WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday promised to pursue a balanced foreign policy, neglecting no part of the world.
"I'm of a view that you can't just concentrate on one thing," Powell told a small group of reporters at the State Department after saying that his immediate concerns were in the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
"There are just so many things going on at the same time and those might be uppermost in mind today," he said, stressing that he wanted to uphold President George W. Bush's intention to practice equality in foreign policy.
"I'm going to try to help President Bush with his earnest desire to show coherent and consistent foreign policy across all of the accounts," Powell said, adding that priorities would shift according to events but would never stray far.
"On any one day, the key might be up a little higher than another key in a particular country, but I think its important for us to show coherence and consistency over time with respect to our relations with all countries," he said.
Powell then listed the meetings he had had with foreign officials since taking office last week including representatives of Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Rwanda, and Romania, and with upcoming talks planned with officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Britain and Germany.
Noticeably missing on the list is any Muslim country.
"I'm trying to reach out as much as I can and convey a message of openness and American interest in these regions," he said.
"You are going to see a strong sense of what President Bush has spoken about with respect to America being a powerful nation but also a nation that will use its power with humility, recognizing that we are one of 180 nations."
