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Excerpts from Daily Press Briefing Relating to the Middle East
Phillip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
MR. REEKER: Everybody ready for a new subject?
QUESTION: Yes.
QUESTION: Can you tell us if George Tenet is leaving the Middle East without a cease-fire agreement?
MR. REEKER: Do we really want to switch to the Middle East? I'm not going back to the Balkans. That's a message for everybody. (Laughter.)
Sure, let's talk about Mr. Tenet and the situation in the Middle East. When I last left my office to come out here, Mr. Tenet's meetings were continuing with Palestinians. He has been, as we discussed yesterday and then again today, continuing meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Israel and the West Bank as part of the ongoing effort to foster an environment to end the violence. As Ambassador Boucher said yesterday, his goal is to create an environment to end violence in which security cooperation allows the implementation of the Mitchell Report recommendations. So that is what Mr. Tenet is doing as of just a few moments ago.
Assistant Secretary Burns is continuing his discussions with Israelis and Palestinians regarding a timeline for implementation of the Mitchell Committee recommendations in all their aspects. He is in Jerusalem tonight. And I think that probably brings us up to date on where we stand with them.
QUESTION: Without getting into the specifics of the American plan, did Director Tenet give the parties an ultimatum that said that if he didn't -- if they didn't agree to implement some security, some better security cooperation, that he would leave?
MR. REEKER: I don't believe that that is the case. I have seen a number of press reports suggesting ultimatums, suggesting rejections, suggesting all kinds of things. Director Tenet remains there. He has described the progress as being good. He has indicated that the parties have made a responsible and serious effort in their work. It is very much a work in progress, and literally in progress since the talks continued, his meetings continued, like I said, at least up until a few moments ago.
So I would reject all of these descriptions of these things because it is an ongoing process. And DCI Tenet remains there at this point, and we are going to continue to see this process forward.
QUESTION: Was he not still planning on leaving tonight?
MR. REEKER: I think he needs to finish his meetings -- as I said, that were ongoing as of a few minutes ago -- and then determine his travel plans after that.
QUESTION: So in other words, what was being said before by people that he was going to leave tonight is now no longer necessarily accurate?
MR. REEKER: It turns out he is still in meetings, and he is, as he has indicated, looking for a positive response from the Palestinians with whom he is meeting now on these constructive suggestions that he has made to the parties. And so we will just have to allow his meetings to finish, and then he will determine his own travel plan.
QUESTION: Do you know what happened between the time that people here and in the region were saying that he was going to leave tonight and now to change?
MR. REEKER: Well, for one thing, he went into meetings, and those meetings are ongoing, so I don't think I could give you any other specifics. Not that I would anyway.
QUESTION: How would these meetings change his travel plans? I mean, if he was planning to leave tonight, he could still have meetings, right?
MR. REEKER: Well, yes. It is now 9 o'clock in --
QUESTION: Right. But he could still leave at 10 o'clock. I mean, he could --
MR. REEKER: That's purely hypothetical. All I said, Eli, was that he has to finish his meetings, and then he will determine his travel plans. I don't think there is anything particularly tendentious in that.
QUESTION: But nothing is scheduled for tomorrow, or more security talks?
MR. REEKER: I don't have a readout on what is being -- he needs to finish these meetings, and then he will make his travel plans or his next step plans. And we will try to keep updating you as possible.
QUESTION: What are the main obstacles to agreement?
MR. REEKER: That is just something I am not going to go into. I am sure you have read lots of press reports from both sides of the issue. Director Tenet is focusing on bringing constructive suggestions to the parties so that they can together create an environment to end the violence. That is the most important thing, as we have discussed.
QUESTION: This is not a hypothetical, but say Director Tenet --
MR. REEKER: It's a "say" question. Okay.
QUESTION: -- left. Would Ambassador Burns and --
MR. REEKER: Assistant Secretary / Ambassador Burns.
QUESTION: Assistant Secretary Burns still be work -- and there was no agreement at that point. Would Ambassador Burns still be working with the parties to reach a similar kind of security arrangement so that --
MR. REEKER: I don't have any indication of travel plans by Assistant Secretary Burns, either. At this point, as I said, he is in Jerusalem. He is continuing the discussions he is having, again focusing on a timeline for implementation of the Mitchell Committee recommendations.
QUESTION: Well, just, Tenet doesn't do what he wanted to do, or they don't get what they wanted to get, are you still going to be pushing at any other channels?
MR. REEKER: You are verging again into the hypothetical.
QUESTION: I am trying not to verge into the hypothetical.
MR. REEKER: Let's let the news happen to the news. Ambassador Burns is where he is. That is Jerusalem. He is continuing his discussions, focused on a timeline. Mr. Tenet, I believe -- although as the time goes on I will have to check for an update -- was still in meetings with Palestinian interlocutors, and after those meetings are over then he will determine his next step.
QUESTION: Let me put it this way. Is the United States committed to pursue efforts to secure a firm cease-fire between the Israelis and Palestinians?
MR. REEKER: Yes.
QUESTION: Indefinitely?
MR. REEKER: I just am not going to go beyond where we are. We will look at this as it becomes news, and we will --
QUESTION: And Tenet's presence is not necessarily needed to broker such an agreement?
MR. REEKER: I think, Eli -- I mean, you are verging on the silly here, I know.
QUESTION: I'm not trying to -- I don't think it's silly. I think, you know, there was a -- there are reports out of the region that say that Tenet is leaving and they didn't get a deal. But are you going to still be pushing for a deal, even if he does leave?
MR. REEKER: Yes, because our goal is to see that the violence ends, that we create an environment on the ground that allows security cooperation to create this atmosphere so that the Mitchell Report recommendations can be implemented in all their aspects.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: No, no, wait.
MR. REEKER: Let's go to the gentlemen in the back. Matt, could I just go to the gentleman in the back, and then I will happy to come to you.
QUESTION: Well, I thought --
MR. REEKER: No. Just because one of your colleagues says "thank you" it doesn't mean we wrap it up.
QUESTION: You don't want to go to the Balkans, but how about Central Europe?
Complete Transcript of Briefing
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