And then, of course, as we have already announced, the Secretary will travel to Crawford, Texas to participate in President Bush's meeting with the Chinese President on October 25th, and then the Secretary will return to Los Cabos to accompany the President to the summit meeting of the APEC leaders there.

I do have one announcement. I think as you've already seen in a statement that the Secretary released earlier today, the United States today is taking several important steps as part of our continuing efforts to combat global terrorism. The Secretary announced today the designation of Jemaah Islamiya, an organization founded by Abdullah Sungkar, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under United States law that is pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The Secretary also announced the designation of that organization under Executive Order 13224, and in addition to these actions the United States will join Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Timor Leste and other partners around the world in asking the relevant United Nations Sanctions Committee to include JI on its consolidated list of individuals and entities with assets whose member-states will be required to freeze the assets of that entity in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

So today's action actually marks the first time that the United States has simultaneously designated a terrorist group under all three of those umbrellas; that is, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under our law, under the President 's Executive Order, and requested relevant UN Sanctions Committee action.

In making this joint referral, I would just point out that the Secretary noted in his statement that the United States does not wish to imply that we've come to any conclusion about the responsibility for the devastating attack in Bali on October the 12th. Investigation into those bombings continues. It's an investigation being led by Indonesia with some support from the United States, from Australia and from others. The United States and our partners around the world have long had concerns about JI, the group designated today, and today's designation is the result of a process that has been underway since well before the horrific Bali bombings.

The Bali terrorist attack, the worst attack since September 11th 2001, claimed victims from 29 countries, and it is an example of how terrorism threatens democratic institutions, undermines economies, destabilizes regions and kills innocent people. And the front lines of terrorism are clearly everywhere, and we are our partners continue to be seized with fighting it around the world.

Questions on that, or we can move on to other subjects.

QUESTION: Well, New York, the UN, Iraq. Is the US interested now in having a meeting with the full Security Council and do you still intend to get the text to the ten elected members by the end of the week?

MR. REEKER: We are still working, Barry, in New York. We are having meaningful discussions. The Permanent 5 members of the Security Council have been meeting this morning. I'm not sure if they may still be meeting. I don't have an exact update of that. There will be meetings at some point after that with the Permanent 5 and the ten elected members of the Council, the Council as a whole, maybe as soon as today, but we will have to keep you posted as we continue those discussions in New York.

Obviously, it's a complex, important resolution that we are working on. We’re having a very deliberative process at the UN Security Council. We have spent a lot of time on this. We expect it's in the final stages. The meetings continue but I'm not going to be in any more of a position than we were yesterday to describe for you any details of this.

We are working with the Security Council to give Iraq, as President Bush has said, a last chance to peacefully disarm, and we will continue to monitor them.

QUESTION: If I can clarify, please. If the Perm 5 meet with the ten others, is that a meeting of the Council or is it another phase of these discussions, informal discussions?

MR. REEKER: Technically, it's a meeting of all the members of the Security Council. How they choose to pursue it or frame it in terms of procedural logistical issues, I'd have to refer you up to New York. We'll try to keep you posted as we get word down from there.

Elise.

QUESTION: Does a possible meeting today of the whole Council mean that you're narrowing differences within the P-5 on the text?

MR. REEKER: I think we're just continuing to work on this, is what I want to say. I don't want to try to give any particular description to it. As I said, these are complex, important discussions because it's a very important resolution. I can't characterize anything particular coming out of that P-5 meeting because I'm not sure if it's ended yet and there's the possibility that, maybe as soon as today, we'll be sharing text with the other ten members as well, the Council as a whole.

We continue to hear from other parties. We continue to work on text and language. And so I would --

QUESTION: Were you looking to get an agreement within the Permanent 5 members before you shared it with the rest of the Council? That's why I ask.

MR. REEKER: I don't know that I can give you any particular description of how that is going or the particular process that will take place up there. This is a UN Security Council process and it's one that has been very deliberative and is continuing apace. As we've said, we think it's in the final stages of that process but I just can't give you exactly where it stands at any particular moment.

QUESTION: When you say you're working with these folks, does that mean there are more revisions? I mean, working can be talking, persuading, answering questions.

MR. REEKER: I think we continue to hear from the other parties as we discuss this. We continue to work on text and language, which is why we haven't been trying to share this language with you or negotiate this publicly. I would suggest that some of the purported printed versions that are around are not necessarily current because it's something that's evolving, something that is in the middle of a process.

This is really an opportunity for the United Nations to show its relevance. A strong resolution, as we've said before, backed with serious consequences, is the way to prevent war. And as the President said, this is the last chance for Iraq to peacefully disarm, as it is required to do. And we want the Security Council to produce a resolution that is consistent with our basic parameters, the goals that we've talked about; that is, identifying Iraq's violations; reinforcing the inspection regimes -- that is, UNMOVIC and the AIEA, their mandates; and setting out timelines and making clear that there will be serious consequences for noncompliance.

Christophe.

QUESTION: On another issue --

QUESTION: On Iraq.

MR. REEKER: Sir.

QUESTION: Prime Minister of Turkey yesterday said that about the Iraq subject US sending us some mixing message, we very hardly understand that. Sometimes they said we are not sure that are they ready to military action or something else.

MR. REEKER: Well, as I just discussed --

QUESTION: It's the opposite statement from the Prime Minister.

MR. REEKER: As I just discussed, and as you're well aware, we're working this very seriously at the United Nations. And we also continue to consult very closely with other friends and allies, including Turkey of course, on how best to deal with the threat that Iraq poses to the region.

I think General Franks himself has been in Ankara even yesterday. Under Secretary Grossman has consulted with Turkish counterparts. Assistant Secretary Jones has been in Turkey in the past month. That's our Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs. So we closely consult with the Government of Turkey on this process as we move forward in our efforts to ensure that Iraq complies fully with UN Security Council resolutions.

Now, Christophe.

QUESTION: On Yugoslavia. Are you satisfied by the first reactions coming from Belgrade and Sarajevo after your allegations about firms, of entities from these two countries, sold weapons or arms to Iraq?

MR. REEKER: We welcome the steps that were taken yesterday by the Government of Yugoslavia in connection with the revelations of involvement of the Orao facilities in Bijeljina in the Republika Srpska, as well as the Yugoslav company Yugoimport, in terms of military transfers and cooperation with Iraq, which we discussed yesterday.

We believe that these are significant decisions by the Government of Yugoslavia to, in terms of the steps they took, to relieve responsible officials from their positions, to conduct investigations into the activities at the Ministry of Defense and Yugoimport, as well as the Government of Yugoslavia's commitment to adopting appropriate measures to regulate the transfer of military weapons and technology. As I said, those are significant actions and we welcome these steps, as well as the decision to close the Yugoimport offices in Baghdad.

As Ambassador Boucher said yesterday, the United States has offered its full support and cooperation to Yugoslav authorities, both in the investigation and in providing technical assistance and expertise to implement the appropriate regulatory measures and mechanisms to control military weapons transfers. And we certainly expect the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina also to undertake the necessary steps to immediately halt any ongoing cooperation with Iraq, and to conduct a thorough investigation and to hold accountable those responsible.

Obviously, we expect all UN members, all members of the United Nations, to meet their obligations under UN Security Council resolutions to prevent the transfer of weapons or other materials prohibited by UN sanctions to Iraq.

So this is an opportunity, I think, for Bosnia and Herzegovina to move forward on its recent promise to establish effective export controls and we'll be following this very closely.

Anything else on that subject?

Sir.

QUESTION: Venezuela. It seems to be a dangerous situation down there today with dissident military congregating in the plazas of major cities and inviting people to join them, which they are. And last night, Secretary General Gaviria denounced this, in effect, and said it was contrary to the Democratic Charter.

One, what information do you have on what is really taking place there? And two, is the United States really in accordance with the declaration of Gaviria?

MR. REEKER: I don't know that I can provide you a lot of detailed information. We have been, obviously, monitoring this closely. Our Embassy put out a Warden message last night noting that Venezuelan General Enrique Medina Gomez had encouraged the public to gather in civil disobedience at Plaza Francia in Altamira, Caracas. The Embassy had received reliable reports that a large crowd was gathering and we were advising US citizens to avoid that area and to closely monitor news broadcasts. So our Embassy continues to monitor the situation and, as always, is prepared to contact American citizens in the American community as the situation warrants.

As we have said many times before, the United States supports a peaceful, democratic and constitutional solution to Venezuela's ongoing political difficulties. The United States does not support any unconstitutional or violent scenarios in Venezuela.

As you mentioned in your question, the Government of Venezuela and the opposition signed the Declaration of Principles which was prepared under the tripartite facilitation effort of the Organization of American States, the United Nations Development Program and the Carter Center. And in doing so, they rejected violent and unconstitutional solutions and committed themselves to dialogue. And that is a process that we have continued to promote, that we have continued to say is the best answer for reconciliation and solving the political problems in Venezuela.

Secretary General Gaviria of the OAS has indicated he is prepared to travel to Caracas in the days ahead to establish an agenda for immediate dialogue, and we urge the government and people of Venezuela to redouble their efforts to make these urgent initiatives successful. So we continue to support that tripartite process, to facilitate dialogue, and we certainly welcome the statement that you reference from Secretary General Gaviria yesterday.

Yes. That good enough?

QUESTION: (Inaudible) his initiative, please?

MR. REEKER: I don't know. I would have to check with our representatives at the OAS.

QUESTION: Is the idea of dialogue, of reconciliation, in any way affected by the fact that, number one, Chavez refused to sign that himself and, number two, he has announced that he will not consider any step -- the opposition has been asking for a new election, a referendum, that the new election should be held and other means; he would refuse to consider any of those that shortened his term in office.

MR. REEKER: I think I have made it quite clear what the US position is in terms of the need for dialogue, in terms of our support for that tripartite process for the Declaration of Principles for the OAS. That type of analysis in terms of why or why not the process moves forward or doesn't is something I will leave to you and others. We will monitor the situation closely, we will continue to say that it is in everybody's interest in Venezuela to support, as we do, a peaceful democratic, constitutional solution, and that violence and undemocratic, unconstitutional means are not the solutions for Venezuela.

QUESTION: You're not willing to qualify Mr. Chavez's attitude as being contrary to that position which you are urging upon them?

MR. REEKER: I think there's a process at hand and that's what we would urge the Venezuelan Government and all the Venezuelan people to pursue as the best solution to this crisis.

Elise.

QUESTION: I'm not clear. Are you saying that what happened yesterday with these military generals is undemocratic and unconstitutional?

MR. REEKER: I don't believe I tried to characterize it at all. I told you what reports we had from our Embassy. We are monitoring the situation very closely and what we are calling for is pursuing a peaceful dialogue which international organizations, regional organizations are prepared to support and to help, and it is what we've supported for a long time. I made quite clear what the United States supports; that is, peaceful, democratic, constitutional solutions. What we do not support is any unconstitutional or violent scenario in Venezuela.

Tony.

QUESTION: Do you have an update on Bolton's meetings with the Russians? Do you have a readout on that?

MR. REEKER: I don't have any more details, as far as I can tell. Let me just check. I believe Under Secretary Bolton is in London today, having completed his meetings in Moscow. Yes. He will be traveling on to Brussels later today and to Paris tomorrow.

QUESTION: Can you say if there's been anything, any sort of discussions regarding a deadline to give to the North Korean Government regarding --

MR. REEKER: You will recall what we've called for in our statements is that North Korea must immediately and visibly dismantle its nuclear program. We are consulting, as you know, closely with South Korea and our other friends and allies on next steps to resolve the shared concerns regarding North Korea's nuclear program. That consultation continues. As we have said repeatedly, we seek to resolve our concerns through a peaceful and diplomatic solution. And so we'll continue to have those consultations and we'll continue to stand by what we have said, that we think North Korea should immediately and visibly dismantle its nuclear program.

Yes, sir.

QUESTION: I've got to come back to you on this Venezuelan. I wasn't talking about the tripartite statement of principles. I was referring to Gaviria's reporting or saying that what the military were doing was contrary to the Carte Democratica. Now, does that fit in with the Carte Democratica when they're asking for a democratic solution -- the military?

MR. REEKER: I guess I'm not quite familiar with the specifics that you're referring to. Secretary General Gaviria made a statement yesterday which we welcome, and we have supported the OAS -- that is, the organization that Secretary General Gaviria is the head of -- as well as others, the United Nations Development Program and the Carter Center. Those three together make up a tripartite process and we think their efforts to facilitate dialogue are positive, worthy and are the direction that they should go.

QUESTION: -- in his statement is the Carte Democratica, the Democratic Charter, and he refers to a specific article there. And I was asking how does that describe what the generals are doing when they're asking for a democratic solution? They're not armed.

MR. REEKER: I don't think I characterized anything in terms of what the generals are doing. I told you what US policy is about things should proceed there. And in answer to your colleague's question, I said I wasn't going to try to analyze the particular steps there.

What I said quite clearly, and I'll say it once more, is that the United States supports a peaceful, democratic and constitutional process. I have illustrated for you -- we have talked about for some time -- what is available to the government and people of Venezuela in terms of support and assistance in pursuing a peaceful, constitutional process.

What we do not support is any unconstitutional or violent scenario. And that is, I think, where we need to leave it today as we monitor the situation and continue to support that process.

Elise.

QUESTION: Can we go back to North Korea, please? When Assistant Secretary Kelly was in Tokyo to consult with Japanese officials, did the Japanese ask for amnesty for a US serviceman believed to have defected to North Korea? Are you familiar with this?

MR. REEKER: I am not, I'm afraid.

QUESTION: There are some stories in a Japanese paper about one of the -- he's a husband of one of the Japanese abductees that came from --

MR. REEKER: We talked about it at one point closer to the time when Assistant Secretary Kelly was in Pyongyang. There is an office at the Pentagon that would probably be able to answer any questions regarding --

QUESTION: Well, I'm just curious if in Assistant Secretary Kelly's discussions with the Japanese -- there are some reports that the Japanese have asked the US to grant amnesty to this serviceman so that he can repatriate back to Japan.

MR. REEKER: I am not aware of those reports or specifics. I can check or you can check with the Pentagon.

QUESTION: Can you? Great.

MR. REEKER: I'll look into it for you.

Let me just note, since we play the breaking news game here, that my colleagues from our mission at the UN -- mission to the UN in New York have said that the United Nations itself has announced that the entire Security Council is going to consult today at 4 o'clock on the US proposal. So I can now amend my earlier remarks that that may take place as early as today. I believe the UN has already put out there in New York that they will do that at 4 o'clock.

Sir.

QUESTION: Phil, this is probably a day or two late, but do you have anything --

MR. REEKER: But not a dollar foolish.

QUESTION: Any confirmation of reports that Georgian forces have turned over to the United States some people connected with al-Qaida that were captured in the Pankisi Gorge?

MR. REEKER: I've seen reports on that. I'd have to check in and see if I had anything on it or if there was anything I could talk about in terms of them. So we'll look back at that.

Yes, Christophe.

QUESTION: On Germany. There are reports this morning in the German press saying that the US transmitted a list of conditions to Berlin in order to improve the relations between the two countries.

MR. REEKER: I'm not aware of that. As you know, Secretary Powell will be meeting next week with German Foreign Minister Fischer here in Washington on October the 30th. Richard talked to you about that process. I'm not aware of any particular diplomatic discussions or --

QUESTION: It's in the German press this morning, saying that a precise list of --

MR. REEKER: I'm sure there are lots of things in the German press this morning. I don't have anything for you on that. We'll let our two secretaries meet next week.

George.

QUESTION: Do you have anything to say about Turkey's position on the use of Incirlik or other facilities in Turkey with respect to an American military action against Iraq?

MR. REEKER: No, I think I don't have anything to add to what I said a bit earlier about Turkey in terms of the fact that we keep in very close touch with Turkey, we have very strong ties with Turkey, including our NATO links, and we consult with the Government of Turkey closely as we move forward in our efforts to ensure that Iraq complies fully with UN Security Council resolutions.

I'll just mention again that General Franks was visiting in Ankara yesterday and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Marc Grossman as well as Assistant Secretary Beth Jones have both visited within the past month.* So I don't have any specific things to discuss on hypothetical situations, but we certainly keep in very close contact with our Turkish friends.

(*Correction: Under Secretary Grossman visited Turkey in July.  Assistant Secretary Jones visited Turkey in September.)

The lady here.

QUESTION: I have a question about Minister Fischer's upcoming trip next week.

MR. REEKER: Okay.

QUESTION: I just wanted to know if you can sort of give us a preview. Are they going to try to work through some of the differences?

MR. REEKER: I don't think I can give you any more of a preview than Ambassador Boucher did when he announced the trip, and we can pull up the transcript for you and give you exactly what he said then.

Obviously, we have a large agenda with Germany, a whole array of issues. Germany is a NATO ally, a major trading partner, so there is a whole slew of issues that we'll be discussing, including Iraq. And so I wouldn't want to try to characterize a specific agenda too closely, but we will pull up what we've said in the past about it and then we will wait a week and let the meeting take place when it does.

Christophe.

QUESTION: Anything about the meeting this morning with former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe and Secretary Powell?

MR. REEKER: I don't have any particular reading on it. You know it's customary to meet with, often, with former officials as well as significant political figures, as the former Minister and now Mayor is in France. So I don't have a particular readout of the meeting. It did take place this morning, though, I am told. I wasn't there and I guess you weren't either.

Anything else? Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Iraq. There's a growing clamor in the US press for --

MR. REEKER: Stop right there. Growing clamor in the US press. All right, go ahead.

QUESTION: It sells the paper. For the United States to present its resolution to the Security Council and let's see how they vote. How long are you prepared to wait until an agreement is reached?

MR. REEKER: I think as my colleague Mr. Fleischer at the White House said this morning, I don't have any deadlines or particular timetables. Obviously, this is a UN process and it's a serious discussion. It's deliberative, as I said earlier. Today, as I just announced, we've met already with the Perm 5 and we will be having at 4 o'clock a meeting with the full Security Council. So I think that's an important process that's going on up there. I think we're getting into the final stages of this process. We want the Security Council to produce a resolution that is consistent with the goals that we've discussed before.

As I said, it's an opportunity for the United Nations to show its relevance by producing a strong resolution backed with serious consequences as the way to prevent war, as a way to keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein to make him comply with Security Council resolutions and disarm, as he has refused to do for so long. So we'll let that process continue and we'll go ahead with the meeting at 4 o'clock and see what we can do to update you after that.

QUESTION: Well, would you agree that if it continues much longer it gets less serious in the public's viewpoint?

MR. REEKER: Well, I will let you do the analysis of the public's viewpoint. What we try to do is keep the public abreast of what we're doing, how the progress is going, what our goals are, and that is to make sure the Security Council takes the responsibility it has to show the United Nations' relevance, to identify Iraq's violations, to give the inspectors a strong mandate to carry out inspections fully, to set timetables and timelines and to make clear that there will be serious consequences for noncompliance.

However, the UN process works itself out, the President, of course, retains the authority to act to ensure our national security. So that's what we're watching and we'll update you as we can.

Far in the back.

QUESTION: Yes. There's several Iraqi, Northern Iraqi Kurdish leaders, they announced that the United States give them some kind of assurance or guarantee against the Turkish aggression. Did you give them any guarantee or any assurance for a Turkish aggression for them?

MR. REEKER: I think we have talked about this subject generally before. You know, we fully recognize that free Iraqis in Iraq run risks, and the record of the Iraqi regime in terms of oppressing its own people, including the Kurds, including murdering its own people, is all too clear. I would just remind you of the 1988 Anfal campaign against the Kurds, the use of chemical weapons in Halabja, and of course the suppression of the Shi'a in the South, things we've talked about long before where Saddam Hussein has demonstrated his willingness to use weapons of mass destruction even on his own people. So we are very conscious of the nature of Saddam's regime and the risks to those who oppose it and so we have had Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch as part of our efforts to protect those people.

In terms of discussions with Turkey, we have always made quite clear that we support the territorial integrity of Iraq. So in terms of those very specific reports that you mentioned I am not aware of anything in that regard.

QUESTION: Before the Turkish officials, they officially announced that if the northern Iraqi Kurdish group declared as the capital of the Kurdish Federal State in Iraq, that Turkey is easily interfering militarily.

MR. REEKER: I think you know, and I will repeat it, the US policy that we strongly support the territorial integrity of Iraq and we oppose the establishment of a Kurdish state. And as I said, we closely consult with Turkey on all of those issues in terms of our efforts to get Saddam Hussein to comply. So that policy is very much the same as it has always been.

Anything else? Thanks.

(The briefing was concluded at 2:05 p.m.)