THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 21, 1994 TAG: 9409210449
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell on Tuesday defended his efforts to negotiate an end to the Haitian crisis, despite mounting criticism that the last-minute deal did not go far enough to end the military dictatorship on the island nation.
Appearing as a guest lecturer before a packed Chrysler Hall, Powell urged ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to embrace the agreement as a first step in wresting power from the strongmen who have controlled Haiti for the past three years.
``This agreement does what we set out to do,'' Powell said. ``We can now lift those horrible sanctions which have been doing such damage to Haitian society and caused such suffering to the Haitian people.
``I think we need to build on this accomplishment, turn the job over to the United Nations and bring our youngsters home.''
The comments followed reports that Aristide was angered by the settlement reached in the 11th hour Sunday as the United States prepared to launch a massive military invasion. Aristide and his followers have, so far, failed to vocally support the deal, reportedly because it allows the military dictators to stay in power until Oct. 15.
Powell, who negotiated the deal along with former President Jimmy Carter and U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., described those concerns as ``tactical details'' that should not derail the mission.
Powell, 57, was the first in a series of four speakers sponsored this year by the Norfolk Forum. The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell sounded at times like both a soldier and a presidential prospect.
The hourlong speech touched on a wide variety of topics, including the importance of family values and the need for Americans to band together to solve social ills.
In a calm, almost folksy manner, Powell joked about his departure from national limelight, recounting anecdotes like a relative telling old family stories. Only his included names like Yasser Arafat and Nelson Mandela.
Powell described a 1988 meeting in Moscow with Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union. In that meeting, Gorbachev swore to the U.S. diplomats that the Cold War was over. Looking around the room, Gorbachev saw skepticism in Powell's eyes.
``He glanced at me and he said, `General, you will have to find a new enemy,' '' Powell said. ``I thought to myself, `I don't want to. I've only got a couple of years to retirement.' ''
Much of Powell's speech centered on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Though the United States lost an enemy during those years, Powell said, the country also lost its sense of purpose.
``We no longer have a theory to apply to crises,'' Powell said. ``We no longer know what we're supposed to do.
``Containing communism is gone. We do not have new stars to go by.''
Citing the growing conflicts in Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti and North Korea, Powell said the United States must play a role in solving those crises.
``We have no choice,'' he said. ``America cannot stand back. We cannot be disengaged. We are the leader of the world that would be free.''
He acknowledged that as a part of that responsibility, the United States could not be afraid of using military force. He said the Persian Gulf war demonstrated the need for quick and decisive action. Describing Saddam Hussein as a ``kidney stone who will pass in time,'' Powell said the U.S. military succeeded in quickly forcing the Iraqi dictator out of Kuwait.
In the end, the audience gave Powell a standing ovation. Then he was asked if he intended to run for president and, if so, for which party?
Powell paused to take a sip of water. He said he was writing his memoirs and enjoyed being on the lecture circuit.
``When the door closes on writing my memoirs, I'll look for another door to open,'' Powell said. ``There's no passion in me to run for elected office. I'm still a soldier at heart.
``But I don't rule anything out.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Graphic
COLIN L. POWELL
Age: 57
Born: April 3, 1937, New York City
Family: Married, three children
Education: B.A., City University of New York, 1958; M.B.A.,
George Washington University, 1971.
Career: U.S. Army, 1958-93. Commands included: 101st Airborne
Division, 4th Infantry Division, V Corps in Germany and forces
command at Fort McPherson in Georgia; senior military assistant to
the secretary of defense, 1979-81; deputy assistant to the president
for national security affairs, 1987; assistant to the president for
national security affairs, 1987-89; chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Pentagon, 1989-93.
Decorations: Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Air
medal.
by CNB