USIA - Albright Meets with European Foreign Ministers, 97-09-24
From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Home Page at <http://www.usia.gov>
ALBRIGHT MEETS WITH EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS
(Cyprus discussed; U.S.-France to talk about Algeria) (830)
By Judy Aita
USIA United Nations Correspondent
New York -- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright urged the foreign
ministers of Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus to "seize the window of opportunity"
and "act with statesmanship" to solve their differences, senior State
Department officials said September 24.
State Department spokesman James Rubin told journalists that in Albright's
meetings today with the three foreign ministers "the summary throughout
that she repeated to each of the leaders in those three meetings was that
now is the time for statesmanship."
Rubin reported that Albright said, "There has been plenty of time over
recent months and years for discussion on why one side is right and why the
other side is wrong. Now with the window of opportunity that we see in the
EU accession and the general progress toward resolving such disputes, it's
time for statesmen to be statesmen and act with statesmanship." Albright's
separate meetings with the three ministers "reflected the kind of high
level attention the administration places on addressing the problems of the
region," Rubin said.
"On Cyprus, she reiterated the view that a window of opportunity is now
open," the spokesman said. Albright "urged all the parties to use their
influence to find a solution and refrain from actions that increase
tension."
During what State Department officials were calling "Europe Day" on
Albright's schedule while attending the opening of the U.N. General
Assembly, the secretary had separate meetings with French Foreign Minister
Hubert Vedrine, Greek Foreign Minister Theodhoros Pangalos, Cypriot Foreign
Minister Yiannakis Kasoulides, and Turkey Foreign Minister Ismail Cem;
attended a lunch of European ministers hosted by Luxembourg Foreign
Minister Jacques Poos; consulted with Contact Group for Bosnia, and met
with the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative.
Albright and Vedrine discussed commercial activities, NATO expansion --
especially about getting the accession agreements completed and obtaining
U.S. Senate ratification; European economic relations; Iran; Algeria; and
the importance of keeping U.S.-French relations "in the best possible light,
" the spokesman said.
Albright "emphasized the need to follow through on public declarations, so
that the cost estimates for NATO enlargement will be understood and that
the estimates, while moderate, will be met by all the Allies," Rubin
said.
However, most of the discussion was on Albright's recent trip to the Middle
East, Rubin said.
Vedrine's reaction "was quite positive -- he thought she had sent just the
right messages," Rubin reported.
On Iran, Albright "emphasized in great detail the importance we attach to
containing Iran and the danger that Iran's weapons of mass destruction pose,
" the spokesman said. "She also mentioned the intention to follow through
on our laws regarding Iran and Libya."
Knowing how important the Algerian issue to France, Albright decided to
broach the subject with Vedrine, he said.
After discussing the nature and extent of the problems in Algeria, and
given their "general desire to coordinate activities around the world so
that we can be working in a complementary fashion," the spokesman said,
Albright and Vedrine "agreed that it would be useful to get people together
and have a serious, substantive and wide-ranging discussion on whether
there is anything specific we can do," he said.
No date has been set for the meeting, Rubin said.
In her talks with the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers, Albright also
"continued her efforts to facilitate a conversation between the governments
on the issues and problems that divide them," Rubin said.
Albright "regrets the fact that a breakthrough was not made" during the
July ministerial meeting in Madrid, Rubin said. "The fact that there was
not progress underscores the difficulty of these issues and the sensitivity
on both sides."
Albright outlined "very clearly her views on ways to address some of these
critical issues and said that her ideas will remain on the table and if the
opportunity arises and we think it could be useful, we would be prepared to
engage again."
Rubin also said that as an observer at the Council of Europe, the United
States intends to call attention to Croatia's "non-compliance" with the
promises it made when joining the Council in November 1996.
"Zagreb agreed to fulfill a number of specific conditions, including
refugee return and cooperation with the War Crimes Tribunal," Rubin said.
"In our view, Croatia's performance on these issues has fallen woefully
short."
It will be up to the council to make its own assessment, Rubin said, adding
that the United States has been urging its European allies "to keep the
pressure on Zagreb until it meets its obligations under Dayton (agreements),
including and especially on war criminals and human rights."
From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Home Page at http://www.usia.gov
|
