi justice.

MR. CABRAL: He is being interrogated, obviously. I wanted to ask you a question: as a war veteran, and knowing what American prisoners suffered in Vietnam, if you had been responsible for your country's armed forces, would you have felt necessary to resign over a situation that has developed with the photographs in the prisons in Baghdad?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we don't know the full story of what happened. I think it's important to say that all of us were absolutely appalled by those photographs, but not just the photographs, the fact that young American soldiers would behave in that manner. And how did we find out about it? A young American soldier reported this to his chain of command, and immediately, the generals in charge began an investigation; that investigation was completed.

You have seen how our congressional system, our Senators, have called the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other officers up to explain. So what we have to do is to get to the very bottom of this. And, as Secretary Rumsfeld said, we want to make sure that all who are responsible and should be held accountable are held accountable. So let's let the various investigations proceed.

MR. CABRAL: So it won't just be at the level of soldiers? I mean, there must be people responsible up the chain of command.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, that's what we're trying to find out, and the issue is, how far up the chain of command does responsibility and accountability lie. Obviously, as Secretary Rumsfeld has said, the top is responsible for everything that happens. But what you actually do and how you make sure that you have taken proper accountability and dealt with those who should have known and done something about it, is what we are looking into now. That's what the investigations are all about.

MR. CABRAL: There were reports also this week that the United States had asked Angola, specifically, if they could help with troops to be deployed in Iraq. Is that your intention, to broaden the coalition?

SECRETARY POWELL: I'm afraid that you -- we lost part of the question. There was a dial tone coming through.

MR. CABRAL: I will repeat the question, sir.

SECRETARY POWELL: Okay.

MR. CABRAL: There were reports this week that the United States had asked Angola, specifically, if they could help with troops to be deployed in Iraq. Is this true? And is it your intention to broaden the coalition?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we would welcome troops from any nation that has a willingness to participate. I met with President dos Santos early this week. We talked about how we want to help the Angolan armed forces better prepare themselves for peacekeeping missions, but we did not have a specific discussion, at least he and I did not have a specific discussion, on this subject. But if the Angolans were willing to send troops to peacekeeping missions, either in Iraq or elsewhere in the world, I'm sure we would want to take that into consideration.

MR. CABRAL: The State Department issued a warning to Americans coming to Portugal during this summer's European Football Championships to be especially careful about the security situation. Isn't, in your opinion, the world, at the moment, a much more dangerous place than it was before? You stirred up, really, a hornet's nest in Iraq, didn't you?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, we didn't. Let's blame the terrorists for stirring up the hornet's nest. Let's remember that the reason we have to issue cautions such as this is because there are terrorists. There are terrorists who would attack innocent people who are in large gatherings, and we have to fight terrorists. And I'm pleased that Portugal is willing to join us in the coalition against terrorism and to play an important role in what we are doing in Iraq.

And so, rather than blame it on Iraq, or the fact that we have gone after, frankly, dictatorial regimes -- and we removed one in Baghdad, we removed one in Afghanistan -- if this stirred up the terrorists, I just reject that categorization that you would give it because we got rid of evil regimes that had no place in charge of people who want peace and freedom.

We are now bringing peace and freedom and democracy to those nations, and what we all should do now is come together to fight the kind of terrorists that we saw in Madrid in March, and who are still out there plotting against all civilized nations. Portugal has been in the forefront of this effort, and I hope it will continue to be so.

MR. CABRAL: Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for your time and for coming on our program.

SECRETARY POWELL: You're welcome.