Efforts to stabilize the security situation in Iraq in advance of Iraqi national elections, scheduled for January 2005, topped the agenda as Secretary of State Colin Powell and Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher met in Washington September 29.

During a press briefing following their meeting, Powell thanked Muasher and Jordan's King Abdullah for the attention and resources Jordan has contributed to the Iraqi security situation. "Let us not lose sight of the fact that what is important is that the Iraqi people be given the opportunity to vote for who their leaders will be, how they will be governed, the nature of their constitution," he added.

Foreign Minister Muasher expressed Jordan's strong support for the Iraqi Interim Government's efforts to move forward with elections, but added, "We hope these elections will be held all over Iraq so that every Iraqi can participate in the future making of their country."

In a September 28 interview with France's Le Figaro newspaper, Jordan's King Abdullah raised concerns about the possibility of achieving universal suffrage without a marked improvement in the security situation and about the potentially negative repercussions of a partial election.

Muasher told journalists, however, that there is no difference between the U.S. and Jordanian governments on the subject of Iraqi elections.

"We both agree that security is very important and we're both working with the Iraqi Interim Government to be able to help them provide that security. We both agree that elections should be held all over Iraq so that every Iraqi can participate in the election process. And we expressed our hope that the elections will be held on time and that the conditions would be conducive for that," he said.

Powell also thanked Muasher for the leadership role Jordan has played in preparing the groundwork for the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative put forth by the Group of Eight countries at their Sea Island, Georgia, summit in June. The program, aimed at supporting political and economic reform initiatives from within the region, took its first major step forward as foreign ministers from 28 countries gathered in New York on September 24 in the inaugural session of the Forum for the Future.

The Forum for the Future will provide ongoing contact between the countries of the region and the G8 on the governmental, private sector and nongovernmental organization levels. G8 countries include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia.

Muasher also raised Jordan's concerns about the "great difficulties" confronting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and reaffirmed his country's commitment to the Roadmap and the objective of a two-state solution, which he characterized as "the only acceptable outcome of the peace process."

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
September 29, 2004

REMARKS

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell And Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Jamil Al-Muasher After Their Meeting

September 29, 2004
C Street Entrance
Washington, D.C.

(3:30 p.m. EDT)

SECRETARY POWELL: (In progress) -- Foreign Minister Muasher here at the State Department. We had a good conversation. I thanked the Minister and, through him, His Majesty and the people of Jordan for the strong support they have steadfastly provided to us in the campaign against terrorism and especially the assistance they have been providing to the people of Iraq as the people of Iraq prepare for elections that expect to be held by the end of January, 2005.

As His Majesty, King Abdullah, mentioned the other day, the security situation is a challenge. We understand this and our commanders are hard at work, as well as our political authorities, hard at work with the Iraqi Interim Government to bring the security situation under control and to defeat this insurgency, especially insurgency raging within the Sunni triangle.

But let us not lose sight of the fact that what is important is that the Iraqi people be given the opportunity to vote for who their leaders will be, how they will be governed, the nature of their constitution. And it is the obligation of the international community to help the Iraqi people achieve freedom and stability so that they can become a nation of stability in the region, and I thank Jordan for the assistance that it has been providing.

I also thanked the Minister for the contribution he made to the conference that we had last Friday morning at the UN in New York. It was really a preliminary conference, the beginning of the process called the Forum for the Future that came out of the G-8 meeting at Sea Island earlier in the year, where the broader Middle East and North African nations come together with the G-8 to talk about modernization and reform within the region; reform and modernization, as determined by the nations of the region, but with the assistance and help and with the partnership of the industrialized world.

It was an excellent opening conference. Twenty-eight nations came together and talked candidly -- not just rhetorically, but candidly and with substance -- about the challenges that we were all facing together, and how we can work with each other in partnership and in friendship to support reform efforts that are coming from within the region. And I would especially like to thank my friend Marwan for the leadership he has played within the Middle East in bringing this to the attention of all of the nations of the Middle East and helping bring a statement forward out of the Arab League that endorses this kind of reform and modernization effort.

Our bilateral relationship, as always, is very solid and strong and Marwan, it's a great pleasure to have you here and I invite you say a word or two.

FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. It's always an honor, a pleasure to be here. Indeed, as the Secretary said, we had a very good discussion over a range of issues, from Iraq to the peace process to the very central issue of reform, which we have in our region. Last week in New York, we indeed had the chance not only to take stock of what has already been achieved in the region, but also to start planning ahead of the next steps we need to take in that regard. We had a very healthy dialogue with members of the G-8, and I think that the process is starting to get traction and hopefully will lead to further progress as we go along in the future. We expressed our strong support for the Iraqi Interim Government in its efforts to hold elections and move the political process forward. We hope these elections will be held all over Iraq so that every Iraqi can participate in the future making of their country. We also had a chance to talk about the peace process undergoing certainly great difficulties, but I indicated again our support for the roadmap and for the need to maintain our objective of a two-state solution as the only acceptable outcome of the peace process, and we discussed ways in which we can work together to move the process forward.

Mr. Secretary, again, thank you for receiving me.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you, Mr. Minister.

Barry.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, can I ask you for your views of an Iraq conference which the Iraqi Foreign Minister would like held? The French say, put on the agenda the withdrawal of U.S. troops. I wonder if you think that's a terrific idea. And, you know, do you think generally that it is a good idea to have this conference?

I'm going to do a two-fer, which I never do, but Mr. Minister, on elections, your government appears to stress security; the U.S. is stressing the need to have the Iraqi people choose a government. Is there a difference between your two positions?

SECRETARY POWELL: On the first point, the conference that the Iraqi Interim Government wants to hold is something that we strongly support, and it's an idea that Prime Minister Allawi has been discussing with his neighbors and with us for some period of time.

It got a lot of attention last week in New York because I made reference to it on several occasions. It would be a conference held in the region with all of Iraq's neighbors, the G-8, and representatives of the Arab League, and Organization of the Islamic Conference and perhaps some others.

Dates are being examined now. Prime Minister Allawi and Foreign Minister Zabari are out working this right now, and so I hope this conference will be held in the not-too-distant future, but the specific date, I'll wait for the Iraqi Interim Government to announce after arrangements have been made, and I look forward to personally participating in the conference.

I think what Foreign Minister Barnier, the French Foreign Minister was suggesting the other day was that such a conference might look at the resolution that was passed by the UN that talked about what happens after a year and after the next election, with respect to the mandate of the multinational force. And the French Embassy and the French Ministry have clarified that the Minister was in no way suggesting a precondition for their attendance at the conference, nor was he suggesting specific agenda items. He was merely noting that the resolution itself calls for a review of this matter after the elections are held next year, and if that's an item that the participants wish to put on the agenda, that would be perfectly appropriate and I see nothing wrong with that.

And so I'm afraid that the Minister's comments were somewhat misinterpreted by the press; at least, that's what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes as well.

FOREIGN MINISTER MUASHER: Barry, let me stress that there is no difference whatsoever between our position and that of the U.S. Administration. We both agree that security is very important and we're both working with the Iraqi Interim Government to be able to help them provide that security. We both agree that elections should be held all over Iraq so that every Iraqi can participate in the election process. And we expressed our hope that the elections will be held on time and that the conditions would be conducive for that.

QUESTION: Can you tell us, Mr. Secretary, what you know about Italy's efforts to free those two hostages who arrived in Rome last night? And there has been a lot of talk about ransom. I wanted to ask you, are you concerned that a steadfast ally like Italy might have negotiated with terrorist and paid -- or someone connected to them paid -- a ransom of as much as $1 million?

SECRETARY POWELL: I have no information concerning their release, and I would suggest that you ask the Italian Government. I have no information with respect to the release, and I will take my lead from whatever the Italian Government says about the matter.

Thank you.