23 March 2004
U.S. Urges Maximum Restraint Following Death of Hamas Leader
Boucher says Bush administration had no prior warning of attack
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher called upon Israelis and Palestinians to "maintain maximum restraint" and refrain from further steps that could escalate tensions following the killing of Hamas leader and founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on March 22.
Speaking at the March 23 State Department briefing, Boucher repeated the Bush administration's policy that "all parties remain focused on how to achieve progress in the peace process."
"[W]hatever these events that do take place, whatever the need of the parties to take steps that they believe is in their own interest, or in the interest of their own security, it's important for us that we remain focused and that all parties remain focused on how to achieve progress in the peace process," said Boucher.
First and foremost, he said, the Palestinians need to stop violent activities and establish "the kind of authority that can take responsibility in areas like Gaza and other places."
According to the road map for peace, Israel is also called upon to "take steps that ease Palestinian life, that make travel easier for Palestinians, that curtail settlement activity, that end settlement activity, and a variety of other things," said Boucher.
The spokesman denied that the Bush administration had any advance knowledge of the Israeli attack upon Yassin.
"They did not tell us. They did not seek our approval. We did not approve of it. We did not comment in one way or the other in advance, because they didn't tell us in advance," he said.
Boucher said the United States recognizes Israel's right to take steps to defend itself, but added that the Bush administration has also communicated its concern about the consequences of those actions "in terms of the fact that they do not help this effort that we have under way, that we continue to have under way, of trying to move forward on peace."
The Bush administration continues to regard the road map to peace, drawn up by the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the United States, as "the primary statement of what needs to be done," and remains "very committed" to finding ways to move the peace process forward, he said.
Following are excerpts from the March 23 State Department briefing:
(begin excerpt)
QUESTION: The Middle East. Are you at all alarmed by the anti-American nature of the demonstrations protesting the assassination of Sheikh Yassin all across the Arab world and Muslim world, including Iraq?
MR. BOUCHER: I think there are a few things to say about that.
First, I think the United States did make its position clear yesterday with regard to this event and we stand by that, and that's been something that we've tried to make other governments understand.
We do look for all governments, all parties, to maintain maximum restraint at this period and not to take any further steps that escalate the tension in the situation.
Certainly, we're aware of the various statements, many of them made by terrorist groups, that threaten the United States and that threaten Americans. We have to take all those threats seriously. Some of these are established groups with patterns of behavior. They may or may not have certain capabilities, but we have to take this seriously.
And fourth, back to the basic point that we tried to make yesterday that whatever these events that do take place, whatever the need of the parties to take steps that they believe is in their own interest or in the interest of their own security, it's important for us that we remain focused and that all parties remain focused on how to achieve progress in the peace process.
And the United States remains determined to do that as much as we can. Assistant Secretary Burns met with the Quartet members yesterday and discussed various ideas about how one can -- how we can try to keep moving forward, and we continue to look for ways to move this process forward. And that does, first and foremost, involve the Palestinians themselves getting a handle on the violence and stopping the activities of violent groups that are threatening more violence, and establishing the kind of authority that can take responsibility in areas like Gaza and other places.
So we continue to talk to the Israelis and Palestinians about their obligations, continue to look for ways to move forward. We're having discussions, more discussions today with an Israeli team that's come to town to talk about the various issues involved in the Gaza pullout to see what sort of opportunity there might be there to move forward.
But the United States remains very committed to working with both sides and with other parties like the Arabs, who put forward their own proposals, to try to find ways to move forward in the peace process. We're committed to that, and you'll see us continue to do that.
QUESTION: A quick follow-up. Are you aware of any active investigation that Israel had broken the Arms Export Act? You said yesterday that you --
MR. BOUCHER: This is never the -- you don't open investigations, we never have, and that's not the way it does it. We're aware of the law. We collect -- we look at the facts that come in on specific events. If there's something that triggers a question or a more formal review, then that would happen at the appropriate time.
QUESTION: Several civil rights organizations that demonstrated or made a press conference in front of the State Department today about two or three hours ago in which they said that they will start litigation and be the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the American Government for that Export Act, and they will -- they say that Israel does not follow not only the international law but also the American law.
And the other point that they raised was that they don't believe that the assertion that the United States did not know of the action even though the Foreign Minister of Israel was here. I mean, they can't imagine how they sit, the Foreign Minister of Israel would sit with the Foreign Minister -- Foreign -- I mean the State Department officials, and in a few hours this action will happen and they wouldn't tell them.
Can you assert --
MR. BOUCHER: Well, I mean, let's go -- let's not imagine things. Let's stick with the facts. The facts are the meeting here with the Secretary was hours after the death of Sheikh Yassin. So I can't imagine how one could tell somebody something in advance after the meeting -- after the event. So the facts are that the meetings here were after the event, so certainly there was no discussion of it in the meetings here.
The facts are further and more broadly that the Israeli Government did not tell the U.S. Government in advance that they were going to carry out this action. They did not tell us. They did not seek our approval. We did not approve of it. We did not comment in one way or the other in advance because they didn't tell us in advance. We didn't know about it in advance.
So that's what the facts are, and the only way I can deal with the question is to say that's what the facts are.
QUESTION: Most people find trouble also saying that the United States pay $15 million for Israel every single month, and if Israel receives such support how could she not at least inform the United States of doing that.
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think the money is tied in any way. If you look at the legislation that's passed every year when these matters are debated, discussed and funded by our Congress, I've never seen any requirement in there one way or the other that Israel inform us of what they are about to do the next day.
Israel is a sovereign nation. We recognize they have to take steps to defend themselves. We have made comments about our concern about the implications of these actions, about the consequences of these actions in terms of the tensions, in terms of the fact that they do not help this effort that we have underway, that we continue to have underway, of trying to move forward on peace. But I can't think that it's proper to make other assumptions that are just not true.
QUESTION: One last question. Would such litigation by these groups help you start investigating the application of the Export Control Act?
MR. BOUCHER: Well, we just discussed the question of investigating here. If there is litigation on the subject, I'm sure we would respond under the law, as appropriate, in court. But at this point, I'm not going to speculate on who might present what and what the answers might be.
I think if you look at the law, there are requirements on us that we follow and we believe -- we understand, we follow them carefully. But they have not occasioned the kind of report to Congress that's required under certain circumstances.
QUESTION: Can I follow up?
QUESTION: Well, you said that you made clear yesterday your position. I wasn't here yesterday, but I presume that's the "deeply troubled" line?
MR. BOUCHER: Yeah.
QUESTION: And you said just now that you have made clear that Israel has to -- or that both sides have to take into account the ramifications of whatever they do and you just mentioned detentions. Can you say that again, but saying targeted killings?
MR. BOUCHER: Huh? Did I say "detentions"?
QUESTION: Yes.
QUESTION: You did use the word, yes.
MR. BOUCHER: Oh. Good for me.
QUESTION: Can you say it again, please, restating the U.S. opposition to --
MR. BOUCHER: No, I didn't say detentions. I said escalated tensions.
QUESTION: Escalating tensions.
MR. BOUCHER: Escalating tensions.
QUESTION: Right. Well, you didn't use the word "escalated," but it's tensions you were talking about.
QUESTION: Well, I heard --
MR. BOUCHER: Isn't that what I said?
QUESTION: -- I thought you said detentions. Anyway, can you please just for the record restate the U.S. position on --
MR. BOUCHER: We'll look at the transcript. I suppose I should know what I said, but in this case, I don't. (Laughter.)
QUESTION: Well, can you just restate, please, for the record --
MR. BOUCHER: No, I won't. I will --
QUESTION: -- what the U.S. position is on targeted killings?
MR. BOUCHER: It's the same one that I said yesterday, which is the same one that I've said before. I'm not here --
QUESTION: Richard, from yesterday, you actually said what it was?
MR. BOUCHER: No.
QUESTION: No. Okay, well, can you please do that?
MR. BOUCHER: It has not changed since yesterday and yesterday it had not changed from before.
QUESTION: Well, I'd like to know what it is, actually. I've been gone for about a month and a half --
MR. BOUCHER: I don't have the words in --
QUESTION: -- so, you know, I don't know, Richard.
MR. BOUCHER: I have not --
QUESTION: I think there may be people out in the Middle East who would like to hear a restatement of the U.S. policy on that.
MR. BOUCHER: Our position is not changed. You can look it up in previous briefings and find it.
QUESTION: Are you aware that when you say that and do not repeat the policy that it sends a different message than when you do repeat the policy?
MR. BOUCHER: I've been standing up here for some time and I know what I'm doing.
QUESTION: So you are aware that you're sending less of a message --
MR. BOUCHER: Matt, I realize people would like me gratuitously to repeat words every day but --
QUESTION: Well, it's not gratuitous.
MR. BOUCHER: But I have to say that this is an issue we've covered many times before and the position is what it was.
Elise.
QUESTION: I have one for you. On Yassin, there are reports that have been surfacing in the Arab press and now they're in the Israeli press, that the U.S. actually, through intermediaries, offered Sheikh Yassin immunity from any targeted killings by Israel or the U.S. if Yassin would order Hamas to stop undertaking suicide bombs against Israel.
Do you have anything to say on this?
MR. BOUCHER: There is no truth to this account whatsoever. Seen it. We did not offer immunity to Sheikh Yassin.
Okay, sir.
QUESTION: Do you -- let me do a follow-up. Does the U.S. ever, through intermediaries or directly, talk with these terrorist groups in an effort to get them to stop?
MR. BOUCHER: We don't talk to terrorists. We don't talk to Hamas.
QUESTION: Sir, you just counted the number that you believe are the obligations of the Palestinians that they need to implement. Could you please help us explain to our Arab audience what you think today are the obligations of the Israelis in details? What do you think today the Israelis' obligations are?
MR. BOUCHER: I think simply put, both sides have the obligations that they undertook when they committed themselves to the roadmap. And we would like to see that process move forward. We have recognized that, at this juncture, the most important next step is for the Palestinians to take steps that would end the violence and end the activities of violent groups such as Hamas that have been operating contrary to the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
At the same time, both sides have obligations, and in the roadmap Israel is called upon to take steps that ease Palestinian life, that make travel easier for Palestinians, that curtail settlement activity, that end settlement activity, and a variety of other things.
So those are the steps that we continue to pursue with both sides to try to move forward on the basic aspects of the roadmap, try to move forward towards achieving the President's vision.
In doing so, we're not -- we follow the roadmap; it remains the primary document, the primary statement of what needs to be done. But we're also interested in taking advantage of other opportunities that might exist for the sides to take up their responsibilities and take steps that could move the process forward.
(end excerpt)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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