U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing #96, 97-06-27

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From: The Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) at <http://www.state.gov>

U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing

I N D E X

Friday, June 27, 1997

Briefer: John Dinger

ANNOUNCEMENTS/STATEMENTS
1                        Welcome to Visitors
1                        Death of Ely Maurer
1                        Conflict in Tajikistan
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
1-2                      Detainment of Mr. Tshisekedi
2-3                      Status of Foreign Troops
3                        UN Investigatory Team
REPUBLIC of CONGO
3-4                      Status of Situation
IRAQ
4                        Peter Jennings' Report
4-5                      US Position on Iraq
NORTH KOREA
5                        Talks with Japan , US, and S. Korea
5,8                      Political instability within N. Korea
7-8                      Meetings after Trilaterals
HONG KONG
5                        US Presence at Legislature Induction
6                        Chinese Military in Hong Kong
SPAIN
5-6                      Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty
6                        Cooperation with other Latin American Countries
CHINA
6                        Wei Jing Sheng
CAMBODIA
8                        Meetings with Cambodian Officials
BURMA
8                        Charge of US funding of internal terrorist
                           organizations

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

DPB #96

FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1997 1:08 P.M.

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

MR. DINGER: Welcome to the State Department. A couple of announcements and a couple of welcomes. First, we are very pleased that we have two officials from Finland with us today - the Director General of the Department for Press and Cultural Affairs of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the press counselor in the Embassy of Finland.

We also have several interns - Joseph Bradley, from Tacoma, Washington; Jeremy Rossman, from Los Angeles; and a whole group here with Barbara Maranzani, who I won't describe further; and my brother-in-law, Dan Duggan, from Wisconsin, who happened to be in town on business.

I have sort of a sad statement, too. We had somebody closely associated with the Public Affairs Bureau who died on Wednesday.

Ely Maurer, he was the assistant legal advisor for educational, cultural and public affairs. He had worked in our legal bureau in Connection with the Bureau of Public Affairs for 23 years.

Nick Burns has put out a statement in Hanoi, expressing our sadness over Ely's passing. His sage advice, his wise counsel, his honorable and unfailing service will be missed greatly and we offer our deepest condolences to Ely's family.

I also have a statement on Tajikistan. The State Department welcomes the news of the June 27th signing of a comprehensive peace accord, putting an end to the conflict in Tajikistan. This accord represents an historic opportunity for Tajikistan to enter into a new political stage - one building lasting national reconciliation, stability and economic development.

And we're very pleased with this historic step. The true test lies ahead. The accords mark the beginning of the transition period. We urge all the sides to take full advantage of this opportunity to move beyond civil conflict in Tajikistan. That statement is available in the press office. And that's what I have.

QUESTION: There is a report out of the Congo today that - I can't pronounce his name - Tshisekedi --

MR. DINGER: Tshisekedi.

QUESTION: Thank you. That he has been detained for some reason. Have you heard anything about that? Is the U.S. concerned?

MR. DINGER: We are worried that opposition leader Tshisekedi was taken from his compound by alliance troops June 25th, after he had participated in a rally at the University of Kinshasa.

Our understanding is that soldiers asked Mr. Tshisekedi to accompany them for a meeting with President Kabila, and he reportedly declined to do so. Mr. Tshisekedi was released later the same night and is returned home.

This of course brings up the issue of the state of democracy - or the state of the movement towards democracy in Congo. We would report that the record continues to be mixed. We have been encouraged by some things, and we have been less than encouraged by others.

We are encouraged by the inclusion of non-alliance members in the cabinet and the inclusion of non-alliance individuals in governorships.

We also welcomed President Kabila's commitment to elections to be held in April 1999 and the specific election timetable that was set out. At the same time banning political party activity and public rallies and this latest development is certainly negative.

We have to emphasize that free political activity will be essential as the Congo embarks on its democratic transition. We certainly will be watching that very closely. We have made that clear.

We have also made clear that our assistance and, in fact, the assistance from the international community to the Congo will, to a large extent, depend on Mr. Kabila and his government's actions on political issues and, of course, on refugee issues and on human rights issues.

QUESTION: John, according to the press reports, many of the troops that went to arrest Mr. Tshisekedi were not from the Congo. They were Rwandans and - you know, the troops that were part of the alliance and part of the rebel movement that overthrew Mobutu. Is their presence in Congo worrisome?

MR. DINGER: One, I don't know what the composition of the forces were, and I guess, two, in that respect, it's a little bit difficult to comment on that. I am not aware of recent reports of foreign forces. Of course, we saw them before. I don't really have much I can say about that. It's not an issue that has been before us recently.

QUESTION: But as far as you know, all the foreign troops are out. Or you're just not aware?

MR. DINGER: I don't know what the status of that issue is.

QUESTION: If there were foreign troops, would you call on them to leave?

MR. DINGER: Well, I'm not going to speculate about that issue. I can't do it.

QUESTION: So you're saying the U.S. is not aware that a large part of Kabila's force are Rwandan Tutsis?

MR. DINGER: I think I would say that -- that we are not aware that a large - I don't know what you mean by a large part.

We are certainly aware that in the activities, or in the advance of the alliance forces through Zaire, there certainly were many reports, many credible reports that there were outside troops involved. That means all sorts of things, or could mean all sorts of things.

That could be people of different ethnic backgrounds who are from Zaire. It could be informal use of foreigners; it could be formal; all sorts of things. These reports were very difficult to sort out at the time. I am not aware of it being an issue in the month or so since the alliance troops entered Kinshasa. It is not something that I have looked at.

So not speaking categorically is simply something that I have not looked into because it has not been an issue in the last month or so.

QUESTION: Except it is now since there are those reports.

Can you look into it and --

MR. DINGER: I'll consider the question. I'm not sure how relevant it is, in fact. But I'll consider it.

QUESTION: Has the UN advance team arrived in the country?

They were due, I believe, last week.

MR. DINGER: The advance team arrived last week. They have been trying to make initial arrangements for the full investigatory team, which is scheduled to begin its work on or about July 7th.

QUESTION: What sort of cooperation are they getting from the Kabila folks?

MR. DINGER: I don't have any good thorough reports on that. I believe that their efforts have been sort of preliminary in terms of where they'd like to go and what they'd like to do.

Now, I should take this opportunity to stress that President Kabila has committed very strongly that they will have his government's cooperation, that they will have access to all the areas. We expect President Kabila to fulfill that promise.

QUESTION: Do you have any idea what's going on across the river in Brazzaville?

MR. DINGER: We have seen the reports of continued violence.

We, as you know, do not have any presence in Congo, Brazzaville.

That ended a week or two ago. We believe it is essential for the people of Congo, Brazzaville and all the factions and all the political parties and all the leaders to end the violence there, to return to a peaceful and democratic process. We still have to hold out some hope that elections can still be held. We certainly call on everyone in Congo, Brazzaville to stop the violence and work towards a democratic resolution to these problems.

QUESTION: Do you know which faction is in charge - in control of the city?

MR. DINGER: I don't. To the best of my knowledge, that would be a very difficult thing to know with any certainty given the confusion and the back-and-forth and the sort of chaotic nature of the situation there. That is somewhat beside the point because the point is we believe all of them should stop the violence.

This is not in the interest of the people of Congo, Brazzaville.

What is in the interest of the people and the leadership of Congo, Brazzaville is that there be a peaceful resolution of this, that there be a democratic process that hopefully will lead them to a stable and secure future.

QUESTION: Another topic?

MR. DINGER: Sure, Bill.

QUESTION: Yes. What is the reaction of this department and the Administration generally to the Peter Jennings program last night aired on ABC about the Kurds being involved in trying to depose Mr. Saddam Hussein?

MR. DINGER: There have been a couple of reports recently revolving around alleged intelligence issues involving Northern Iraq. As you know, as a matter of policy, we do not comment on

intelligence matters. Let me say, however, that our policy towards Iraq is long-standing and clear. We support the goals of the Iraqi opposition, which include the maintenance of Iraq's territorial integrity and a free pluralistic Iraq at peace with its neighbors.

Now, Secretary Albright, on March 26th in a speech at Georgetown, very, very clearly enunciated this policy. I would certainly refer you to her remarks. They are quite comprehensive.

Beyond that, I am not sure I have too much to add.

QUESTION: I guess you couldn't comment as to the veracity of the CIA operatives that are witnessing in this program?

MR. DINGER: As a matter of general policy, we don't comment on alleged intelligence matters.

QUESTION: And finally, does this government continue to deny or does it deny currently involvement in attempts to assassinate Mr. Hussein last year?

MR. DINGER: Secretary Albright addressed that issue quite clearly in the remarks. She pointed out that we are not telling the Iraqi people what they should or should not do. That is for them to decide. The President has also pointed that out. The Secretary made clear that Saddam Hussein's record and actions are important factors determining Iraq's intentions and, frankly, that the evidence is overwhelming that Saddam Hussein's intentions will never be peaceful.

She also expressed our readiness in principle to establish a dialogue with a post-Saddam government. As part of that dialogue, we would require improvements in Iraq's behavior. But I will reiterate again, the Secretary and the United States has not told the Iraqi people what they should or should not do.

QUESTION: And finally, there was the allegation, I believe, or implication that the Clinton Administration pulled the plug on the Kurds because of election - let's say, election convenience, that being the U.S. election last year. Any comment?

MR. DINGER: No comment. We have supported the goals of the Iraqi opposition. We have also viewed the Iraqi National Congress as a part of the Iraqi opposition whose program reflects our values. We have supported the INC's efforts to forge unity and cohesion within the Iraqi opposition.

QUESTION: John, another subject. Can you confirm reports that the United States, Japan and South Korea have held talks aimed at coordinating possible future international relief efforts for North Korea in the event of a government collapse?

MR. DINGER: We do not see signs at the moment of political instability in North Korea. As a general policy, we don't comment on contingency planning. The report I think that you're referring to involved reported DOD contingency planning. I would refer you to the Department of Defense for what they may be planning.

I would note that DOD has lots of contingency plans. That is nothing new. That is part of their job and, in fact, it is a part of our job. Our current relief efforts have been and will likely continue to be conducted through international relief organizations.

QUESTION: The administrative talks that are reported to have taken place, can you describe where and when, who was involved?

There is also a mention of some general discussions with China.

MR. DINGER: No. I don't have anything for you. The article I think that you're referring to mentioned that they were DOD talks. DOD has a lot of contingency planning and a lot of contingency talks. You might see if they have anything that they can offer, but this sort of planning of that type is very routine. And of course, you and the American people would expect us to make contingency plans. But we do not see signs of political instability at the moment in North Korea.

QUESTION: On another subject. Have you seen the reports that some people in Hong Kong and some countries friendly to the United States believe that the United States has undercut the joint approach to the turnover by allowing Richard Boucher to attend preliminary sessions of - what is it called the transitional parliamentary --

MR. DINGER: I think I will. Frankly, Jim, I'll let the party that will be arriving in Hong Kong address any issues regarding Hong Kong, rather than try to do it here.

QUESTION: This new agreement between the Spanish authorities and the U.S. authorities to investigate the human rights abuses in Chile - two questions, please. What made the U.S. decide to cooperate with Spain? And second, would that apply to similar cases in Latin America, like Argentina?

MR. DINGER: There was a report in the press today that I think was ahead of the story. Under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the United States and Spain, the Spanish Government has requested information from United States official records that relate to events in Chile during the Pinochet regime.

The United States has received this official Spanish request for information, and we are currently in the process of determining how we might respond to it. Obviously, we will cooperate with Spain to the extent permitted by that law and to the extent that any information may be available in official U.S. Government records.

The Department of Justice is responsible for implementing the request, or I might say coordinating the request and the response.

So I would refer you to the Department of Justice for details.

Any documents that the Spanish might request would be released to the Spanish Government under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to the extent that it applies. So we will cooperate to the extent that we can, obviously, with the Spanish request.

QUESTION: Would this treaty apply also to other countries, like Argentina?

MR. DINGER: This is a treaty, of course, with Spain -- a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Spain. On a case-by-case basis, should there be future requests, we will consider them in the context of this treaty. I don't, of course, want to speculate about any future requests. What we have before is a request from Spain regarding events in Chile during the Pinochet regime. I think we would be very reluctant to speculate beyond that.

QUESTION: Chile's current democratic government has said it will not recognize the authority of Spain's high court to try Pinochet for Spanish killings. Is there any way the United States can pressure Chile to cooperate with this?

MR. DINGER: I have not seen those reports. I am not sure that there is a role for the United States in this. I would say that this is an issue for Spain and Chile to resolve.

QUESTION: John, on the document request -- is it correct to say the U.S. is considering the request but has made no decision?

Is that where it is?

MR. DINGER: Right. We have two issues that we need to consider. One, it's a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and what that requires or permits. Obviously we want to make sure that anything we do operates underneath that umbrella. The other thing is what we may or may not have available, which at this point we don't know.

QUESTION: China?

MR. DINGER: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: Anything to say about China's plans to bring a rather large military contingent into Hong Kong just after the handover?

MR. DINGER: Oh, I don't think so.

(Laughter.)

Since, as I just told Jim, the Secretary of State and her party of senior officials will be arriving in Hong Kong very soon. In fact, many of our people who are the experts on China are with the Secretary. Clearly it's best to leave those sorts of questions to them.

QUESTION: John, do you know if the Secretary plans on brining up the dissident Wei Jingsheng and the reports that he has been beaten and his current situation? If she is going to bring that up with any Chinese official she might meet at the hand-over ceremonies?

MR. DINGER: Again, I would leave those sorts of questions to the traveling party.

QUESTION: If the traveling party is not going to Cambodia, then you can answer.

(Laughter.)

MR. DINGER: There is a large portion of the world that the traveling party is not going to.

QUESTION: Have you seen the reports that the Cambodian opponents are united in their criticism of the United States for canceling the visit under what they consider to be impolite conditions?

MR. DINGER: I have seen the reports.

QUESTION: And what do you think?

MR. DINGER: I think I will leave that to the traveling party.

(Laughter.)

Yes, ma'am.

QUESTION: There was a report this morning on Japanese wires that the United States and North Korea will be meeting after Monday on their own bilateral talks. Do you know anything about that?

MR. DINGER: I don't know anything about that. When I asked our experts yesterday about any meetings in addition to the trilateral meetings, I was told that there was nothing formally scheduled as of now.

QUESTION: But it has been common in the past for bilateral meetings to take place after the trilateral meetings?

MR. DINGER: It has happened in the past, that's right, to discuss bilateral issues that aren't appropriate in the trilateral talks.

QUESTION: One question on Burma. Have you seen the reports out of Rangoon about the intelligence chief there holding a news conference to accuse the U.S. of funding, basically, internal terrorist organizations? If you have, do you have anything to say about that?

MR. DINGER: That charge is obviously outrageous. I can only speculate on the motive behind such a charge, that it perhaps might be an attempt to divert attention from the SLORC's terrible record of abusing the human rights of its own citizens and, as I say, an attempt to divert attention away from that and towards some other issue.

The United States has suffered very much from terrorist acts both at home and abroad against its citizens. We are a leader in the international fight against terrorism. I absolutely reject that sort of charge, categorically.

QUESTION: One more on North Korea. I didn't get to ask Ken yesterday. John, does the State Department view some of this very negative rhetoric about fighting the final battle with South Korea and the United States - that was last week - there has been some more this week from Pyongyang - is that viewed by the State Department as some kind of rhetoric designed to get concessions in negotiations? Or is it taken seriously?

MR. DINGER: Well, North Korea is well-known for its rhetoric.

So the rhetoric alone, of course, has had little impact on our policies. We of course do monitor the situation in North Korea closely. As I said, we see no signs of political instability at the moment. And as we have said many times in the past, we're not aware of any eminent threat from North Korea - military threat - at the moment.

QUESTION: Is there some kind of dichotomy in that government that could be producing a government that wants to be fed on the one hand, and one that wants to have war, like the defector has stated?

MR. DINGER: North Korea is a very opaque society, and I'm not going to speculate about that. Okay, thank you.

QUESTION: Okay.

(The briefing concluded at 1:30 P.M.)

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