By NNN-KUNA
Kuwait : Former US Secretary of State General Colin Powell (Ret.) said Sunday that he saw “no prospect of a confrontation with Iran” but said that military action would remain an option that “no American President” would take off the table.
“I see no logical scenario for taking military action (against Iran), but this will remain an option, and no American President will take it off the table,” he said while addressing a symposium entitled “Opportunity and Crisis in the Middle East” organized by the National Bank of Kuwait.
He said that, in his own judgment, one reason for this was the fact that nuclear facilities in Iran were “no easy target to go after” because it was not known for sure where they were located, nor their number.
Powell also said that the US “has its hands pretty full” with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the fact that there was no support by the American people for going into yet another military conflict.
Moreover, the retired general said that should the US opt to take military action against Iran, it would have to “do it alone” and that the move would be one that the international community would “condemn universally.” He added that one other reason was that it would be something “the Iranians will use against us,” because the US would be attacking Muslim land.
Powell hoped, as everyone else, that Iran would not pursue its enrichment programme, but expressed his opinion that “Iran is far from having any nuclear weapon.” The former state secretary called on everyone to “be patient because there are forces working inside Iran that could bring about change,” referring to Iranian youth who could no longer be isolated in this age of technology and “know that there is a different and better world out there.”
As for Iraq, Powell said his country had gone into the country as the “liberator” and had now become the “occupier,” which meant that it was responsible for imposing security, but in failing to do so “gave way to insurgency.” He said, however, that under the command of Multi-National Force Commander General David Petraeus, there was now a reduction in the level of violence, especially with the “surge” of US troops that took place last summer.
“It is important for Iraqi leaders to make use of this ‘breathing space’ and to take action” because the US people would continue to pressure the next president, whether a Democrat of Republican, to reduce the number of troops in Iraq.
He encouraged all people and governments to assist Iraq, but stressed that “the future of Iraqis is in Iraqis’ hands.” And on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he hoped progress would be made in the Annapolis Conference later this month, but “frankly” said that both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were “weak.” He said that while Abbas faced opposition by Hamas, Olmert would be under pressure “at home” regarding any compromise that he might bring back.
“We hope for progress, but we need to keep optimism in check,” he said.
Speaking about the war on terrorism and the situation in the US post September 11, Powell said the attacks on his country were a traumatic shock, but stressed that it was the “terrorists and murderers” that his country was after and not Islam or Muslims.
Powell stressed that what terrorists could not do was change the nature of the American system of values, that of “openness,” adding that terror would not succeed in isolating America.
“Come to America. We are an open and welcoming society,” he said.
Moreover the retired general said that if security in Iraq prevailed, Iran’s nuclear ambition was frozen, and the Palestinian issue moved forward, this would “bring relief to the region and the rest of the world, and the whole region will blossom.” He said, “I think that right now, the GCC is a great oasis that has shown the rest of the world that people can live in peace and have political and economic alliances with people far away.” Powell led and orchestrated American diplomacy as US Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He is now a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Bayers — a Silicon Valley venture capital firm — and is on the board of director of the Revolution Health Group.