Sir, as specifically as you can, what is it you want out of the United Nations that you are not now getting?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, we've gotten a lot from the United Nations. They have responded with a Security Council resolution immediately after the attacks of 11 September and then a General Assembly resolution. They have passed other resolutions dealing with financial attack against the terrorist financial infrastructure.

Tomorrow, I think President Bush will make his first appearance before United Nations General Assembly and he will thank them for what they have done. He will also take note of the fact, I think, that the United States is doing a great deal for the UN. We have paid our arrears and that is good news.

At the same time, he will, however, tell them that the job is not yet done. It isn't enough just to sign up initially for the coalition but we expect all coalition members to give more than just rhetorical support, to give real support, more intelligent support, chasing the financial infrastructure. Some members are able to provide military support. But I think he will challenge the international community to continue to pursue this campaign against terrorism to its end, the destruction of terrorism as a challenge to the civilized world.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, is it possible that as this coalition gets more complicated as the campaign expands, that countries that may be supportive against al-Qaida might not be so supportive against Hizballah or HAMAS or groups like that?

SECRETARY POWELL: That's possible. Every nation is sovereign and free to choose what it will do. What is most striking about this coalition is that, despite all of the claims that it would start to weaken, it would fall apart, it wouldn't last, guess what? We're two months into this and the coalition is stronger than ever, it has prevailed. We have more and more countries coming into the financial aspects of this, chasing down terrorist financial infrastructure, we have more countries that are offering up military troops for use in the post-Taliban peacekeeping arrangements that might be necessary.

The President has had a steady stream of visitors this week, President Chirac, Prime Minister Blair, Prime Minister Vajpayee just finished his visit here, all of them showing their support for what we are doing and congratulating President Bush on the leadership he is showing in pulling this great coalition together.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I would like to ask you about some comments the Saudi Foreign Minister made, unusually blunt, it seemed to me. He said he was angrily frustrated by the administration's failure of a new peace initiative in the Middle East, enough, he said, to make a sane man go mad. Do you want to react to that?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I was with the Foreign Minister last evening. We had a good conversation. He and I stay in close touch on this. And I can tell you, the Middle East can produce frustrations in one way or another every day. But he knows that we are totally committed to trying to move forward with the peace process. I look forward to having conversations with a number of foreign leaders in New York this weekend. We're committed to getting to the Mitchell plan. I'm in touch with both the Israeli side and the Palestinian side. And I know that the Foreign Minister will be there to support us as we move forward.

President Bush is totally committed to remaining engaged on the peace process, getting through the security piece we have to get through, getting a cease fire in place and then moving through the confidence-building measures, ultimately back to negotiations under the basis of 242 and 338, two UN resolutions that provide land for peace. That's what we have to get to. We remain committed despite the frustrations, despite the setbacks that we encounter from time to time.

I have seen some progress in recent days, and I hope over the weekend to improve upon that progress and keep it moving.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary of State, it's always a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you for your time this afternoon.