March 9, 2000
PRESS BRIEFING BY JOE LOCKHART
12:34 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release March 9, 2000
PRESS BRIEFING BY
JOE LOCKHART
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:34 P.M. EST
MR. LOCKHART: Questions. What can we do for all of you today?
Q How are you feeling?
MR. LOCKHART: I'm feeling great. (Laughter.)
Q Are you ready for the trip to India?
MR. LOCKHART: Am I ready? I'm very ready, and I'm not going to
do autographs in this session.
Q -- going, or Chelsea?
MR. LOCKHART: I don't believe so. You should check with her
office.
Q And one more. How do you rate or see the relations today
between India and U.S.? And do you think after the presidential visit,
will they change?
MR. LOCKHART: Well, we certainly hope the President's visit will
deepen that relationship. India is obviously an important relationship,
and important friend to the United States. It is an extremely large
democracy, an important country as far as security in that area in the
world, and important country as far as economic development around the
world which impacts this country. And we hope -- it's been over 20 years
since a President has visited India, and a trip is long overdue. So we
certainly hope that the trip will serve, among other things, to deepen the
friendship among all Indians and all Americans.
..............
Q Joe, one more thing, going back to the President's trip to
South Asia. If you can please clarify -- this is troubling to a lot of
people, including many Pakistanis in this country, that U.S. is to preach
and to believe in and to promote democracies around the world, which they
have done, of course, in every country, but also, at the same time, how can
a U.S. President visit to a military dictatorship and greeting and meeting
him while a democratically-elected prime minister is in jail, number one?
Number two, Usama bin-Laden is also in the area and --
Afghanistan which Pakistan has contact with the Taliban and Usama
bin-Laden. Three, if the President is making any efforts to meet Musharraf
or to get release of him from the jail? And also, if Usama bin-Laden is
going to be brought to justice?
MR. LOCKHART: Can you repeat the question? (Laughter.) Let me
try to untangle that. I mean, the President has been very clear on the
former Prime Minister, as far as pressing the government there to provide
both due process and transparency in that trial.
I think anyone who states that our visit there is somehow a
validation of the military government there is flat wrong. The President
has made the judgment that, given the tensions in the region, that it's
important to engage and make the visit, and that's why he's going to make
the visit. But it is absolutely wrong to read it as any kind of acceptance
of the military government. We will continue to promote democracy around
the world. We will continue to bring our message when we go to Pakistan
about the importance of democratic and constitutional rule.
.............
Q One more -- please forgive me. Can you have any comments on
what General Musharraf has said in Pakistan that by accepting my invitation
by the United States President, that means he is accepting my government or
he's endorsing?
MR. LOCKHART: I cannot find another way or more emphatic way to
say that he is wrong in that statement.
Thank you. Terry, see me in my office. (Laughter.)
END 12:50 P.M. EST
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