U.S. Department of State 95/07/05 Daily Press Briefing

From: Thanos Tsekouras <thanost@MIT.EDU>

Office of the Spokesman

[...]

CROATIA

  Alleged Serb Military Buildup in Krajina ...............  19

SERBIA

  Connection with Bosnian Serb Military Forces,

  U.S. Position on UN Sanctions Review, Relief ...........  19-21

  Status of Offer to Milosevic re Sanctions Easing .......  22

TURKEY/GREECE

  PM Ciller Accusation of Greek Support for PKK ..........  23

  Travel to U.S. of PKK-Supporting Turkish Kurds .........  24

[...]

[...]

Q Do you have anything on the buildup in the Krajina that I've been asking about the past week, the Serb buildup -- tanks, APCs, troops, senior officers? And also on the weekend there were a few stories about the air defense system that seems to be, according to these stories, run out of Belgrade -- the one that was used to shoot down Captain O'Grady?

MR. BURNS: I don't have any particular information, Roy, on your first topic.

On your second topic -- on your second issue -- we are concerned by the leakages in the border sanctions regime. We're concerned, as you know well, about the rounding up of Krajina youths in Belgrade to fight. We're also concerned about the whole issue of sanctions.

There is a draft resolution that would extend sanctions relief for the former Yugoslav republic that's going to come to a vote in the Security Council today.

We intend to support that resolution. It is limited sanctions relief. It's the sanctions relief measures that were put into place last fall in response to specific actions that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia said it would take to break off political and economic relations with the Pale Serbs.

We think that the evidence probably now balances out in favor of extending the sanctions relief, to supporting the U.N. resolution. But I would like to add to that by saying that we are concerned about indications that Belgrade has continued its military cooperation with the Pale Serbs.

At present, we do not have enough evidence to make a compelling case for ending existing sanctions relief, but we're going to follow it closely. Some of the things that you've raised in the past week -- the allegations of military cooperation and of other extraordinary and unusual activities -- have raised concerns in Washington. If proven to be true, they would be very serious indeed.

We are going to ask the International Conference on the former Yugoslavia -- the mission there that's responsible for sanctions- monitoring -- to focus on these questions and to report expeditiously to the United Nations on its findings. As we look into this issue, I believe we have agreement among most members of the U.N. Security Council, that included in the resolution today, should be a warning to Belgrade about its military assistance to the Pale Serbs.

Q Military assistance was not included in the policy on easing sanctions? You spoke of breaking off political and economic relations between Belgrade and the Pale Serbs. Military cooperation wasn't covered in that?

MR. BURNS: No, we certainly do not expect that military cooperation would have continued. There are some allegations that it has continued, and those allegations are very serious and we're looking into them. We've asked the ICFY to look into them, especially, with an expeditious report back to the U.N.

Q Wouldn't it make some sense to hold off on extending sanctions relief until you've looked at these allegations and determined whether they're true or not?

MR. BURNS: The sanctions relief question, as you know, comes before the Council every 75 days. So what we've decided to do is to support the resolution today. If, in the meantime, we develop more information that would lead us into the direction of believing that there's been a substantial breaking of the sanctions, we'd have an opportunity 75 days from now -- which is not too far into the future -- to make those views known among the other members of the Security Council, to have a full debate before the next sanctions relief package is voted upon.

Q In 75 days, you can ship a lot of tanks, a lot of missiles, a lot of rounded-up youths in Krajina in 75 days. It might be too late.

MR. BURNS: There's going to be a warning inserted in today's resolution to the effect that that kind of thing should not happen. If it does happen and information is developed to corroborate those allegations, then it will be treated very seriously by the United States.

Q In 75 days?

MR. BURNS: When the next round comes up. It just doesn't happen in 75 days from now. The debate about this starts well before the vote.

Q Is there some sort of interim step you can take if you do firm up these allegations before the next vote?

MR. BURNS: I don't know if it's possible for the U.N. Security Council to do that, but it's certainly possible for us to take interim steps if we develop this type of information.

But as I said to Roy last week, when he asked several times about this, we are pursuing these leads. We do not yet have the type of concrete information that would be desirable to make the kind of determination that would separate us from our other U.N. Security Council partners on this particular issue.

Q Stories on the radar quoted, as I recollect, NATO officials. Just what information has to be developed to make these credible enough so that the United States can act in some way in the Security Council?

MR. BURNS: Mark, I'd just remind you that most of the quotes that I saw in the newspaper accounts were anonymous quotes. They were not open quotes.

There is concern here. There was an existing air defense system that was in place in the former Yugoslavia before the Bosnian war broke out. It may be that elements of that system are still in place. We're looking into that. But I am not an expert in this particular issue and don't want to take you through the labyrinth.

I would just note that we're taking them seriously, but you do have to have a direct factual evidence of these transgressions in order to make a calculation that you're going to change your position in the U.N. Security Council. That's where we are today.

Q Nick, it is an entire month since the U.S. pilot was shot down. Surely, by this time this government must know what the connections are between the radar system, as operated out of Belgrade and controlled out of Belgrade, and that which is operated out of Bosnia -- out of Pale.

These allegations are that the system was recently upgraded. Certainly, that must be known in this government if it's known to NATO officials in Zagreb?

MR. BURNS: I'd refer you to the Pentagon on most of this because it's really the responsibility of the Pentagon to do some of this work. I think they would be willing to talk to you about this.

We're taking it very seriously. Obviously, the shootdown of Captain O'Grady revealed, perhaps, that there is a problem there, and we're taking that problem seriously.

There are a variety of ways that we can glean this information, and we're using all the means at our disposal to do so. We simply made the calculation that given where we are today, July 5, we think it's reasonable to vote to extend the sanctions relief.

However, we are urging a warning to the equipment resolution. We are noting publicly that we believe that there are problems and that we are willing to look into them and that we would like the ICFY to look into them and report back officially, as they are the body that has primary responsibility for determining whether or not there are violations of the sanctions.

Q But before (inaudible) determine, the ICFY, is whether equipment has crossed the border at the point that they are monitoring, they can't determine whether a radar system is interconnected nor whether equipment has been sneaked through some other way. If you turn it over to them, they're going to come up with the same kind of happy- news report that they did this last time.

MR. BURNS: Well, all the news is not happy. All the news is not happy. Some of the news is not good. There are a variety of allegations. You're correct in saying that the ICFY can only speak to some of them, but they can certainly speak to some of the more important allegations of significant leakages in the border regime.

Other people and other organizations have to speak to the other allegations, specifically on air defense.

Q Since there are these allegations, which you are taking seriously and are concerned about and are looking into, does the offer to Mr. Milosevic, that Ambassador Frasure has several times made to him, still stand as is? Or would you want more assurances or more information before you would make that deal with Milosevic at this point?

MR. BURNS: The offer still stands as it was when Ambassador Frasure left it on the table with Mr. Milosevic. Carl Bildt, the European Union's negotiator on this issue, has been in Belgrade; has had some significant and substantial conversations over the last couple of days with Mr. Milosevic.

We are in frequent contact with Mr. Bildt. He now is carrying the ball in these negotiations. He will report back to the Contact Group, and we're going to be very interested in his detailed report on his discussions with Mr. Milosevic.

Q Is he asked to raise these issues of sanctions violations with Mr. Milosevic, specifically the missile --

MR. BURNS: I can't account for what he did. It was obviously in our interest -- and I think in the interest of the international community -- that these issues be raised with the Serbian Government in Belgrade.

Q On the Administration's part -- you asked Mr. Bildt to raise these issues?

MR. BURNS: It's part of what would have been normal had we been conducting these particular discussions. I think the impression was that, yes, we'd like these issues raised at every opportunity with Mr. Milosevic by American negotiators or by international negotiators with whom we're working quite closely.

Q Nick, another subject.

MR. BURNS: Let me guess what it is.

Q Greece and Turkey.

MR. BURNS: Right. It has something to do with Greece and Turkey.

Q On both sides of the Aegean, tension is increasing. Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mrs. Ciller, she accused the Government of Greece giving safehaven and giving training for PKK terrorists. Today, we heard that the Government of Turkey, they diverted some file for the Greek Ambassador in Ankara for some proof.

Do you have any reaction to the going on of this kind of problem?

MR. BURNS: I would just note that the United States, first and foremost, has a long-standing and continual interest and good relations with both Greece and Turkey. They're both NATO allies.

Second: We have made very clear our opposition to the activities of the PKK, and we've made very clear our support for Turkey in its fight against the PKK.

As to the allegations that the Greek Government has been involved in activities to support the PKK, I can't speak to those. Some of the allegations that I've seen entail activities not by the Greek Government but by individual Greeks.

I can't confirm the veracity of those reports. I've seen reports that the Turkish Government has given to its allies and friends information on this issue. I'm not aware that we've received any such information yet in Washington. Perhaps it will be forthcoming. I don't believe we've received it as of this morning.

Q Also, in your past remarks, you associate with some of the Kurdish parliamentarians with the PKK, which they are working for the parliament in exile in Europe. Two of them, they are planning to visit Washington, D.C., July 17-18, I believe.

What kind of visa are you planning to issue for them?

MR. BURNS: I wasn't aware that members of the PKK wanted to visit Washington. I think if we knew that was the case, they would not get visas to travel to the United States. We have no interest in talking to members of the PKK. But I'm not aware of what specific individuals you may be talking about. I'm speaking generally to the issue of whether or not the United States Government wants to have a dialogue with them. It's probably no use in us having a dialogue with an outrageous terrorist organization.

[...]

Thank you.

(Press briefing concluded at 1:52 p.m.)