U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing #35, 98-03-17
From: The Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) at <http://www.state.gov>
661
U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
I N D E X
Tuesday, March 17, 1998
Briefer: James P. Rubin
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
1-2 UK Foreign Secretary's Cook's Travel to Region/Role of EU
in Peace Process
2 Security Situation in Region
3 Status of Middle East Peace Process
3 Palestinian Security Chief's Threats to Israeli Settlers
RUSSIA
3-4 State of President Yeltsin's Health
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
4,7-8 Assessment of 10-day deadline by Contact Group / Decisions
/ Implementation
5,7 Possibility of Formation of New Peacekeeping Force for the
Balkans
7 Situation Report re Kosovo
7 Status of Discussions Between Belgrade and Kosovo
TURKEY
5 General Ralston's Upcoming Visit to Turkey
ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN
5 Armenian Election Results/Allegations of Fraud
5-6 Allegations of Cease-Fire Violations
GREECE
6 Secretary Albright's Meeting This Week With Greek Foreign
Minister
CYPRUS
6 Prospects for Accession to European Union
INDONESIA
8-9 US-Indonesia Joint Combined Exercises and Training Reaction
to Cabinet
COLOMBIA
9-10 Threats Against US Personnel in Colombia
PANAMA
10-11 Status of US-Panamanian Talks re Multilateral
Counter-Narcotics Center
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
DPB #35
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1998, 12:45 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
MR. RUBIN: Welcome to the State Department briefing on this Tuesday. I
have no statements; I have no announcements.
George Gedda.
QUESTION: Do you have any evaluation of Foreign Minister Cook's visit?
Some Israelis think he's not being even-handed enough.
MR. RUBIN: Foreign Secretary Cook has a very close working relationship
with Secretary Albright, as you know, and she has great confidence in him
personally and in the intentions that he is pursuing at the request of the
European Union to visit Israel and to try to promote peace in the
region.
Let me say that we have long welcomed Europe's interest in the Middle East,
particularly their strong economic support for the Palestinians. As you
know, we were not consulted on the specific itinerary of the trip that he
took. What we want to see is all the parties focus on the substance of the
negotiations; and what we want to see from the leaders are the tough
decisions that we've long called for.
So she has great confidence in him personally, and hopes that when the trip
is completed, that he will have contributed to the recognition on the part
of the leaders there that it's time to move on the Middle East peace
process. That's what we've been saying, and we hope that is the result of
the trip.
QUESTION: More specifically, is it useful for the British Foreign
Secretary to go to a disputed piece of land in Jerusalem?
MR. RUBIN: Let me say this - that we were not involved in the decision to
go there. This is an issue between the British, the Israelis and the
Palestinians as far as his itinerary is concerned.
Again, let me say the Secretary has the utmost respect and admiration for
him. As far as we're concerned, we are focused at the moment on practical
ways of putting the peace process back on track, and that is what we think
is necessary. We hope that when the fall-out is complete, that the leaders
in the region see the need to move forward on making the hard decisions. We
certainly have been supportive of the European Union's economic underpinning
that has provided for the Middle East peace process, and that is important
to ensuring that the people of the region see that peace brings benefits.
If we don't get movement on the hard issues that the Secretary has been
talking to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat about - the ideas
the President has put forward - the peace process will not go from its
current status, which is a very deteriorated one, to the kind of forward
movement that we in the United States have been looking for.
QUESTION: Has the Secretary spoken to Cook in the last 24 hours?
MR. RUBIN: I don't believe so, no.
QUESTION: And when you talk about when the fall-out is complete, what
exactly do you mean by fall-out?
MR. RUBIN: Well, I've been watching the TV and been reading the reports
on the wires, and clearly there has been some controversy here.
QUESTION: It sounds like you're distancing yourself from this visit by
saying, well we weren't involved with the making up of the itinerary and we
think we should be involved in substance. It sounds like you are criticizing
the forum of the Foreign Secretary in going to that place in Jerusalem.
MR. RUBIN: The words that I have used have to speak for themselves. What
I indicated was that she has made clear to Foreign Minister Cook that she
is supportive of his efforts to try to bring home to the leaders in the
region the importance of moving forward in the peace process.
She is also quite supportive of the role the European Union has played in
providing an economic underpinning directly by assistance to the Palestinians.
We think that is important and as far as the details of another foreign
minister's trip is concerned, I wouldn't expect that other foreign
ministers would necessarily comment on every site that we visit or every
place that we go. For example, I don't recall a lot of comments by Foreign
Minister Cook about our trip to Ohio State University.
(Laughter.)
So we are not going to engage in what's obviously a visit that became
controversial; that is simply a statement of fact. We are supportive of his
efforts and we hope that when all is said and done, that the leaders of the
region take out of his visit and their meetings with him what the message
that we presume he is bringing, which is that it is time for the leaders to
move.
QUESTION: You said yesterday that the security situation was already
tense in the first place. So is it a good idea, just to press this more,
for Mr. Cook to go over there when it seems as though his visit is stoking
the tensions rather than alleviating them?
MR. RUBIN: I don't see the security situation as having been markedly
worse as a result of him being there. What the security situation normally
refers to is in the Palestinian territories; the kind of stone-throwing and
demonstrations that lead to the tragic incident last week and I don't think
that that has been stoked, in your words, by his presence at this
particular site.
QUESTION: Take it a further step, the peace process, in general --
tensions, things aren't going well; you said that yesterday. Is he at all
stoking things in a negative direction?
MR. RUBIN: I think I have spoken very directly and clearly about what we
have to say about his visit.
QUESTION: Do you have any comment on the comments from the head of the
Palestinian Preventative Security Service, threatening Jewish settlers with
death?
MR. RUBIN: We believe that the peace process can only succeed if it is
about building confidence between the sides, not carrying out actions or
issuing statements that provoke the other side. In this regard, the last
thing we needed was for this kind of controversial and provocative
statement to be made by the Palestinian security chief. However, I also
have to say that in addition to statements, we need people to refrain from
provocative actions and that includes both sides, including the Israeli
settlers who have made provocative steps, as well, in terms of actions.
But clearly, the last thing we needed was this kind of threatening
statement from the Palestinian security chief. We're looking to tone down
the rhetoric; to get on with the security cooperation; to create an
environment in which the hard decisions can be made. And none of this
improves that prospect.
QUESTION: New subject? Russia? I'm not so much interested in what you
know or don't know about Boris Yeltsin's health, but is it fair to say that
American officials are less worried about the state of Yeltsin's health
these days than a couple of years ago? To phrase the question a little
differently, is it your assessment that Russian reforms are well enough
entrenched that they don't rely on one man?
MR. RUBIN: We have very great respect for President Yeltsin; and it's
been his decisions that have led Russia on a path towards reform and a path
towards a more cooperative relationship with the United States. At the same
time, we have developed working relationships between Vice President Gore
and Prime Minister Chernomyrdin; between Foreign Minister Primakov and
Secretary Albright; between Deputy Secretary Talbott and other key
officials in the Russian Government. That is designed to ensure that we can
continue to do the work we need to do. That work is moving forward.
We've been cooperating with Foreign Minister Primakov quite successfully on
the Kosovo crisis; and as I understand it, a resolution has now been agreed
to in principle in New York on a comprehensive arms embargo. So the
relationship doesn't depend on one man, but it is certainly a fact that
President Yeltsin has led his country towards greater reform, greater
cooperation and greater international standing; and we hope that that
continues. We wish him a speedy recovery from the illness that has been
described by the Russian spokesman, and will continue to work with the
Russian Government. We believe that the ties between American and Russian
officials are deep and widespread.
QUESTION: Jamie, I'll ask you a question about his health, then. Have we
had any assurances from anyone within the government that he - that this is
not as severe as it sounds?
MR. RUBIN: I'm not aware of phone calls that have come our way,
reassuring us about the state of President Yeltsin's health. I can point
you to the fact that a Yeltsin spokesperson has said that he's suffering
from an upper respiratory ailment. At his doctor's recommendation, he has
canceled his meetings for this week while he recuperates at a dacha outside
of Moscow. We do wish President Yeltsin a speedy recovery.
We understand that the CIS - that's the Commonwealth of Independent States -
summit, scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed until late April. But
it's also true that President Yeltsin kept some appointments last week.
Over the weekend, he met with constitutional court envoy Shakhray and
hosted a private dinner for the famed cellist Rostropovich. And President
Yeltsin was seen on Russian television last week meeting with key economic
advisors.
We have no information to indicate the Kremlin has made decisions to cancel
the expected meeting next week with President Kohl and President Chirac.
The foreign ministry has indicated that preparatory work on the summit
continues. So we're hoping for a speedy recovery, and continuing to do the
business of the United States in dealing with the Russian Government.
QUESTION: On the Kosovo - on the arms embargo resolution, do you know
when that's going to be acted on? Will that be acted on this week?
MR. RUBIN: Our understanding is that the Contact Group in New York has
agreed to a consensus text of a UN Security Council resolution. So that's
the Contact Group has made an agreement in principle; that isn't all the
members of the Security Council. I may have slightly overstated the case
earlier. That resolution will implement the conclusions of the Contact
Group meeting, including the imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on
the FRY. That text has now been circulated, and we are hopeful the
resolution will be passed later this week.
QUESTION: Just to go back to the pending Russian arms deal - the $1.5
billion arms deal - is it your understanding - the Administration's
understanding, through these consultations in New York the last day or so,
that that will be part - that deal will not go forward?
MR. RUBIN: I don't believe that anyone from this podium has ever
confirmed a particular number with a particular arms deal. So let me just
say this - it is our understanding that discussions had taken place about
the possible military cooperation between the two countries, and certainly
a comprehensive arms embargo would prohibit the transfer of arms if that
was what was contemplated.
QUESTION: So as far as you understand, there's not a contract?
MR. RUBIN: I couldn't get into that level of detail.
QUESTION: Representatives of United States, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia
and Slovenia got together in Ankara. They had a meeting at Turkish general
staff for the formation of a new peace force for Balkans. Do you have any
comments on that?
MR. RUBIN: I'm not familiar with that particular meeting, but I can say
that we are supportive of an effort by the countries in the region to get
together and talk about this problem and make sure that if the violence in
Kosovo does become exacerbated, that the countries in the region are in
sufficient contact with each other that there is no miscalculation.
We have spoken many times about the risk of violence in Kosovo spilling
over and becoming a possible spark for a wider war. One of the ways to
ensure that that doesn't happen is to make sure that all the relevant
countries in the region are in touch with each other, have regular contact
so that they don't miscalculate and misunderstand each other's intentions
so that such violence in Kosovo does spin out of control. We're supportive
of countries in the region having those kinds of discussions.
QUESTION: General Ralston's upcoming visit, trip to Turkey related to
such a formation of such a peace force?
MR. RUBIN: I'm not familiar with that, and you would have to address that
question to the Pentagon.
QUESTION: Do you have any comment on Armenian elections, which took place
yesterday?
MR. RUBIN: The Embassy and the Organization for the Security and
Cooperation in Europe are looking into the allegations of a number of
leading Armenian presidential candidates who have charged that the election
has been marred by fraud, intimidation and violence of law, and declaring
that the election cannot be considered free and fair.
We are also urging the Armenian Government to investigate these allegations
immediately and thoroughly and take appropriate action. The international
monitors are meeting today in Yerevan to report on their observations of
the election process. At the same time, the vote-counting is continuing.
As I understand it, the international monitors will issue a statement once
the vote count is complete and when it has finished its evaluation of the
election. So it would be premature for us to comment further until those on
the ground have had a chance to report on what they think is going
on.
QUESTION: Follow up - Azerbaijan's defense ministry has stated that the
Armenian side violated the cease-fire agreement a couple of times for -
last week. Are you concerned about this situation?
MR. RUBIN: We certainly don't want the war to resume in full force, and
so we're always concerned about any possibility that that would happen. I
don't have any information specifically on this specific charge of a
specific cease-fire violation.
QUESTION: To go back to the whole Kosovo situation --
MR. RUBIN: Let's go in the back, and then we'll come right back
here.
QUESTION: Anything on the agenda for the upcoming meeting between Greek
Foreign Minister Theodore Pangalos and Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright at the State Department this coming Friday? Is it taking place at
the request of your side or the Greek side? And what is the purpose?
MR. RUBIN: Well, I don't know whose request, but certainly foreign
ministers meet with each other; that's one of the things they do. So
therefore, I would expect there to be such a meeting. As far as what the
agenda would be, I'm sure it would cover all the aspects of concern to the
United States, including Kosovo, including the Greek-Turkish relations,
including the prospect of Cyprus' accession to the European Union . These
are the issues that are normally on our agenda, and I suspect they would be
on the agenda of such a meeting.
QUESTION: So the Pangalos-Albright meeting is here. A couple of questions
regarding diplomatic exchanges between the Greek Ambassador and the DOS.
I'm wondering if you are in a position to answer on diplomatic exchanges
before I proceed.
MR. RUBIN: No, no.
QUESTION: And one more question, as far as for Cyprus, the Cyprus
Government has decided to proceed on the talks for the admission to the
European Union. Any comment to this effect?
MR. RUBIN: I'm sorry, could you repeat that question, please?
QUESTION: The question is, the Cyprus Government has decided to proceed
on the talks for admission into the European Union. Any comment?
MR. RUBIN: Well, at the risk of commenting, let me say that we have long
said that we see EU accession as a potentially positive factor in resolving
the conflict there. The possibility that this could be achieved would
contribute to a climate in which these issues might be resolved. In the
meantime, obviously, the delegation issue has not been resolved, and we
want the two of them to resolve it.
QUESTION: A couple questions back on Kosovo. Somebody raised an
interesting point, and that is, does the United States --
MR. RUBIN: Was that okay?
(Laughter.)
That's the able deputy who specializes particularly in Greek-Turkish
matters.
QUESTION: Does the United States, or is it talking with the countries of
the Balkan region about forming some sort of a regional military force that
could be useful in a wider conflict, or to make sure that Kosovo doesn't
spill over? I mean, is that --
MR. RUBIN: I'm not familiar with any effort being made to create a
regional army of any kind. I'm familiar with the fact that NATO Secretary
General Solana has been in Albania; that the Contact Group countries talked
about the need to extend an international presence in the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia; and that we want to take all steps that we can to
not only make sure there are no miscalculations between these countries,
but also that there are the kinds of military capabilities that are
stabilizing in the region, that deter any possible cross-border conflicts.
That's why we've worked with the Albanians; we've worked with the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and why we will continue to focus on this
regional question.
But I'm just not familiar with a specific proposal for a regional
army.
QUESTION: And your assessment today on how things are going, vis-a-vis
Belgrade and Kosovo --
MR. RUBIN: My understanding is that the region is relatively - sorry I --
QUESTION: No, yes, no, go ahead.
MR. RUBIN: That the region is quiet; that there are still police in the
region; that there are some humanitarian organizations who have returned
and are beginning to operate, including Medecines Sans Frontieres, that we
are hopeful that the International Committee on the Red Cross will
return.
As far as the negotiating track is concerned, we have no reason to be more
optimistic today than we were yesterday, except for the fact that Foreign
Minister Primakov is going to visit with President Milosevic today; and as
I understand it, Foreign Minister Vedrine and Foreign Minister Kinkel will
be going on Thursday.
So hopefully after meeting these three foreign ministers, President
Milosevic will get with the program, reverse course and begin to put
forward serious efforts to negotiate a solution to this nettlesome problem;
and that a solution cannot be one in which he puts out propaganda
statements blaming the Kosovars for what was an unjustified and brutal
crackdown by the police forces in Kosovo. It should be an unconditional
offer, and it should be a well-prepared offer. Those are the two standards
we'll use to judge the seriousness of his efforts.
QUESTION: And a logistical question - you keep talking about this ten-day
sort of time limit that the Contact Group gave Milosevic, but obviously the
ten days is up before the Contact Group meets. So what happens on the tenth
day? Nothing.
(Laughter.)
MR. RUBIN: Do you want to switch places? You all often ask us what the
result of particular decisions by governments are. Unlike the news
organizations that you work for, governments don't move at lightening speed,
and they don't implement decisions at lightening speed. There's a
process.
The foreign ministers of several governments decided to impose very serious
sanctions on Slobodan Milosevic's Serbia. Implementing those sanctions is a
time-consuming and careful process - that relates to the visas, that
relates to getting a resolution passed on the arms embargo, that relates to
making sure that none of the countries have outstanding government-financed
privatization efforts, and that makes sure that in the case of the next
set of sanctions - the freeze on assets - that we are in a position
to implement what for you is a sentence in your story, but for governments
actually requires an enormous amount of work by lawyers and government
officials to find out what assets are out there, find out what banks are
available, find out what the legal requirements are.
So what I can tell you is that if there hasn't been a change in the next
three days, the Contact Group's decision to impose an asset freeze will
begin to be implemented. Now, what does that mean? That means people will
begin to figure out how to do it. And since the Contact Group five - not
the Russians - the five of the six have decided on that asset freeze, they
will surely talk about it again at the meeting. So in practical reality,
it probably won't be fully implemented in terms of shutting down
a particular bank account or making all banks know what will happen if they
get Serbian assets probably until after the Contact Group meeting. But the
intensity of the implementation will increase if, by day ten, it's obvious
to all of us that nothing has changed.
QUESTION: Jamie, did you see the story about US military training for
Indonesians?
MR. RUBIN: I did.
QUESTION: Do you have anything on that?
MR. RUBIN: The answer is yes, when I can find it. It certainly isn't
under the category boldly marked, "Indonesia."
(Laughter.)
But it's arriving here. As I understand it, the United States Pacific
Command continues to conduct joint combined exercises and training with the
Indonesian armed forces. This joint training is conducted in Indonesia and
is not under the auspices of the International Military Education and
Training, better known to all of you as IMET.
This training is legal, and in our view, in conformance with the expressed
intent of Congress; that is because Congress specifically banned IMET
training, and this is not IMET training. These joint exercises enhance
American military readiness and increase US engagement with an important
country. All training is conducted in accordance with US doctrine, which
incorporates leadership and morale principles, including the law of land
warfare and Geneva conventions.
The Administration has in no way attempted to mislead the Congress, and
Administration officials have discussed military exercises and training in
Indonesia with relevant committees on a number of occasions in recent
years. It is our understanding that these exercises are of a purely
military nature and are unrelated to crowd control. But the Department of
Defense will be in a position to give you more information on that.
QUESTION: Further on Indonesia, what do you -- what's your evaluation of
the new cabinet that's about to be sworn in?
MR. RUBIN: Well that is an internal matter for the Indonesian Government.
What we are concerned about is that they do what they can reasonably do to
implement as quickly as they reasonably can the IMF reform program so they
can get back on their economic feet. That is what we are focused on. There
are officials out there right now, I believe, who are meeting with
Indonesian counterparts, and what we are focused on is less the people than
the policies that we think are necessary for them to be able to meet the
needs of the IMF program that has been set forward.
QUESTION: Do you think that it is possible to get an acceptable solution -
- acceptable to the IMF and to the United States and to other Western
governments -- solution in Indonesia with Soeharto as the leader?
MR. RUBIN: If he were to move forward and implement the reform packages,
yes.
QUESTION: What happens if he doesn't?
MR. RUBIN: If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bicycle. I don't know
how to -- if he doesn't, we'll cross that bridge.
QUESTION: On Colombia, sir, if I may. There is an interview by Reuters
today with one of the sub-military commanders of the FARC -- the leftist --
MR. RUBIN: Sorry, I'm still laughing at my own joke.
(Laughter.)
And I was the only one.
QUESTION: There is today an interview by Reuters with one of the top
military commanders of FARC, the leftist guerrillas in Colombia, where he
basically says three things. One is that he says that there are many more
US advisors in Colombia than the US admits. Second, he says that the main
targets are not the narco-traffickers, but the guerrillas themselves. And
he threatens directly the lives of the US advisors. What is your reaction
to that?
MR. RUBIN: Yes. First of all, that sounds like one of the least credible
sources imaginable for such a claim. We are aware of this commander's
threat against US personnel in Colombia. We have discussed it with our
embassy in Bogota. The embassy will continue to review the security
situation of all US citizens in Colombia, and is taking appropriate
measures in response to that threat.
We do not have military advisors assigned to Colombian military units and I
suspect that everyone knows that. US assistance is strictly for counter-
narcotics. The problem is that some of the guerrillas are narcotics
traffickers; and so long as they are narcotics traffickers, they are going
to be subject to our assistance to the Colombian military in the crackdown
on the people who are earning huge profits at the expense of the people of
Colombia, the people of the region and the people of the United States.
US personnel in Colombia man radar stations and provide training and
assistance to the Colombian National Police in their counter-narcotics
programs, which include aerial eradication and interdiction. Let me point
out that we have declared this particular organization a foreign terrorist
organization for their history of attacks on US citizens and interests in
Colombia. We are concerned about their significant support for narco-
trafficking in Colombia.
So if this organization would get out of the terrorism and get out of the
narcotics business, then they wouldn't be so worried about how many
Americans there are in Colombia.
QUESTION: On Panama, how long ago did the State Department announce that
in a few days they would be announcing an agreement with the Panamanian
Government regarding the anti-narcotics center - multilateral --
MR. RUBIN: The MCC?
QUESTION: Yes. That time frame has expired, and I suppose it is because
the negotiations are in good shape. Can you tell us why is this delay in
announcement? The governments of Latin America, they are talking about to
build up a new hemispheric agreement in the coming Summit of the Americas.
Is this any relation to that?
MR. RUBIN: I don't have any specific information on what's holding up the
negotiations, but clearly they've been held up. We can try to get you a
list of the main topics. We normally don't go into great detail publicly
about problems that we're having in private negotiations, at the risk of
making the problems even worse. But in terms of the general categories,
perhaps we can get some information for you after the briefing.
QUESTION: Thank you.
(The briefing concluded at 1:20 P.M.)
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