U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, 01-02-05

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

Richard Boucher, Spokesman

Washington, DC

February 5, 2001

INDEX:

ARGENTINA
1         Readout of Secretary Powell’s Meeting With Argentine Foreign Minister
NATO
2-5       Comments on the status of the European Union Rapid Reaction Force and the US National Missile Defense System
MONTENEGRO
5-6       Comments on Montenegro Independence and Recent Comments by Minister Djukanovic
CHECHNYA
6         Update on the Release of Kidnapped American
SWITZERLAND
6-7       Comments on the Swiss Request for Borodin Extradition
LIBYA
7         Discussion of Qadhafi Interview and Remarks on Lockerbie Trial
CHINA
7-8       Comments on Short-Range Missile Buildup and Support of Russian Weapons Technology
8         Situation Update on American Citizen Killed in China
ISRAEL
8-9       Comments on Israeli Elections / US concerns of Arab Backlash Against Sharon Victory
MIDDLE EAST PEACE NEGOTIATION
9         Update on Vacant Special Middle East Peace Coordinator Position
9         Update Secretary Powell’s Communication with World Leaders
DEPARTMENT
9-10      Discussion of Changes to Mexico City Language and Family Planning Assistance

MR. BOUCHER: I don't have any statements or announcements, ladies and gentlemen, so I'd be glad to take your questions.

Q: Well, let's just start with what the Secretary has done this morning. Can you give us a rundown on what he talked about with the Argentine?

MR. BOUCHER: The discussion with the Argentine Foreign Minister this morning was centered on the issues of democracy and economic freedom. They talked about democracy and economic freedom, and our support for democracy and economic freedom in Argentina, obviously, and the excellent relationship that we have.

We have had, I think, a lot of success with our economic cooperation recently, and the Secretary asked and got a briefing on the recent return to growth of the Argentine economy. And then they talked about how we can cooperate on democracy and economic freedom in the hemisphere.

On the economic side, Argentina has been conducting, as chairman, the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, so the Secretary heard from them on the progress that they've been making. There will be another meeting of trade ministers in Buenos Aires before the Quebec Summit of the Americas, so that will be another occasion when trade ministers will focus on this.

And then they talked about democracy in the hemisphere and how to strengthen our work, together with other countries in the hemisphere, to support democracy. Both ministers noting that Cuba is the distinct exception to democracy in the hemisphere, and both ministers having recently been denounced by Fidel Castro. They shared a certain honor in that and talked about the situation of the Czechs who are in jail in Cuba for the mere fact of meeting with some dissidents.

Finally, I guess, they discussed, sort of more generally, how the issues of economic and political freedom will be central to the policy of this Administration and central to the policies of the hemisphere as a whole, especially as we head into the Quebec Summit.

Q: Was there anything more specific on the economic relationship? Well, actually, both on that, as I seem to recall, there was something about an Open Skies Agreement that was being held up when we were in BA last year. And also, the former Secretary also offered to look into some documents so that --

MR. BOUCHER: Yes. On the Open Skies Agreement, some things have been done. I know there were more liberal air arrangements for some carriers. I will have to check and see how exactly to describe that agreement, how that was reached and how that was done.

On the documents, that really didn't come up this morning. That is a process that is under way within the US Government to look at documents from the military period of Argentina to see if we have any information that can help them in their search, especially for missing people. That is a process that is under way that should result in something sometime this spring.

Q: Javier Solana, now with the impossible title from the European Union, will be seeing -- oh, go ahead.

MR. BOUCHER: Argentina question.

Q: Given this Administration's desire to regionalize Plan Colombia, did anything on this topic come up? And what did -- what was the --

MR. BOUCHER: No, that didn't -- I'm trying to think -- that didn't really come up in any specific terms today. I think there was some discussion of the drug problems and the need to deal with them, but not the sort of Andean aspects of the problem didn't really come up in the discussion.

Q: Mr. Solana will not be seeing the Secretary till the mid-afternoon, but we know the issues. In fact, there was just a two-day conference in Munich. I'm interested in the -- Donald Rumsfeld was there -- but I'm particularly interested in the Secretary's views, particularly on this notion of this European rapid-reaction force. A lot of press reports. They're speaking of divisions now, the Europeans and the US sort of parting.

Is that a threat to NATO, that Europe would have a force like that?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I think these stories that the US and Europe are parting have been a perennial favorite of commentators, probably on both sides of the Atlantic. We seem to be in another period where people are writing that, and as for the last 50 years, we will probably get through it with the strong and positive relationship that we continue to have with Europe.

The Secretary talked about this in his testimony when he was on the Hill, that European relations, that NATO is the bedrock of our relationship with Europe, and that European relations are vital to us as we go forward. He said that we have welcomed, we do welcome, a more integrated and more robust, a stronger Europe that we will continue to support European efforts, such as the European Security and Defense Policy and their rapid-reaction capability, as long as they strengthen and complement NATO. He has made clear, and Secretary Rumsfeld made clear in Munich on Saturday, that we will not act unilaterally with regard to security issues in Europe and will continue to consult closely with our allies on a full range of transatlantic security issues.

The Secretary made that clear in his interview yesterday on television, I think.

Q: Richard, I think you're downplaying the potential for divergence here. How many countries can you name among the allies which think that the National Missile Defense idea is a good one?

MR. BOUCHER: All I'm saying, George, is that at any moment there are issues that we have under discussion with the allies, some of which we agree upon and some of which we don't agree upon yet. But we are committed to a consultative process. We have said, as the Secretary has said very recently, that we intend to consult with them as we go forward and that this will be an issue of discussion.

Are we in full agreement on the missile defense or on the European security issues? Not yet. But we have made considerable progress, we have had considerable discussions, and we'll continue to work with them. And as I said, in the long run, if you look back at the last 50 years of history, we always seem to work these things out and come together and work together.

Q: (Inaudible) -- full agreement?

MR. BOUCHER: I can't say that at this point. We've just started -- in this Administration -- started the consultations.

Q: You just said, "We have made considerable progress." I just wondered what the context was.

MR. BOUCHER: I was referring more to the European security issues that we've been discussing more intensively for the last six months. But certainly the commitment to consultations, to working with our allies as we work through the issues, that's fundamental to the approach of this Administration.

Q: It is projected by Mr. Solana -- of course, he's speaking in praise of this strike force -- that it will spare the US of having to respond to every crisis in Europe, and he called Bosnia a catastrophe and suggested this will make such catastrophes less likely. There will be European commanders, though.

Is this the kind of arrangement that Secretary Powell finds in the US's very best interest?

MR. BOUCHER: Once again, I go back to what I've just said, that we support the European capability, including the European rapid-reaction capability. What's been important to the Secretary -- and you've seen him address this a number of times -- is that it be a complement to NATO, that the European governments come up with the investment that's necessary to create a capability that expands their abilities, and that this be in addition to the capabilities of NATO, that we not try to duplicate the capabilities of NATO.

How exactly that will be done in terms of structures is something that has been worked on considerably and is continuing to be worked on. I would expect it to be discussed again today with Javier Solana, the European High Representative.

But there are other issues as well. Neither missile defense nor European security would be expected to dominate the conversation. There is certainly the European interest, and Javier Solana's personal interest because he's on the Mitchell Commission, their interest in the Middle East would be obviously a subject of discussion, and naturally the Balkans as well. This is the first time Secretary Powell is having a meeting with a senior official representing the European Union, so there will be a whole series of issues to discuss.

Q: Again, back to kind of what Barry was saying, you said, "Have we reached full agreement on NMD and the European defense plan?" And you said "not yet." So we know what the Europeans' concerns are about NMD. What are the US concerns? You seem to imply -- you've been saying over and over again -- everyone says that as long as it complements NATO, that's okay, and doesn't try and replace it.

MR. BOUCHER: It's not just okay; it's good.

Q: You say not yet on full agreement. So does that mean that you still are worried that they're trying to edge it? What is it that --

MR. BOUCHER: I think you're the one putting the edge to this. Let me just say that there are some things that aren't worked out yet. That's what I said three minutes ago. That's what I'll say again now.

Q: Right. What are they?

MR. BOUCHER: The exact structures for how we coordinate with NATO, how we coordinate with all our allies and various permutations of allies that are NATO allies but not in the EU, EU members but not in NATO; those sort of structures for how we work out various elements of coordination to make sure that, in fact, it's not duplicate but rather complementary.

Q: So, in other words, these aren't really necessarily disagreements at the moment; they're just areas where you're still negotiating?

MR. BOUCHER: I think we would call them areas still under discussion that haven't been fully worked out yet.

Q: Continuing on this issue, my understanding is the last time that there was -- you did try to coordinate some of these structures, the Turks were resistant to the idea of sharing some of these planning capabilities between the rapid-reaction force and NATO.

Has there been any progress in terms of convincing the Turks to play along?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I want to quite describe it that way. I'd just say that we just haven't reached full agreement within NATO and between NATO and the European Union on how some of these mechanisms should work.

Q: If I can move on to the Balkans, perhaps within that context of Mr. Solana as well.

MR. BOUCHER: Please.

Q: Some of us heard Montenegrin President Djukanovic this morning talk about his vision for the referendum and how he sees Montenegro redefining its relationship with Yugoslavia. I know that the old administration -- and since the election you have repeated this position -- always said that you wanted a democratic Montenegro within a democratic Yugoslavia.

Does that mean that you have any objection to the idea of his concept of a divorce and remarriage, where Montenegro breaks its ties following the referendum but then redefines its relationship? Does that go against this Administration's position on Montenegro?

MR. BOUCHER: I think our position is the one I described on Friday, the one the Secretary described with Mr. Djindjic when he met with him on Friday. That is, in fact, a democratic Montenegro within a democratic Yugoslavia.

Toward that end, we support the transparent democratic discussions between representatives of Montenegro, Serbia, and the Federal Government of Yugoslavia on the restructuring of the relationship between Serbia and Montenegro. But, in the end, how exactly that process should work I think is something that should be the subject of discussions between Serbia, Montenegro and the Federal Government.

Q: Would you object, then, to Montenegro calling its own referendum, and would you recognize the results if it did?

MR. BOUCHER: I think we think that the way to do this is to get into discussions with the other key players here and to work it out with them.

Q: Do you think it might have been helpful if Secretary Powell had seen President Djukanovic to hear firsthand from him his vision of this? Or is that something --

MR. BOUCHER: I understand that President Djukanovic had a good set of meetings around town with Congress, with the NGOs, and also a good meeting with Assistant Secretary Dobbins. So I think we are pretty well informed of his views.

Q: Do you have anything about the American who works for Doctors Without Borders who was rescued, released, whatever on Saturday night?

MR. BOUCHER: We haven't yet had a chance to talk to him so we don't have as much information as we might have after we do talk to him, and at that point I will have to see if we have a Privacy Act waiver to see if I can share it with you. But we would expect him to get to Moscow today or tomorrow, and we would expect to talk to him then.

We have been in touch with the Russians. Certainly we welcome the news that Mr. Gluck is now free. We are seeking more information about the circumstances surrounding his release. We certainly appreciate the high-level attention that the Russian Government has given to this case.

We think that Mr. Gluck and other humanitarian relief workers like him play a critical role in assisting the victims in this war-torn region. Obviously, a political settlement in Chechnya would improve the conditions for humanitarian and relief efforts in order to assist the war's many victims.

Q: Do you buy the official Russian line on how his release was obtained or secured, or does it really even matter? You're just happy that he is free?

MR. BOUCHER: We're happy that he is out, and I will leave it at that for the moment until we've talked to the Russians. Obviously, we haven't talked to him, we haven't gotten a full description yet, so as far as what exactly the circumstances were, I think we will get more information on that. But, in the end, the bottom line is we are happy he is free.

Q: Right. But are you going to be actively looking into exactly the circumstances of his abduction and his release? Is that something that matters, or is it just something that -- is this whole incident just something that you are glad is over?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I think certainly the circumstances of his abduction should remain an issue of continuing concern. I don't know exactly what the Russians are doing about that, but obviously that is something that -- we will remain interested in those things, but the overriding feeling is that we are glad that he is free.

Q: Can I also ask another Russian question, also on someone who -- I just wanted to know -- the Swiss say that they have, in fact, now asked for the extradition of Mr. Borodin, and I want to know if this request came through the State Department and whether it has been -- whether it was given to you, and you passed it to Justice, or how exactly that happens.

MR. BOUCHER: I just saw the press report. Justice actually handles the legal process. How the passing goes, I don't know, but I will have to check on that.

Q: I realize that he is probably still not finished speaking yet, probably won't be for another day or so, but you don't have anything to say about what Colonel Qadhafi is talking about right now?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I guess the first would be to define -- is it possible to define what he is talking about? We have seen some of it. It is not clear what his meaning or intent is.

I think what is clear from our side of the point of view is that Mr. al- Megrahi was a member of the Libyan intelligence services; he has been found guilty of murder in the bombing of Pan Am 103. The court has made its decision, and it is really up to Libya to meet the requirements of the international community.

We have been quite clear. The UN resolutions all along have established the requirements to pay appropriate compensation and accept responsibility for the actions by the Libyan officials. Unfortunately, in the remarks we have seen from Mr. Qadhafi today, we don't see him doing either of those things.

Q: So, basically, he is wasting his voice?

MR. BOUCHER: It is quite clear what he needs to do, and it is quite clear that he hasn't yet said he is going to do them.

Q: Do you want to tackle the -- (inaudible) -- the Pentagon has at least half the place to go. The Washington Times account that the Chinese are deploying more and more short-range missiles, threatening Taiwan. And I guess here would be the issue of Russia providing China with more technology, dangerous technology.

MR. BOUCHER: There is a limit to what we can say about matters like this because we don't comment on intelligence or information that purports to come from intelligence. We have made quite clear we look forward to having conversations with Chinese leaders in the near future about China's policies in this region.

As the Secretary has also made clear, we are quite aware of China's military modernization. It is an issue that we follow. But in terms of our policy, we will continue to assist Taiwan in meeting its legitimate defensive needs. That is in accordance with our obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act and consistent with the US-PRC joint communiqués.

On the issue of Russian sales, again, quite aware that Russian sales of various kinds have been reported for several years. We are certainly aware of these developments. We monitor Russian sales, developments in the Taiwan Strait and modernization of the Chinese military. So this is something that we are quite aware of.

Q: Mr. Rumsfeld and the other Ivanov were in the same room over the weekend. I guess I could ask at the Pentagon, but do you take occasions like that to tell the Russians of your concern?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know if they discussed this particular issue or anything at all. You would have to check with the Pentagon.

Q: Do you have any information about this American teacher who was killed there?

MR. BOUCHER: Do I? Yes. Bruce Morrison, an American teaching English at the Hubei Institute of Technology, was fatally stabbed at a church meeting in Wuhan in Hubei Province. The attacker is in police custody and the local authorities are investigating the tragic incident.

Our Embassy in Beijing is in touch with Mr. Morrison's wife and children. Obviously we are extending our deepest condolences to his family during this difficult time. At this point, we don't have any more details for you. That's what we know.

Q: Tomorrow, the elections in Israel will take place. I know Secretary Powell made some comments yesterday, but there is concern among many, in the Arab world especially, that if Ariel Sharon is elected, that the prospects of the violence diminishing are much less, and that his history is such that it doesn't give them much confidence that he will be helping matters.

Is there anything --

MR. BOUCHER: Is that a question?

Q: Yes, about to. Is there anything that Secretary Powell has done, or that the Bush Administration has done, to try to assuage the fears of the Arab world?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I think the Secretary has made quite clear, and we will continue to make clear in various ways, that as we enter this election period, as we enter the period of time it may take to form a government, that what is important is for all parties, especially the parties on both sides, the Israelis and Palestinians, to remember that it is a time to maintain calm and to avoid any sort of provocation. We all want to go through this period with minimal violence.

Clearly, Israel is a democracy and they have a right to choose their own leaders. They will make that choice, and we would expect to be engaged and involved in the search for peace.

Q: Is that a concern you're registering? It sounds sort of concerned. It's a message, but is it also anticipating some -- that the Arabs will seize on Sharon's victory as an opportunity to revive their Intifada? Is the Secretary concerned about an Arab outbreak to make -- to drive home a point to the United States and try to drag the US back into detailed negotiations?

MR. BOUCHER: I think that the message that the Secretary has delivered, that I have delivered, is for both sides, is that people on all sides of this conflict, all those who are interested in it, should avoid any kind of provocation, avoid any kind of violence during this period, so that we can come through it with a minimal amount of violence.

Q: Has Secretary Powell made any kind of determination as to whether or not the Special Middle East Coordinator position will be filled, or if in fact the office is closed as of now, and how the peace process will be handled from here on out?

MR. BOUCHER: In terms of the organization and the future of our efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, I think all we can say at this moment is that we will make efforts. We will be involved in the search for peace. But the organization of that, we don’t have anything to announce yet.

Q: By the way, can you tell us if there was any, in the transition or since, any consultation with Dennis Ross or others who were part of that group, by the Secretary, as he tries to --

MR. BOUCHER: Absolutely. The Secretary --

Q: I mean, on the arrangement.

MR. BOUCHER: On the arrangement? Well, the Secretary talked numerous times during the transition. And I don't exactly remember what day it was that he last met with Dennis, whether it was after the inauguration or not, but the Secretary met a number of times with Ambassador Ross before Ambassador Ross's departure from the building.

Members of the staff of that office, the people who have been most involved in the search for peace, continue to participate fully and actively in our discussions of the issues and how we handle them. So the people who have been working on the peace process in this building, be they in the Near East Bureau or in that office, continue to work together, continue to advise the Secretary.

But again, how exactly it will be organized is something we don't have to announce yet.

Q: Richard, can you bring us up to date on the Secretary's telephone or other kinds of communications with foreign leaders? And specifically since we're on the Middle East now, has he spoken with any leaders in Egypt, Jordan, or Saudi Arabia?

MR. BOUCHER: I will have to double-check on that and get back to you later.

Q: Yesterday, as he was talking about the Middle East and Iraq and a whole plethora of other issues, the Secretary also indicated that he differed in the opinion of this Administration on the Mexico City language and abortion in general. And I'm just wondering, was he involved in this decision at all that was made to re-institute the Mexico City language?

MR. BOUCHER: I think --

Q: Was he consulted?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, yes, he was obviously involved in this decision. It was a foreign policy decision of the Administration, of the President, based on the President's commitments. I thought you were asking whether he was consulted in the beginning when the President made the commitments -- frankly, I don't know -- during the campaign.

But certainly, in this current iteration after the inauguration, the announcement -- and remember, the announcement was joined also with a statement that we would continue to support family planning activities as part of our overall health program; we would continue to uphold the funding level. So all that was discussed certainly with Secretary Powell.

Q: It was, okay. So that he actually recommended against it and was basically overruled; is that what you're saying?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I didn't say that.

Q: Well, can you tell us exactly what --

MR. BOUCHER: No, I can't. And I probably never will.

Q: Well --

MR. BOUCHER: We're not going to get into -- we're not going to make it a habit in this Administration, nor have we in any previous one, of starting to talk about the Secretary's precise recommendations to the President and what he --

Q: Perhaps you should mention that to him before he goes on national television and says it then, right?

MR. BOUCHER: No, he didn't say that.

Q: Well, he came pretty close.

MR. BOUCHER: He didn't say that, and I'm not going to say it now.

Q: He said he had different personal views than that of the Administration, and I'm just curious to know if he expressed those views when the thinking was going into making that decision. You're saying yes, he did.

MR. BOUCHER: No, I'm not saying yes, he did. I'm saying that neither in this Administration, nor in any previous one, have we tried to talk about the Secretary of State's advice for the President, and I don't intend to start today.

Q: Thank you.

[end]

Released on February 5, 2001

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