ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:95060602.POL
DATE:06/06/95
TITLE:STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, TUESDAY, JUNE 6
TEXT:
(Cuba, Harbury, Iraq/Americans, Mideast) (760)
NEWS BRIEFING -- Acting spokesman Christine Shelly discussed the
following topics:
CUBA MUST MOVE TO DEMOCRACY FOR NEW STAGE IN RELATIONS
The United States "listened with great interest" to remarks made by
Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, secretary general of the Organization of
American States, as the 25th OAS General Assembly session opened June
5 in Haiti, the acting spokesman told a questioner. Gaviria was
critical of U.S. policy toward Cuba.
"We fully agree with the secretary general that there must be in Cuba
greater economic freedom, an establishment of a pluralistic democratic
system with political freedoms and respect for human rights," Shelly
said. "But it is our view that only then would it be possible to
initiate a new stage in the hemisphere's relations with Cuba," she
said.
DEPARTMENT WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO INFORM HARBURY
The acting spokesman said State Department officers have gone to great
lengths to try to keep Jennifer Harbury informed of conclusions drawn
by the U.S. intelligence community concerning the fate of her husband,
Guatemalan guerrilla leader Efrain Bamaca.
Harbury has charged that Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) documents
she obtained through freedom of information requests showed that the
administration knew as long ago as September 1993 that Bamaca had died
in captivity. She says the State Department told her of that
conclusion only in November 1994.
"Legal restrictions, as you know, exist that prevent sensitive
information from being passed directly to private citizens," Shelly
pointed out. "Despite those regulations, State Department officers, in
their meetings with Ms. Harbury on numerous occasions, have gone to
great lengths to try to provide her with the conclusions that the
intelligence community drew from the information available at any
given point in time."
Noting that the matter is the subject of a Presidential Intelligence
Oversight Board review, Shelly said it would be "inappropriate to
comment further," except to point out that Secretary of State
Christopher has repeatedly said the Department of State supports "the
fullest possible disclosure to the American people of the facts
surrounding the deaths of Michael DeVine and certain other Americans
as well as that of Efrain Bamaca." DeVine, an American who operated an
inn in Guatemala, was killed in 1990.
IRAQIS STILL DENYING ACCESS TO IMPRISONED AMERICANS
The acting spokesman said Iraqi authorities are still denying consular
access to two Americans imprisoned for illegally entering Iraq.
Ryszard Krystosik, the Polish diplomat who heads the U.S. Interests
Section in Baghdad "has still not been permitted to resume his regular
visits" with William Barloon and David Daliberti, Shelly said. The
last time Krystosik was allowed to see them was on April 11, eight
weeks ago.
"He continues to press on a daily basis for access to the two men,"
the acting spokesman said. "We are deeply concerned about their
health. We call on the Iraqis to allow a visit so we can continue to
monitor their condition, and we fully expect the Iraqis to meet their
obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations which
would permit Mr. Krystosik to resume his regular visits with the
Americans." The wives of the two men went to Iraq in late April and
were allowed daily visits with their husbands, but the Polish diplomat
was not permitted to accompany them into the prison.
U.S. ENVOY MEETS WITH SYRIAN PRESIDENT IN DAMASCUS
Dennis Ross, the U.S. coordinator for the Middle East peace process,
met June 6 with Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad in Damascus in
preparation for a trip to the region later this week by Secretary of
State Christopher.
Shelly said Ross was in Israel June 5, in Syria June 6 and will move
on to Egypt on June 7. Christopher leaves Washington June 7 on a
five-day trip to the region. His first stop will be Israel where he
will meet with Israeli officials in Jerusalem, the acting spokesman
said.
"I have really no other details related to the substance of what is
being discussed," she said of the Ross-Asad talks. "We simply feel
that we can play our role most appropriately by not getting into a
detailed discussion of the exchanges that we're having."
In addition to visiting Israel, Christopher will visit Syria, Jordan
and Egypt, and he plans to meet with leaders of the Palestinian
Authority during his stop in Israel. The secretary is expected to
focus on continuing efforts to make progress on the Syrian-Israeli
track of the peace negotiations.
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