Topic: std
Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING (April 4, 1995)
From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)
 
Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING (April 4, 1995)
Topic: std
Fdate: 95-04-04


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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
APRIL 4, 1995



                        U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                          DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                                I N D E X

                        Tuesday, April 4, 1995

                                       Briefer:  David Johnson



TURKEY
   Visit of Foreign Minister Inonu ....................6-7
   --Foreign Minister's remarks re: limited duration  
       of incursion into Iraq .........................7
   Statement by Turkish Government on Discussing  
     with Iraq a solution to the Kurd problem .........7
   Deputy Secretary Talbott's meeting with Turkish
     ambassador .......................................7



                   U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                     DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                                             DPC #44

                TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1995, 1:16 P. M.
               (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)


[...]

     Q Do you have anything on the visit of the Turkish Foreign
Minister?  I believe he's coming tomorrow.

     MR. JOHNSON:  Yes.  He will be meeting with the Secretary
tomorrow, here.

     Q Do you have a time, David?

     MR. JOHNSON:  Not yet.  We'll be putting out a schedule a little
later in the day.  I'm sure they'll have the time on it.

     Q Do you have anything to say about his remarks yesterday in
Germany, one way or the other?

     MR. JOHNSON:  Only that I understand that he reaffirmed his
government's intention for the activities on the Kurdish border to be
of limited scope and duration, just as his government has assured ours
in the past.

     Q That could be years, instead of decades, of course; right?

     MR. JOHNSON:  We believe it will be quite a bit shorter than
that.

     Q Turkish officials in Ankara have told the press that they have
been talking to Baghdad about a possible solution after the incursion
is over, as well as with the other capitals in the region.  What would
your reaction be to that?

     MR. JOHNSON:  I haven't seen the statement that you say the
Turkish Government has made.  I'd like to take a look at that before I
give an off-the-cuff reaction.

     Q     Would you like to see Baghdad involved in a new solution?

     MR. JOHNSON:  I think that our position on the Iraqi Government's
involvement in the area is made quite clear by our involvement in
Operation Provide Comfort.  We'd like to see the Iraqis comply with
all the U.N. Security Council resolutions before we are prepared to
entertain their involvement in activities related to the rest of the
community of nations.

     Q Mr. Talbott met with the Turkish Ambassador yesterday.  Could
you tell us what that was all about?

     MR. JOHNSON:  I cannot.  I'm aware of the meeting but I don't
have a readout for you on it.  I'll see if there's anything available,
but I'm probably going to point you to the meeting with the Secretary
tomorrow as one where we might be making more formal comments.

     Q Do you expect that the Turkish Foreign Minister will be
carrying any sort of international proposals to solve the problem in
northern Iraq?

     MR. JOHNSON:  I think we'll let the Turkish Foreign Minister
speak for himself.

     Q But so far none has been presented to this --

     MR. JOHNSON:  I'm unaware of any sort of a pre-meeting
presentation that's been made.

     Q Do you know what's happening between the PUK and KDP?  Are the
clashes over?  Do you have any information?

     MR. JOHNSON:  The --

     Q     The Iraqi Kurdish parties.

     MR. JOHNSON:  The PKK?

     Q     No, no.  The KDP and PUK -- the Iraqi --

     MR. JOHNSON:  No, I don't have an update for you on that.

     Q     How about PKK?

     MR. JOHNSON:  I've told you, I think, what I know as related to
the Turkish Government about their activities there.  They say that
some 306 PKK have been killed and 26 Turkish soldiers, but I think
that's information we've provided in the past.

     Q David, just to explore it a little further, the statement that
Warren Christopher made a few minutes ago about an offensive
capability on the part of Iraq in biological weaponry.  Is there a
possibility we might be able to get a little more detail on what that
means?  Does that mean a delivery system for whatever has been
discovered that they have, or do you know?

     MR. JOHNSON:  I think I'll let the Secretary's words speak for
themselves.  He described it as a program, and I'll leave it there.

     Q     Thank you.

     (Press briefing concluded at 1:33 p.m.)

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