USIA - State Department Report, 96-12-27

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>

REPORT: STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, DECEMBER 27, 1996

(Turkish envoy, China/Tibet scholar, France/Iraq, Serbia/OSCE) (750)

TURKISH ENVOY: Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin last month extended an invitation to Turkey's State Minister Fehim Adak to visit the United States, and the invitation has been accepted, according to Dinger. "We are still discussing his exact itinerary and with whom he will meet and what they'll discuss," Dinger said, but noted that "I understand there was a desire to discuss, in general, economic policies." The economic issues to be considered include: The impact on Turkey of the sanctions on Iraq; and U.N. Resolution 986, which allows Iraq to sell oil to raise funds to help needy Iraqi citizens.

CHINA/TIBET SCHOLAR -- Dinger clarified press reports on Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan music scholar who had been touring the Himalayan region of Tibet when he was arrested and sentenced to 18 years in jail by Chinese authorities who accused him of being a spy. According to Dinger, Choephel was not in Tibet as a Fulbright scholar or under any U.S. auspice.

Choephel was a Fulbright scholar in 1993, attending Middlebury College in Vermont for one year, Dinger said, but he left the United States after his year of study, and is not as reported by the press based in the United States.

"The United States is, of course, concerned about the reported sentencing of Ngawan Choephel by the judicial authorities in China to 18 years imprisonment," Dinger said. "Earlier information indicated that Choephel was involved in pursuing his professional interests in the field of ethnomusicology and videotaping traditional Tibetan dances. We have no independent information that he was, in fact, involved in any other activities. The United States has repeatedly made clear that we are concerned about the preservation of Tibet's unique cultural, linguistic and religious heritage. Separately, we continue to urge the Chinese authorities to release all those held for the peaceful expression of their political or religious views.

"We do not have a lot of independent information on Mr. Choephel's activities, and there's no real reason that we should have a lot of independent information since he was not directly connected with the United States."

"I think I can assure you that he was not there (in Tibet) under U.S. auspices -- certainly not a Fulbright scholar. And to the best of my knowledge, he was not there in any other activity connected with the United States," Dinger said.

FRANCE/IRAQ -- Dinger said the United States acknowledges that France has been "a valued participant" in Operation Provide Comfort; he was responding to questions about why France has decided not to participate in allied air reconnaissance operations aimed at safeguarding Kurdish civilians in northern Iraq. "Certainly, we would have preferred that France continue to fly over northern Iraq," Dinger said. "But it is obviously a French decision.

"The French, nevertheless, have informed us that they will continue to participate in Operation Southern Watch, and that they will continue to press for Iraq's full compliance with all U.N. Security Council resolutions. I would just note that those resolutions do also call on Iraq to end repression of its own people.

"Coalition air operations over northern Iraq will not be disrupted by the French decision," Dinger said. He added that "I can't ... imagine that France did this in any broader context of relations with the United States. I think they did it based on this issue of what they felt to be in their interests."

SERBIA/OSCE -- The United States applauds the work of Felipe Gonzalez, who, as a representative of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE), confirmed opposition victories over Slobodan Milosevic and his ruling Socialist party in the November 17 municipal elections. Dinger pointed out that Serbia's President "did agree to the visit by the OSCE delegation."

Opposition members have been demonstrating in Belgrade and other cities in Serbia for some five weeks. Dinger said the United States believes "the best way possible to resolve this situation is for President Milosevic to now heed the delegation's recommendation" -- that is, to respect the results of the municipal elections, open dialogue with the oppositions parties, and to honor Serbia's international commitments to move toward democracy.

From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov

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