Powell Cautious With Peacekeepers

Wednesday, January 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” Secretary of State nominee Colin Powell pledged at his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday that the Bush administration stands ready to help ``every country that has a desire to be free.''

Introduced by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., as a ``a role model for generations of Americans,'' Powell faced easy approval to become America's first black secretary of state.

Powell called his appointment ``miraculous'' and said it ``would have been unthinkable'' when he first joined the Army 35 years ago.

Powell struck a cautious stance on the U.S. peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, saying the vulnerability of troops must be considered when they are deployed, whether for peace operations or potential conflict.

He said the Bush administration would take a close look at U.S. commitments in the region ``with the hope of reducing our troop levels there over time and in consultation with our allies.''

On another key front, North Korea, Powell said the new administration is aware of the work done by the Clinton administration in talks with Pyongyang. ``We are open to a continued process of engagement with the North, so long as it addresses political, economic and security concerns,'' he said.

The nominee stood firm on Bush's plan to construct an extensive defense against missile attack, which President Clinton declined to do partly because there was no certainty it would work.

Even if North Korea agreed to freeze its missile program, ``we should continue to move ahead as aggressively as possible,'' Powell said.

Initially, North Korea was cited as the most immediate threat to the United States. Powell told the committee Iran and Iraq pose dangers that must be countered.

Dismissing criticism of U.S. sanctions against Iraq as hurting children in that country, Powell said: ``No one cares for children more than I do.''

But, he said, ``A nuclear, biological or chemical weapon in the hands of Saddam Hussein threatens the children of not only Iraq but the entire region, far more than tightened sanctions, whose ultimate goal is to prevent such a weapon.''

And, Powell said, the 1972 treaty with the Soviet Union that banned missile defenses, which is considered landmark by arms-control advocates, is ``probably no longer relevant to our new strategic framework.''

In nimbly surveying problems around the world, Powell spoke very briefly of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He said: ``We will do our best to move the peace process forward'' and registered support for Israel's security and the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people'' and ``our friendships in the Arab world.''

He said the United States faced a challenge in China ``to do what we can that is constructive, that is helpful and that is in our interests.'' He pledged to work with Japan, South Korea, Australia and other allies in the region.

``We have the strength to take risks for peace,'' he said. ``We must help the world that wants to be free.''

Powell, a former national security adviser and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took on folk-hero status when he led U.S. troops against Iraq in the Persian Gulf War.

Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., said that in choosing Powell, President-elect Bush ``hit a home run. ... I can imagine no better qualified person to serve as the first U.S. secretary of state in the 21st century.''

Sen. Joseph R. Biden, D-Del., too, raved about the nominee's qualifications. ``I have no doubt that you will be confirmed, and I suspect the vote will be unanimous,'' he told Powell.

Yet, Biden said, the open question is the direction of U.S. foreign policy under Bush.

``Some of our political leaders,'' seem suspicious of active American engagement in the world,'' Biden said. ``A troubling new 'ism' has emerged â€” unilateralism â€” a belief that America can better project its interest by going it alone.''

Powell, a retired four-star general, went out of his way in the prepared testimony to paint himself as an internationalist.

``There is no country in the world,'' he said, ``that does not touch us.''

And, he said, Bush's foreign policy will be guided by the principle that ``America stands ready to help any country that wishes to join the democratic world.''

He affirmed a strong belief in the NATO military alliance as the bedrock of the U.S. relationship with Europe and said in the Pacific, particularly with Japan, ``a similar bedrock exists.''

On Russia, he said a political settlement must be achieved with secessionists in Chechnya.

Considered cautious and nonconfrontational, Powell is known to be reluctant to use U.S. military power and to try to limit U.S. commitments abroad to situations in which U.S. national interests are at stake.

Last week, Powell was confronted with a report in the Jerusalem Post that he was paid $200,000 â€” more than twice his usual fee â€” for a half-hour speech Nov. 2 at Tufts University.

Powell rejected any suggestion he had done ``something untoward'' in accepting the fee arranged by the deputy prime minister of Lebanon, Issam Fares. Fares denounced the story as ``distortions and lies'' from America's ``Zionist lobby.''

Powell's financial disclosure forms show he has amassed at least $27.3 million since retiring from military service seven years ago, mostly from speaking fees that last year alone brought him $6.7 million. Dozens of companies, including Goldman, Sachs & Co., Lucent Technologies, Twentieth Century Fox and American Express, paid Powell an average of $59,500 for speeches, records show.

â€”â€”â€”

On the Net:

State Department: http://www.state.gov