November 11, 2001	Sunday	Shaba’an 24, 1422

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LOS ANGELES, Nov 10: The US Secretary State, Colin Powell, said on Friday an airbase in Afghanistan would be beneficial for the US air force, saying “we must be patient with the Afghan resistance.”

In an exclusive interview with a leading US channel, CBS, Powell said: “I think an airbase under our control in northern Afghanistan would facilitate a number of things that include humanitarian relief operations, but it is not absolutely essential to the campaign that we are conducting now.”

He said the campaign was going well. “But we have to be patient and we have to remember that we’ve come into Afghanistan with a First World air force and now we’re linking up our First World air force with Third World ground forces that are becoming more capable day by day, with a re- supply and ammunition being supplied by us as well as very, very brave American soldiers on the ground assisting them and showing them how best to do a ground attack against the kind of enemy they’re facing and how best to integrate what a First World air force can do for you,” Powell said.

However, most of the time Powell discussed the crisis in the Middle East, especially Palestine-Israel relations.

Powell clearly told CBS that there was no plan for a meeting between President Bush and Chairman Yasir Arafat in New York this week.

“I hope that I’ll be able to meet with him, and we’re working on that, so that we can continue our discussions about how we can get closer to a ceasefire and get into the Mitchell peace plan process that will lead the negotiations. But there are no plans for the President and Mr Arafat to meet.”