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U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing #78, 00-08-08

U.S. State Department: Daily Press Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) at <http://www.state.gov>


701

U.S. Department of State

Press Briefing

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

Briefer: Richard Boucher, Spokesman

ANNOUNCEMENTS
1	Statement on Conviction of Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar
	 Ibrahim in Malaysia 
MALAYSIA
1-2	Effect of Anwar Ibrahim's Conviction on U.S. -- Malaysian Relations
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
2	U.S. --Palestinian Authority Bilateral Relations
3-4	Assistant Secretary Walker Continues Journey in Region / Process of
	 Consultations And Discussions Continue 
RUSSIA
4-5	Bombing in Moscow / Detention of American Citizen Edmond Pope
IRAQ / VENEZUELA
5-6	President Chavez Visit to Iraq
COLOMBIA
5	Under Secretary Pickering's Travel
11	Operations of FARC
CHILE
6-7	Chilean Court Ruling that General Pinochet Can Be Prosecuted for
	 His Crimes During His Dictatorship / Release of Documents Dealing
	 with the Killing of Three Americans 
INDIA / PAKISTAN (KASHMIR)
7-9	Hizbul Mujahiddin Calls Off Cease-Fire / Danger of Nuclear Conflict
	 in South Asia 
NORTH KOREA
9-10	U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Michael Sheehan's
	 Travel to Pyongyang for Talks on Terrorism, August 9-10 /
	 Continued Harboring of Japanese Red Army Hijackers 
IRAN
11	U.S. Calls on Government of Iran to Uphold International Human
	 Rights Standards, Including the Right to Freedom of Expression 
DEPARTMENT
12	Secretary Albright's Travel to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador
	 / Regional Cooperation, Support for Democracy, Economic Reform,
	 Regional Cooperation on the Environment, and Anti-Narcotics Efforts 
NICARAGUA
12-13	Visa Issuance to Daniel Ortega
UZBEKISTAN
13	Uzbek Government Conducting Operations Against Islamic Extremists
ZIMBABWE
14	Draft Legislation Passed to U.S. Senate That Requires U.S. to
	 Freeze Aid and Vote Against Deft Relief Until President Mugabe
	 Reverses His Decision on Land Seizures 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

DPB # 78

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2000 12:45 P.M.

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

MR. BOUCHER: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. If I can, I'd like to start off with a statement on the conviction of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia. The United States is very distressed by the August 8 convictions of the former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his adopted brother on sodomy charges. We're also outraged by the imposition of a nine-year sentence to be added consecutively to the six- year sentence that Anwar is currently serving on his previous corruption conviction.

We share the opinion and the concern of many Malaysian and international observers about the questionable fairness of this trial. Our concerns about the trial are many. They include multiple prosecution, changes in dates of the alleged offenses, police coaching of key prosecution witnesses, the court's charging of one of Anwar's lawyers with sedition for statements that he made in court, and the court's refusal to permit Anwar to call key witnesses who might have bolstered his contention that he is the victim of a political conspiracy.

Anwar's conviction in this case and his previous conviction on four counts of corruption in April 1999 cast serious doubt on the impartiality and the independence of the Malaysian judiciary. I would also note in this connection the Secretary is writing to Anwar Ibrahim's wife, Dr. Wan Azizah. They have kept in touch throughout this process of the trials and she will be writing to Dr. Wan Azizah. They last saw each other in Warsaw at the Community of Democracy's conference, where both attended.

And with that statement, I'd be glad to take your questions.

QUESTION: You're concerned about the whole thing in general, not just the sentence, right? It's not just that you think a nine-year sentence is harsh for a sodomy conviction? It's the whole process --

MR. BOUCHER: We're concerned about the whole thing in general; distressed by the conviction; outraged by the way the sentencing was done.

QUESTION: And why is the Secretary not writing to Mahathir? Why is she only writing to Anwar's wife?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I didn't say she was only writing to Anwar's wife. So I'm sure we'll have -- other than these statements -- I'm sure we'll find ways of making our concerns known to the Malaysian Government. I don't want to predict any particular letter or action by the Secretary, but certainly the Malaysian Government has been quite aware all along of our concerns on this. We've had discussions with them about it, and if there's something official at this stage that we have to convey, we'll probably do that as well.

QUESTION: But as far as you know, there hasn't been any communication yet, between either the Embassy or this building and the Malaysian Government?

MR. BOUCHER: This just happened overnight. I'm not aware of anything yet, but we'll see.

QUESTION: What effect does this have on relations with Malaysia generally?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, we have had cooperative relations with Malaysia in many areas. We've been able to cooperate closely. Malaysia is a key member of ASEAN. We share many concerns together. Nonetheless, we've made our serious concerns about the treatment of Anwar and other human rights issues known to the Government of Malaysia, and we will continue to do so.

The Government of Malaysia's record on human rights has indeed impeded close consultations and cooperation on many matters. Today's verdict certainly doesn't help that situation.

QUESTION: I can't authenticate this, but there's an Internet report -- and since I can't, I won't use the Palestinian official's name in the question -- but the suggestion that the United States has not rescheduled a meeting with the Palestinian Authority on aid and an improvement in the bilateral relationship that's been building up in the last year or two -- the meeting to have been in July but suspended or canceled or postponed or whatever, because of the talks. This is being represented as a symbolic or systematic -- as symptomatic, I should say, of an attempt by the US to freeze its relationship with the PA in a pressure technique. Let me stop right there.

MR. BOUCHER: I hadn't heard about what specific meeting it was that was supposedly not --

QUESTION: That's the only fact that seems to be in this account.

MR. BOUCHER: I'll check on the fact, but I think I can say generally that there's nothing to reports that we've somehow frozen our relationship with the Palestinian Authorities. We do remain engaged with all the parties in the peace process. We remain willing to help move the process forward in any way possible and our new Consul General in Jerusalem has been having meetings with people in the Palestinian Authority. So, we continue to have a relationship there. It's not frozen. I will check on the specific question of those meetings and whether they've been scheduled.

QUESTION: Here's a question that I obviously can only answer one way, but I'm going to ask it anyhow. The notion continues that not only is the Assistant Secretary but other American officials are attempting -- the word "pressure" comes up -- to twist the Arabs, the Palestinians, into accepting something less than East Jerusalem, sovereignty over East Jerusalem, as a way to get the peace talks off a dime. Of course, you'll never say they're pressuring anybody, but what do you say to that characterization of US policy now or US entreaties now?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't accept it. The characterization that we've used for the point that we're at is it's time to reassess, it's time to reflect. We are continuing to have our contacts with people in the region. Assistant Secretary Walker continues his journey. He is in Oman and will continue on to the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the rest of the Gulf states tomorrow, arriving back in Washington in roughly ten days. So, that process continues. That's a process of consultation, of discussion, briefing them on the situation at Camp David, the discussions at Camp David, and then obviously encouraging people to support continuation of the peace process.

The Secretary has continued her contacts. She has talked today with Foreign Minister Ivanov of Russia, talked with Foreign Minister Moussa of Egypt about the peace process. These are just in the way of continuing contacts. We see the travels. People are meeting with people. Prime Minister Barak has been to Cairo. Chairman Arafat has been to a number of places, is going to others. So, people are keeping in touch with each other and we're keeping in touch with the parties. But at the same time, we are in this period we've described as a time to reassess and reflect. So, the kind of concerted effort that you're describing is not the way we describe it at this point.

QUESTION: Can I ask you a couple questions about Kashmir?

QUESTION: Can we stay on the Middle East a little bit?

QUESTION: I notice that this is the second day on which you've used "reassess and reflect."

MR. BOUCHER: I think it's about the tenth day I've used it.

QUESTION: Omitting the phrase which you used earlier, which was "promoting compromise." Why is Mr. Walker not "promoting compromise," or what's happened on this?

MR. BOUCHER: I think it's in terms of his visit we've just adopted the shorthand of "to brief Arab countries on the developments." Certainly we are encouraging people to be supportive of the process the way we originally described the trip, more lengthy, included promoting compromise, promoting the need to make a deal. I think now that we've had some stops we've described the meetings as good, as serious, as constructive, talking about all those things. And we'll see where we go forward in the future.

QUESTION: So, does that mean that you're actually admitting a change in --

MR. BOUCHER: No, I'm not admitting a change. I'm saying that we've just adopted a shorter phraseology. The original phraseology remains --

QUESTION: Remains valid?

MR. BOUCHER: Remains valid.

QUESTION: So he is promoting compromise?

MR. BOUCHER: He is promoting compromise. He's encouraging people to support a peace process. He is encouraging people to support negotiation between the parties, and in fact that's what we're hearing back from the people he's talking to, that they do indeed appreciate US efforts and that they support the parties in making an agreement.

QUESTION: You said that the Secretary spoke to Ivanov today?

MR. BOUCHER: Yes.

QUESTION: Was that pre-bomb? And if it wasn't, do you have anything --

MR. BOUCHER: Yes, it was pre-bomb, so she doesn't -- she didn't have anything --

QUESTION: Do you have anything to say about that?

MR. BOUCHER: We don't have any additional information to add. We've certainly seen the reports. They're very distressing. It looks like a very terrible event. We really don't have any further information at this point about who might have done it and why, nor any details of things. Our Embassy is certainly looking into the question of whether there were any Americans involved.

QUESTION: I'm sorry I didn't let you know in advance, but I think you might have something on it. There are new concerns about Edmond Pope's health, the man who's being held in Moscow. Do you have anything on him?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I mean, we share those concerns. We've continued to be concerned about it. We've made eight consular visits to Mr. Pope since his arrest. Our most recent one was on August 1st. We are very concerned about his health, which appears to have deteriorated further.

We've raised the issue repeatedly with senior Russian officials, raised it yesterday with the Russian Foreign Ministry. We've made clear to the Russian Government that they bear the responsibility for the physical well- being of American citizens who are detained on their territory. We expect to have another consular visit to Mr. Pope in prison this week, so it may be occurring soon.

We've also asked permission to visit Mr. Pope as soon as possible with a physician in order to perform an independent examination of his health but, to date, the Russian officials have denied this request.

QUESTION: Did the Secretary mention this in the call with Ivanov today?

MR. BOUCHER: I didn't check. I don't know. I'll have to check.

QUESTION: The Chavez visit to Iraq. Yesterday, you said you were going to try to figure out a way to get him to cancel the visit, and I wonder if you have a progress report.

MR. BOUCHER: As far as we know, he has not canceled his visit.

QUESTION: Do you have any --

MR. BOUCHER: Is that progress? No.

QUESTION: Are you disappointed that he hasn't canceled his visit?

MR. BOUCHER: He has embarked on this trip. We made quite clear what our views are on the issue. We don't think it's wise or appropriate for him to visit, and therefore we'll look to see what he does.

QUESTION: You've talked about a sanctions violation, or a potential sanctions violation?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, there's the question of how he gets there and whether he has permission to fly in, and all these other questions involving the UN Sanctions Committee. I'm not aware they've done anything like that in Venezuela -- in New York.

QUESTION: He says he's going to walk in now.

QUESTION: That means he's going in by road from Iran, I believe.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I mean, okay, there's little bits of news here. That has to be considered. They should take that into account. But nonetheless, as I said, we don't think it's appropriate or wise to make this visit. We've made that quite clear in our views, and it's just not the right thing to show up in Baghdad, particularly as a democratic leader visiting a dictator. We think that's particularly inappropriate.

QUESTION: Tom Pickering is going to Colombia over the next day or so, and since he's in the neighborhood, is it possible he'll make a left turn and go to Venezuela to talk about this?

MR. BOUCHER: I'll double check, but I'm not aware of any such plans. And, obviously, Chavez is not there. He could talk to others, I suppose.

QUESTION: The Foreign Minister is there.

QUESTION: This is on Venezuela. The Chilean court ruled today that General Pinochet can be prosecuted for his crimes during his dictatorship. Do you have any comment on that?

MR. BOUCHER: Just to say that the decision is clearly historic. It's significant for Chile, for the rule of law, and for the promotion and protection of human rights. The decision affirms the fundamental principle that no one stands above the law. We certainly hope that it will contribute to the resolution of long-pending human rights issues, and further advance the process of justice and reconciliation in Chile.

QUESTION: Just to follow up, is September 18 still the date for the United States Government to release all the documents in regards to this particular case, the release of documents --

MR. BOUCHER: There is two pieces to that. As far as I know, we haven't changed the deadline on release of documents. I'll double check on that one. But I don't think it's regarding this particular case.

QUESTION: Well, the relationship between the United States and Pinochet --

MR. BOUCHER: Yes, I think those documents dealt principally with the question of three Americans who were killed there, and things like that. So, as far as I know, that's still on track for September, but I'll double check on it.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: In the view of the United States, where does this leave the internal reconciliation process, which was such an important factor in your reasoning earlier in this Pinochet affair.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I think it's a factor in our reasoning now, too. We hope that this decision and the process that will be undertaken will advance the process of justice and reconciliation in Chile.

QUESTION: And this is Chilean television. Since there are three Americans cases in Chile, the State Department has requested for investigations for more information about these three cases now -- Horman, Teruggi and Weisfeiler. What does this means that Pinochet has lost his immunity in terms of the Chilean commitment to resolve this case?

MR. BOUCHER: I think at this stage that would be kind of speculative for me to say what this means in terms of those other cases. This was a decision involving a particular case. It's a petition based on evidence compiled by the judge in the investigation of the Caravan of Death case in Chile, so we're really not able to speculate on what effect that might have on other cases or decisions.

QUESTION: But when the State Department request for an investigation in the Horman-Teruggi case, the answer from the Chilean Government was that they can't do anything because they are under the amnesty law. What is State Department going to -- it's going to do in these two cases?

MR. BOUCHER: Again, I can't take this decision and apply it to some other case. We certainly remain interested in those other cases. If there is an opportunity to raise them again and pursue them, we will. But I just don't know the interplay between this decision, the amnesty law and those other cases, and it would be speculative for me to try to draw those conclusions at this point.

QUESTION: A last question. The Justice Department is looking or searching for eventually blame of Pinochet in the case of -- in the Letelier case. It sees the possibility that you request for an extradition of Pinochet since that Pinochet has lost his immunity, this -- another case, the Letelier case?

MR. BOUCHER: Same answer. This was a decision in a particular case. That's a different case, and I can't speculate on what the implications might be.

QUESTION: On Kashmir, if we've moved on.

MR. BOUCHER: We've moved on.

QUESTION: Just, firstly, what's the Administration's reaction to their announcement from the Hizbul Mujahideen that they have called off their cease-fire? Do you think this will mean the virtual and immediate resumption of violence? And, secondly, how hopeful are you that Pakistan will be included in the peace talks in the region?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, I think, first of all, we want to say that we regret the decision that's been reported by the Hizbul Mujahideen. We would urge all sides to nurture and continue the process of peace. We welcome the initiation of discussions between India and the Hizbul Mujahideen and we encourage their resumption.

Decisions on how the talks are actually structured need to be made by the parties involved in the discussions and in the issue. It has always been our belief that it's up to the parties themselves to shape the process and to clear the road to peace. We have also consistently encouraged direct discussion between India and Pakistan.

The President has said that for the Kashmir dispute to be resolved there needs to be restraint, respect for the line of control, renunciation of violence, and renewal of dialogue.

QUESTION: Now we know that the President took an active role last week with a call to Prime Minister Vajpayee. Will the Secretary or, as far as you know, the President be taking any kind of role like that this week off the back of this announcement?

MR. BOUCHER: I'll have to see how we follow up on this, what we do next in this situation. I'm not aware of any plans at this point.

QUESTION: Can you tell us what role the United States played in the decision of the Hizbul Mujahideen to call a cease-fire in the first place? Did you encourage this privately or through the Pakistanis?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't want to claim any particular role for us. We have consistently, though, encouraged dialogue, as we've said, with the President. We've encouraged renunciation of violence. We've done that with all the parties fairly consistently in this situation.

QUESTION: As a matter of principle, do you think that talks between the Hizbul Mujahideen -- well, between the Kashmiri groups and the Indian Government should be unconditional, and do you think it is reasonable for the Indian Government to impose conditions on the agenda?

MR. BOUCHER: We think it's reasonable for the parties to sit down together to work on peace and to work out the structure of the talks. It's not for us standing here to make conditions.

QUESTION: In the same general area, can you say anything about the accuracy of the story in today's <I>Times</I>?

MR. BOUCHER: It's wrong. Which story? (Laughter.)

QUESTION: There was only one front page story that had to do with India and Pakistan in today's <I>New York Times</I>.

MR. BOUCHER: Oh, that's right. Well, no, the comment doesn't apply.

QUESTION: So it is accurate?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I didn't say that, either. I have nothing to say about alleged intelligence reports on the threat of nuclear conflict in South Asia. We have had, as you know, continuing concerns about tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir. We've also been concerned about the threat to regional stability in South Asia that's posed by the introduction of nuclear weapons to the region.

We've been working with Indians and Pakistani Governments for the past two years. Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott has worked very hard to bring both countries into the international mainstream on nonproliferation. We've worked to reduce tensions, promote dialogue between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. The President, as I mentioned earlier, has expressed our concerns, clearly spelled out our policy, and that's where we remain. We encourage and support whatever steps the two countries will take to reduce violence and resolve the differences, including dialogue between them.

QUESTION: So you don't think you need to explain the rationale behind Clinton's statement that South Asia is the most dangerous place on the planet?

MR. BOUCHER: We didn't need to explain it at the time; I don't see any reason to explain it now.

QUESTION: Richard, it's pretty obvious that --

MR. BOUCHER: It's quite obvious and clear as far as --

QUESTION: It's pretty obvious that there is a nuclear danger in South Asia.

MR. BOUCHER: Yes.

QUESTION: So that's not news.

MR. BOUCHER: And I said so.

QUESTION: Right. But has that danger increased? I mean, how would you -- you regard it as an intelligence and so on, but as an observer, an informed observer, has it increased since -- in the last year, say?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't think we can give you a barometer that goes up and down periodically. When we see the dangers as being acute, we sometimes talk about them. At this point, I would say that we've encouraged peaceful progress in this direction, a reduction of the tensions, but I don't want to try to give you a gauge -- (inaudible) -- every day.

QUESTION: Acute now. You said when they're acute, we mention them. Are they acute now?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm going to stick with what I've said and not try to draw a picture every day, because if I draw one today I'll have to draw another one tomorrow and we'll end up with a barometer here on every country that sort of gives you a temperature level or something.

QUESTION: Can you talk about Assistant Secretary Sheehan's trip to North Korea?

MR. BOUCHER: Sure. He left yesterday. He's on his way to Pyongyang for talks on terrorism. He's our US Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, Ambassador Michael Sheehan. The delegation will hold talks in Pyongyang on August 9 and 10. The last round of talks between the United States and North Korea on terrorism took place in New York in March. Ambassador Sheehan will again explain the steps the North must take to end its support for terrorism, and therefore be considered for removal from the United States list of state sponsors for terrorism. The Secretary and the North Korean Foreign Minister did discuss this issue in Bangkok as well.

QUESTION: Was this meeting suggested by her or requested by Foreign Minister Paek at that meeting, or was this something that had been set up after Sheehan's last meetings?

MR. BOUCHER: This meeting was one that was expected as a result of the last round of meetings in March. I would say it was confirmed by the Secretary with the North Korean Foreign Minister in Bangkok.

QUESTION: Confirmed in terms of specific dates, or just confirmed that he would be --

MR. BOUCHER: No, just confirmed that it would take place and that they should get together again.

QUESTION: That it would be in Pyongyang?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't remember discussing time and place, actually, at that point.

QUESTION: Are the North Koreans any closer to being removed from that list of state sponsors of terrorism?

MR. BOUCHER: This is sort of the like the degree of tension in various places. I don't take out a measuring stick. I can say that we have described for the North Koreans what they need to do to meet our serious concerns. In our bilateral talks we made quite clear what they need to do to take -- to be removed.

Without going into complete detail on it, I think it's clear if you read our terrorism report and other statements that we have made, the statements the Secretary has made recently, the fact that North Korea continues to harbor Japanese Red Army hijackers involved in the 1970 hijacking of a Japanese airline is one of the issues that remains of concern to us. In the past, the United States and other countries have expressed their concern to the North Koreans about this issue and the need for them to take appropriate steps to solve it. So resolving that issue certainly would be an important step in addressing our concerns about their support for terrorism.

QUESTION: Did you say that he -- is he also meeting with Japanese officials in Tokyo? Did you say?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm not sure I have his itinerary, actually. No, I'd have to check and see if he's stopping in Tokyo on the way.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) -- sure these Red Army terrorists are still alive?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, it's been a while. Our terrorism report earlier this year and our current information now indicates that they're still in North Korea with safe haven. I'm not aware of any information to the contrary, but that would certainly be interesting, too.

QUESTION: Richard, on a related subject, the talks in Hawaii, nonproliferation talks with China, have begun today; is that correct? Or are beginning, considering the time difference, are supposed to begin today?

MR. BOUCHER: Let me double check on the dates. I forgot to get something on that. I don't remember exactly what date it was.

QUESTION: Barry McCaffrey, the Drug Czar, is reported to have told the new president-elect of Mexico that he agrees with him that the US should discontinue its drug certification program. Does this building agree with that assessment?

MR. BOUCHER: With that reported statement that we haven't seen? I don't think I can do that. I haven't seen the statement. We'll look at it and get back to you, but you might check with Barry McCaffrey's office first and foremost to find out if he has made such a statement.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) President (Inaudible) is coming to New York for UN meeting next month. Is there any possibility that he can -- he is going to meet with President Clinton in New York or planning any meeting in Washington, DC?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm not aware of any plans at this point for the President's meetings. That's a question you have to ask over at the White House. They'll be putting together the President's schedule there.

QUESTION: On Colombia. Last week, Colombia received 83 new military advisors who trained the second anti-narcotic battalion in Larandia. It's about 20 miles away from San Vicente. The FARC has already decided that they are a military target. Do you have any comments or any input in to this declaration from the FARC?

MR. BOUCHER: I think we've expressed, in the past, our concerns about the operations of the FARC in Colombia, our concerns about the way that they have targeted people involved in anti-narcotics operations. And we certainly support the government's efforts to deal with the problem. Beyond that, I'm not aware of this specific situation, frankly.

QUESTION: Iran again. Another -- the last reformist newspaper is being closed down. Do you have anything to add to what you said yesterday on freedom of expression in Iran?

MR. BOUCHER: Certainly our comments of yesterday still apply. I think we're still -- we're not exactly sure of what the status is of the reform press in Iran at this point. We think it's still unclear. So we'll see how that situation works out. But our serious concerns about freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Iran remain.

QUESTION: What do you mean, you're "not exactly sure of the status"? They've all been shut down.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, that's not quite clear at this point to us. We'll see.

QUESTION: That's not clear to the US.

MR. BOUCHER: Yes.

QUESTION: So, at what point are you going to give up on this attempt to engage the Iranian leadership, and smell the coffee, as it were, and say that -- come out and say something a little bit stronger about what the conservatives are doing over there in terms of crushing this nascent reform movement that you wanted to build up, or at least offer support to?

MR. BOUCHER: Matt, we've made quite clear our views on Iran, on freedom of expression, on freedom of the press. We've made quite clear our support for freedom of expression. We've made quite clear that if we're going to have a relationship to Iran, it has to be premised on dealing with many of our concerns, and our willingness to enter into a direct dialogue to do that.

I think we've expressed very clearly our serious concerns about the situation as it's unfolded yet, but if you're asking me to write off any prospects or possibilities, I don't think that's something we ever do.

QUESTION: Is Ms. Albright going to Chile in the next couple of weeks, and what is her purpose?

MR. BOUCHER: Going to where?

QUESTION: To Chile?

MR. BOUCHER: Yes, that's part of her South American trip that we announced yesterday.

QUESTION: And could you tell us about her purpose there, her meetings or whatever?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, in all the countries that she's visiting in the region -- she's visiting Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador -- the trip is about regional cooperation, about support for democracy, about support for economic reform, support for regional cooperation on issues such as the environment, anti-narcotics efforts, a chance to discuss with countries of the region various developments in the region. So, it has a broad purpose, a lot of things to discuss with the countries there.

QUESTION: And do you know when exactly is she going?

MR. BOUCHER: We haven't put out the full itinerary. She'll be in those four countries between the 15th and the 19th of the month.

QUESTION: The impending arrival of Daniel Ortega in Miami has raised some hackles down there among the Nicaraguan exiled community, to say the least, and also concern from some congressmen about the fact that -- or some national lawmakers -- about the fact that he's got a visa. What do you have -- and he has a multiple-entry visa, even though he is supposedly on a list of banned people.

MR. BOUCHER: He's not on the visa lookout system, despite some people saying that he's on the list as a suspected terrorist. He's not on the list. His visa application was looked at very thoroughly. He applied for a visa in November of 1999. We issued the visa after very careful consultation between the Embassy in Managua and the Department. And the conclusion was that he was eligible to receive a US visa, and we issued him a two-year multiple-entry visa in December of 1999.

QUESTION: And do you have anything to say about the possibility that he could be arrested and charged with any criminal crime -- I mean, with any crime but, in particular, the allegations of his stepdaughter?

MR. BOUCHER: Allegations like that would have been relevant for visa purposes if they had resulted in a conviction. We're not aware that there have been any such conviction. It's the Department of Justice, not State, who determines who should and should not be prosecuted while in the United States.

QUESTION: I've got two more things. Yesterday I asked about the situation in Uzbekistan with the Islamic extremists. Do you have anything on that?

MR. BOUCHER: We understand, from press reports, that there are 60 to 100 members of the Uzbek rebel movement, the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan, that have been interdicted in the last few days in the Southeast of Uzbekistan. We also understand that Uzbek security forces claim to have surrounded the group and intend to neutralize it. We have no information, though, about their plans or strategies.

We've also seen press reports who say that the Uzbek Government is conducting this operation while taking into account the safety of the local population. We certainly recognize the right of the Uzbek Government to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against armed incursion. At the same time, we would urge the government to do so with the maximum possible restraint in order to minimize unnecessary casualties.

We also understand that Tajikistan is cooperating in the Uzbeks' efforts by increasing security on its side of the border. We urge all governments in the region to cooperate closely to address threats like this to Central Asian security.

Clearly this Spring, when the Secretary went out to visit Central Asia, this subject was a subject of discussion. The need for cross-border cooperation there was a subject of discussion and something that she encouraged. And as we say here, she recognized the government's need to be able to defend their territorial integrity, but she also urged the Uzbek Government and others to do that in a way that doesn't result in unnecessary casualties or violence.

QUESTION: Okay, and the last thing. What's this -- there's some legislation making its way through Congress right now that would cut off all aid, although there's not very much or none, and make Zimbabwe ineligible for debt relief unless President Mugabe rolls back his land reform proposal, rolls back the position on land reform to pre-January position.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, as we understand it, the bill is not in final form yet, but I can say the Administration does share the concerns that prompted the sponsors to introduce the bill that has passed the Senate.

Congressional concern centers on the pre- and post-election intimidation and violence in Zimbabwe. We certainly share the broad goals of the bill, namely the economic and political reform and safeguarding of the rule of the law. We're particularly supportive of the provision that would make US financial support available for land acquisition. We share the view that land reform is a key issue that deserves immediate attention and resolution. We're following progress of the bill on the House side very closely.

As you know, our policy on land reform has been that we support land reform that respects the principles agreed to with donors at the September 1998 Land Reform Conference, including the principle of proceeding on the basis of the willing seller/willing buyer principle. So we've condemned the illegal occupation of farms, the violent attacks in Zimbabwe, and we have also, for some time now, suspended our assistance to land reform. In March of this year, we joined other donors in suspending the assistance.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MR. BOUCHER: Thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:25 P.M.)


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