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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

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QUESTION: Can I try on something else? Sort of a follow-up to the distribution of the Pickering transcript at dinnertime last night. I understand that the Chinese --

MR. FOLEY: Dinnertime? What time do you have dinner, Barry?

QUESTION: Well, late last night. Just as people were leaving, we got this transcript. It was good to see it; we've been waiting for it. But I wonder if that's the end of it, because the Chinese wanted, I understood, another delegation - or maybe the same delegation - but wanted another visit and wanted a written statement. I don't know that that's ever been dealt with. It's just sort of footnote to this business, but I'd like to wrap it up if I could.

MR. FOLEY: Well, I think I can answer both questions. First of all, a written version of Ambassador Pickering's oral presentation has been given to the Chinese first. Secondly, Ambassador Pickering delivered a full and detailed explanation to the Chinese and answered their questions concerning his oral presentation.

We have no additional explanation regarding the events in question, nor is the investigation into what occurred ongoing. So we believe that the explanation was full and satisfactory.

QUESTION: Okay, I may have read it differently on that last point. I read that transcript late into the night yesterday and tried to read every word. In it, it said something about we're continuing - (inaudible) - if we find any need for disciplinary action, we would take it. So something is still working its way through the system.

MR. FOLEY: Well, that is a separate issue in terms of how things happened.

QUESTION: Oh, in terms of how things happened.

MR. FOLEY: We've completed that investigation.

QUESTION: But you're still looking to see if there's any --

MR. FOLEY: Well on that particular issue, we will inform the Chinese of all appropriate information on any further results of our internal review with respect to the question of whether any disciplinary action is called for.

Let me also say that should any further written materials be produced - for example, if there's any congressional testimony on this subject --- we will make those available to the PRC as well.

QUESTION: Another question that's left unanswered by that report was the issue of compensation. It said that the US had offered immediate compensation for the families of the three and the injured. Can you tell us how much that was? Did the Chinese accept it? The second thing is that it said that there was going to be discussions about compensation for the embassy damage itself and that they were complicated by the damage to the US Embassy in Beijing. What's the status of that?

MR. FOLEY: Well, I don't have any monetary information to provide to you. I'm not sure that has been addressed to this point. But as we reported at the time, during his visit to Beijing Ambassador Pickering conveyed our willingness to provide a humanitarian payment to the injured and the families of those who were killed. We are, as I indicated, prepared to discuss this through diplomatic channels. So I think that remains to be done.

But he also told the Chinese that we are willing to discuss the issue of damage done to China's embassy in Belgrade, and that will also take place in subsequent diplomatic channels.

QUESTION: There's been no payment yet, then, made?

MR. FOLEY: To my knowledge, yes, there has not.

QUESTION: Jim, in what form was the written version transmitted to the Chinese? You said at the beginning --

MR. FOLEY: You mean in English or in Chinese? It was on paper.

QUESTION: No, through Ambassador Sasser, from Pickering, in the mail?

MR. FOLEY: I confess, Charlie, this is a level of detail that surprises me a bit. I don't have the answer. It was probably communicated through our embassy. Often we send information to an embassy in the field to communicate to a government, and they attach a diplomatic note to it and they type it or it's printed from the computer. But I have nothing in my book on that.

QUESTION: So I've surprised you.

MR. FOLEY: Yes.

QUESTION: Inquiring minds want to know.

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