Interview of Secretary of State Colin L. Powell by Wolf Blitzer of CNN'S Late Edition

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release
February 12, 2001

February 11, 2001
Rosslyn, Virginia

MR. BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about another controversial
position of the Bush Administration, the National Missile Defense
shield. The Russians clearly are not happy with it. The Chinese
aren't happy. The Russian security adviser, Sergei Ivanov, said this
only the other day: ``It will result in the annihilation of the whole
structure of strategic stability and create prerequisites for a new
arms race.''

You have a tough sell in convincing them that this is not a direct
threat to them.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I look forward to an early opportunity to speak
to my Russian colleagues on this subject, but it will not destroy the
entire scheme of arms control that we've built up over the last 40
years. I think it will add to that system by adding a new element of
deterrence. Don't see the National Missile Defense standing alone and
separate from what we're doing with offensive weapons, what we are
doing with arms control activities, what we are doing with
nonproliferation activities.

And I think when we have presented this in a comprehensive framework
for the world to see, we'll be able to persuade our friends and
persuade the Russians and Chinese that, rather than taking away from
deterrence, this will enhance deterrence.

MR. BLITZER: Specifically, who is the National Missile Defense shield
designed to protect against?

SECRETARY POWELL: The National Missile Defense shield that we are
looking at now, and the concepts that we are pursuing, are directed
principally against those irresponsible states that continue to pursue
this kind of technology.

MR. BLITZER: Like, specifically?

SECRETARY POWELL: Let's be specific and say North Korea and Iran, for
openers. Iraq is pretty much contained right now, and we're going to
keep it that way.

But any nation, such as Russia or China that has a fairly good number
of missiles, has the ability to overwhelm the systems that we are
talking about. And so I do not think it threatens their concept of
deterrence, but I think it enhances deterrence overall.

And as we get further down the road, as Secretary Rumsfeld has a chance
to examine the concept in more detail and come up with the programs to
support that concept, I think we can also show our European friends and
our friends in other parts of the world that it enhances their
deterrence as well. Because the kinds of missiles we're talking about
and the irresponsible states we're talking about have targets much
closer to them, in the neighborhoods of our friends, than they do in
the United States. So I think there are ways to present this case to
the Europeans, to our friends in Asia, to the Russians and the Chinese,
which will enhance deterrence, not take away from deterrence.