[originaltext]M: Nice to see you, Madame Secretary. Thanks for talking with us.

M: Nice to see you, Madame Secretary. Thanks for talking with us.
W: Good to see you, Tom.
M: You’re wearing your dove pin. Do I take that to mean that you are hopeful about the outcome of restarting the peace process?
W: Absolutely. This was given to me by Leah Rabin, and she said it took a lot of doves to make peace in the Middle East. And I do think that there is an opportunity here, a window of opportunity, but it’s not going to last very long. And so this meeting, Tom, is truly important, and I hope that what you’ve reported is so, is that the administration will give direct assistance to Mahmoud Abbas.
M: Let’s talk about the specific nuance, really, of that point. In the past, it’s been indirect assistance. Why do you think direct assistance is critical now?
W: Well, because I think that democracy has to deliver. He was elected, and he is arguably the only really democratically elected leader in the area. And the problem is that the conditions in Gaza have not really improved in a way that makes people realize that they have a stake in having a peaceful solution to this situation.
M: There’s a history, as you well know, of fraud and corruption in some of that funding. Some of the money has gone to groups the United States considered to be terror groups. How do you cut that risk of giving direct aid that doesn’t go to causes that the US obviously wouldn’t support?
W: Well, I think at the same time, President Bush and others in the administration have to make clear that there has to be accountability for this money, that there can’t be corruption, that Abbas has to really get control over those kinds of situations. And also, that he has to fulfill what are his responsibilities of making sure that security is maintained, that various groups are disarmed.
M: As you well know, the problem historically has been how does the US support a leader without giving so much support that it actually undermines the credibility of the leader? What’s the fine line here?
W: Well, but here, what happened when Abbas was prime minister before, was that there really was not enough support given to him so that he didn’t have the credibility. And at this stage, I think the issue is one where he requires this kind of support from us and other countries, by the way, to show that he can deliver some goods to the people, and that jobs are created. That is part of also the problem here, is there needs to be employment in Gaza.
M: Are your expectations that, in fact, President Bush will give Mahmoud Abbas what he wants, which is money, but also commitment?
W: Well, we have to see, because at the moment, we’ve not heard whether they’re going to be any special envoys or how much effort the president himself and Secretary Rice are going to put into this effort. Although, in the letter that you cited that appeared today, Abbas made quite clear that he needs American support in bringing the parties together in order to move forward on the peace process.
M: In exchange, the president, obviously, is going to want Mahmoud Abbas to be able to reign in some of the terror organizations that are affiliated with Palestinian Authority. Do you think Mahmoud Abbas can deliver on that critical point?
W: Well, he has moved forward on it, and he’s dismissed some security chiefs that were not doing the job, and he has indicated that he understands the importance of it. And so I hope that that point comes through. I’ve met with—I saw Abbas yesterday, and I also saw the new foreign minister, Al-Kidwa, and they are very much aware that controlling the violence and getting security under control is part of the bargain here. But they also want to see the Israelis remove themselves from Gaza, and then make sure that the roadmap is followed out in terms of the two-state solution.
M: Did he ask for any advice, and what did you tell him?
W: Well, I, we, were, Kidwa and I know each other very well, because he was the representative at the UN when I was there, and we basically talked about the importance of moving forward, making sure the administration, in fact delivers, and that—the um, Abbas would—will deliver himself in terms of what is promised and what is needed.
11. Why is Madame Secretary wearing her dove pin?
12. Why does Madame Secretary think direct assistance is critical now?
13. What did Abbas want clearly from US in the letter that appear today?
14. What shall the president ask Abbas to do as part of the exchange?
15. What did Madame Secretary and Kidwa talk about?