Middle East Digest: September 6, 2007

Bureau of Public Affairs
Septemeber 6, 2007

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The Middle East Digest provides text and audio from the Daily Press Briefing. For the full briefings, please visit http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/

From the Daily Briefing of Septemeber 6, 2007:

MR. CASEY: Okay. Well, good afternoon, everybody. I don't have anything to open you up with, so let's go right to your questions.

Matt.

QUESTION: Have you -- obviously, I was not at the gaggle this morning, but have you been able to figure out what happened in -- over Syrian airspace?

MR. CASEY: Matt, I'm where we were at this morning, I've seen press reports. Those stories conflict with one another so really I just don't have anything for you on it.

QUESTION: The media reports -- you know, I mean, I think that there are officials hearing government statements about this, if I'm not mistaken.

MR. CASEY: Yeah.

QUESTION: Do you not believe those statements? It's not like people are citing unnamed sources about it or, you know --

MR. CASEY: No, but Arshad there have been statements made by the -- there have been contradictory statements made by Syrian and Israeli officials. What I can't do is try and tell you that we have any information that would be able to substantiate any of the charges that have been made.

QUESTION: So you don't have information that would substantiate the charge of some kind of Syria by Israel?

MR. CASEY: Again, I'd leave it up to the parties to describe what happened. I don't have anything beyond the press reports and, you know, we'll leave it to them to try and sort this out.

QUESTION: Do you know if people are trying to find out on the ground that your people in Damascus are --

MR. CASEY: I'm sure that our embassies, as always, both in Damascus and in Israel, will be following this as well as other issues closely. I'm not aware that anyone's making any specific focus on this at this time.

QUESTION: Is Welch still there?

MR. CASEY: I believe, David, yes, is still in the region. He's still in Israel. He's been consulting with Israeli and Palestinian officials. That's part of his regular ongoing consultations with them and also will certainly, I'm sure, touch on issues related to the Secretary's future travel.