U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing #43, 98-04-08
From: The Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) at <http://www.state.gov>
267
U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
I N D E X
Wednesday, April 8, 1998
Briefer: James P. Rubin
BOSNIA
1-2 SFOR Apprehends Indicted War Criminals / 30 Indictees in
Custody / War Crimes Tribunal Process Works / Karadzic
Should Surrender
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
2-3 Whereabouts of Amb Ross / Purpose of London Meeting /
Contacts with EU /Future Travel
3-4 Palestinian Authority Finding on Death of Sharif / Hamas
Call for Attacks Against Israel
KOREA
4-5 Under Secy Pickering's Mtgs with South Korean Pres Kim
Dae-Jung / North-South Vice Ministerial Talks / Agenda
Items / Future US Role
PHILIPPINES
5 Visit by Pres Ramos / Secretary's Mtg with Foreign Minister
Siazon
BURMA
5 Amb Richardson's Visit Denied / Agenda Items
PARAGUAY
6 Possible Disruptions to Presidential Elections
NORTHERN IRELAND
6 Status of Peace Talks / US Representative
IRAN
6-7 Visit to Washington by Wrestlers / Immigration Procedures
7 Remain on "List" of Terrorist States
SLOVAKIA
7-8 US Visas Denied in Two Cases / No Humanitarian Waiver
IRAQ / IRAN / KUWAIT
8,9 POW Exchanges / Kuwaiti Prisoners Should Be Released
CUBA
8,9 License Issued to Explore Holding Exhibit to Promote Sale
of Medicines
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
DPB #43
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1998 12:40 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
MR. RUBIN: I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, and I didn't know that cell
phones were permitted in the briefing room, but I guess they are. Remember
that phrase "cell phones", it will come back in the next 24 hours.
Let me start by saying that it is my understanding from preliminary reports
that SFOR has conducted an operation involving the apprehension of two
indicted war criminals. These two officials are officers associated with
the operation of the Omarska prison camp; their names are Mladin Radic and
Miroslav Kvocka. These are part of the February 1995 indictment. This was
an SFOR operation where the indicted war criminals were arrested and
detained and no injuries are reported and the indictees are still in
country and are expected to be transferred to The Hague shortly.
QUESTION: Do you know their ethnic persuasion?
MR. RUBIN: I do not. I can try to get more details.
QUESTION: Do you know which troops did it?
MR. RUBIN: If they ran the Omarska camp, as Sid points out, they're --
but I want to get. They are Bosnian Serbs, yes.
QUESTION: Do you know which country's troops did it?
MR. RUBIN: I wouldn't be in a position to discuss that.
QUESTION: In what town?
MR. RUBIN: We'll try to get you more details as soon as we can; this just
came in.
QUESTION: (Inaudible.)
MR. RUBIN: I've given you the information I have. I'll try to get more
for you.
QUESTION: Do you know - (inaudible) --
MR. RUBIN: I believe it's in the UK sector in Bosnia. The important
point for us here to bear in mind is that the process of pursuing the war
criminals in Bosnia is working, that there are now over 30 indictees.
That's the last time I give you any news -- everybody leaves.
(Laughter.)
Is there anyone else who wants to leave now? See you later CBS, UPI, AP -
I guess we can call off the briefing now.
QUESTION: It could also mean they don't think you can top yourself.
MR. RUBIN: The important point here, again this is a very serious matter,
is there are now over 30 indictees in custody in The Hague. This signals
the determination the United States and the other countries that are part
of SFOR have to make the War Crimes Tribunal process work, and it has been
working. Contrary to a lot of the skepticism that has been put out there
by a lot of people about the War Crimes Tribunal, it is clear that the
process is working; that increasingly the space for the remaining indictees
is shrinking; that increasingly it's apparent to Mr. Karadzic that he has
no place to run and no place to hide; that it's time he realized his only
choice is to turn himself in; and that the noose is gradually tightening
around his neck, and it's time for him to make the choice that other
Bosnian Serbs have made to voluntarily surrender. It's clear from the work
of the court in the various cases that have come before it that this court
is going to be fair and is going to pursue a legal process that he would be
well advised to avail himself of.
QUESTION: If he doesn't voluntarily surrender, might he face an operation
like this?
MR. RUBIN: I think we've made very clear that all our options are open in
this regard. We've conducted operations in the past designed to apprehend
indictees and they have been successful operations. We've made clear that
we are maintaining our options in this regard, but I have nothing more for
you on that.
QUESTION: Assuming Dennis Ross did not participate, could you tell us
where the secretive, elusive American mediator is these days, and what he's
up to?
MR. RUBIN: Let me start by saying the mediator is neither secret nor
elusive, and it is not appropriate for us to pre-announce every time Dennis
Ross has a meeting. When people ask, we try to give you the information as
quickly and as accurately as we can. Ambassador Ross did have a meeting
with an Israeli representative in London. He's on his way back now. It
was part of the normal process by which the United States and its close
ally, Israel, meet and talk and discuss different issues.
There are numerous meetings, numerous discussions, numerous contacts that
you all never know about or write about. That is the process of diplomacy.
And there is nothing magical nor secretive about this process, other than
that we don't normally announce every time Dennis Ross has a meeting or has
a phone call or writes a letter or sends a cable. That is the way
diplomacy is done.
As far as what this meeting is about, I think it will come as no surprise
to you that the meeting was about seeing whether any of the new ideas that
are out there, and any of the refinements of those ideas, will be
successful in bridging the wide gaps between the Israelis and the
Palestinians on the necessary steps to restart the peace process. The gaps
are still wide. We have no information to suggest that they are about to
be overcome. Secretary Albright is still deeply concerned about the state
of the peace process, the difficulty the two sides have had to talk to each
other to resolve these issues. Ambassador Ross' meeting is part of that
process.
QUESTION: Why London?
MR. RUBIN: I don't have any particular reason for that. I mean, you
could argue that it's half-way.
QUESTION: Yes, you could, but Prince George's County is closer for Dennis
Ross.
MR. RUBIN: And it's also true that the UK is the chairman of the European
Union during this period, and we have tried to keep in touch with them when
we can about the peace process.
QUESTION: So that's why he saw him. And what are the results? And did
you have - or did he or did anyone have contact with the Europeans while --
MR. RUBIN: I believe he did have a chance to brief certain officials in
London. I don't have results of the meeting; I wouldn't expect to have any
results of the meeting to offer you at any particular time. It's a contact
to discuss ideas. When and if we have new things to say about the Middle
East peace process, I will; but I wouldn't expect it to come out of this
one meeting.
QUESTION: Is Dennis definitely traveling after Passover?
MR. RUBIN: I think it's likely that he would travel again after Passover.
That's likely, but no dates have been nailed down.
QUESTION: Different country --
QUESTION: Did you say where they were --
MR. RUBIN: Yes, I did the whole kit and caboodle.
QUESTION: Have you heard yet from the Palestinian Authority about the
incident in which the bomb- maker was killed?
MR. RUBIN: I would be surprised if at some level they didn't contact us
about their findings that they've made quite public.
QUESTION: Well, as of the other day, they hadn't, was the response.
MR. RUBIN: Well, I'll check that. I would be surprised if they haven't
made - I believe I've seen something to that effect. But I'd be surprised
if, in some form or another, that information was not communicated to us.
QUESTION: That aside, Hamas is not buying their explanation and has
issued a call for a jihad of sorts - attacks against Israeli targets and
Jewish targets worldwide. Do you have any comment on that?
MR. RUBIN: Yes, these kind of efforts to stoke up the Middle East and to
destroy the peace process are reprehensible, and should be condemned by all
those who believe that peace in the Middle East is good for the
Palestinians, peace in the Middle East is good for the region and peace in
the Middle East is good for the Israelis. These kinds of efforts to
exploit situations like this are unacceptable and demonstrate that this
organization is dead-set aimed at killing the peace process and has no
other goal, no consideration for the lives of the Palestinian people that
can be improved by the peace process, and is simply looking for ways to
promote itself and its pathetic cause.
QUESTION: Jamie, Mr. Pickering left South Korea today. Do you have
anything on that - about his meetings there, and whether there's any more
information on the North-South talks, which are scheduled in Beijing for
the 11th?
MR. RUBIN: Yes, President Kim Dae-Jung met with US Under Secretary of
State Pickering in a productive and friendly exchange. They discussed,
obviously, the economic situation, US policy and South Korean policy
towards North Korea.
With regard to the North-South issues, let me just say this. We understand
that the South and the North have agreed to Vice Ministerial talks. Some
details, including the venue, are not yet determined. As far as we're
concerned, we have long supported a direct dialogue between the South and
the North, and this is fully consistent with the four-party talks that
we're trying to promote.
QUESTION: What would the US consider successful in the North-South talks?
I mean, what do you think should be on the agenda?
MR. RUBIN: Well, we want to improve confidence; we want to see
confidence-building measures; we want to see tensions reduced; and
obviously there are a lot of humanitarian issues that could be discussed,
and those would be appropriately discussed in that channel. There are a
myriad of ways that two countries that have been so isolated in the past
could begin to work out some of their problems through such discussions.
But broadly defined, they are in category of confidence- building measures
and humanitarian issues.
QUESTION: If the North-South talks are successful in whatever it is
supposed to be doing, what kind of continued US role do you see in the
peace process?
MR. RUBIN: We've long said that we want to see them talking to each
other, and clearly the US has a role in this. The North Koreans are
anxious to talk to us about these issues, and we have no reason to believe
their desire to talk to us is lessened or reduced by the possibility that
they would talk to the South. There are myriad issues out there in the
area of confidence-building measures, military issues that can be
discussed. And so the two are not inconsistent; in fact, they're
complementary.
QUESTION: You may have covered this in a previous briefing that I missed,
but I was curious as to what our agenda is with President Ramos during his
visit here?
MR. RUBIN: The meeting is scheduled for this afternoon. Secretary Siazon
is accompanying President Ramos during his visit. This has obviously been
a long and enduring friendship between us, and Secretary Albright wanted to
meet with the Foreign Minister on the occasion of the centennial of US-
Filipino relations.
The meeting underscores the importance of our bilateral relationship and
our treaty alliance with the Philippines. I suspect, despite the regional
economic difficulties, there will be some discussion of the economic
issues. The Philippines is currently the chair of ASEAN, so certainly the
Burma issue will come up; the Cambodia issue will come up. And I would
expect that the bells issue that has been an issue between us would come
up, as well.
QUESTION: What is the position the US is taking on that as far as these
talks are concerned? There have been various statements from veterans
groups. What's the official word?
MR. RUBIN: Well, we're going to wait and see what he has to say.
Obviously, the members of the Congressional delegation have had very strong
views, and we'll have to see what they propose.
QUESTION: On Burma, do you have anything to say about Ambassador
Richardson's difficulties?
MR. RUBIN: Clearly the Burmese Government missed an opportunity. We are
disappointed that the government has chosen to forego the chance to speak
with Ambassador Richardson, and a visit would've been an opportunity for
dialogue. If he had been able to go, we would have been trying to promote
our basic objective of encouraging the government there to begin a
meaningful dialogue with the democratic opposition. The Burmese cited the
reciprocal visa bans on senior government officials as their reason. As
you may or may not know, Ambassador Richardson would have sought a chance
to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi , as well as the Burmese military regime, but
they missed an opportunity for some discussion.
QUESTION: Jamie, there were some strong words yesterday and seeming
threats from the President of Paraguay that elections would be disrupted if
he felt that his party was not winning. Are you all concerned about this?
MR. RUBIN: Yes. The United States has been following closely events in
Paraguay related to the upcoming presidential elections. We share the
concern expressed by Paraguay's neighbors about the possibility of
extra-constitutional action aimed at disrupting the elections process and
undermining democratic institutions. We applaud the commitment on the part
of Mercosur countries, those in the region, to act against any undemocratic
action in Paraguay by suspending it from Mercosur, as provided in the
Treaty of San Luis.
The United States strongly supports democracy in Paraguay. In the event of
a disruption of the democratic process, the United States, joined
undoubtedly by the community of democratic nations in the hemisphere, will
also take action with the aim of isolating those responsible. We hope all
parties will fully support the constitution, the Supreme Court and the
electoral tribunal so that a democratic transfer of power can take place in
August.
QUESTION: Have you all transmitted this by way of our ambassador?
MR. RUBIN: Yes, I think they're well aware of our view that this would
be a grave mistake.
QUESTION: Can you say anything about the Northern Ireland talks on the
eve of the --
MR. RUBIN: Well, other than saying, as Tony Blair said yesterday, now
isn't the time to make comments; now is the time for the people involved to
come to closure. This is an historic moment, and obviously we think this
is the best opportunity in a long time to make some progress. We urge all
sides to show the political courage and spirit of compromise necessary to
reach a comprehensive settlement.
We share the view of many that these talks offer the best hope for a just
and lasting peace and resolution of the problems that have divided the two
communities for so long. So it's now not a time for public statements;
it's a time to come to closure and to exploit this historic opportunity
that has opened.
QUESTION: (Inaudible.)
MR. RUBIN: Senator Mitchell is running that process, as far as our
contact. I don't have any more information for you.
QUESTION: Jamie, is there any update on the Iranian wrestlers here - any
further contacts?
MR. RUBIN: Yes. We wanted to make clear the wrestlers were welcome
guests in our country and discussed with them the possibility of an
informal get-together with Health and Human Services Secretary Shalala, who
served in Iran as a Peace Corps volunteer. Their scheduling made this
impossible, but they made clear they appreciated the gesture.
We understand the visit went very well, and that the Iranian wrestling team
was very pleased by the hospitality shown them. They departed Washington
today, after spending a couple of days visiting the city.
For the Iranians' departure, we worked closely with airline and other
officials to ensure smooth completion of departure procedures. And as you
know, the Secretary asked the Department to look into the appropriateness
of existing procedures in the case of such a visit. We intend to work with
other agencies to ensure that the US law is implemented in such a way as to
reflect our sense of hospitality and our support for people-to-people
exchanges.
QUESTION: Was there any attempt by anyone at the State Department to meet
with them, or on their part to meet with us?
MR. RUBIN: I think the idea was, given who they were, that Donna Shalala
was the right person; but it couldn't be scheduled.
QUESTION: On Iran, has the State Department made a determination on
whether they should remain on the list of states that sponsor terrorism?
MR. RUBIN: There is no reason to believe that Iran will be removed from
the list as part of this reporting process. But I would remind you that
the report that's due at the end of the month is not the sole criterion for
whether you're on the terrorism list. It's not the sole vehicle by which
countries are placed on or removed from the list. The report discusses
evidence that countries on the list have sponsored terrorism during the
calendar year in question. The terrorism list is a result of US statutes,
including Section VI J of the Export Administration Act. So we formally
review the terrorism list, so to speak, at the beginning of each year; and
it shouldn't be assumed that this report is the conclusion of what we have
said were encouraging signs from the Iranian President and Foreign
Minister.
QUESTION: I had a question, too, regarding issuing visas in Slovakia. Do
you have anything about this?
MR. RUBIN: Yes, I think we answered it as best we could. I hope it was
made available to you. Obviously, we can't talk about any specific cases.
I think it's fair to point out that we've given thousands of visas to
Slovaks coming to the United States. There is no such thing as a
humanitarian visa.
We can't comment on any specific cases, except to say they're adjudicated
on their own merits, and that consular officers do everything possible
within the constraints of law to accommodate applicants who have compelling
needs to travel. But the burden of proof is on the traveler, not on the
consular officer, in these cases. They can re-apply if they're denied a
visa, pursuant to Section 214B of the Immigration and Naturalization Act.
QUESTION: What's the US' reaction to the massive POW exchange between the
Iraqis and Iranians?
MR. RUBIN: Well, I don't have an official reaction. Obviously, to the
extent that prisoners are released from prison so long after a tragic war,
that's a good thing.
QUESTION: Do you have anything on this company that asked for a trade
show -- do you have anything new?
MR. RUBIN: Yes, I think that company's spokespeople may be sorry about
the extent to which they exaggerated the points of the license. Let me
bear in mind, for those of you who are still interested in this story, the
license was to explore opportunities to have demonstrations for medical
equipment. It wasn't the most important signal of the end of the embargo
in modern history. That is the kind of exaggerated rhetoric that probably
doesn't serve anybody's cause. All this was was a license - a very
narrowly restricted license - to explore the holding of an exhibition to
promote sale of medicine and medical equipment, using the $100-a-day limit
for spending funds in Cuba.
So this situation has been vastly exaggerated. The license is only for
travel-related expenses related to exploratory trips. The company would
have to apply for another license in order to expend any funds related to
such an exposition, such as payment of fees to the Cuban Government. No
such request has been submitted, nor does the issuance of the license for
travel necessarily guarantee that other licenses will be issued. Each
application is considered on a case-by-case basis. And let me state very
clearly that misrepresentation of the purpose of the license could result
in its reconsideration and possible revocation, and certainly would make it
extremely unlikely that a subsequent license would be authorized.
But let me say that any US pharmaceutical or medical supply company wanting
to participate would require a separate Treasury license. And the actual
sale of any medicine or medicines must be separately licensed, including
meeting the end-use monitoring requirements to prevent abuse by the Cuban
Government. So there were some wildly exaggerated statements by various
people about what this did and didn't do. It was a rather minor matter,
which was an exploratory license; and to the extent there is
misrepresentation of that license, it will make it that much harder for a
follow-on license to be issued.
Let me point out on the Iraq-Iran question, that the Kuwaitis should be
released.
I'll come back to Cuba in a second. The Resolutions of the Security
Council demand that Iraq release Kuwaiti prisoners of war. I believe there
are about 600 of them that are still unaccounted for. To the extent that
Iraq is now getting into the business of prisoner release, which is,
generally speaking, a good thing, it's high time they got into the business
of accounting for the 600 Kuwaiti prisoners that are still unaccounted for.
Back to Cuba.
QUESTION: You mean that the license that this person already has may be
revoked before he flies to Cuba?
MR. RUBIN: I don't think I said that. Only in the case that it were to
be deemed that it was misrepresented, it could be reconsidered or revoked.
QUESTION: Do you have the language there of precisely what was
authorized, because the company says the word "explore" was not used in the
license?
MR. RUBI: Well, we've checked into this quite a bit in recent days, and I
think people are making clear -- both the Treasury Department and we --
that we issued a license to the company to spend funds for travel to Cuba -
$100 a day - to explore the holding of an exhibition. This license was
issued because it was consistent with existing regulations, and we are
quite clear that the license is only for exploratory trips.
Now, what happens here is their exploratory trip may be aimed at a certain
end, which is the holding of such an event, and they may be just reading
that part of the letters or other documentation they got to -- I hesitate
to use the word "spin" what is a rather small license into something well
beyond what it is.
(The briefing concluded at 1:10 P.M.)
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