06/11/2001: Daily Press Briefing Excerpts
Excerpts Relating to the Middle East Richard Boucher, Spokesman
MR. BOUCHER: Well, I know there are a lot of press reports, but you won't be surprised if I decline to go into details of the specifics that Director Tenet might be discussing. He is out there. He is continuing his work. He looks forward today to having a meeting in Ramallah with both Israeli and Palestinian security officials. His goal is part of the ongoing effort to foster an environment to end the violence, and so he has been focused on the security situation and steps that the parties can take to make the cease-fire endure. QUESTION: I may have missed this over the weekend, but has Ambassador Burns left the region, or Israel and the Palestinian territories? MR. BOUCHER: Those are two different things. He is in the region. He has actually been between Israel and the territories and Amman, where he lives. QUESTION: Do you know where he is now? MR. BOUCHER: At this precise moment, no, I don't. He is somewhere around there. He has been continuing discussions, and he will have more meetings in Israel and the West Bank or wherever as we proceed. Over the weekend, he had meetings in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Sharon and Foreign Minister Peres. He met with Chairman Arafat in Ramallah. He has met with other senior Palestinian officials, as well as senior Israeli officials. So he has been continuing his meetings over the weekend. But, yes, occasionally he hops back to Amman for a few hours or a night. QUESTION: But he hasn't -- he stayed in those three -- that triangle? MR. BOUCHER: Yes, he stayed in that region. QUESTION: If I could return to Tenet's trip -- and I understand that you're not going to go into details -- but if he is trying to get both sides to take certain steps towards what I guess would sort of solidify a cease-fire, how is that not bleeding into the realm of diplomacy, which I understand this Administration specifically did not want the CIA to do this time around? MR. BOUCHER: I don't see a contradiction in what we've said we're doing. We've said quite clearly what we're doing. We're trying to support the implementation of the Mitchell recommendations in all its aspects. That Report, as you know, looks for an unconditional cessation of violence, a cooling-off period, confidence-building measures, and a return to negotiations. That's the process that we're trying to get under way. We have said that Director Tenet's role is clearly to establish the environment -- to help establish the environment of ending the violence so that we can get on with the other discussions. Ambassador Burns' role is to talk about the timeline for the process and how it can all proceed so that we do implement the Mitchell Report in all its aspects. That has been quite clearly the goal of our diplomacy. You know the goals, you know the agents, and you know what they're out there doing every day. So it shouldn't be any surprise to you that Director Tenet is working to find steps that the parties can take to stabilize the security situation, to make that unconditional cessation of violence effective. QUESTION: Well, I mean, he has a point, and that's your answer. And the parallel -- MR. BOUCHER: I have a point, too. Give me at least that credit. QUESTION: You have a point, too. But there's a credibility issue -- MR. BOUCHER: He has a question I haven't answered. QUESTION: No, there's a credibility issue. MR. BOUCHER: I don't think there is. QUESTION: Sure. The Secretary of State said that unconditional cease-fire -- that's number one. We've got to have a cease-fire, we've got to have the level of violence on the down escalator or something, before we move into confidence-building measures. Now, unless I can't understand, you are in confidence-building measures, you're negotiating. And what that means, if you don't mind the inference, is that -- MR. BOUCHER: Excuse me, but no. QUESTION: You want Yasser -- theoretically, and now it becomes theoretical -- it used to be a fact -- that the United States wants Yasser Arafat to agree to a cease-fire unconditionally, and then we will talk about a freeze on settlements and his other demands or his other goals. But you are doing both simultaneously now. So you've got -- you are leaving the impression that you are mixing the two together, that a cease-fire is being dangled along with other things, as coincident to each other. MR. BOUCHER: All right, Barry, let's straighten you out here. QUESTION: Sure. And it is bleeding into issues. MR. BOUCHER: Let's, first of all, get away from metaphors that involve blood. But second of all -- QUESTION: Well, then -- no, bleeding in the sense that -- MR. BOUCHER: Let's go after this one more time, and let me remind you what you are apparently forgetting. The Secretary of State came down here himself to talk to you and to explain to you that our goal, at this current juncture, with a policy that we have talked about forever, is to see the implementation of the Mitchell Committee recommendations in all their aspects. The Secretary of State came down here himself to say that that begins with the unconditional cessation of violence, and that that would be our primary focus. Since then, we have described to you the efforts that Director Tenet is making working with the parties, that Ambassador Indyk and Consul General Schlicher have made working with the parties, to see an end to the violence, so that we start with that unconditional cessation of violence. That has been the thrust of our efforts. That doesn't mean that we don't talk about the Mitchell Committee recommendations. The Mitchell Committee recommendations is the goal of policy, and that is what Bill Burns is talking about. But just look at the way things have happened. You have seen Director Tenet out there three or four days before Burns went back to the region to talk about the timeline. I think it is quite clear that the unconditional cessation of violence, as stated in the Mitchell Report, is where this all starts and where in fact we are starting. But that doesn't mean that we have abandoned the other -- that the goal of the -- it is the Mitchell Committee in all its aspects. That is what the Secretary has said we were doing, starting with the cessation of violence. I think it is quite clear that has been the policy. It is quite clear that is what we are doing. QUESTION: Unconditional cessation of violence? MR. BOUCHER: Mitchell Committee in all its aspects. Mitchell Committee says unconditional cessation of violence. QUESTION: All right. MR. BOUCHER: And that is why we are doing what the Mitchell Committee Report recommends. QUESTION: Let me try -- and maybe we can -- I understand what you are saying. Let me try this. Has the violence subsided sufficiently that the Administration is ready now to move to step two on the timeline? MR. BOUCHER: I think, first of all, we think there are still steps that the parties need to take to continue this effort to stop the violence and to make cessation of violence endure. And that is why Director Tenet is still out there. That is why he is still working with the parties on security steps. Second of all, as we have described, the effort that Ambassador Burns is beginning or has under way, and that is to set out the timeline through which this process of implementation of Mitchell Committee recommendations in all their aspects can be followed. QUESTION: Are there steps in the area of cooperation -- the two sides restoring some -- MR. BOUCHER: Well, look at the Mitchell Committee recommendations. There's confidence-building measures that have to be done in the course of the implementation, which is -- QUESTION: Yes, but two different things. MR. BOUCHER: Oh, the steps that Tenet has proposed? QUESTION: You're saying there have to be more steps taken on cessation of violence. I'm trying to draw you out a little bit on that. You mean they have to work closer together or -- MR. BOUCHER: On what those are? Well, I am not going to get into details, but I would say all along clearly we have thought that there were steps that the parties had to take with regard to their rhetoric, to the incitement, to arresting people on the Palestinian side especially who might be involved in terrorist acts. With the Israelis, we have encouraged a variety of steps as well, including the easing of closures and restoring normal life. Things like that that can calm the situation. But exactly what is in the recommendations that Tenet has put forward at this point, I am not going to get into details of what he has been discussing with the parties. But you know there is both steps the parties need to take and steps that we think they should take together. We have always seen cooperation on security as one of the more important aspects of calming the violence. QUESTION: We, in the past, have heard about a cooling-off period between the cessation of violence and the restoration of security cooperation and the implementation of these confidence-building measures. Without going into details, could you say if that is what the US is hoping that the parties will do? MR. BOUCHER: It is part of the Mitchell Committee recommendations, right? And we want to see the Mitchell Committee recommendations implemented in all their aspects. So that remains one of the aspects to be implemented. QUESTION: So if Ambassador Burns is in the region trying to set up this timeline, then feasibly this timeline for instituting confidence-building measures will have a cooling period between what Tenet is trying to do now and the timeline that he is sending out later? MR. BOUCHER: I would not describe it in terms of Tenet. I would describe it in terms of Mitchell Committee recommendations that provide for unconditional cessation of violence, a cooling-off period, confidence-building measure, and return to discussions. QUESTION: Could you discuss how different -- again without going into the details -- what Director Tenet's recommendations are different than the Mitchell Committee recommendations? I mean, is he taking a copy of the Mitchell Committee Report and just reading from it and telling them to implement it, or are these separate ideas that the US has? MR. BOUCHER: No, I can't do a compare and contrast. I think obviously the Mitchell Committee recommendations are the core of what needs to be done. What we're talking to the parties about is how they can most effectively do that. QUESTION: Richard, could you describe the Secretary's involvement, if any, in the last few days? Any phone calls at his level or, for that matter, the President's, if you know them? MR. BOUCHER: I'm not aware of anything on the President. That wouldn't be my job anyway. The White House will have to do that. Give me a second here and let me see if I wrote this down correctly. On Friday, I think -- I forget where we got to in reporting to you by briefing time -- Friday he talked to Secretary General Annan, Prime Minister Sharon, Chairman Arafat. Saturday he talked to President Mubarak of Egypt and Chairman Arafat. And I forgot to get Sunday for you. So it's been a pretty regular set of contacts that the Secretary has had. QUESTION: Saturday was Mubarak and Arafat, you said? MR. BOUCHER: Yes. QUESTION: This is going to sound very minor, but when you say he talked to Kofi Annan, that was the one that you told us about during the briefing after his announcement that he was going to go to the region? MR. BOUCHER: Yes, I think I talked to you about that one on Friday. Yes, about Kofi Anna. I'm not sure. QUESTION: So there weren't two? MR. BOUCHER: No. As far as I know, one phone call to Kofi Anna. QUESTION: Richard, to follow up on Elise's question, the Palestinians are saying that Tenet has, in effect, added unilateral steps which he is demanding of them on top of the Mitchell Commission. Could you confirm that? And what is the justification for doing this when the Mitchell Commission, which is the basis for this -- I mean, what's with going around and adding new steps? MR. BOUCHER: I'm not going to play around with compare-and-contrast kind of questions. I think I said that when Elise asked her question. The Director is out there. He is working on steps that the parties can take to make the cease-fire endure, to implement the Mitchell Committee recommendations. That, in itself, should be of value to the parties. They should be able to find the virtues of ending the violence. And that's where we'll continue to work. QUESTION: Same area. Despite Iraq's threats to cut off oil to its neighbors if they supported the US and the British idea of sanctions, apparently they have not cut off oil to Syria. It is still exporting at a higher rate than it can produce, which was one of our concerns when we went to the region. And the Secretary asked Syria about this, and this gets back into the whole pipeline. Do you have any update yet on what Syria is doing to bring its pipeline under UN control, or at least UN awareness? MR. BOUCHER: I think we have always described that as part of the process of this new resolution and that the new resolution, now that the political direction is set, that some of these things will be worked out and mechanisms will be set up. We're working on that. So, no, I don't have an instant update. I think towards the end of the month, if we've set many of these details of the resolution where the lists have to be done, the mechanisms have to be set up, we'll be able to describe that in somewhat more detail for you then. QUESTION: So have we been working on it as the process moves, or is it something that we can start working on it once the new measures -- MR. BOUCHER: We have been working with the UN and with the frontline states all along, but exactly what mechanism we come up with and whether it's -- how it's set up, we'll see later in the month. QUESTION: I think at the time, you said that you had an agreement from Bashar Assad on this, and then the Syrian Information Ministry said they didn't. And you said, no, that's our understanding from the agreement. What has happened? I mean, let me ask you this: Did Bashar Assad back out on a promise? MR. BOUCHER: Again, I'm not going to make an update for you at this point. As you know, the Syrian President told us that he would put this under the UN auspices. We said that that would be done around the time of the resolutions. And exactly how those frontline states' arrangements are worked out is something we're discussing this month in the context of the new resolution, and when we get farther into the month, closer to the new resolution, we'll update you on that. QUESTION: To follow up on that, what incentives are you offering them for this? Because I think we've discussed many times there is a clear financial incentive for the Syrians and others to do it this way rather than your way. So what are you offering them? MR. BOUCHER: We're offering them the chance to ensure that Iraq doesn't threaten them any more, that Iraq doesn't redevelop its weapons of mass destruction and its military capabilities which have been used against its neighbors in the past. QUESTION: What about hard cash, which is a little bit more interesting? MR. BOUCHER: We are taking care of that aspect, too, to make sure that nobody suffers by implementing these things. QUESTION: How? How? How? MR. BOUCHER: You're asking me on June 11th about arrangements that are going to be made in a resolution on July 4th, and I'm not prepared to give you all the details yet. We are in the process of discussing these things. QUESTION: (Inaudible.) MR. BOUCHER: It's what it says in the last resolution. Did you read the last resolution? By July 4th, we will have a resolution for 190 days that puts in place the new arrangements. We'll do that. QUESTION: Well, when you are working on Independence Day, I will be glad to -- MR. BOUCHER: Maybe we'll do it before July 4th. QUESTION: Exactly, thank you. MR. BOUCHER: I said by July 4th. Okay? QUESTION: One more. Richard, as far as this worsening situation in the Middle East is concerned, many Asian nations are affected -- MR. BOUCHER: I don't think that is the same subject. We will go to that later. Let's go to George. Complete Transcript of Briefing
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