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U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing #157, 97-10-31

U.S. State Department: Daily Press Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) at <http://www.state.gov>


933

U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing

I N D E X

Friday, October 31, 1997

Briefer: James P. Rubin

STATEMENTS
1-2		Announcement of Greg Craig as Special Coordinator for
		  Tibetan Issues
10-11		Chinese Response

CHINA 1 Pres. Jiang's Comparison of Tibetans and Southern Slaves in the US 10 Alleged Comments by Qian Qichen on Campaign Finance Scandal and Intelligence Gathering in the US 10 Taiwan Issue and the US-China Summit 11-12 Chinese Assurances on Stopping Nuclear Cooperation with Pakistan

ARMS CONTROL 2-3 US Efforts to Stop Production and Exportation of Landmines by Other Countries/Time Frame

IRAQ 3-4 Update on UN meetings on UNSCOM and Butler/Iraqi Right to Control Nationality of UNSCOM Inspectors/UN Options/ Reactions from Other Countries

MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS 4-7 Israeli-Syrian talks in Washington, D.C. on Golan Heights/ Amb. Ross' Participation 7-9,12 Venue and Agenda of Israeli-Palestinian Talks in Washington, D.C. Next Week/Secretary Albright's Participation

MEXICO 11-13 Assassination of Enrique Camarena and Fernando Velez

BOSNIA 12 Length of US Troop Presence


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

DPB #157

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1997 1:10 P.M.

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

MR. RUBIN: We have a lot to get through today. I'm sorry for being perceived as rushing through. We do have another announcement today about a personnel issue.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has designated Mr. Gregory B. Craig as Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. This responsibility will be in addition to his continuing role as Director of Policy Planning. Consistent with our overall objective of promoting the protection of human rights in China, as the Department's Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Mr. Craig's focus will be to advance this objective in Tibet, and to preserve the unique religious, cultural and linguistic heritage of Tibetans. A central objective will also be to promote substantive dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives.

Questions?

QUESTION: Did you consult with Senator Helms on this appointment?

MR. RUBIN: Yes

QUESTION: Is he satisfied?

MR. RUBIN: You'll have to ask him for his views. But he is fully aware of this appointment, yes.

QUESTION: Also on that. Yesterday, in his speech in Washington President Jiang compared the Chinese takeover of Tibet to the liberation of black slaves in this country. Do you have any comment, reaction or ideas about that?

MR. RUBIN: Well, without getting into an historical debate with the president of another country, we obviously don't see it that way. As Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Greg Craig will obviously have a lot of work to do in explaining the differences between the United States and what may or may not have gone on in Tibet in the past.

QUESTION: Does Mr. Craig have any special expertise in this, in his background? Or is this just someone that the Secretary has confidence enough in to make the appointment?

MR. RUBIN: Well, in two respects - first of all, the Secretary wanted someone who reported directly to her and who could apply a broad policy perspective to the issue. He is, in his current capacity, in contact with the Chinese on a regular basis on a number of matters. So this was a way to make sure that the person doing this job was part of the diplomatic game.

Greg, I also know, was Chairman of the International Human Rights Law Group when he was in the private sector. So he has a lot of experience in bringing to bear the rule of law and international human rights law to problems such as those the people of Tibet face.

QUESTION: What specifically will Greg Craig be doing? I mean, is it mainly a dialogue sort of activity? Or are there some things that can be done, outside of the context?

MR. RUBIN: Well, he will seek to advance our overall human rights objectives with respect to Tibet. He will seek, in particular, to advance our policy objective, to preserve the unique religious, cultural and linguistic heritage of Tibetans. He will also promote substantive dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives.

The US believes that this dialogue should begin as soon as possible. There are a lot of staffing issues that need to be determined still on a question like this. But he will be a coordinator of policy objectives in this area, and as appropriate, could involve travel abroad. He will certainly be interested in speaking with Tibetans in the United States and abroad an in traveling to Tibet.

QUESTION: He will - you're saying he will go to Tibet?

MR. RUBIN: I could try it again, but --

QUESTION: No, I just wanted to clarify.

MR. RUBIN: Certainly, he will be interested in speaking with Tibetans in the United States and abroad and in traveling to Tibet. Any more on this subject?

QUESTION: Land mines, can I ask a question?

MR. RUBIN: I hope I know the answer since all the experts have left the room. Yes.

QUESTION: Okay. Two quick questions. One is, some of the countries like China, Iran, Finland, Russia - in these countries, the land mines are still being manufactured and exported. Is the United States going to take any initiative? If so, what, that is, for stopping these countries to manufacture, as well as the export of land mines? That is one question.

And the second question is, do you have any time frame with which all these mines will be - the demining process will be completed? I understand even in Cambodia, they say Cambodia itself will take at least 300 years with the present technology we have to demine all these mines there?

MR. RUBIN: Yes, the answer to your two questions - your first, it is our hope that many of the countries that are part of the problem - and like some of the countries you mentioned, that is the countries that produce and export land mines that are directly related to the problems around the world where little children are getting their legs blown off and others are suffering from this danger, that those countries that are part of the problem like the ones you mentioned, will stop the export of their weapons and will join the work that's going on in Geneva.

Ideally, we'd like them to be able to sign the Ottawa Agreement. So the more countries that agree to not produce or export these mines -- and especially those whose mines are the cause of the problem, like the countries that you mentioned -- we would very much want them to join the international regimes and stop manufacturing and producing land mines that don't have the protective devices that some of ours do.

Secondly, the specific initiative - and I would urge you to take a look at your fact sheet - spells out the year 2010 as the objective for cleaning up the land mine problems around the world. That is 12 years from now - 12 and a half years from now -- and that is the goal. That is why it's called the 2010 Initiative.

QUESTION: On Iraq, could you talk a little bit about what is happening today? What the back and forth is? And what specifically Iraq must do in order for this crisis to be over, be concluded?

MR. RUBIN: First of all, as far as what is going on today, the Security Council is going to hear later this afternoon from Ambassador Butler, who is the Chairman of the Special Commission. He will lay out exactly what is going on the ground; exactly what risks he believes his personnel face; exactly what plans he has for future inspections; and exactly what his recommendations would be. At that point, the Council would be in a position to react.

It is our view that what Iraq needs to do is make clear that it does not intend to put at risk any American or any other personnel from the UN Special Commission, and make clear that they intend to comply with the requirements of the Special Commission and that they are not going to try and pick and choose who in the Special Commission they intend to deal with or whose safety they intend to protect. Once Iraq has made clear that it will return to a mode of cooperation with UNSCOM, rather than confrontation with the United Nations, then this crisis will be eased.

QUESTION: Sort of a technical question on that point. Does Iraq not have the leeway as a sovereign nation to choose which - for all intents and purposes - diplomats or foreign officials are allowed into its territory?

MR. RUBIN: I'm sure Iraq believes it has certain privileges under international conventions to choose who can and can't come into its country as a diplomat. That's not the issue here. The issue is, if Iraq wants to comply with the United Nations, it has to comply and accept the United Nations' rules as to who is part of the UN delegation.

If they want to say not to the United Nations, then they can continue to say that Americans are not welcome. If they want to say yes to the United Nations, then they are accepting the UN rules about who the UN hires to do the job that the UN is trying to do, which, let's remember, is designed specifically to make it possible for sanctions to be removed.

So Iraq cannot pick and choose what nationality UN inspectors are.

QUESTION: American officials keep saying, reiterating that all options are open, including Secretary of Defense Cohen a few minutes ago - all options are open. However, the Russian Government has already decreed this morning they will not support any military action against Iraq.

MR. RUBIN: I's always very tricky to quote the Russian Government's official statements. We believe that the Security Council authority exists for very firm action by the international community in this case. It's not a surprise to us that the Russian Government, like us, would prefer that we don't get to a point where any stiffer measures are needed. Certainly we hope that Iraq gets the message - the united message of the world, the international community, the Russian Government, the French Government - about the importance of complying with the UN and accepting the UN's rules of the game and not trying to change those rules of the game mid- stream.

If Iraq gets that message, the question of next steps will become moot. But there's no question that in the past we have seen Iraq turn around, and we hope that they are wise enough to do so in this case.

QUESTION: Do you see any cause and effect between the Iraqi discrimination against American inspectors and the four abstentions in the vote last week?

MR. RUBIN: It's long been our view - and it's very hard to get into the mind of Saddam Hussein and to try to assert what exactly his thinking was on any one issue, since he's made so many miscalculations in the past -- It's long been our view that Iraq responds most clearly and most positively to a unanimous Security Council. The more unanimous the Council, the more clear the message, the less likely Saddam Hussein is to misunderstand and miscalculate. But he is the only one who can answer the question of why he would shoot himself in the foot again.

QUESTION: Jamie, to put the question again that I asked of the Secretary this morning. How long does Saddam Hussein have to turn around on this?

MR. RUBIN: Ambassador Butler, who will be in New York, will report about what his inspectors' plans are, when the next inspection is planned, what the next activities of UNSCOM are that he would normally have taken, in the absence of this intervention. Then you can begin to assess what timeframes Iraq has in which to permit UNSCOM to do its job.

Let's just say, hypothetically, that they wanted to do an inspection some number of days down the road, and that they were not going to accept Iraq's rules that those inspections could not be conducted with Americans present. That would be a day in which if they failed to change their policy, that inspection would not take place; and UNSCOM would not be able to do its job. Then we would have to see what the next steps were.

So there are on-the-ground operational issues of what UNSCOM's next steps are. As far as we're concerned, the Council has said that he should change course immediately.

QUESTION: New subject?

MR. RUBIN: Any more on Iraq? Okay, yes.

QUESTION: Is that a new subject?

MR. RUBIN: Yes.

QUESTION: The same question I asked the Secretary on talks between Israel and Syria here in Washington?

MR. RUBIN: I would urge you to be more specific about the report you're referring to, and it might help me answer the question. If the question is, are there secret Israeli-Syrian military talks going on in the United States, is that true? -- my answer is no.

QUESTION: Okay, well, why don't you take out the word military?

MR. RUBIN: I'm not aware of discussions of secret Israeli- Syrian talks of that kind.

QUESTION: Take out the word secret.

MR. RUBIN: All right, now we're going to play 25 questions.

QUESTION: No, we're not. I would be easier if you guys 'fessed up' and told us what Dennis Ross, who's a rather furtive fellow is up to, because we always - and, frankly, if these talks are so sensitive they have to held in secret, or semi-secret, you wonder what value an agreement might be if it's so - if you're so nervous about it you have to hang around in dark alleys --

MR. RUBIN: Let me try to answer the question.

QUESTION: Look, it's not unusual for foreign governments to have their representatives in Washington talk to each other. It's a little bit more if the United States is assisting in this, or providing some input. Are the US and Syria and Israel, in any informal, back-channel way, trying to find a way to get something going on the Golan Heights?

MR. RUBIN: What happens here often is that people hear about things that in one context would seem quite normal and in another seem like a big secret. It should not come as a surprise to any of you, or any people in the world, that we have been trying to get the Israeli-Syrian track restarted. The Secretary of State went to Damascus and met with the Syrian leader precisely for that purpose.

From time to time, Ambassador Ross has met with Israelis, and he has met with Syrians with the specific goal of trying to see whether we can find a formula to restart those talks. That should not come as a surprise, and that certainly has taken place.

QUESTION: Here? In this area?

MR. RUBIN: I'm not going to give you a 365-day-a-year schedule for Ambassador Ross. What I am telling you is that he has met with Israeli officials in recent times, often, in recent months. He's met with Syrian officials from time to time in his work. During the course of those discussions, of course, he is seeing whether there is something we can do to promote the chance of the Israeli-Syrian track being revived.

What happens here is there is often a hyped-up version that comes out in different publications, and then people think there is some big secret. One of the other issues that might help you understand this is we have had a continuous exchange of views with the Israeli military on a variety of issues pertaining to security. At the moment, an Israeli military delegation is here, preparing for the annual Joint Assistance Planning Group, which will be held next week. The delegation is also preparing for the visit of Minister of Defense Mordechai, which will take place next week.

Those discussions will cover a wide range of bilateral and security issues and from time to time also deal with the issues of Israeli security as it relates to the pursuit of peace; namely what Israeli security needs might exist in the context of an Israeli-Syrian peace agreement, or a further progress in the Israeli-Palestinian track.

QUESTION: That's helpful. We weren't - I wasn't - nobody was asking for a 365-day. Dennis Ross goes to the Middle East sometimes --

MR. RUBIN: Right.

QUESTION: -- by himself, with his group, sometimes with the Secretary of State, and naturally enough he holds talks there.

MR. RUBIN: Right.

QUESTION: What is intriguing here - and you seem to be very concerned how it's cast in the story, whether it looks super secret or surreptitious, you know --

MR. RUBIN: No, I'm not concerned.

QUESTION: We're just asking if --

MR. RUBIN: Excuse me. I'm not concerned about how it's in the story. I'm trying to make sure that it's accurate. That's what I'm trying to do.

Q: All right, so to make sure it's accurate, the basic question - I don't know what the newspaper specifically - how they wrote it - the point is that - the question is, whether those talks, and whether they were three-way at any point, are being held here on this side of the ocean? From time to time, frequently, whatever. Time to time -- with the Syrians and frequently with the Israelis.

MR. RUBIN: I certainly wouldn't want to rule out that in meetings in the United States Dennis Ross has met with Israeli officials and talked about how to restart the Syrian track. I wouldn't want to do that.

QUESTION: Yeah, but sat down with the two of them together?

MR. RUBIN: I'm not aware of that, no.

QUESTION: All right, what is this - okay, please, what does this tell you - or tell the US about the notion that the Prime Minister of Israel isn't interested in negotiating peace agreements? The Palestinians are coming here. There are going to be talks next week. There have been talks about the Syrian track. Does the US conclude anything from this as to whether Israel is in a negotiating frame of mind, or as it's commonly depicted, stubborn, uptight?

MR. RUBIN: Again, one of the premises --

QUESTION: Unwilling to yield?

MR. RUBIN: One of the premises of your question is that this is a new development, this discussion --

QUESTION: No, it's not a new development.

MR. RUBIN: -- on the Syria track. What I'm suggesting to you is that for many months now, in many different forms -- whether it's the telephone, whether it's in a meeting, whether it's in a meeting in the Middle East, whether it's in a discussion here -- Dennis Ross is always trying to see whether in his discussion with relevant officials he can unlock the mystery of what it will take to restart the Israeli-Syrian track.. That is going on and has been going on and there is no secret about that fact that we're trying to do that.

QUESTION: Well, what kind of a reception does he get? Does he get people willing to talk about the --

MR. RUBIN: We are still not optimistic that we are on the verge of being able to do that.

QUESTION: Do what? Get an agreement?

MR. RUBIN: Find a formula.

QUESTION: Find a formula.

MR. RUBIN: By which the Israelis and the Syrians can restart the negotiations.

QUESTION: And you said there was no three-way? It hadn't reached that?

MR. RUBIN: As far as I am aware, there have not been three- way meetings of that kind.

QUESTION: Speaking of secrecy and the peace process, do you care to comment on reports that the talks next week will be held at the Foreign Service Institute in Rosslyn, Virginia?

MR. RUBIN: Well, I guess there's no secret about that. Yes, any other questions?

QUESTION: No, same subject.

QUESTION: Same subject, let me just - let me just follow up. Why is it necessary -- and all the parties say this is a Clinton Administration deal - - to keep the location secret? Don't you think it sort of engenders suspicion that already surrounds this on all sides?

MR. RUBIN: Well, you know, every one has got their business in life. Those of you in this room's business is to report what happens regardless of whether it's good or bad for the policy; regardless of whether it imposes risks or not for the policies; regardless of whether it will help or hurt peace -- that's your business.

Our business is to try to determine what's good for the peace process. It has certainly been our experience over the years in many different fora that negotiations without the glare of publicity and without the spotlight of international cameras and without the difficulties of answering your legitimate questions are more likely to succeed.

QUESTION: It's just mighty strange. You have just finished talks with the biggest country in the world, talks there is a lot of suspicion and skepticism about, about such incredibly important issues as nuclear weapons - right -- human rights, in the glare of publicity, with a lot of people thinking you're on a weird track with them, and you don't try to hide those talks. Why always, when you're trying to cajole the Israelis and their Arab partners into reaching some agreement, there has to be this pulling and tearing all the time?

MR. RUBIN: Barry, there's nobody in this room who's been covering diplomacy longer than you that I can see. Therefore, you know that in many, many different circumstances being able to negotiate behind closed doors, without the glare of publicity, without a lot of discussion, without a lot of reporters to ask the difficult but legitimate questions that reporters ask, that often the success ratio increases.

Our business is success; your business is openness. It will not always be the same.

QUESTION: I will not make a comment about how successful you've been so far.

(Laughter.)

MR. RUBIN: I will not make a comment about how successful you were in writing about Dennis Ross' meeting.

QUESTION: No, but you say success depends on secrecy. You haven't got an agreement, and you're not even near it. But here's a question about the Israeli-Palestinian track. An Israeli official anonymously had a session with a newspaper - we don't name them anymore, do we?

MR. RUBIN: We don't.

QUESTION: All right. Now, you last week spoke of wanting the Palestinian- Israeli talks to center on those four points. They include accelerating final status talks. Does the US have an opinion whether interim discussions should await a response or some sort of agreement, if possible, between the two sides, or whether to jump into final status talks? In other words, if a way can be reached to get them to talk about those rock-bottom very difficult issues, in the US view, is it still necessary to proceed immediately with interim measures? And you know what they are, of course.

MR. RUBIN: It is still the US view that the best course for the peace process would be to marry the completion of the remaining steps of Oslo with an accelerated timetable for permanent status.

QUESTION: This is very complicated, that's why - what I'm talking about, negotiations. According to this account, the Israelis are coming here to negotiate final status. Should that be a non-starter? They're ready to talk about interim measures. How do you feel - how does the US feel about that?

MR. RUBIN: Let me try one more time, and then let's go to another subject.

QUESTION: Okay. You're talking about what's supposed to happen in the end. I'm talking about the negotiations per se.

MR. RUBIN: On the four-part agenda, which covers both the question of the time-out, security issues, accelerating the permanent status and further redeployment, which is an interim matter - as well as the other interim issues that you're familiar with.

QUESTION: Right.

MR. RUBIN: Those are the topics for the meeting that will begin next Monday at whatever location Sid Balman said they would be at.

QUESTION: But, see, you're not answering the question -- we'll see what happens. See, you don't have to; the Israelis have a strategy, and the US is not taking the position publicly on what that strategy is.

MR. RUBIN: Right, we want to talk about those four issues, yes.

QUESTION: Okay.

QUESTION: Thank you, Barry, for your lead-in to my China question.

MR. RUBIN: How did I do that? I don't know.

QUESTION: Well, he was talking about the visit of the Chinese and the transparency of all the baloney.

MR. RUBIN: Thank you, Barry.

QUESTION: I would address that, as well. Mr. Qichen, when asked about Chinese Government intrusion into the United States Government, and also about espionage or intelligence gathering in the United States, Mr. Qichen said that this was completely false, as the Chinese have said about most of the issues that we brought up. This is all false and it was the United States that was intruding into the government and internal affairs -- that was the term - of China. How does the State Department view this Chinese perspective? And how do you deal with the allegation?

MR. RUBIN: Well, frankly, I haven't seen the allegation. I'm completely unfamiliar with it, but I would be happy to get you an answer for the record, because I just have no information yet.

QUESTION: But what about the issue - wait a minute, just let me finish. What about the issue of the intelligence gathering and possible intrusion of the internal affairs of the United States?

MR. RUBIN: Well, you have given me my secret answer to the question, which is every time you say intelligence gathering, I get to say, we don't comment on that from this podium.

QUESTION: Well, let's say political intrusion --

MR. RUBIN: Thank you. In the back.

QUESTION: Jamie, in the last few days, the President and the Secretary have met with Jiang Zemin. I'm sure one of the issues that was raised is Taiwan. From this podium we haven't really heard about what in those meetings did - what kind of specific assurances did the United States make on its position towards Taiwan; especially towards Taiwan independence? And I do have another question.

MR. RUBIN: We certainly made clear that we have a one-China policy; that we don't support a one-China, one-Taiwan policy. We don't support a two- China policy. We don't support Taiwan independence, and we don't support Taiwanese membership in organizations that require you to be a member state. We certainly made that very clear to the Chinese.

QUESTION: The second question is, are the Chinese going to hear about Mr. Craig at the same time as we are, or did they get --

MR. RUBIN: I think they've been informed about this, and that they're aware of it.

QUESTION: How did they respond to this?

MR. RUBIN: I don't have a response on their behalf, but you can certainly ask them.

QUESTION: Since Sunday, L.A. Times has been reporting a serial of stories that the DEA is trying to review, in the case of the assassination in Mexico of Enrique Camarena. They mentioned that the former President of Mexico, Miguel de la Madrid, he gave the order to the assassination. Do you have any response to that?

MR. RUBIN: We are aware of more than a dozen current and former senior federal law enforcement agents and prosecutors who have been assassinated. Is that what you're talking about? In Mexico, in the past 18 months.

QUESTION: No, I'm talking about the case of Enrique Camarena, who was kill --

MR. RUBIN: In Colombia?

QUESTION: In Mexico in 1995, DEA.

MR. RUBIN: I don't have any information on that.

QUESTION: To follow up on Mexico --

QUESTION: Can I follow up on China?

QUESTION: Excuse me, ma'am, new subject.

QUESTION: Fernando Velez, the former prosecutor for the --

MR. RUBIN: Let's go here and then I'll come back to you.

QUESTION: Okay, thank you.

QUESTION: Mr. Rubin, as part of the assurances that China has given on nuclear cooperation -- stopping nuclear cooperation with Iran, do they include written assurances on Pakistan? Because there was an implication yesterday --

MR. RUBIN: We haven't commented on the record, any of us, on the question of the form of any assurances.

QUESTION: But could you answer in general whether there were any new assurances on Pakistan - stopping cooperation with Pakistan?

MR. RUBIN: I'll try to get you an answer for the record on that.

QUESTION: You have only spoken - the government has only spoken of Iran, but said it involves plural countries. So maybe you could answer --

MR. RUBIN: We're going to be having a briefing later today by the expert on this subject.

QUESTION: Good point, good point.

MR. RUBIN: And I hope you all who have questions will attend the briefing and pose your questions at that time.

QUESTION: Can we go to a Bosnia question I've had for a couple of days?

MR. RUBIN: Yes.

QUESTION: There was a story in a publication a couple days ago which stated that the Clinton Administration had decided to leave troops in Bosnia past the deadline. Could you comment on that?

MR. RUBIN: Without referring to any publication, I don't believe that's exactly what it said. But my only comment on that story would be as follows. We believe that with US leadership in Bosnia, there's been significant and dramatic progress; especially when you consider they were at war for 46 months, and we have been working at peace for half of that time.

Maintaining this continued progress is our focus. It is imperative that such progress continue, and we have always said that a long- term international presence and commitment to Bosnia will be necessary. We have indicated as well that we would expect that commitment to include a diplomatic, economic and humanitarian component. However, there has been no decision as to what military role if any the United States will have in Bosnia at the conclusion of SFOR's mission next June.

That decision will be reached through a process of close consultation with Congress and our allies. Clearly, there is active discussion ongoing about that; but there has been no decision.

QUESTION: Jamie, we don't get enough of a chance - it's Friday afternoon. The talks Monday in the morning, and will the Secretary indeed convene the talks?

MR. RUBIN: I don't have an answer for that, but I'll try to get you one before you go home tonight.

QUESTION: Is she at the kick-off?

MR. RUBIN: Yes, on both aspects. Let's take one more in the back.

QUESTION: Two issues on Mexico - the former prosecutor for the drug enforcement of Mexico, Fernando Velez was killed --

MR. RUBIN: If you don't mind, I would like to get Mr. Foley to answer that question for you, because I don't have any information on it.

(The briefing concluded at 1:30 P.M.)


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