Powell reaffirms determination to oust Saddam

US Secretary of State Colin Powell today reaffirmed the Bush administration’s determination to oust Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

He also called on Israel and Palestinian leaders to take serious steps towards a peace agreement.

In a strong speech to a pro-Israel lobby group, Powell also issued a stern warning to Iran and Syria.

“We will keep his weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East,” Powell said to strong applause from thousands of American Jews attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s 44th annual policy conference in Washington.

“Let there be no doubt of the outcome,” he said. “We will drive Saddam Hussein and his regime from power.”

And he vowed a relentless effort to attack the al-Qaida terror network around the world: “Let there be no doubt. We will pursue al-Qaida wherever they are.”

Turning to Iran – which President George Bush denounced as a member of an “axis of evil” along with Iraq and North Korea – Powell said it must “stop its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and the ability to produce them”.

Following up on an accusation made last week by Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld that Syria was allowing war material to flow into Iraq, Powell said “Syria faces a critical choice” – whether to “continue its direct support for terrorism in the dying days” of the Iraqi government.

Rumsfeld has called Syria’s actions “hostile” and Powell kept up the pressure with a warning that “Syria bears a responsibility for its choices and consequences”.

On the Israeli-Palestinian front, Powell renewed Bush’s support for a Palestinian state and said, “Israel’s security requires peace with its neighbours.”

Powell also renewed Bush’s call for a halt to settlement activity on the West Bank and Gaza, which drew a mixed response of mild applause and a few boos.