May 27, 1998
PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 27, 1998
PRESS BRIEFING
BY MIKE MCCURRY
The Briefing Room
2:24 P.M. EDT
................
Q Did you ever straighten out the question of the
Pakistani delegation?
MR. MCCURRY: It's apparently a group of legislators
from Pakistan. There had been some discussions of a trip by them
previously. Obviously the question of current security balance on
the subcontinent would likely be a topic of consideration. But I'm
not aware that in any way the arrival of this delegation or its
meetings would be seen by the United States government as an
authoritative way to communicate our views on their testing.
Q When are they coming?
MR. MCCURRY: We have found the appropriate channels to
do that, although we would look forward to a full exchange of views
with these -- we expect them to see either Mr. Berger or Mr.
Steinberg when they are here.
COLONEL CROWLEY: They will be here next week. I think
their schedule is still not completely set
MR. MCCURRY: And they will be here next week. The
schedule is not completely set, be here sometime next week.
Q But this delegation was not invited by Clinton,
when he talked to --
MR. MCCURRY: That's not my understanding. Stewart
asked that earlier today, and I couldn't find anything to corroborate
that.
................
Q Mike, with Pakistan on the brink of capability to
test, are there additional efforts by the administration now to
persuade them not go to forward?
MR. MCCURRY: I think you're well aware that the
President has been directly involved with Prime Minister Sharif, with
others. He has worked with Prime Minister Blair and others in the
international community to encourage Pakistan to see that it can
address its security needs and the needs of its population without
joining the nuclear club. And we continue to make that argument
strenuously. I'm not going to detail the nature of the diplomatic
conversations we're having, but we are continuing to press that case.
Q Do you have anything from the Hill to show the
willingness to move on the F-16s or compensate them in any way?
MR. MCCURRY: As Mr. Berger indicated more than a week
ago, our consultations up there certainly indicate to us that a
conscious decision by Pakistan not to test would produce a very
favorable, much more favorable environment for the consideration of
relaxation of the Pressler Amendment, the Symington Amendment, other
issues with respect to our bilateral relationship. It's not to say
that it would be a done deal, but our consultations indicate it
certainly would improve the climate for consideration.
Q Any initiatives planned to reflect that change of
climate?
MR. MCCURRY: We have clearly been pursuing with senior
members of Congress what their attitude would be in an environment in
which Pakistan made a conscious decision not to respond to India's
test by testing itself.
Q Will Sandy Berger be talking with his Chinese
counterparts on enlisting further Chinese assistance in putting
pressure on the Pakistanis to that regard?
MR. MCCURRY: I'm sure that they will review the
situation in South Asia, yes.
Q Mike, did you just say that Pakistan would have to
affirmatively say we are not going to test before any movement on
Pressler could occur?
MR. MCCURRY: No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying it
would clearly be more -- if such a debate were to advance, the
climate for considering it would be much more favorable if they
clearly had made a decision not to pursue testing.
Q So they need a proactive sort of commitment.
Q As opposed to merely not having had tested.
MR. MCCURRY: Well, you need some indication of what
their disposition is.
..................
Q Mike, can you clarify something that came out of
the documents that were released Friday? Does the White House
acknowledge that the President was aware of the financial problems
for Loral -- that it did not get the waiver?
MR. MCCURRY: The what problems?
Q That Loral stood to lose millions. Was the
President aware --
MR. MCCURRY: I don't know if the President, himself,
was aware of that, but certainly the administration and those that
were familiar with the decision making were aware of that, even
before -- a representative of Loral has indicated they were
attempting to press upon the administration the importance of making
a timely decision because, in part, they were losing money. But the
decision memo that had been drafted and approved by Mr. Berger for
forwarding to the President had even gone forward to the President
prior to that.
But anyone familiar with the way in which these
aerospace contracts are structured would know that any delay in time
would probably result in some kind of penalty.
Q Are you saying that you're not sure that the
President got the memo?
MR. MCCURRY: I don't know whether the President,
himself, knew specifically that they were going to lose a lot of
money; but I can't imagine that anyone familiar with this and the
President is relatively familiar with, would not understand that any
delay in a contract for a launch would result in some penalty that
could cost a company money.
................
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