WASHINGTON – In a speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace yesterday, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell hailed the Iraqi people for their courage in "taking risks at all levels…to serve their country” and praised the Allawi government for its "crucial first steps” to form a democratic society. He identified the new Iraqi administrative law as "a revolutionary document for this part of the world,” noted that a national conference is scheduled next month to select an interim Iraqi national council, and pointed out that the legal process to bring Saddam Hussein to justice is well under way.

By closing the books on the Coalition Provisional Authority and replacing its leader with the new Iraqi interim government, rather than with the U.S. ambassador, Powell said the United States is keeping its promises in Iraq.

Powell praised the U.S. Institute of Peace, calling it "a great institution that is doing such terrific work for the American people and for the cause of peace around the world.” He recognized the Institute’s contributions to assisting Iraq, including its training program in negotiation and mediation skills for Iraqi national security officials serving in government ministries. The Institute was appropriated $10 million by Congress late last year to conduct programs in Iraq. It has been working with Iraqis since then to help stabilize and democratize their society.

Stating that the United States should always seek diplomatic approaches to solving problems, Powell added that "we should do everything to avoid war.” U.S. strategy over the last three years has been to "defend the peace” by going after terrorists, putting in place the right kind of security on our borders, and entering into arrangements with other nations in Europe and Asia and through multilateral organizations, according to Powell. Only if diplomacy fails should the U.S. resort to force, Powell said. "To protect our nation and to protect the values we believe in … to defend the peace, it may be necessary to use military force,” he stated.

In a response to a post-speech question from Mamoun Fandy, a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace, Powell criticized the Arab television network Al–Jazeera for doing "a horrible job” and taking "every opportunity to slant the news.” He added that U.S. officials have raised these concerns with the leaders of Qatar who finance Al-Jazeera, and said the network is taking steps to change its editorial policies.