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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

(CORRECTED COPY)

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QUESTION: Did you see the story in the Post about India moving missiles close to the border with Pakistan? And do you have anything to say about it?

MR. BURNS: Yes, I did see that story in The Washington Post. I don't know if The Washington Post made any predictions about George Marshall's speech, but we saw the story. What I can tell you is that the United States has believed for a very long time that the deployment or acquisition of ballistic missiles by India or Pakistan would be destabilizing and that it would undermine the security of both countries.

We are working with the governments of India and Pakistan to prevent a deployment of ballistic missiles by either country. We've been in frequent contact with both governments for a very long time on this issue and other issues concerning nonproliferation. Both of those governments are fully aware of our position.

It seems to us that the recent progress and the recent good cooperative tone in India's relationship with Pakistan ought to continue and that the aim of both prime ministers to reduce tensions ought to focus on ways that they can cooperate together. We would see that the deployment by either of them of ballistic missiles would be fundamentally contrary to the recent good progress made in the relationship. So, that is our view. We hope this will be one of the central issues in their own discussions -- the prevention of a deployment of ballistic missiles in either country.

QUESTION: Are you suggesting there's been no deployment, then?

MR. BURNS: Well, I'm not in a position to confirm that. I suggest you address that question to the Indian Government and the Pakistani Government.

QUESTION: But you are proceeding as if there has not been any deployment.

MR. BURNS: I am not in a position to confirm whether or not the Prithvi missile has been deployed by India. All I can say is, we think that the actual deployment of the missile, if that does occur and any work to make the missile operational would be extremely destabilizing by India. The deployment of such missiles by Pakistan, if that were to happen, obviously we would feel the same way about it.

QUESTION: As I recall the story - I don't have it in front of me - it wasn't saying that the missiles were deployed, but preparations were being made for deployment. Do you know if preparations are being made?

MR. BURNS: I'm not in a position to confirm that either. Some of the sources in that article were intelligence sources. As you know, I cannot comment on intelligence matters. But I certainly am in a position to say that the United States would react very negatively to the deployment of ballistic missiles by either country.

QUESTION: How would you react to the preparation of deployment of ballistic missiles by either country?

MR. BURNS: Well, obviously, because we don't favor the deployment of the missiles, we think that any preparation to deploy would be a negative development. It does, again, Barry, it runs completely contrary to the only good news that we've seen on India's -- Indo-Pak relations in a very long time - and that is the recent meeting of the prime ministers. They ought to continue with that vein of cooperation.

QUESTION: A lot of folks think it is the most dangerous place in the world most likely to spark - blow up and, you know, if you can't get into this because of intelligence purposes, you also have a purpose to be served by going public, so it cuts both ways here.

MR. BURNS: We have gone public today with our outright opposition --

QUESTION: Yes. It's an "if," yeah.

MR. BURNS: -- to any move to deploy these missiles.

QUESTION: Does Pakistan have ballistic missiles, as far as the United States knows?

MR. BURNS: We have not come to that conclusion. As you know, there have been repeated press stories and allegations made that Pakistan has acquired the M-11 missile from China. As you know, we have been very concerned about those reports and we have addressed our concerns both to China and Pakistan. But we have not made a determination that the deployment has taken place because that would trigger, as you know, sanctions.

QUESTION: The deployment or the purchase?

MR. BURNS: Both, deployment and purchase. We have not made a determination that the purchase or delivery of the M-11 has occurred. Certainly, purchase, delivery, deployment, all of that, we think, would be an extremely negative development. We have not made that determination because that would trigger Category I sanctions under the U.S. Missile Sanctions Law.

QUESTION: Deployment of the M-11, if it exists, would trigger Category I sanctions against Pakistan and China, too?

MR. BURNS: I would have to check the law. I think it would. I am pretty sure that it would cover the seller, the country that produced the missile and sold it to another country.

QUESTION: But definitely the purchaser?

MR. BURNS: I'd have to check the law on the purchaser.

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QUESTION: Nick, several wire reports suggested that the government of Cyprus either start or begin to import some part of the Russian made anti-aircraft missile part, which is contrary to their promise to - at least a year later they will start it. Do you have anything on the subject?

MR. BURNS: No, I was just looking over at John because he's been here the last ten days and I have not. But we have not received any indication that the Cypriot Government has indeed begun to import into Cyprus elements of the missile defense system.

As you know, the United States has a very clear position and we don't believe the acquisition of this system is helpful for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. We have been assured by the Cypriot Government that it will not be - that this system will not be imported or assembled for a good period of time and we trust that that commitment will be met.

QUESTION: Could we take this question, because it is very important. It's a lot of publicated stories in the Turkish press and this information to this effect, because right now is the most crucial time as far as --

MR. BURNS: Which kind of stories?

QUESTION: -- for the moratorium and I don't believe that --

MR. BURNS: What kind of stories? What is the adjective?

QUESTION: Excuse me?

QUESTION: Fabricated.

MR. BURNS: Fabricated. Oh.

QUESTION: Fabricated. That's exactly.

MR. BURNS: Well, I don't know if they were fabricated or not. All I can say is we will keep an eye on it, Mr. Lambros, because we have been given a commitment that this system, this anti-aircraft system will not be mobilized. Patrick?

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