USIA - State Department Report, 97-06-24

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Home Page at <http://www.usia.gov>

REPORT ON STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, JUNE 24, 1997

(Croatia/loans, Canada/Cambodia/Pol Pot, Iraq/UN Res. 1115, global warming) (590)

There was no regular briefing, but Acting State Department Spokesman John Dinger did speak on-the-record with reporters. No transcript is available of this briefing.

CROATIA/LOANS -- Dinger confirmed that the U.S. government has secured an initial technical delay of two days from the World Bank board of governors regarding a proposed loan of $30 million to Croatia's banking sector. "We have asked for more time to consult with our allies and to hold a full- board discussion of the project," Dinger said. "During that time we hope to win support for a longer delay in order to better evaluate Croatian behavior on key items in Dayton implementation."

Dinger said the United States is "disappointed" in Croatia's failure to live up to its commitments under the Dayton peace accords; specifically in bringing war criminals to justice and in allowing Serb refugees to return to their former homes in Croatia. "We would like Croatia to open additional border crossings with Bosnia and eliminate obstacles to travel," Dinger added.

"It is important to note that we believe that Croatia's lack of cooperation on Dayton undermines prospects for regional stability and also calls into question Croatia's commitment to implement and sustain economic programs that are necessary for prosperity," Dinger said.

CANADA/CAMBODIA/POL POT -- Dinger declined to comment on press reports that say the Canadians were surprised by a U.S. proposal that Canada seek extradition of the Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.

"We are trying to assist the Cambodians in any way possible to bring these people (Pol Pot and his lieutenants) to justice," Dinger said. "We are exploring many, many options and just do not want to get into the details of what those options are."

Dinger did emphasize, however, that the United States believes that "Pol Pot and the other perpetrators of genocide should be brought to justice; we believe the Cambodians share that same point of view, and we will be very happy to help them in any way we can."

He added that it is not known where exactly Pol Pot is being held, allegedly by a break-away faction of his Khmer Rouge followers. "It's a very, very confused situation," Dinger said.

IRAQ/UN RES. 1115 -- Iraq has been given the deadline of October 1 to allow inspectors with the UN Special Committee (UNSCOM) access to suspected storage sites for weapons of mass destruction.

The deadline is part of the UN Security Council's Resolution 1115, an effort to deal with Iraq's intransigence regarding inspections. "We're very pleased that we were able to get this agreement," Dinger said. "It's high time that the government of Saddam Hussein start acting more responsibly towards the international community and towards its own citizens.

GLOBAL WARMING -- Dinger disputed news reports that claim the United States is dodging its obligation to set targets towards reducing emissions.

"The United States will have specific proposals for the level and timeframe for binding emissions reductions targets in time for the Kyoto negotiations scheduled for this December," Dinger said. "What is important here is that we insure that targets are meaningful and achievable...."

Dinger said the U.S. position includes three elements it finds essential for any final agreement: (1) There must be binding commitments from industrialized countries; (2) It is essential that maximum national flexibility in reaching these targets be provided; and (3) Developing countries, too, must agree to take meaningful actions to limit emissions.

From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Home Page at http://www.usia.gov

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