Military

23 February 2005

Bush Administration Expresses Concerns Over Arms Sales to China

Stage set for productive discussions with Europe, official says

The United States and Europe have “set the stage” for productive discussions over the European Union’s proposal to lift an embargo on arms sales to China imposed after the 1989 crackdown by Chinese authorities on pro-democracy activists in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

Speaking en route to Mainz, Germany, February 23 before President Bush’s meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, a senior Bush administration official said the United States is “well aware of the nature of the discussions” by European Union (EU) members on lifting the embargo, but that the United States has both human rights and security concerns with regard to the issue.

The official said that since 1989 there have been “no improvements in human rights to –- in our view, justify a change in policy,” citing the fact that as many as 2,000 pro-democracy activists still remain imprisoned in China.

Secondly, the official said a lifting of the arms embargo would change the military balance in the Pacific region “in ways that might put … American military personnel at risk.”

“We have a problem; the Europeans understand the depth of the problem,” the official said, adding that EU leaders have “underlined” their December 2004 commitment that “any lifting of the embargo would not lead to a qualitative or quantitative increase in arms being sent to China.”

“[W]ithout suggesting in any way that we're going to change our position of opposition to the embargo, we are willing to hear how the Europeans intend to make their political commitment a reality,” the official said.

Also speaking en route to Mainz, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said the Bush administration appreciates Australia’s decision to commit 450 extra troops to coalition efforts in Iraq, as well as additional contributions by countries such as Georgia and Romania.

Following is the transcript of the background briefing and the press gaggle by Press Secretary McClellan:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Mainz, Germany)

February 23, 2005

PRESS GAGGLE WITH SCOTT McCLELLAN AND BACKGROUND BRIEFING BY A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ON THE PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO GERMANY

Aboard Air Force One En Route
Mainz, Germany

9:27 A.M. (Local)

MR. McCLELLAN:  Good morning, everybody.  We've got a distinguished senior administration official here to preview the day for you, to talk about the meeting with Chancellor Schröder and then the young leaders meeting, and I'll go through the rest.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Let me walk you through the day.  At the arrival there will be an unusual meeting between the President, Chancellor Schröder, and U.S. and German troops, ten and ten, who have served in Afghanistan.  Germans don't usually do any military ceremony upon arrival, but in this case, we all agreed that it would be a good idea for the two leaders to meet with soldiers who have been serving together in that mission.

After that, the President and Chancellor Schröder will meet.  Following the meeting, there will be a social lunch.  The Germans have invited a number of local leaders, governors of Hesse and Westphalia, local business people, so it is in the nature of a social lunch.  Following the lunch, President Bush will meet with the leader of the German opposition, Angela Merkel.  Then the Chancellor and the President go into a meeting with young German leaders.  I looked over the list and they are indeed young; the oldest, 35, at least half of them are under 30.  The leaders were chosen from the German business community, young Germans who have benefitted from exchange programs with the United States, Germans active in transatlantic NGOs like the Aspen Institute.

Finally, the President and Mrs. Bush will go to the Gutenberg Museum, look at the Gutenberg Bible.  Then there is an event which is not part of the U.S.-German portion of the day; the President will go over to Wiesbaden and meet with American soldiers.  I believe that is -- those are soldiers principally from the 1st Armored Division, which served in Iraq.  As you may recall, the President had Thanksgiving dinner in '03 with troops from this same division.  It will be, I suspect, many of the same troops.

The meeting between the President and the Chancellor, obviously, is impossible to predict in advance, but I strongly suspect it will be heavily colored by yesterday's meetings at NATO and the EU, which have gone, as you're aware, extraordinarily well with a warm atmosphere, good progress on substance.  I suspect that they will review all of the key issues, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel-Palestinian issues, broader Middle East, also Iran.  It may be that the China arms embargo issue comes up.  And given all the discussion of Russia, possibly Russia and Ukraine, as well.

This is not a -- this is less a prediction than it is a statement of the topics which might be expected to come up.  And if there is a briefing afterwards, you may have the opportunity to ask me, and I may have the opportunity to respond.

Relations with Germany have been, of course, affected in the public mind by the disagreement over Iraq.  But U.S.-German relations were strong throughout the period of disagreement about Iraq, and I think a lot of the press and, to some degree, public cloud has begun and has largely, in fact, dissipated by now.  We worked very closely with Germany and the German government preparing the President's trip to Europe, in general, working on individual issues, consulting with the Germans, making it clear that as we were reaching out to the Germans, we were doing so as part of what the President calls an effort to reach out to all of Europe -- meaning, not reaching out to only those governments which supported us on Iraq.  We've a strong effort not to perpetuate or solidify the differences between European governments over Iraq, and I think this week you saw the results of those efforts on both sides of the Atlantic with a series of very good meetings.

I'll stop here and take questions if you have them.

Q:  On Iran, aren't there some differences in approach there?  I mean, is this going to be a -- the meeting, they're going to agree on everything?  On Iran, aren't there some differences in approach?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  We have had extensive discussions with the Germans, French, British, since the fall, about this.  And if you look at -- back to, say, October, and compare the way we have described the issue, you will see a real change in the tone, which reflects a change in the underlying substance.  There was the sense last fall that the issue of Iran was becoming more of a difference over tactics between the United States and Europe, and we were losing sight of the real issue, which is the problem of Iranian behavior in general, and specifically, its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, which we all fear.  Now, happily, the discussion is focused again on the real problem, which is the nature of Iranian behavior.

We are concerned, of course, as are the Europeans, about Iran's nuclear program.  The President heard from European leaders, including very strongly from President Chirac at the dinner and yesterday at the EU meeting, that the Europeans are staunchly, consistently opposed to an Iran developing nuclear weapons, and an Iranian nuclear program which would allow them to develop such weapons.  That's good news.

The discussion we've been having with the Europeans is the best way to put together our shared interest on the Iran nuclear side, and our other interests which include Iran's behavior with respect to Israel-Palestinian peacemaking, Iran's support of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations, and we all share a concern about Iran's -- the Iranian regime's treatment of its own citizens.

Q:  When Schröder tossed out the idea of selling Airbus to the Iranians as an economic incentive, do you think that's a good idea?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  What we have heard from the Europeans is that selling of spare parts for Iran's civil aviation fleet would be, in their words, something useful to consider.  By the way, one European leader said, it was clear that Boeing spare parts were as valid in this context as Airbus spare parts, and this should not be seen as a European attempt to gain some commercial advantage.  This is something the Europeans have discussed.  They've discussed a number of things that they think we all ought to consider with respect to Iran.  We're going to continue our discussions with the Europeans about the best way to deal with this shared problem.

But as the President said, the key is Iran's behavior.  This is not a problem of the EU being too soft, or the Americans being too hard.  This is a problem of Iran's behavior.  Iran knows what it has to do.  The EU 3 is, as President Bush said, are taking the lead in advancing a shared U.S.-European objective.  We support what the EU 3 are trying to do.  We're working with the EU 3 on ways that we can advance our shared interests.  Those discussions will continue.  I think what we have done in the past several months, including especially on this trip, is to clear the way for that discussion to take place.

Q:  Schröder sounded pretty inflexible yesterday on the China arms sale.  He said it will happen.  The United States is not happy about this lifting of the embargo.  How do you resolve this?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  We're going to be talking with the Europeans over the weeks and months ahead.  We're well aware of the nature of the discussions in the EU.  The President has been very clear about the nature of our concerns.  We have two sorts of concerns, with respect to the China arms embargo.  One is that the embargo was imposed originally because of the Tiananmen and post-Tiananmen Square crackdown.  The people who were arrested then -- I think some 2,000 -- remain in prison, as far as I know.  So there have been no improvements in human rights to -- in our view, to justify a change in policy.

Secondly, we are concerned, as the President said yesterday, about changes in European policy, which would have the effect of changing the balance in the Pacific in ways that might put Americans -- American military personnel at risk.  We have a problem; the Europeans understand the depth of the problem.  What we have heard from them is an acknowledgment of our problem.  They have underlined the EU's commitment last December that any lifting of the embargo would not lead to a qualitative or quantitative increase in arms being sent to China.

We want to hear -- without suggesting in any way that we're going to change our position of opposition to the embargo, we are willing to hear how the Europeans intend to make their political commitment a reality.  But again, I'm not suggesting that we're about to enter into some sort of --

Q:  You expect that Congress, then -- if Europe were to lift the embargo, how do you -- what do you think that Congress would do in view of the resolution that was passed by the House?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Now, you know how I am about speculations, particularly the dangerous kind.

Q:  But you have on the record what the House has said.  You know what the House has said.  So where will that lead?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I don't want to predict what the Congress will do, or speak for the Congress in any way.  Congress' concerns are, as you say, a matter of record.  We have made sure that the Europeans understand this.  I am now more confident than I was a week ago that the Europeans appreciate that this is real on the part of the Congress and not simply a statement -- a characterization or exaggeration on the part of the administration.

Obviously, we have some work to do with the Europeans on this.  But I think on this issue, we have set the stage for productive discussions.  We'll see.  We'll see.

Q:  Just one thing, Scott.  Have you made a comment about the Australian commitment of troops?

MR. McCLELLAN:  I'm sorry?

Q:  About the commitment of extra -- 450 extra Australian troops are being sent to Iraq.

MR. McCLELLAN:  No, I don't think we've been asked about it yet.

Q:  Do you have any comment on the Australian commitment of troops to Iraq?  (Laughter.)

MR. McCLELLAN:  We appreciate the contributions of Australia and all the other countries that have made similar contributions.  This was something that was, I think, discussed with Japan and the British.  And so we appreciate the contribution on the part of the Australians.

Q:  Is this the first country -- I'm sorry, just don't know -- is this the first country that has increased its number of combat troops in recent months?

MR. McCLELLAN:  Oh, recent months.  No, I don't think so.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  No, there is at least one other country.  Georgia has offered a very substantial increase of its troops.  I believe that Romania has offered an additional combat company for U.N. protection.  There may be a couple of others.

Q:  Thank you, very much.

MR. McCLELLAN:  Thanks.

END    9:41 A.M. (Local)

(end transcript)

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