State Department Noon Briefing, October 20, 2000
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2000 12:35 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
Q: All right. Well, then let's move to the Middle East. What's new
there?
MR. BOUCHER: I think you have seen the media reports of violence and
things that are going on. In the last several days since the Sharm el
Sheikh meeting, some things have happened. Both sides have issued the
statements calling for an end to violence. Israel has opened the Gaza
airport and the international passages. Israel has also taken steps to
lift the internal closure of the West Bank. However, there are some
areas that remain closed due to continuing clashes.
There are indications that the Palestinian Authority has moved to
re-arrest militant extremists and/or restrain the activities of Hamas.
In addition, the security contacts between the two sides have also
resumed.
Nonetheless, as we said from the beginning of this, we have no
illusions about how difficult it is going to be. Today has been a
particularly difficult day, and we certainly regret the additional
loss of life and the violence that has occurred.
However, despite the anger and the frustration at what was happening
on the ground, at Sharm el Sheikh there was a recognition from both
sides that a negotiated solution was the only way to end this
confrontation; and both sides seemed to recognize that a negotiated
solution, however difficult it is to achieve, is immensely preferable
to a future of continued violence and bloodshed.
So the bottom line is we continue to have hope. We continue to work
with the parties and expect the parties to work to calm the situation
so that we can all get back to the prospect of a negotiated
settlement.
Q: You said you will continue to work with the parties. Can you be
more specific about who is working with them, how, what they are
saying?
MR. BOUCHER: The principal venue for that - in security terms-- is
meetings of security officials from both sides and contacts between
them. We have people through our diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem, our Embassy and Consulate, who work with them to make
those things happen and to help facilitate their contacts and
hopefully reach outcomes that serve to quell the violence.
Q: Okay, so those mainly. Is there anything at a higher level above
the security committee meetings?
MR. BOUCHER: Well, the President talked to the Prime Minister and the
Chairman yesterday, so his efforts are also useful.
Q: Today has anyone --
MR. BOUCHER: I am not aware of any phone calls today, but actually I
didn't check on the Secretary's phone calls from the airplane. She is
on her way back from Palm Beach. So I will get you additional
information if she has been active, too.
Q: This is in the media at least that Arafat has been silent since
Sharm el Sheikh. Is the Administration fully satisfied with the
Palestinian statement, and would you like to see more coming from him
personally?
MR. BOUCHER: I think at this point we are trying to work with both
sides to carry out all the steps that were agreed at the Sharm el
Sheikh meeting, to get them to take effective steps to calm the
violence. I have to say we don't think it is useful at this point to
keep a scorecard on who is doing what. The first priority is to end
the cycle of violence. At some point we may decide to comment on how
each party has been carrying out its obligations, but at this
particular stage we don't think that would be useful.
Q: So you're preparing a scorecard?
MR. BOUCHER: No, we are not.
Q: But you just said --
MR. BOUCHER: We are at a stage when people are in the process of
implementing obligations. We don't think this is the moment to try to
judge how much this guy has done, how much that guy has done. At some
point in the future that may be appropriate, but not now.
Okay?
Q: It seems that a few weeks ago the Administration was still firmly
in the position of Arafat does have complete control over what happens
in the streets, and then - correct me if I'm wrong - but it seemed
that the Secretary said on her way back from Saudi Arabia that, while
he may not have complete control, he certainly had the authority to
rein in the protestors. But that is something that people are
continuing to question, and it seems like it may not be fair to Arafat
if he doesn't have complete control to suggest that he does.
Does the State Department believe that he has complete control?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think we have actually ever said that he had
complete control. We have always said that he had the authority and he
had the responsibility. Leaders have the responsibility to take
measures and to lead. And so we look to leaders on both sides to take
steps and to lead and to implement their commitments. That is what we
have always said - that he had the authority to do so; he had the
responsibility to do so.
Q: But doesn't that suggest - as the Sharm el Sheikh agreement was
being announced, there were Palestinians who were saying that it
didn't apply to them and that they weren't going to abide by it,
regardless of what Arafat said. So are you saying that you do hold him
responsible for those factions?
MR. BOUCHER: He is the leader of the Palestinians, and we think he has
a responsibility to carry out the steps, and he should assume the
authority or exercise the authority that he has in that position. But
that applies to the leaders on both sides.
Q: But what the question here - the issue is - does he have the
capability of reining in, controlling all of the various factions of
the Palestinian group? Does the US think that he has got that
capability?
MR. BOUCHER: Let me put it this way. The leaders in Paris, and then in
more detail in Sharm el Sheikh, made commitments about what they would
do. They certainly have the capability to carry out their commitments,
the authority and the responsibility to carry out the commitments that
they made.
Now, if those commitments are somehow carried out thoroughly and there
are still people who engage in violence, we would also expect that the
basic structure of security cooperation between both sides would be
able to cope with whatever was still going on. But first and foremost,
everybody has a responsibility to carry out their commitments.
Q: I'm a bit intrigued by your remarks about keeping scorecards and
saying you might do this in the future, or you might release your
scorecard. Do you consider that what you did before Sharm el Sheikh
was releasing a scorecard? Because that is the way it came across to
many people.
MR. BOUCHER: We have probably changed the metaphor several times. I
don't think I'm going to get into that. We will characterize things
when we need to characterize them. I think what we are just saying
today is this is an interim point, a point at which people should be
carrying out their obligations. It is not the point at which to judge
exactly which party has done which steps. It is a time for us to keep
working with the parties to get them to carry them out fully.
Q: But at some stage you might do that?
MR. BOUCHER: We may want to do that at some point.
Q: In terms of following up commitments, both sides have complained
that written agreements like Wye have - there have been breaches in
contract. Why do you think this unwritten agreement will result in
both sides keeping their commitment at this point?
MR. BOUCHER: The commitments are clear; the responsibilities are
clear.
Q: Well, clearly in what you said earlier about if both sides would
only carry out those commitments, you don't think that Arafat has yet
done that. What are some of the specific things that he has yet to do?
MR. BOUCHER: I didn't exactly say that. I said that both sides have a
responsibility to carry out their commitments, and we expect to see
them carried out.
I have talked about some of the things that we have seen done. I think
if you want to go back and compare that to the full checklist that the
President gave at Sharm el Sheikh, you can do so. I think what is
important is to see that these steps be made complete and effective
and that we see everybody taking every possible step to end the
violence.
Q: Do you think that Barak has gone further than Arafat in upholding
his end on the commitments made?
MR. BOUCHER: That is exactly what, for the last four questions, I have
declined to do.
....
Q: Richard, can I ask about the Arab League for a second? On Tuesday,
Qadhafi was on Algerian television saying that - reading, I guess, a
draft of an Arab League resolution requesting that certain states that
have low-level ties with Israel break them off. This is being
considered. Can you describe, besides the visit to Riyadh, what kind
of diplomatic efforts are being - the United States is undergoing
right now in anticipation of the summit?
MR. BOUCHER: I think, once again, I think what I have said is we have
been in touch with a lot of people about Sharm el Sheikh and about the
need to implement that and support it, support the leaders - and, in
this case, Chairman Arafat - as he proceeds to implement those
agreements and commitments from Sharm el Sheikh.
So that has been the context for our discussions, and obviously in
those discussions with various Arab leaders the question of the Arab
League summit comes up. It is clear from our discussions with - that
I think a wide spectrum of Arab leaders understand the sensitivity of
the current situation and the commitments that were made at Sharm el
Sheikh. We expect t at this critical juncture that Arab leaders will
want to make a constructive and positive contribution to the
successful implementation of the Sharm el Sheikh understandings and
the eventual restoration of negotiations.
I think President Mubarak had some comments this morning on
television. I am sure others will be commenting as well. We know that
there are a substantial number and a wide spectrum of leaders who
support the Sharm el Sheikh agreements who will want to be positive
about it, and I am sure we will hear voices on the other side as well.
But we see this as an opportunity for the Arab League to support the
path towards an end to violence and to support the path back to its
peace, which is the only way in the end to resolve the issues in the
region.
Q: Does "constructive" in this case mean not sanctioning Israel, or
trying to persuade others not to sanction Israel?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I have been able to write the Arab League
communiqué. They are going to have to do that. They are going to have
to decide. Obviously we don't think it is a time to break relations
with Israel or cut off contacts or things like that; that both sides
need the support of everyone in the region in terms of implementing
the commitments and bringing calm back to the situation. I don't think
anybody wants more violence.
Q: Okay. A couple of related questions. First of all, very quickly, is
there any difference between a "substantial body" and a "wide
spectrum"? Or is it pretty much the same thing? Is that just your --
MR. BOUCHER: Those are just pretty much the same thing. They are --
Q: Okay. Has the Secretary sent out the message to - have you got an
answer on that yet? I mean, we asked you about three days or four days
and nobody ever --
MR. BOUCHER: Did you get our answer yesterday? I apologize for not
beating somebody into giving me an answer on that. I will do that
today.
Q: You said it is not the time to break off relations with Israel. So
you think the Omanis, for example, were - made a mistake in doing
this - what they have done?
MR. BOUCHER: I think I will leave it as a general comment for the
moment, to say that we think all the parties - everybody in the
region should be supporting all the parties, and not breaking off
contact.
(The briefing was concluded at 1:05 P.M.)
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