Daily Press Briefing Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman Washington, DC June 14, 2002 INDEX:
TRANSCRIPT:
MR. REEKER: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to the State Department on this fine Friday. It's Flag Day, and I wish you in advance all a pleasant weekend. I do want to begin today with a statement on the events that occurred this morning outside our Consulate General in Karachi, Pakistan. We condemn this heinous attack on our Consulate General in Karachi. We are outraged by the fact that at least 11 Pakistanis, some of whom were there to protect the Consulate, died, and many others were injured. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and to their families. In murdering these Pakistanis, terrorists have once again shown their utter disregard for human life and underlined the grave threat from terrorism which is faced by us all. It reminds us once again of the risks faced every day by our diplomats and local employees in their work overseas, and it only strengthens our determination and that of the international coalition to defeat terrorism around the world. Since September 11th, we have worked shoulder to shoulder with President Musharraf and Pakistan in the global war against terrorism and extremism. We will continue this close cooperation. We are working with the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to establish the identity of the perpetrators and to bring them to justice swiftly. In that regard, Secretary Powell spoke with President Musharraf earlier this morning, and of course before he had spoken to our chargé d'affaires at our Embassy in Islamabad, Ambassador Nancy Powell. With that, I will be happy to take your questions on this or other matters. QUESTION: Could you talk about any evaluation you may be undertaking with respect to personnel needs at consulates and the Embassy in Pakistan? MR. REEKER: Well, certainly as you are aware, George, we've been on a drawn down staffing at our Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan since mid-March, when you'll recall we went to an ordered departure status. That was also conveyed publicly in our Travel Warning for Pakistan recommending that Americans not travel to Pakistan, and indeed those that were in Pakistan recommending that they leave the country. When we're in that sort of status, we are continuously evaluating our staffing levels. Because of the ordered departure, our staffing in Islamabad at our Embassy and at our three Consulates in Pakistan was already down to the emergency levels. That means that non-emergency personnel and all of the Embassy community dependents had already left Pakistan. So we will continue to look at that. We will continue working with Pakistani authorities to increase security for our posts throughout the country, obviously reviewing, as we do all the time, any additional steps that are required. Our Consulates in Peshawar and Lahore, as well as in Karachi, obviously were closed to the public for the rest of the day. They have now gone into their normal weekend, Saturday and Sunday. The consular section at our Embassy in Islamabad also closed after this terrorist attack in Karachi. And so clearly they will remain closed throughout the normal weekend. We are obviously assessing the security of American interests continually, and we are keeping American citizens that are in Pakistan informed through the Warden Message System. We had already issued one such Warden Message informing Americans of the attack when it occurred this morning, Karachi time. And I will just remind you that we do have a Travel Warning in place for Americans dated June 5th strongly urging Americans to depart Pakistan. Matt. QUESTION: The phone call, the Secretary's phone call with Musharraf. Was this the only topic -- are you aware of -- the investigation into the attack? MR. REEKER: I think this was primarily the case, discussing this attack. You know, we were very lucky. The blast was attenuated by precautions we have taken in terms of security steps at our Embassies. We certainly regret the loss of Pakistani loss, and the Secretary reiterated that to President Musharraf. These were predominantly passersby, Pakistanis on the street in Karachi, who died in this. And so we remain on a high state of alert, and as I said, we will continue to work with Pakistani authorities on the investigation of this, as well as our joint work together against terrorism. QUESTION: Change of subject? MR. REEKER: Anything else on Pakistan? QUESTION: Yeah. Are you augmenting security? I understand Diplomatic Security personnel, additional ones, may be going to Karachi? MR. REEKER: We are taking all the appropriate steps necessary for security, working closely with Pakistani authorities obviously, and our own steps. Clearly, as I said, we review the security situation there on a continuous basis. Anything else on Pakistan or Karachi? (No response.) MR. REEKER: Then the gentleman here in the center, please. QUESTION: French press reported that the US expelled an Iraqi diplomat today. Could you give us more information on that, why he was expelled, specific reasons? MR. REEKER: This afternoon, that is, June 14th, the United States informed the Iraqi Mission to the United Nations that one of its diplomats was being expelled for engaging in activities that are incompatible with his status as a diplomat. And that's all I have for you. QUESTION: Another question on Iraq. There was some engagement militarily in Iraq, some shooting, I think some -- MR. REEKER: In terms of the enforcement of the no-fly zones? QUESTION: Yes. MR. REEKER: I would direct you to the Pentagon on that. I didn't have anything specific on that. QUESTION: Is there any change of policy on Iraq now with expelling the -- MR. REEKER: There is no change of policy on Iraq. Our concerns about Iraqi behavior are well known, and certainly this particular diplomatic action, which was taken because of the activities of the particular Iraqi diplomat at the United Nations, so this does not reflect any change in our policy towards Iraq. QUESTION: On the expulsion though, this is going to be technical, but I have to ask it because I want to be accurate. Has this guy, this diplomat -- MR. REEKER: Get that for the record: Matt wants to be accurate. QUESTION: Yes -- been declared persona non grata? And has he been give a specific -- or I guess you're not identifying the sex of the person, but has -- MR. REEKER: I am identifying the gender. He is definitely a man. QUESTION: Well, has he been given a specific amount of time in which he's got to get out? MR. REEKER: I don't know. He's been expelled for engaging in activities that are incompatible with his status as a diplomat. I just don't have anything further. I'm happy to ask if there are any more details we can -- QUESTION: Just the persona non grata thing. Because there's a question about whether, because he is not accredited to the United States, but rather accredited to the United Nations, there is a -- MR. REEKER: Yes, there are clearly procedures that involve the United Nations status, but I just don't have any details on them. I'm happy to ask and see if there's anything else we could get you today. QUESTION: You don't want to identify the diplomat by name, do you? MR. REEKER: Oh, no. Thank you for asking, but no, I will not release the name of the diplomat. QUESTION: How about if I ask you of a name? Can you confirm it if I have the name? MR. REEKER: No. QUESTION: No? Okay. QUESTION: On Cuba, Fidel Castro -- MR. REEKER: I'm sorry, did anybody have anything further on -- QUESTION: That was my question. I didn't know whether the US has jurisdiction over UN diplomats. MR. REEKER: If there's anything further I can give you on the details of that, we are able to expel someone for engaging in activities that are incompatible with the status of that person. QUESTION: We are, is what you're saying? MR. REEKER: Yes. The status of a person in the United States. And that's what we've done. And if there are any other details that I can get on that, I'll try this afternoon. QUESTION: If I could just clarify, the language that I've seen in these stories are that the US Mission is asking the UN Mission of Iraq to expel him, but it seems more like a request to which they are able to answer. MR. REEKER: If you would like me to repeat what I said, this afternoon the United States informed the Iraqi Mission to the United Nations that one of its diplomats was being expelled for engaging in activities that are incompatible with his status as a diplomat. We've delivered a diplomatic note to the Iraqi Mission. That diplomatic note was handed over by one of our diplomats from the US Mission to the United Nations. And that is as much as I have on that. QUESTION: A follow-up. I know you can't confirm how much time he was given to leave the country; we understand it's 30 days. That seems like an awfully long time. Once you're able to comment on that, could you explain why it's 30 days instead of just -- MR. REEKER: George, if I'm able to get you anything else on it, I'm happy to. But that's all I've got. QUESTION: On Cuba, Fidel Castro spoke again last night. MR. REEKER: He did. QUESTION: Do you have any further comment? Well, afterwards maybe. MR. REEKER: This regarded this call for a referendum? QUESTION: Yes. MR. REEKER: Obviously this is a reaction to the success of the Varela Project, which is an initiative, as we've discussed previously, an initiative by Osvaldo Paya and a group of patriotic Cuban democracy activists who are eager for change. That group has submitted a petition signed by over 11,000 Cubans calling for democratic reform of the Cuban constitution. Instead of addressing this peaceful plea for change, Castro has chosen to manufacture an alternative petition supporting the current constitution and to intimidate the population into signing it. Obviously, given Castro's control over the Cuban population, he is no doubt going to try to get more signatures on this than on Project Varela, and make arguments to that effect. But I think we can already say that no matter what the outcome, he is not going to be able to obscure the fact that one important thing has occurred with Project Varela, and that is that it succeeded in getting 11,000 Cubans to brave Castro's tyranny and to call for change, and that the voices of the Cuban people have been heard in that matter. And so that is what I have to say on that. QUESTION: The President, on May 20th, said that if there were some changes in Cuba, there could be an improvement of relations and some easing of sanctions. But since it's going in the opposite direction, can we expect any hardening of sanctions or anything? MR. REEKER: I think the President was very clear. I can't be any more clear in the initiative that he announced, as you said, on May 20th, an initiative for a new Cuba. It was a part of a policy review that we conducted, that the White House looked at in an effort to bring Cuba into the Western Hemisphere's Community of Democracies. As over the past decade or so, the tremendous growth and strengthening of democracy in this hemisphere has been a remarkable and historic development, and Cuba remains the one outlier, the one dinosaur, in this process. And that's what the President was highlighting, calling on the Cuban Government to undertake political and economic reforms, conduct free and fair elections next year for a national assembly, and challenging the Cuban Government to open its economy and allow independent trade unions, and end discriminatory practices against Cuban workers. And as the President said, if the Cuban Government takes these concrete steps towards democracy, the President is ready to work with the US Congress to ease the ban on trade and travel between the United States and Cuba. And so we have laid down quite clearly some markers on that. QUESTION: You referred to this policy review, which has been going on for several months. Is this complete, or you are still reviewing the policy? MR. REEKER: I think the President addressed that question fully on May 20th. And if you'd like, I am happy to go back and get you a copy of his speech that outlined the initiative. QUESTION: Can we move on? Realizing that you are wanting this to take place under the cone of silence, but I'm hoping you can at least confirm that Ambassador Pritchard has begun his talks, little "t" talks, with the North Koreans in New York. MR. REEKER: Ambassador Pritchard indeed traveled to New York today to meet -- I believe he is meeting -- with North Korea's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pak Gil-Yon, to that end in terms of moving the process forward, as we talked about yesterday. He is -- for those of you that don't recall, Ambassador Jack Pritchard is our Special Envoy for negotiations with North Korea. And so in line with Secretary Powell indicated earlier this week that we would be in touch shortly with North Korea, we are indeed in touch with them today. But I don't have any specific details on time or read-outs on that. QUESTION: Well, would it be inaccurate to -- for someone to write -- w-r-i-t-e -- right now that the meeting is going on? MR. REEKER: I couldn't tell you for sure. I believe the meeting was taking place, but given that it's somewhat around the lunch hour, I just couldn't tell you any more details on it, Matt. But they met, or are meeting, today. QUESTION: When you say -- are you expecting the North Koreans to -- a response to whatever it is that Ambassador Pritchard is telling them? Are you expecting some kind of official response from Pyongyang? MR. REEKER: I don't know that there's a view of what our expectation of this is. This is a talk about them moving forward, as we have said, in terms of working out details with the North Koreans on how to move forward. You know we have said we want to achieve progress. We have outlined the things that we would like to talk about. The President proposed this comprehensive dialogue to accomplish that, and Ambassador Pritchard is there today to see how we can then move this forward on that. QUESTION: And last one from me on this. Presumably, Ambassador Pritchard is also going with Assistant Secretary Kelly to San Francisco next week for the TCOG? MR. REEKER: I don't know as a fact. It's one I could check for you. QUESTION: Okay. Yeah, if you could. But I just wanted to get this on the record -- the substance of what is being discussed today between Pritchard and the North Koreans in New York will be raised, and you will brief the North Koreans -- I mean, the South Koreans and the Japanese on that next week? MR. REEKER: That's usually the purpose of the TCOG meeting -- the Trilateral Coordination Group with Japan and South Korea and the United States meeting, as you indicated Matt, next week in San Francisco -- is to review with our close allies the process in terms of policy dealing with North Korea. QUESTION: New subject. In an interview published by Under Secretary Armitage today, he says that we would like to travel to Pyongyang. And on this last trip with the Secretary, he said he did not expect the meeting to take place in Pyongyang. MR. REEKER: I never saw the Secretary say it. You can go back and check the specific transcripts on it. But the whole purpose of today's talks is to focus on those possibilities and that issue, and that is something we would have to work out with North Korean officials. QUESTION: But the US position is that the first meeting should take place in Pyongyang, according to Armitage's speech -- or interview? MR. REEKER: No, I don't think that's exactly what Deputy Secretary Armitage said. But I think the whole purpose of today is to explore those issues. That is something that has obviously been talked about. If you will recall, this is a process that has been ongoing for some time. We had a longstanding offer to the North Koreans of dialogue; they responded after a long period of time and talked about travel to Pyongyang. And so these are the things that are being discussed today. QUESTION: Philip, I have a couple of questions on Eurasia. Uzbekistan today declared about their decision to leave GUUAM Organization. They say it hasn't been helpful in effective integration. I know that the United States has been cooperating with that regional organization intensely, especially on anti-terrorism issues. Do you have anything to say on this issue? MR. REEKER: I don't, I'm afraid. I would be happy to look into it, what the facts are with that, and if we have anything to say about it. But I don't at this time. QUESTION: Also, the US co-chair of Minsk Group, Ambassador Perina, met -- had a meeting in this building yesterday with the so-called Foreign Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Do you have anything on that meeting? What did they discuss? MR. REEKER: Well, I do think it's important to note off the top that the United States does not recognize the so-called government or republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. So that's just an important thing to note in the context of your question. As you know, the United States is a co-chair of the Minsk Group within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. There are 13 participating states in that group, and the United States, Russia and France co-chair that process. We have been meeting periodically, and we've discussed it with representatives of local Nagorno-Karabakh authorities as part of the Minsk Group's efforts to promote a peaceful resolution to the dispute over the region. On June 12th, so I believe that would be day before yesterday, the Minsk Group co-chair for the US, that is, Ambassador Rudy Perina, met here in Washington with Ms. Naira Melkoumian, a Nagorno-Karabakh representative. They discussed the peace process. As you know, the United States supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and recognizes that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, and we believe that a political resolution to the conflict there must be achieved. QUESTION: Can you tell what the schedule of Ambassador Perina looks like? Trips to the region anytime soon? MR. REEKER: I don't have any of his schedule information. I would be happy to ask if there's anything, but I don't have any trips to announce. QUESTION: On the Mideast, the Israeli Defense Chief of Staff this morning in an interview, probably shortly before he met with Secretary Powell, said that the reforms, the changes in the cabinet that Arafat had announced, were basically just for show and that he didn't expect any reform could ever happen until Arafat was gone. Any reaction to that? And could you just give us a little bit of information on the Secretary's meetings today? MR. REEKER: No particular reaction on that. I would just refer you to that. Everybody is entitled to their views. The US administration has been very active in consultations regarding the situation in the Middle East. The Secretary is going to see this afternoon the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal at 2 o'clock, and then later this afternoon he will see Palestinian Representative Nabil Shaath. That is scheduled for 4:15 this afternoon. In addition, I believe going on right now, our Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, Bill Burns, is hosting a lunch with the Quartet Group at what we call the envoy level; that is, at Assistant Secretary Burns' level. That includes the European Union Representative Miguel Moratinos, the UN Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, and the Russian Middle East Envoy Andrei Vdovin. So that is all part of our ongoing discussion about how to move forward with our three-part strategy in terms of establishing effective Palestinian security performance, renewing a serious political process that aims at a two-state solution, as outlined by President Bush, and responding to the humanitarian needs and building strong, responsible Palestinian Authority institutions in preparation for Palestinian statehood. So, as we have said before, the President and his top advisors are going to continue to review what we have heard in the past weeks as part of these consultations, and then determine how to move forward with our strategy and with the meeting that we want to convene this summer. The President's view will be revealed in due course. QUESTION: Are they going to be talking about various ideas, interim state for the Palestinians? MR. REEKER: When you say "they" -- QUESTION: Oh, I'm sorry, Secretary Powell, when he meets with the Saudi Foreign Minister. MR. REEKER: Clearly that has been the focus of these types of consultations and discussions with our Arab friends within the Quartet, with the Palestinians and with the Israelis, getting their different views, hearing about ideas. Both sides need to do all they can to end the ongoing tragedy and bloodshed, and think carefully about the consequences of their actions. I think both sides understand that the current situation cannot continue, and so our focus is on how we can, with this strategy, with these three parts of it working simultaneously, how we can move forward. Chairman Arafat must continue to signal clearly to his people, to the Palestinian people, that terror and violence cannot help the Palestinians achieve their national aspirations. QUESTION: His new security chief today had a little bit of -- I mean, a few comments on that, basically saying he didn't want the name of the Palestinian people to be polluted by terrorism, that he was going to talk to various factions to try to -- do you view that as encouraging, or -- MR. REEKER: Those are always encouraging words. We will be monitoring those things to see implementation, to see action. There have been positive statements on reform of Palestinian institutions. I think the Palestinian people have taken on themselves to focus on reforming, reconstructing institutions that will serve their needs. And we are watching, along with the Palestinian people, for real implementation and progress on that front. QUESTION: Regarding the Saudi meeting, earlier this week an organization called the Middle East Media Research Institute held a press conference and released some video of some Saudi newscasts in which Jews were referred to as "pigs"; children were asked questions about them, and said that the Koran has taught them to hate. Is this another instance where the US Government will bring that up with the Saudis and ask them to try to stop this kind of rhetoric? MR. REEKER: I am not aware of those particular programs, those particular remarks, but it is something that unfortunately has been a continuing problem: anti-Semitism in pro-government and opposition party media throughout the Middle East, including in Saudi Arabia. These media outlets have had this type of programming, these type of statements, and I think I would just say again that anti-Semitism, wherever it manifests itself, is repugnant, and we condemn it in the strongest terms. Such views are clearly based on ignorance, and certainly I don't think reflect the true meaning of any religion. QUESTION: So the fact that this is a continuing problem will mean it rises to the level that Secretary Powell will mention it once again to the Saudis in his meeting today? MR. REEKER: It's something that has come up periodically in our talks at a variety of levels. I couldn't tell you at this point what will come up. We think such material, as it shows up in different media throughout the region, we think it's counterproductive to improving relations and dialogue. We do continue to press the Saudi Government on this at the highest levels and in the clearest terms possible. As we have said in the past, Saudi officials have promised to address the issue, and we are going to continue to monitor the situation. I would just reflect on what the President said in his April 4th speech from the Rose Garden about everyone in the region having responsibilities to focus on peace, and that means the people of the various countries, their governments, their media -- everybody has responsibilities to look at this and figure out how we can move forward in a positive light, which is in everyone's interest. QUESTION: Well, as you monitor the situation, have you noticed that this has -- that the situation has improved? MR. REEKER: I don't think, Teri, I can give you some sort of read-out on that. It's something we look at continuously. You're reporting to me current occurrences, which I haven't actually seen. It is an unfortunate reality, and I have just described for you exactly how we feel about that. That type of thing is repugnant. It represents ignorance, and it's something that has to be worked on. And we will continue to focus on that. QUESTION: At Whistler, the question of EU funding to the Palestinians was mentioned, and it struck me that I wasn't sure what the US view was of an Israeli report suggesting that EU funds had actually ended up funding terrorism. Does the administration have a view of that? MR. REEKER: I don't know. I would have to check. I think that has come up before. I have been focused mostly on our funds that we have had that don't go to -- directly to the Palestinian Authority or the PLO, but go to UN organizations and NGOs to support the needs of the Palestinian people, about whom the President has said he and others in the United States are very concerned. QUESTION: At least four US citizens were stopped right before boarding the plane to Iceland and dozens of more were -- had their ticket canceled by the Icelandair, just because the Chinese President is paying a state visit to Iceland in (inaudible). And those people's names were found on a so-called list, name list, of Falun Gong practitioners. So do you agree that those people don't have the right to go to Iceland, to travel to Iceland, just because the Chinese President -- MR. REEKER: Well, I too -- we have also heard these reports. I would have to really refer to the Government of Iceland for the specifics on them. We take no position on the beliefs or practices of the Falun Gong members. Our consistent position is that the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals should be respected. I think in the context of this case, there were five US citizens who had been detained at the airport in Iceland, and we understand they were admitted into Iceland on Wednesday, June the 12th, on condition that they agree to abide by certain rules of conduct while in the country. And a US Consular Official visited them during their detention. All were in good health, and there have been no allegations of any mistreatment by Icelandic authorities. We have asked the Government of Iceland for an official explanation of its actions. I think Icelandic officials have already stated publicly, that I have seen, that their government took these actions, these steps, as a security precaution for the visit of the President of China, which takes place -- is taking place this week. There was a June 10th announcement from Iceland's Ministry of Justice that noted that measures were not intended to limit freedom of expression or to prevent peaceful protest, but rather to ensure public order and make it possible for the Icelandic police to ensure the safety of a foreign head of state. And obviously, as a sovereign state, Iceland has the right to make immigration decisions as it sees fit. So again, I would refer you to the Government of Iceland for their comments on that. QUESTION: The second question, a follow-up, is thinking about the name list. Would you comment -- because sources say that those name list was received from someone in the United States, part of them. And I'm just -- MR. REEKER: Someone in the United States? QUESTION: Mm-hmm. MR. REEKER: I'm not aware that the United States Government has an -- QUESTION: No, not -- MR. REEKER: Okay. QUESTION: Not -- MR. REEKER: I really couldn't comment. I don't know anything about a name list. And again, I would refer you to the Icelandic Government for something that really involves them. QUESTION: Phil, maybe you've said it, but how long were these people detained? MR. REEKER: I think it was a day or two. I don't have -- they were detained on Tuesday, June 11th, by Icelandic authorities at the airport, and they were released on Wednesday the 12th. QUESTION: May I go back to North Korea, please? MR. REEKER: Please. QUESTION: About the asylum incident in Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry official refused to hand -- hand back the detained man to South Korean Embassy. You said yesterday US was extremely concerned about that. What do you say at this point? MR. REEKER: I'd say that we are extremely concerned about that, reports that the Chinese police entered uninvited into the premises of the South Korean Embassy in Beijing. And as I said yesterday, we regard the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises as a bedrock principle that is essential to the conduct of international relations, and we certainly expect all nations to abide absolutely by their very solemn legal obligations regarding such inviolability under the Vienna Conventions. QUESTION: Phil, on that, you said yesterday that you weren't aware of the Embassy in Beijing receiving a note that the Chinese Foreign Ministry reportedly sent out asking or telling all foreign embassies to hand over or -- to hand over any North Koreans that they may have, that they may be sheltering in the compounds. Do you know if the -- has the US Embassy in Beijing received such a notice? MR. REEKER: I don't know. We don't have any North Koreans in our Embassy or our consular property, so I don't -- I don't know if we've gotten that. I can continue to ask. I just -- QUESTION: And when you do, can you find out what your position would be on the -- if you would accept the request -- MR. REEKER: I don't think we would answer a hypothetical anyway, Matt, but I'm happy to ask if we received a -- QUESTION: No, no, no, it's not -- I'm not hypothetical, I don't think. It's would you regard such a request as legitimate if it, in fact, were made for a foreign government to say that you have to turn over asylum-seekers in your embassy compound? MR. REEKER: Again, I don't know if we'll be able to answer it, depending on whether there was actually such a situation or not, but we'll look into that. QUESTION: Sorry, just one more question, back on the Saudis. MR. REEKER: Sure. QUESTION: There was a little blurb in their official media earlier this month about the Deputy Interior Minister saying that some of the people who they had arrested for the Khobar Towers bombing had been sentenced, although he didn't say what the sentence was. And I had asked a couple times about this, just calling various people here. Did you all ever receive any information about what those sentences were, or do you -- MR. REEKER: I'm sure we've been in close touch with the Saudi Government on that. We probably would let them do the speaking on that matter. I'm happy to -- I don't if it was something you left with the Press Office as a matter to look into, but if you care to I can ask with appropriate folks in the building. Matt has one more. QUESTION: Last thing, very brief. Did you have anything to say about the resignation for health reasons of the Pakistan Foreign Minister? And do you know if the Secretary has spoken to him? MR. REEKER: It was something that came up last week, I believe, when it was first announced. I don't think we had anything particular to say about it. I know that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld met with him yesterday, and I would just refer you to the Pakistani officials on that. Thanks. Have a nice weekend. Released on June 14, 2002 |