We have to work with our European Union friends and with the IAEA to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear program. And we have seen a little bit of progress, hopefully, over the last 24 hours.
The president also has an active agenda with respect to trade -- open trade, with respect to the Millennium Challenge Account, development funding, going after HIV/AIDS, building on the partnerships and alliances that we have around the world.
We had some difficulties with some nations in Europe last year over Iraq, and we are getting rid of those differences and coming together again, as evidenced by the fact that NATO is now undertaking a mission in support of the Iraqi people.
And so I think there are still challenges out there, but I think there are far more opportunities out there.
We've got good relations with China; the best perhaps in decades. Good relations with India, with Pakistan, with the Russian Federation. And all of this, I think, is a result of our foreign policy efforts over the last four years under President Bush's leadership.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) follow up on Barry's question about the timing, be more specific, when you said that in recent weeks and months you'd been discussing with President Bush this prospect. Can you be a little bit more detailed about when it was decided and when you told him?
POWELL: I meet with the president almost every day in some form of a meeting and at least once a week we have our private time. And in the course of the year, frankly, we have talked about the second term, and I had always indicated to him that I thought I would serve for one term.
And as we got closer to the election and the immediate aftermath of the election, it seemed the appropriate time.
And we were in mutual agreement that it was the appropriate time for me to move on.
QUESTION: Did you offer to stay for a little while, some period of months or something? And did the president just choose to say, "Let's do the letter now"?
POWELL: I made no offer. We had pretty much come to our mutual agreement without anybody having to make any offer, counteroffers, anything like that. We knew where we were heading.
QUESTION: On visiting the Palestinian territory, sir, in the next week or so, how effective...
POWELL: I'm still...
QUESTION: ... can you be in bringing the process back onto track?
