Following are excerpts from the transcript of the Powell-Cem press conference containing Powell's remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq:

SECRETARY POWELL: I heard Mr. Arafat's statement that he is making one hundred percent effort to stop terrorist violence. I can't judge whether he is or he is not. I take note of the fact that another bomb went off recently. Fortunately the injuries were minor and the bomber died in the process.

What he really has to do though is show significant results. As long as bombs keep going off, as long as this kind of activity is not stopped, then it will be very difficult to put in place conditions leading into a ceasefire and leading to the resumption of confidence building activity on the way to negotiations. So I hope he is making one hundred percent effort. We have not yet seen results of such effort. Until those results become obvious through the decrease down to the lowest level -- we'd like to see zero violence and terror -- we're going to continue to have a serious problem and we're not going to be able to get to the ceasefire confidence building measures and the Mitchell Plan and the negotiations that we need in order to put in place a peace that will serve the interest of both sides.

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Q: Mr. Secretary, I want to ask about a question in the Middle East, in the tension in the Middle East. Do you think there is any role for Turkey to solve this tension in the Middle East?

SECRETARY POWELL: Yes, this is in your neighborhood as well, and you should be concerned. I know Turkey is concerned about the situation in the Middle East. I know the Prime Minister has been on the phone. Prime Minister Ecevit has been on the phone for long periods of time yesterday talking to both Chairman Arafat and to Prime Minister Sharon, giving them advice and counsel as to how we can get the violence down, get on to a ceasefire, get back to a process that leads to negotiations which is what all of us want in the context of the Mitchell Plan. I think Turkey does have a role to play as a friend to both sides, and as somebody who is very interested, a nation that is very interested in seeing a peaceful resolution of this crisis. I expressed my appreciation to the Foreign Minister and to the Prime Minister for the work they have been doing to try to bring some order to the situation.

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SECRETARY POWELL: We covered Iraq. I was pleased to discuss with the Foreign Minister the fact that we do have a new UN resolution in place which will lead to smart sanctions over the period of the next six months and make it easier for the Iraqi people to get consumer goods, but at the same time make sure that the Iraqi regime is contained with respect to the development of weapons of mass destruction.

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Q: Mr. Secretary, everybody in the world, but perhaps most the Turkish people, wonder whether Iraq will be the next on the line in war against terrorism. First of all, we wonder the answer of this question. And what is your expectation from Turkey concerning such an operation against Iraq?

SECRETARY POWELL: The President has indicated for a long time that we are concerned about Iraq, that it tries to develop weapons of mass destruction. We're doing everything we can to keep it from getting such weapons. Such weapons are dangerous to the region as well as to the world. We also know that Iraq has been a sponsor of terrorism over the years, and that continues to be a concern of ours.

But the President has made no decisions with respect to what the next phase in our campaign against terrorism might be, whether it is directed against any particular country; nor has he received any recommendations yet from his advisors as to what we might do next.