29 September 2004
State Department Noon Briefing, September 29
Secretary Powell's Travel to Atlanta, Brazil, Caribbean, China, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia, Iran
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher briefed reporters September 29.
Following is the transcript of the State Department briefing:
(begin transcript)
U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing Index
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
12:45 p.m. EDT
Briefer: Richard Boucher, Spokesman
DEPARTMENT
-- Secretary Powell's Travel to Atlanta
BRAZIL
-- Secretary Powell's Travel to Brazil
-- Query on Fingerprinting Requirement
-- Bilateral Relations
CARIBBEAN
-- Post-Hurricane Relief and Assistance to the Region
CHINA
-- Secretary's Lunch with Foreign Minister Li
-- Efforts to Advance Six-Party Talks
-- Detained New York Times Journalist
-- U.S. Views Regarding Freedom of Press and Expression
NORTH KOREA
-- Six-Party Process
RUSSIA
-- U.S. Views of Chechnya
-- Democratization
SYRIA
-- Securing the Syrian-Iraqi Border
-- Foreign Minister al-Shara's Remarks at United Nations
-- Cooperation with U.S./Status of Iraqi Assets
BAHRAIN
-- U.S. Views of Human Rights Situation
TUNISIA
-- Secretary Powell's Meeting with Foreign Minister
IRAN
-- Sanctions on Companies Violating Iran Non-Proliferation Act of 2000
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
12:45 p.m. EDT
MR. BOUCHER: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. If I can, I'd like to tell you about two trips by the Secretary of State. First is Friday, October 1st.
QUESTION: That would be October 1st.
MR. BOUCHER: Would be October 1st. This Friday, the Secretary will be going to Atlanta for about half a day. He'll go down and make a -- make remarks at the Southern Center at about 9 a.m. He'll have some meetings organized by the Boys and Girls Club with some of the young people of Atlanta, and then he'll have an event with the Atlanta Press Center where he'll make a few remarks and take questions from the journalists who are down there.
It's a chance for the Secretary to get out. He's been, as you know, interested and periodically does get out of Washington and go visit places around the country and thought he had a moment on the schedule to do this and we thought Atlanta was a fine place to do it at this juncture.
Travel after that. On Monday, the Secretary will depart for Brazil. He'll be in Brazil from Monday till Wednesday. In Brazil, he's going to have meetings with government officials, business leaders and a variety of other Brazilians. He welcomes the opportunity to meet with the leaders of an important hemispheric partner and to discuss the strength and the depth of our relationship, including a number of issues like the situation in Venezuela, our appreciation for the effort that Brazil is making in Haiti, cooperation together on security issues, including in Brazil's current membership in the Security Council and other issues like trade and common interests in global issues.
So there is a lot to talk about with the Brazilians. At this juncture, the Secretary has, again, been looking to go to Brazil for some time. I think some of you may know we've looked at other opportunities that haven't quite worked out, so we're glad this one did, and the Secretary looks forward to making that trip starting Monday.
And those are my two announcements. I'd be glad to take your questions.
QUESTION: Do you want to announce any other stops on the trip?
MR. BOUCHER: No, not at this point. The Secretary has been concerned and watching the situation in the Caribbean quite closely. We've been concerned about the flooding that has come after the terrible damage caused by the hurricanes.
I think you all know we've come forward, I think, already with about $4 million worth of assistance to the countries of the Caribbean. We have identified another $8 million that we have available now, and yesterday the President asked Congress to approve in the emergency supplemental of $50 million for relief of countries in the area. So the Secretary has been considering the situation down there, looking at what more we might do, looking at whether a visit might make sense at this juncture, if it could help the process of recovery along and not, frankly, disrupt relief operations in some of the places that he's looking at visiting.
But at this point, nothing's been decided. We'll just have to see if that works out in the proper manner.
QUESTION: Well, can we switch to --
QUESTION: No. Can I just ask one thing?
MR. BOUCHER: Yeah.
QUESTION: Is the whole thing with the fingerprinting with Brazil, is that a done -- is that a -- are we past that now?
MR. BOUCHER: I'll have to check where we are now. I'm not sure what they require. Certainly, we have continued to require fingerprinting.
QUESTION: Well, I know. I mean, they, the Brazilians, had enacted a rather stringent response.
MR. BOUCHER: They had a very strict requirement, one that we felt was impeding travel, and we made that clear. I, frankly, forgot to check exactly where they stand, whether they're doing that at this moment.
QUESTION: Richard, Brazil is a rather large country. Would you care to name a stop or stops within that country? Or maybe you did and I missed it.
MR. BOUCHER: So quick. Want to see me do it again?
QUESTION: Brasilia?
MR. BOUCHER: He'll certainly be going to Brasilia, whether -- I don't have any other stops to announce at this moment.
QUESTION: Interesting when you were talking about -- you were talking about what will be talked about in Brazil. It's Venezuela, it's Haiti, it's not just the bilateral relationship with Brazil. Is this some kind of recognition that Brazil is the leader in Latin America? You're not going to other stops in South America?
MR. BOUCHER: I wouldn't put it that way. There are a lot of important nations in Latin America that we visit from time to time. The Secretary has made many other stops in the region. I remember being in Argentina, in Chile. We've been in Colombia. Been in Colombia, Panama, Central America, been to Mexico several times. So --
QUESTION: And Peru, too.
MR. BOUCHER: And we've been to Peru, too. We've been everywhere but Brazil. Let's go to Brazil this time. (Laughter.) No, we've been to a lot of places in the region.
QUESTION: Lack of recognition of Brazil's -- (laughter).
MR. BOUCHER: We've been to a lot of places in the region. Brazil is one country the Secretary has been looking forward to visiting. He's been, as you know, on the phone many times with the Brazilian Foreign Minister. They've met several times, coordinated very closely when it came to events like the deployments in Haiti, when it came to various pieces of Security Council business, worked very closely with Brazil concerning the referendum this summer in Venezuela, as well as worked -- we have worked, I'd say, with Brazil very closely, for example, in the trade area when it come to -- when it came down this summer to trying to put together a framework for the Doha round. Our trade contacts with Brazil this summer were very important in achieving that successful outcome.
So, in a lot of ways, we work with Brazil on many issues, bilateral and regional and some of them global. It's an important partner in the region.
QUESTION: China's Foreign Minister was faulting both the U.S. and North Korea for the stalemate in six-party talks. He says mutual distrust, I believe. Minister Li will be having lunch with the Secretary tomorrow. Will this upset the Secretary's digestion? Do you have anything to say about this evenhanded approach?
MR. BOUCHER: I think the Chinese have two roles in these talks, one where they're trying to host the discussions and help make them happen, and they do keep in touch with all the parties in that regard. Certainly, having a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister the day that the anticipated next round of talks expires, the day that it doesn't happen, is certainly noteworthy. And those talks are not happening by the end of September because all the parties agreed, we and others were ready to go; North Korea, unfortunately, has seen fit not to commit itself, not to do what it committed itself to do, not to show up and to continue stalling. I think the facts are obvious. We'll talk to the Chinese about this.
I would note, however, the Chinese also have their own role or their own interests in this situation. They have made very clear, as I think the rest of us have, that the Chinese themselves have a strong interest in denuclearization of the Peninsula, and that's again an area where we have cooperated closely with the Chinese.
QUESTION: Well, a couple of remarks probably don't add up to a case, but are there suggestions in this that there is some splintering, some fracture in the -- rather, all these parties, the other five, except North Korea wanted to denuclearize the Peninsula. Another approach is to deal one-on-one with North Korea. Does this reflect the difficulty in having several countries sit at the table with North Korea?
MR. BOUCHER: No.
QUESTION: So you still like the six-party --
MR. BOUCHER: We remain committed to the six-party process. We think that is the way to move forward. Certainly, there have been bilateral agreements that each of us has had with the North Koreans that North Korea has subsequently violated and cheated on. So there comes a point I think where we all need to work this together because not only are our nations all concerned about the same thing, but to need these nations together also offer the prospects of acceptance and interaction with the world economy that North Korea's eventually looking for.
It makes sense to do it that way. It's the way to do it. It has shown that it's a process that can work. The United States put forward a very serious and comprehensive proposal at those talks, and that's where the action is if North Korea wants to move forward.
QUESTION: Change subject?
MR. BOUCHER: Sure.
QUESTION: Ambassador Vershbow in Moscow yesterday said that the United States does not recognize the legitimacy of Mr. Maskhadov separatist government in Chechnya and does not urge the Russian Government to negotiate with him. Is this a new departure in U.S. foreign policy? How would you comment on this?
MR. BOUCHER: I haven't seen the exact comments, but I don't have anything different to say here. I, basically, don't have anything to say about it.
QUESTION: What is the general U.S. policy on Chechnya? Does it still remain --
MR. BOUCHER: I think we've expressed our policy many times before.
QUESTION: It still remains --
MR. BOUCHER: We have not -- we have condemned the terrorism. We have not asked the Russians to negotiate with terrorists.
Yeah.
QUESTION: And a related topic. Here, in the Post story, there's a Post story on the letter signed by 115 former and current elected officials, including Senator McCain, Senator Biden, former President Havel, expressing deep concern at the erosion of democracy under President Putin and concern that he is getting a blank check from Washington. Would you agree with this assertion and is there going to be reaction to this?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think, I mean, the letter was not directed to us. I think the letter was directed to the Russian Government. The Russian Government will have its own response.
I would just say that U.S. policy on these matters has been expressed quite clearly in recent weeks by the Secretary and by the President of the United States, himself, who did express concerns about some of the developments there.
Yeah.
QUESTION: Change of subject to Syria. I understand that there were some meetings in Damascus that ended today about border security, and that the Syrians once again have said that they agree to help with the borders, you know, so that terrorists don't go in.
MR. BOUCHER: I think -- yeah.
QUESTION: The question is, how can you guys hold them to their word? What measures concretely are they agreeing to that you can keep the track on to see if they are doing it?
MR. BOUCHER: The talks that we've had with the Syrian Government recently -- we had Ambassador Burns' visit to Damascus two or three weeks ago, the Secretary met with the Syrian Foreign Minister last week, and we've always told you we're following up in more and more concrete ways to that. One of those ways was the two days of discussions that have concluded now in Damascus today with Syrian officials on measures to improve security along the Syria-Iraq border. These discussions are between the multinational force in Iraq, the U.S. Central Command and, as importantly, the Iraqi Interim Government, which has been there. A lot of the steps that will be taken to follow up will be steps that are agreed between the Iraqi Government and the Syrian Government.
We felt the meeting was constructive and positive. It took place in a constructive and positive atmosphere. The Syrians did agree to take specific actions in coordination with Iraqi and multinational forces. These steps are designed to close Syria's border to individuals seeking to foment violence and destabilize Iraq. It is essential now that these steps be translated into action on the ground and we will measure the Syrian commitment to the stability of Iraq by the concrete steps that it takes.
So I'm not at a point now of being able to outline for you specific details of these steps, but we do have fairly concrete understandings, particularly between the Iraqi Government and the Syrian Government on things like communications, activities, how they can deploy forces, how they can move together to cut off the border traffic.
QUESTION: Are you able to identify a group or groups that have been crossing the border? I mean, it's been a while since we had such a description. You know, are they Iraq -- are they just freelance terrorists, Iraqis who have come back?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I've really seen any new information on that since -- well, since the situation around Talafar. There was some discussion of how those people got there. But I really think that's something the multinational force or, even more important, the Iraqi Interim Government would have to try to describe who the people are that have been showing up and how they fit into various organizations.
QUESTION: I haven't noticed, but did Allawi get -- you remember the idea was that he was going to go there to talk to the Syrians. That hasn't happened yet?
MR. BOUCHER: He's had previous discussions with the Syrians. I don't know if he has anything scheduled at this point. Again, you'd have to check with the Iraqi Government.
QUESTION: That's what he said in New York, but --
QUESTION: The talks were positive, as you say. So you mean to assume that Foreign Minister Shara's remarks the other day at the UN, which caused some dismay here, didn't -- that those didn't have anything -- they had no bearing on these talks and there wasn't --
MR. BOUCHER: These were specific discussions --
QUESTION: Right.
MR. BOUCHER: -- between military people of the kind of steps that can be taken to secure the border. We felt the atmosphere was positive.
QUESTION: So the answer is --
MR. BOUCHER: We thought the atmosphere was positive --
QUESTION: So, no?
MR. BOUCHER: -- and that they moved forward.
QUESTION: But the big comments about Israel didn't have a --
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think that came up, no.
QUESTION: Richard, even though it may not have come up in these follow-on talks, what's the status of Syria's cooperation on getting people who had organizations the U.S. doesn't like out of Damascus? And also, on the financial questions the U.S. has?
MR. BOUCHER: Those have been things that we have discussed with Syria, and we look forward to further action. We've had some fairly detailed discussions of financial aspects. They have also had detailed discussions with the Iraqi Government on the financial matters because, ultimately, we're talking about Iraqi assets that need to be returned to the Iraqi people. But I really don't have any updates on those at this moment.
Yeah. Okay, sir.
QUESTION: Do you have any update on the detention of New York Times researcher in Beijing office?
MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't have any update today. I talked about it yesterday, but nothing new this morning.
QUESTION: Do you have any information, which indicates that another journalist, like his boss, might be detained or other statement?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't think we would have that kind of information in advance. No, I don't have anything for you.
QUESTION: But this issue is very serious issue and I'm wondering basically do the Chinese people understand how important is the free press or expression of the importance, you know? You have dialogue through the diplomatic channel. What do they -- impression did you get them from?
MR. BOUCHER: Well, all I can say is that is a big question and we have talked for years and very frequently about how open information, the free flow of information is necessary for a successful economy, for a successful education system, for modernization in the current world. We have stressed again and again freedom of expression as well as the importance of a free press and information to an information society. That's why we do feel it's important to raise situations like this where a person might be jailed for what they've reported or what they've helped talk about in the public arena, if that is the case. I don't even know if it is the case with this person.
But that's why these things remain important to us. As I explained yesterday, that's the basis on which we went to talk to the Chinese about it and we'll continue to make that point not only in specific cases, but also on the side of the benefits to China -- for its own development, its own modernization -- of having a more open information and media environment.
Saul.
QUESTION: Change of country, but still detentions. In Bahrain, an ally, you know, whose reforms on democracy you've often welcomed, suddenly it's closed down a human rights group and detained its leader. Are you concerned that Bahrain is really showing its authoritarian stripes?
MR. BOUCHER: Well, I think there's a couple of things to say on this: First, we are concerned about these specific moves. We're concerned that they've suspended the license of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights to operate. We're concerned that they have arrested and detained the former executive director and a current member of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, he had made remarks that were critical of the government's management of the national economy and then he was arrested. So that's a situation that raises concerns in our minds.
So we are seeking additional information from the Bahraini Government. I would note that there have been, as we've noted before, many positive moves by the Government of Bahrain in recent years about -- towards a more open democratic society, there have been democratic reforms, economic reforms, municipal elections, parliamentary elections and elections based on universal suffrage. So there has been a lot of movement, a lot of very positive movement in Bahrain in recent years and we are concerned that this could represent some sort of step backwards.
QUESTION: Can you give us any kind of a readout from the Tunisian meeting?
MR. BOUCHER: The Secretary had a good meeting with the Tunisian Foreign Minister. They, I think, covered the waterfront of mutual issues and bilateral matters. They really started with issues of democracy and upcoming elections in Tunisia, but also then the broader issue of democracy in the region.
Tunisia, as the host of the Arab League Summit earlier this year, had put a lot of work into the Arab League proposals and was a good contributor to the meeting last Friday that I think both the Secretary and the Tunisian Foreign Minister are very pleased with the discussion of modernization and reform in the Arab world that was held with -- it was 28 counterparts last Friday in New York.
So the Secretary emphasized the importance of progress in that direction for the region, but they also did talk in specific terms about the importance of open elections coming up in Tunisia, encouraged the continuation of economic and political reform, and the Tunisian Foreign Minister expressed his commitment -- country's commitment to continued movement in that direction.
They also talked about issues in North Africa, in the Maghreb, and looking for how to make progress there. They talked a lot about the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the desire on all our parts to make progress there, talked a little bit about Iraq and the Secretary explained how he saw the situation.
QUESTION: Can you say whether the Secretary has consulted with -- although the White -- the President or presidential aides have talked to the Secretary, apropos the debate with Mr. Kerry. Has there been any special consultation on issues to bring the President up to date?
MR. BOUCHER: Frankly, I don't know.
QUESTION: I just wondered --
MR. BOUCHER: I'd have to ask, yeah. Though you could ask him yourself this afternoon if you need to.
QUESTION: No, okay.
MR. BOUCHER: Well, let me see if I can find out for you.
QUESTION: Other subjects, there are issues, yeah.
MR. BOUCHER: David.
QUESTION: Richard, there was a Federal Register notice this morning that 14 individuals and entities are being sanctioned for violating export control laws, vis-à-vis Iran. I was wondering if you could give any details on what they did. And also, some of the entities mentioned are this -- were repeatedly sanctioning them: NORINCO in China, Changgwang Sinyong. Does it do any good to pile these sanctions on? Or does it achieve anything more to sanction them over and over?
MR. BOUCHER: Let me take a minute here and make sure I understand how much I've already read in the Federal Register because I can give you the 15-minute answer or I can give you the shorter one. We'll give you the shorter one.
The entities that we imposed sanctions on today: seven Chinese entities; two Indian entities; and one each in Belarus, North Korea, Russia, Spain and Ukraine. These are penalties that are imposed, effective September 23rd pursuant to the Iran Non-Proliferation Act of the year 2000.
There was credible information that these entities had transferred one of several categories of items to Iran since January of 1999. That would be equipment listed on multilateral export lists, items that have a potential of making a material contribution to weapons of mass destruction of cruise or ballistic missiles, items on U.S. national control lists for weapons of mass destruction or missile reasons.
The penalties apply to the entities themselves and not to countries or governments. The penalties basically prohibit U.S. transactions, U.S. Government transactions with these entities and do not permit any new licenses or -- to be issued and actually suspend previous licenses that might have been issued for items that are controlled, high-technology items controlled by the United States. The imposition of these sanctions brings to 23 the number of entities that have been subject to sanctions under this Act. Some of these companies have been subject to sanctions multiple times, as you note.
In many cases, the imposition of successive sanctions, one on top of the other, the main effect is to extend the period of time that the entity would be subject to sanctions for. But it is a requirement of law that we make these determinations and impose sanctions. And somebody who has been doing something more recently deserves to suffer the consequences for a longer period of time, so it sort of makes sense that if you impose the same sanctions again and again you're basically extending the period of penalty for an extension of the period of activity.
QUESTION: Can you be any more specific as to what the -- what it was that these companies are -- these entities are believed to have transferred -- I mean, and I'm willing to settle even for missile technology or components or WMD material -- I mean, or is it both?
MR. BOUCHER: It can be one or the other, or both. It's --
QUESTION: Well, can you say which?
MR. BOUCHER: No, I can't go through -- I can't identify in any particular case what it was they might have transferred. But it is missile technology, things -- items that contribute to weapons of mass destruction.
QUESTION: And the Spanish company is one which has, I don't believe, been subject to these kind of -- Telstar?
MR. BOUCHER: Yeah, that's my understanding, too.
QUESTION: Is it unusual at all for --
MR. BOUCHER: I'm told that the Belarus, the Indian and the Spanish entities are new, and I'm not --
MR. CASEY: Russia, not Belarus.
MR. BOUCHER: Oh, Russian?
MR. CASEY: Russia.
MR. BOUCHER: Russian, Spanish and Indian entities are new.
QUESTION: Do you recall the last time a company and a NATO ally has been hit with these kind of sanctions, not just for Iran but for --
MR. BOUCHER: Under this particular act or the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act or others? I can't -- I don't have it all in my head at this point, but I think there have been in the past.
QUESTION: You wouldn't say that it is unusual?
MR. BOUCHER: The fact is, this law applies internationally and globally.
QUESTION: I realize that, but --
MR. BOUCHER: If we find somebody in whatever place that's violating the law, shipping equipment and technology --
QUESTION: But there are provisions, especially in this --
MR. BOUCHER: -- then we apply the law.
QUESTION: Yeah, but the people have been -- the companies that do business with or have done business with countries like Iran and Libya have in the past been spared.
MR. BOUCHER: Different laws have different provisions and they're applied in different ways.
QUESTION: Right. So you don't want to say that it is unusual for --
MR. BOUCHER: I wouldn't want to say that without knowing what I was talking about.
QUESTION: All right, fair enough.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR. BOUCHER: Thank you.
(The briefing was concluded at 1:15 p.m.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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