U.S. Department of State 96/01/19 Daily Press Briefing

From: hristu@arcadia.harvard.edu (Dimitrios Hristu)

U.S. State Department Directory

Subject: U.S. Department of State 96/01/19 Daily Press Briefing

Office of the Spokesman

[...]

FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

Agreement to a Complete Prisoner Exchange: Status .........4-5

Possible Japan Funding for Bosnia Armed Forces Training ....5

Mass Grave Sites/War Crimes Tribunal:

-- US Efforts to Locate; Shattuck Travel to Balkans ........16-17

[...]

TURKEY

Shipment of Guns Confiscated on Syria Border ...............9-11

Resolved Chechen Hostage Crisis in Bosporus/Black Sea ......10

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MR. BURNS:

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On Bosnia, Secretary Christopher told him about the prisoner swap that was arranged by Assistant Secretary Holbrooke this morning in the Balkans. Secretary Christopher's view is that the Dayton Accords are on schedule. Today is an important day in terms of the deadline for several things that must happen. The prisoner swap is being arranged. It is not yet fully complete. We do hope that all prisoners will be released as part of this swap.

The Secretary also said that the United States would continue to watch the implementation phase of the Dayton Accords very, very closely, looking forward to his own trip to the Balkans in just two weeks' time.

Minister Ikeda pledged that Japan would be an active supporter of civilian reconstruction in Bosnia, a supporter of assistance to refugees in Bosnia. He also applauded United States leadership in bringing the parties to a peace agreement at Dayton.

Minister Ikeda complimented the Secretary on his speech yesterday at Harvard, particularly on the references to U.S. policy in Asia, and specifically on U.S.-Japan relations.

There was then a very long conversation of the situation in Russia, of Japan's relations with Russia and of United States relations with Russia. Both of them agreed this is an important -- indeed, a critical time for Russian reform in the wake of the resignations of three very influential reformers.

Secretary Christopher said that the United States intended to steer a steady course in U.S.-Russian relations; that we would encourage continued economic and political reform. Both of them agreed that the G-7 summit in Moscow in April will be an important summit.

Secretary Christopher repeated some of what was in his speech at the Kennedy School yesterday, that one of our strategic objectives with Russia is to encourage Russia's integration with Western institutions -- economic, political, and security; and that process of integration would continue so long as Russian reform continues.

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Q The Turkish Government -- they caught several trucks loaded with weapons nearby the border in, I believe, it was --

MR. BURNS: Which part of the border?

Q Syrian border. -- which they are going to go to the Syrian- controlled Bekaa Valley. The Turkish Government claimed that the guns are going to go to some terrorist organization, and they urged several governments, if I'm correct from the wire report, Israel and other government. Do you have any information about the subject?

MR. BURNS: I don't. It's the first I've heard of this particular incident, so we'll have to check on it for you.

Q Another part is do you have any reaction which the Turkish Government solved the problem of the Chechen events in the Bosporus?

MR. BURNS: We're very pleased that the hostage crisis in the Black Sea has come to an end. We're very pleased that the Chechen rebels have decided to end their futile acts of terrorism and in taking hostages, and certainly would congratulate the Turkish and the Russian Governments for the end of this particular hostage crisis.

Q Nick, if you have an answer to the first one -- you know, the next time we'll see each other is in about 72 hours -- could it be distributed perhaps the way guidances used to be put on the doors and still sometimes are.

MR. BURNS: The first part of the question --

Q Yes.

MR. BURNS: -- on this --

Q Yes. I mean, you might also --

MR. BURNS: -- illicit shipment.

Q I also wondered if you'd be asking Syria about it, you know, and, if you have an answer to this and if it's to be the State Department's intention to be public about this, could you please let us know before Monday if you can?

MR. BURNS: Barry, of course, we aim to please. We always aim to please, and we'll look into this matter. I can't anticipate what we're going to find when we do look into it. If we find anything interesting --

Q If you find no basis to the report, tell us that.

MR. BURNS: -- that we think we can share with all of you, we'll certainly do it. We're always quick to do that. We sometimes post these at night. We sometimes release them at the next briefing. I'll be glad to do that.

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Q Nick, I asked the Secretary about reports of other mass graves around Srebrenica, and he said that all that he had seen were press accounts. Do you all know anything more about these sites, and is there going to be an effort to get U.S. officials there within the next couple of days?

MR. BURNS: We're concerned about the reports we're hearing, as Assistant Secretary Holbrooke mentioned last evening on another network, Betsy. He said that just as in 1945, when the full extent of the atrocities of the Second World War became apparent at the close of the war, we are now receiving a lot of information about human rights abuses; in some cases, a mass of human rights abuses that took place in Bosnia over the last four years.

That is why Secretary Christopher asked John Shattuck, our Assistant Secretary of State, to accompany Dick Holbrooke to the Balkans.

Dick Holbrooke is now in Germany, on his way back to the United States. John Shattuck has remained behind. He hopes to go to Srebrenica to look personally into what we believe were massive executions of Bosnian civilians after the fall of Srebrenica and Zepa in mid-July of this past year.

He is also looking into the other allegations, Betsy, that we and you have heard about. He's working, in this case, with the United Nations, with the European Union and with other non-profit organizations that are on the ground who believe they may have first-hand knowledge of this.

In this sense, I understand that Justice Goldstone was briefed at NATO Headquarters this morning in Brussels about our determination to help him uncover human rights abuses in Bosnia, to bring those who are responsible to justice, to try them, and to convict them. Assistant Secretary Shattuck will be in the Balkans throughout the weekend and into early next week looking into all these issues.

Laura.

Q What is complicating Assistant Secretary Shattuck's travel to Srebrenica? What seems to be holding it up? Because he's tried several times in the past but now that area is actually under the control of U.S. troops. It would seem that travel there might be a little bit easier for him now. It also raises the question of more and more of these accounts are going to come out in the press. The question still remains, what will U.S. troops do when they encounter these mass graves? And is there going to be some instruction to them to secure the area so that evidence can't be destroyed?

MR. BURNS: I just didn't want to give out the details of Assistant Secretary Shattuck's trip for obvious reasons, despite the fact that there is a cease-fire, the Dayton Accords are being implemented. General Joulwan said today that the armies are now being separated by American, British, French forces.

There are some scattered incidents of snipings. There are still landmines -- millions of landmines -- in Bosnia. We simply want to take every precaution we can to make sure that John Shattuck's trip is safe. We will not be giving out in advance his itinerary, the date in which he intends to visit or from which direction or with whom. We'll do that privately. We'll let you know about his trip when he comes out. I'm sure he'll let you know. Your colleagues in the area will know it when he comes out.

As for the larger question, the President, Secretary Perry, and Secretary Christopher have all spoken to this. IFOR will cooperate with the efforts of international organizations, but specifically the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal, to help them investigate and uncover allegations of human rights abuses.

As IFOR builds up to full strength -- although this is not the central mission of IFOR -- IFOR will work to provide security for all international investigators who are looking into human rights abuses. That is the least we can do. It is the proper thing for us to do considering the brutality of the Bosnian Serbs over the last several years.

[...]

(Press briefing concluded at 3:03 p.m.)

END