Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri met with Secretary of State Colin Powell

Описание: (26 Apr 2001)

1. U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri walking out of the State department
2. Two shot of Powell and Hariri
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell
"You don't have to look far to see that this administration is engaged. It takes a great deal of President Bush's time. My first trip out of the country other than a short trip to Mexico with the President, was to the region and to meet with leaders in the region. We have a number of things working right now, quietly, to get the security situation stabilised, start violence moving down rather than up, and when we have some success there we can build on that success with improving the economic situation with the people in the region and then ultimately getting back to a negotiating track. As the Prime Minister has said, ultimately the solution for the region is peace. Peace that is fair for all based on relevant United Nations' Security Council resolutions. But we're not going to get back to that track until we get the violence moving down and start to see some progress on the escalation and violence and then we can move forward. And that is my utmost objective at the moment and the United States is fully engaged at every level to trying to make that happen. There is no lack of engagement. We don't always run out every day with a banner headline but I can assure you we are hard at work and deeply engaged."
4. Cutaway
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
"The solution is to start working hand to hand with the people who believe in peace and we are one of them. We will do our best to achieve the peace with the leadership of the United States and we are going to do all our best with other responsible leaders in the region with full cooperation with the United States to achieve the peace in the region."
6. Powell and Hariri shaking hands and walking away

STORYLINE:

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri met with U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on Wednesday.

Hariri had met with President Bush on Tuesday and the two leaders discussed ways of averting further violence in the middle east.

The same theme resonated with both Powell and Hariri on Wednesday after they met at the State Department.

But Hariri reinforced his belief that Israel still occupied territory that belonged to Lebanon.

Israel claims the small enclave near its border is part of the Golan Heights, a strategic enclave Israel won from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.

Hariri emphasized that Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt were all in favour of a peaceful settlement in the region.

Powell, in turn, told reporters that the solution for the region is a peace that is fair for all, but that violence must be curbed first.

Hezbollah militants operate from Lebanon and have attacked Israelis from their strongholds, triggering an Israeli attack on Syrian-run radar installations last week.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration is focusing its efforts on containing Israeli-Palestinian violence.

On Tuesday Bush assured Hariri that even though his administration would employ "different methods," it remained committed to peace in the Middle East.

Hariri said he told Bush that Lebanon is "keen" to see some progress on peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians, and would like the United States to play a more effective role in pushing the process along.

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