Powell Talks Missile Defense, Iraq in Mideast

Feb. 25, 2001 -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell launched his whirlwind, four-day tour of the Middle East Saturday, meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Cairo to discuss pressing issues such as missile defense and Iraq.

Powell described the 90-minute discussion as excellent and Ivanov agreed it was "frank and constructive." Foreign analysts expected the two to set priorities for future talks and avoid getting into details during their first meeting since President Bush took office.

"If you think we managed to resolve all our differences at our first meeting that would be good, but it would exceed our expectations," Ivanov told reporters after meeting with Powell.

The two men discussed, but reached no consensus on, U.S. plans for a $60 billion missile defense system that Russia opposes and says may lead to another arms race. Russia says the plan violates the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, an agreement Russia considers a keystone of international arms control. Russia has offered its own smaller counter proposal to the United States' European allies that would leave the ABM treaty in tact.

Before meeting Ivanov, Powell told reporters Russia's proposal was "interesting" but appeared to fall short of the sort of security umbrella the White House wants.

The two men also discussed Russia's breakaway province of Chechnya, but did not talk about this week's arrest of a veteran FBI agent suspected of spying for Russia or recent U.S.-British air strikes on Iraq.

While Powell told reporters it was Saddam Hussein and not a U.S. military presence that threatened children in the Middle East and caused many of the regions problems, Ivanov remained silent.

Egyptian Leaders Question Sanctions

Later, Powell met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa to discuss economic sanctions on Iraq.

The Egyptian leaders expressed concern about the effect of sanctions in Iraq's people and the impact of the February 16 U.S.-British bombing of military targets near Baghdad on the United Nations-Iraq talks in New York this week.

"What we need now is to give the full chance for the talks," said Moussa. "Sanctions should be reconsidered as a weapon or as one of the procedures that the Security Council resorts to."

Powell said the United States was always willing to review the policy of sanctions but said Saddam Hussein's continued efforts to pursue weapons of mass destruction posed the greatest threat to the Middle East.

Hussein "threatens not the United States, he threatens this region," said Powell. "He threatens Arab people. He threatens the children...of Egypt, the children of Saudi Arabia, the children of Kuwait."

The United Nations "has an obligation to cause him to come into compliance with the agreements he made after the [1991] Gulf War."

However, Moussa differed with Powell differed on whether Iraq remained a threat in the region.

"I don't see that threat," said Moussa.

"But if you ask the Gulf region, some countries over there, they would continue to feel a threat and they say it publicly," said Powell.

Powell arrived in Israel late Saturday and is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Jordan's King Abdullah on Sunday.

ABCNEWS' Martha Radditz contributed to this report.