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USIA - State Department Report, 97-01-15
From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>
STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1997
(Kurdish talks, Hebron, Brcko, Georgian diplomat) (370)
There was no regular briefing, but Acting State Department Spokesman Glyn
Davies did speak on-the-record with reporters. No transcript is available
of this briefing.
KURDISH TALKS -- Representatives of Turkey, the United States, and the
United Kingdom met with delegations of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP),
the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and the Turkoman Front on January
14 and 15, 1997, in Ankara to review progress in implementing the
principles agreed at the Ankara meetings on October 31 and November 15,
1996. All participants reaffirmed their commitments to the consolidation of
the cease-fire between the PUK and the KDP. The KDP and the PUK agreed to
withdraw their forces from the disputed areas along the cease-fire line and
leave these areas to be monitored by the Peace Monitoring Force composed of
Turkomen, Assyrians and others.
Davies said the United States, Great Britain and Turkey emphasized the
importance of fair distribution throughout Northern Iraq of the benefits of
the revenue collected and called on the PUK and KDP to develop a mechanism
to achieve that purpose.
HEBRON -- Davies said the State Department was deferring comment on the
Hebron agreement, noting that the pact must yet be reviewed by the Israeli
cabinet and the Knesset, Israel's parliament, along with Palestinian
authorities. He said the United States is hoping for a positive outcome
from those review processes.
BRCKO -- Davies refuted media reports that said John Kornblum, assistant
secretary of state for Canadian and European affairs, has made a written
proposal that represents the U.S. view on the future of Brcko. "There is no
U.S. proposal for a Brcko solution," Davies said. "There is no paper by
John Kornblum, or, indeed, no paper by any other senior (State) Department
official advocating a particular position before the Arbitration Tribunal,
which under the terms of the Dayton accords is the body that is meant to
decide the future of Brcko." He added, however, that the United States "is
considering how best to support whatever decision is eventually reached by
the Tribunal." The Tribunal has set February 15 as its deadline for a
decision.
From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov
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