06/06/2001: Daily Press Briefing Excerpts

Q: Since Barry is not here, Middle East. What can you tell us about, if anything, about Director Tenet's mission so far in Egypt?

MR. BOUCHER: Director Tenet stopped in Cairo early this morning for consultations with Egyptian officials. He is now in Amman, Jordan, for discussions with Jordanian officials and with Ambassador Burns. He will soon depart for a series of meetings with the Israelis and the Palestinians. The goal, as the President said yesterday, is to start serious discussion at the security level about how to make sure the cease-fire continues.

Q: Do you have any idea when -- the timings, what day he is going to be meeting the Palestinians and the Israelis?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't have that information. We have avoided giving advance scheduling information in this situation.

Q: Well, how long is he going to be in Amman?

MR. BOUCHER: Until he departs. He will be there for a little while and then he will depart soon. I'm not going to do dates and --

Q: Well, do you know? I mean, is he leaving now?

MR. BOUCHER: I am not going into whereabouts.

Q: All right, well, how about this. Is there any -- is there any indication that there might be a three-way meeting at some point in --

MR. BOUCHER: Again, he will get on the ground. He will meet with the security officials and responsible authorities from the sides and then we'll see how the meetings evolve. But I am not going to try to predict things in advance on travel or specific events.

Q: What's your current assessment of the state of the cease-fire and level of violence?

MR. BOUCHER: Overall, as you know, we've seen a lower level of violence for the last 72 hours or so. We certainly hope the situation will continue to move in the right direction and that incidents like the terrible rock-throwing incident that has left a six-month-old Israeli child critically injured will come, in fact, to a complete end. This is a very sad incident and we certainly wish the baby a very rapid recovery.

We certainly hope that the Palestinian people will heed the call of Chairman Arafat to end the violence and to cease acts such as this brutal incident, which don't serve the interests of the Palestinian people. We think it is important to see sustained actions, including actions by the Palestinians, like the arrest of those involved in terrorist activity or those planning terrorist acts. We also have been encouraging Prime Minister Sharon to continue his restraint and give the Palestinians time to act to do what they have committed to do.

And, as you know, we are involved with the parties in the situation to try to see that they take the steps that are necessary to make this cease-fire endure.

Q: I think Matt ought to go first.

MR. BOUCHER: He already did.

Q: I had three already, Barry.

Q: Do you have any response to the -- any comment on the response to the stone-throwing incident? Or the rampage, the buildings burnt down --

MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't have a response to that. I think it is something that we have made clear all along, that continued efforts are necessary to prevent the violence from flaring up again. Continued steps are necessary to make the cease-fire endure, and that is where our focus is.

Q: Your statement was quite straightforward, but I wondered through the months of -- or the years, in fact -- how the State Department feels about demonstrations of teenagers who throw rocks. I mean, that's not quite like blowing up 20 people at a disco. But on the one hand, the State Department supports the right to demonstrate.

MR. BOUCHER: Barry, nowhere in the world do we support he right to throw rocks.

Q: I understand that. But do you include -- is there no question that you put rock-throwing against even Israeli troops in the same category as other violent acts, that they should cease?

MR. BOUCHER: We have never tried to draw lines between violent acts. In this situation, as in almost any other situation around the world, the freedom of expression and freedom of protest is not the same as saying that people should have free rein to engage in violence. And we all know how volatile these situations are, and we have all worked for steps to calm the situation, all worked for a resolution of the underlying problems, so that these kinds of actions don't occur.

Q: I asked not only because of the poor kid who apparently was reduced to helplessness, but with Arafat taking the pledge on violent actions, I wouldn't be surprised if, instead of a total suspension, we will have a return to rock-throwing form of intifada. I just wanted to get the statement on the record, when that becomes the cutting edge of Palestinian action, rather than suicide bombers.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, you can go ahead and make whatever speculation or predictions that you want to, Barry. Our goal is to end the violence, is to resolve the underlying causes of the volatility so that people can return to normal lives. Normal lives don't include rock-throwing or being hit by rocks.

Q: Do you have something on -- I think it's at least 100 Palestinian-Americans being denied exit visas from Israel?

MR. BOUCHER: There is a situation that has to do with the travel restrictions, and there are at least 100 American citizens that have been denied exit from Israel and from the West Bank and Gaza. We find this unacceptable. We have raised the issue with the Israeli Government and we are working to find a quick resolution. We continue to work on this issue on behalf of these American citizens. Ambassador Indyk has been in touch with the Minister of Defense in Israel and received assurances today that Israel is addressing the issue.

Q: Can I follow up?

MR. BOUCHER: Yes.

Q: Are you familiar with the -- they were turned away from the airport. Do you know the specifics of how they were denied their --

MR. BOUCHER: I don't have details for you. We are certainly in touch with these people and quite aware of many of the cases, but I'm not going to be the wire service. I ca not try to collect and pass on all the details.

Q: I wanted to ask you about the state of play on proposals for a settlement freeze. Israelis have been telling us they have put forward now a series of proposals in the meeting with William Burns, I believe, on the weekend -- or a meeting that William Burns attended on the weekend. Can you confirm that and give us an indication what these proposals are?

MR. BOUCHER: You want me to say that the Israelis put forward something and tell you what they put forward?

Q: Is it true that the Israelis have presented to the United States a series of proposals?

MR. BOUCHER: I would suggest that you could ask that question of an Israeli spokesman. I realize that there are some reports out there that say the United States and Israel have reached some kind of understanding or agreement on a settlement freeze. That's not the case. We have not reached any agreement with the Israelis on settlement activities. We continue to see settlement activity as provocative and it risks inflaming already volatile situations in the region and therefore we continue to see it as one of the issues -- an issue that definitely needs to be addressed as part of the efforts to build confidence between the parties.

Q: But you're working on it, aren't you?

MR. BOUCHER: It's an issue that does need to be addressed.

Q: Have the Israelis presented some new proposals in the last couple of days?

MR. BOUCHER: That's for you to ask the Israelis. I can't go into their positions.

Q: Can I ask it from an American standpoint so maybe we can have a better chance of an answer?

MR. BOUCHER: You're going to ask if we've received any of these proposals?

Q: No, I'm not going to ask you to speak for the Israeli Government. I think you ask the Israeli Government that. But you can ask the American Government if they are at work, even though you don't have a deal sealed. I'm sure you are. But are you at work with the Israelis on an acceptable settlement freeze?

MR. BOUCHER: We have discussed the issue of settlements with the Israelis on several occasions over time. This has been part of the Secretary's discussions, part of Ambassador Burns' discussions, part of the discussions that Ambassador Indyk and Consular General Schlicher have had with the parties in the region. It's obviously an important issue. It is one of the issues addressed in the Mitchell Committee's recommendations, and we are looking for implementation of the Mitchell Committee recommendations in all their aspects.

So, certainly, the issue of settlements is an important issue that needs to be dealt with. We've made that clear. We're discussing it. I don't want, however, to mislead you in terms of dealing with this issue that, first and foremost in the Mitchell Committee recommendations, is the unconditional cessation of violence. And I think you've seen from what we're doing, from sending Director Tenet out there, that that remains a key focus of our efforts at this point.

Q: You used an interesting expression, which we had heard often here --

MR. BOUCHER: It probably wasn't intentional.

Q: Which is "underlying causes." I wondered what, in your view, the underlying causes are. Is it accepting that --

MR. BOUCHER: No, I'm not going to try to give a big list of underlying causes.

Q: No, but -- a short list will do, but I would be interested to hear how you --

MR. BOUCHER: Well, you can read the Mitchell Committee Report. I guess that is where I would start if I were you.

Q: Okay. And another one. On the U.S. citizens who have been detained, could you explain perhaps the procedures. I understand that they had to -- that the Israelis gave them instructions to obtain Palestinian papers, and is that still the case? You were working on that some months ago. And what exactly is the procedural problem with them leaving?

MR. BOUCHER: Again, the Israelis would have to explain their procedural problems. I think the Israelis, with the restrictions on movement, are not allowing people who they consider Palestinians to move between these various places. So we have Americans who might be considered Palestinians who are not being allowed to move. It is basically Palestinian-Americans who are caught by the same instructions.

Q: This does not apply to the people who turned to Ben Gurion Airport, and therefore were not in --

MR. BOUCHER: Again, you have to ask the Israelis to explain their procedures and their actions in that regard. We don't think that preventing Americans citizens from getting to the airport and flying home is acceptable. We continue to work on this. We continue to press the Israelis to find a solution.

Q: Richard, on that point, you said that Ambassador Indyk had received assurances today that the government was -- I think you used the word "addressing it." Does that mean that you have been led to understand that they will be allowed to leave in the near future, or that --

MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I can go that far, that they are addressing the issue, and we will see what kind of response and solution they come up with.

Q: But what kind of resolution is acceptable then? I mean, is there some midway point between letting them leave and keeping them there that the U.S. Government would find acceptable?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, obviously we are looking for these people to have the opportunity to get to the airport and come home.

Q: Can I follow up on that?

Q: What are you trying to say, that the Mitchell Commission Report is the sole template, really, for US efforts to move this situation forward? Or is it part of the overall effort, just one element? I mean, are you coming in every day and saying like, this is what the Mitchell Commission says, and this is really what we should be looking at, or is it just part of a broader move by the U.S.?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm not quite sure that is an easy question to answer. The sole template is kind of -- it sounds like it is the be-all and end-all of everything, and obviously there's a lot of things going on in the Middle East that we are quite aware of.

The effort that we have had under way to first of all reduce, calm the violence, get back to a situation of normal life for Israelis and Palestinians and then get back to a track of negotiation, has been, I think, the guiding principle for this Administration since we started, since the Israeli election in particular.

So we have tried to follow that path, we have directed our efforts at that, and we have looked for opportunities to make that happen. The focus on the Mitchell Committee Report is because it provides a series of recommendations which we look to see implemented, as we say, in all their aspects. And thus it provides the mechanism, the vehicle that we think the parties can agree upon to see -- to actually move forward the course that we were looking for.

Q: I mean, I ask because you have said in the past that it does seem to cover the bases very well. It covers all the areas really that you would hope to make progress on. So I am really trying to see whether or not there is anything else that needs to be done as well, or really whether the Mitchell Commission does sort of cover all the bases, and that is all you need to really focus on.

MR. BOUCHER: The Mitchell Committee Report leads, if it is followed carefully, if the parties adopt its recommendations and follow it, can lead to a cessation of violence, restore -- restoration of trust and confidence, a beginning path to negotiations. Obviously then the whole aspect of negotiations, what gets negotiated, what are the final status issues, how do they get taken up, where do they go from there -- there is a much larger picture in the Middle East than the Mitchell Committee recommendations, but that is where the focus is right now, because that provides a path.

The Secretary has talked before about people being in a hallway with a bunch of doors, and you have to pick up the key and open the door. Well, you might consider the Mitchell Committee recommendations the keys that open the doors.

Q: On the detained Palestinian-Americans, are there any plans right now to revise the Consular Information Sheet or Travel Warnings for Israel?

MR. BOUCHER: That is a good question. I will have to double-check on that. I would have to look at our sheet and see if it covers some of these things already.

Complete Transcript of Briefing