US Department of State Daily Briefing #54:
Wednesday, 4/3/91
Tutwiler
Source: State Department Spokesman Margaret Tutwiler
Description: 12:24 PM, Washington, DC
Date: Apr 3, 19914/3/91
Category: Briefings
Region: MidEast/North Africa, E/C Europe, Central America,
Europe
Country: Iraq, Kuwait, Albania, Iran, Israel, Panama,
Turkey
Subject: Regional/Civil Unrest, Development/Relief Aid, Refugees,
Democratization, EC, International Law
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
MS. TUTWILER: Yesterday, I told you all what we knew
at the time about the elections in Albania that had been held. We
have more information today, and I'd like to share that with you.
[Albania: Albanian Election Process Flawed]
The Albanian Central Election Commission has officially
announced that the Albanian Workers Party won 162 seats of the
250-seat Parliament; the Democratic Party, 65; the Greek Party, 3;
the Veterans Committee, 1. Seventeen candidates face runoff
elections this Sunday and one seat will be recontested April 14.
Concerning our overall reaction on these elections, the March
31 elections were the first step on the long road to democracy in
Albania. The democratic opposition, which did not exist four
months ago, now has over a quarter of the seats in Parliament and
is pressing for political freedom and economic reform in a society
with little recent experience in the democratic process. A partial
foundation has been laid for political pluralism and democracy.
Based on reports from U.S. observers and other international
election monitors, it appears that the electoral process fell short
in several key areas of CSCE standards for free and fair elections.
During the campaign, the opposition parties were allowed only
limited access to the government-controlled media, although they
were allotted some time for televised political broadcasts and
were able to publish newspapers that received partial
dissemination.
Official parties enjoyed overwhelming use of state resources
while opposition parties had limited access to these resources.
There are also credible reports of widespread intimidation against
opposition party candidates and activists during the campaign and
on election day. It is questionable why the authorities delayed
issuing official election results for over two days, and that the
list of winning and losing candidates contained no vote count.
We call upon authorities to investigate fully and
openly all charges of electoral abuses and to propose
appropriate measures to redress legitimate grievances.
Now it is up to all elements of Albanian society to
help the newly created multiparty system function in an
effective manner. In particular, the majority party must fully
respect the rights of the minority parties as stipulated by
CSCE. The United States firmly supports the principles of
democracy in Albania and those who are working to establish
freedom and human rights.
The other thing I would like to do today --
Q Margaret, on that one --
MS. TUTWILER: Sure.
Q Copy of that, please?
MS. TUTWILER: Sure.
Q In light of these electoral shortcomings, do you
think now it was premature to have held these elections so early
without giving the opposition a chance to gear up their own
electoral machinery?
MS. TUTWILER: I'm not really, Jim, in a position to
best judge that. I know this issue came up in a number of other
Eastern European countries the first year of the Bush
Administration concerning timing. I, myself, to be quite honest
with you, have not specifically looked at the timing in this
specific instance here in Albania. I'll be happy to do it for
you, but I don't have for you at my fingertips an accurate
answer for you on how long they indeed allowed this to go on. I
just have not had an opportunity to study it in the depth that I
would like to.
Q Do you have any details on the kind of intimidation which
the authorities engaged in?
MS. TUTWILER: I'll see if the European Bureau can be
more forthcoming on what types of intimidation and specific
cases were we have incidents of from my team that's there on the
ground.
Q Margaret, your statement urges all segments of
Albanian society to work with the newly elected parliament.
Considering the election ploys you've just enunciated, why
should they do that?
MS. TUTWILER: Because, as we also just stated, Norm,
this is a step on a long road and a long process. As you know,
in any number of other countries that were moving last year or
earlier than last year to democracy, there were inaccuracies in
those elections themselves, but we did not come to a conclusion
based on that there were inaccuracies, throw the whole thing
out, and start over.
I do not know how much further evidence our people
there on the ground and international observers and observer
teams will come up with, but at this point we do recognize after
52 years of basic total isolation that Albania is making steps
-- they may not be perfect steps -- but they are certainly
making steps on the road toward opening their society and moving
towards democracy.
Q Margaret, given your assessment, what impact might
that have on the speed of normalizing relations that has now
begun?
MS. TUTWILER: To be honest with you, I'm not sure
where we are in that process. I believe we had a ceremony here
at the State Department while the Secretary of State was on the
road, formally recognizing Albania after 52 years. So I'm not
sure exactly what you mean. When are we sending an Ambassador
there?
Q I guess, yeah. Exactly.
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know.
Q Would it in any way slow down the process?
MS. TUTWILER: I haven't heard anyone mention such a
thing.
[Iraq: Civil Unrest Update]
May I do an Iraqi update next for you? The Iraqi
government appears to have control of the majority of the towns
in Iraq. Clashes continue even in areas where the government
has a heavy military presence. Scattered fighting continues in
northern and southern Iraq between government forces and
dissidents.
Government forces appear to be advancing on the
northern town of Sulaymaniyah, which is believed to be
controlled by dissidents. Other major northern towns, including
Irbil, appear to be in government control. The government
continues to send additional reinforcements into northern Iraq.
In the south, clashes between government forces and
dissidents continue in locations along the lower Tigris River.
Iraqi forces remain deployed in and around the City of Basra.
As of today, we have no signs of any other towns being leveled
than the one I mentioned to you yesterday.
Q Margaret, on the Iraq situation, Ambassador
Pickering said this morning at the United Nations that once the
vote is taken on the cease-fire resolution, the United States
will enter into closed-door consultations with other members of
the Security Council on the Kurdish situation.
Can you give us some idea of what the United States is
prepared to do or support, particularly whether or not they
would move to help the refugee situation?
MS. TUTWILER: Correct. I am not aware that Ambassador
Pickering is going into a closed session. I am very well aware
that Ambassador Pickering was going to make a statement this
morning, saying that as soon as we get a cease-fire resolution,
which is -- the latest I have on that is that the Security
Council was supposed to begin at 11:30. I was told right before
coming out there, they had just begun.
I would like to note that yesterday I had mentioned
that the Cuban government had raised 34 amendments. Last night
they suggested five more, so there are now 39 Cuban amendments
before you can get to actually voting on this resolution.
[Iraq: UN Discussion on Cease-Fire Resolution and
Aid]
To answer your question concerning what is it the
United States is going to do in turning our attention toward the
Kurdish situation. It is not resolved, John, whether the United
States or the Security Council of the United Nations will be
looking at a resolution, or it will be looking at a statement
from the President of the Security Council. But there is no
question, on an urgent basis, that the United States Government
will be with others turning our attention to this situation.
I would like to point out that discussions concerning
the situation in Iraq have been going on over the last three or
four weeks in capitals and at the United Nations with various
levels of governmental officials throughout our government.
As the President stated yesterday, we are extremely
concerned about reports of atrocities in Iraq, both in the
Kurdish regions of the north as well as in southern Iraq and
about refugees fleeing into Turkey and other countries. We
condemn any violence against innocent citizens.
From the outset of this crisis, the United States has
led an international effort to provide humanitarian assistance
for those fleeing the violent rule of Saddam Hussein. Tens of
thousands of refugees have been supported in Turkey, Jordan and
elsewhere in the region by United Nations agencies funded by the
United States and other countries. We have been working with
these same agencies with regard to humanitarian efforts that are
required both now and after U.S. forces withdraw.
Ambassador Pickering, as I've just said, has therefore
been instructed, immediately following passage of the cease-fire
resolution, to pursue on an urgent basis Security Council action
to address these pressing concerns. We have had discussions
with the French, the Turks and many other
countries, both, as I said, in capitals and in New York, and
these discussions will begin today, we hope -- if there's a
cease-fire vote -- to focus on any specific action that
collectively we can take.
We want to find the most effective means for the United
Nations to express its condemnation of the brutality taking
place in Iraq, and its determination to do what it can to
address this situation.
Q What is the U.S. --
[Iraq: US Humanitarian Aid Efforts]
MS. TUTWILER: Can I finish? Yesterday I gave for you
all a fairly comprehensive list, because many of you were asking
me on what exactly we had done concerning refugees and
humanitarian assistance. Today I have a more comprehensive list
that I would like to share with you. Some of this is repetitive
from yesterday; some of it is new.
We are working in a variety of ways to provide
humanitarian assistance to Iraqis who are suffering from the
current fighting. The President has made clear that we would
provide humanitarian help for the innocent people caught in the
tragic situation in Iraq, and indeed we have been.
First, we have been working with international
organizations throughout this crisis to help refugees fleeing
the fighting. In January, the United Nations Disaster Relief
Organization and other United Nations agencies establish a
program, including camps, in Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Iran to
handle between 115,000 and 400,000 refugees.
The United States contributed $7.6 million to this
effort in refugee funds and food. The bulk of the money, $38
million out of the $63 million total, as you all know, has come
from Japan. Our military, working with the Kuwaiti Red
Crescent, is providing assistance to those fleeing the fighting
into southern Iraq, and we went into the explanations of that
yesterday.
We are encouraging the International Red Cross to set
up facilities in southern Iraq to take care of people once the
United States troops depart. Of course, these efforts depend,
as I said, earlier on cooperation from the Iraqi government, the
Iraqi leadership. But we, as we said, are discussing this right
now with the ICRC.
Early on we provided $1 million to the Red Cross to
assist needy people in the region. We have supported the
efforts of the Sanctions Committee to ease the shipment of food
and humanitarian supplies to people in need in Iraq. We are
working with the International Red Cross in their efforts to get
assistance to those who need help inside of Iraq.
We understand the Red Cross will send survey teams in
the next few days into northern Iraq to assess relief needs in
that area as well as in Turkey. We will continue our
involvement and support of international efforts to see to the
needs of people caught in this tragic situation.
Q Margaret, can you be any more specific in terms of
what the U.S. could do? I mean, are you talking about more
humanitarian aid, or are you talking about a statement of
condemnation? Are you talking about any kind of other
intervention that might assist all of these refugees?
MS. TUTWILER: I think, Carol, as I tried to point out,
this is something that everyone has been and continues to be
alarmed by. As we said yesterday, this is heart-wrenching, it's
appalling and it's tragic.
Everyone has also been in agreement that we needed to
-- we've all witnessed how long it has taken to get this very
comprehensive cease-fire resolution -- that that needed to get
done. Hopefully, that will get done today. And then
immediately, as I said, on an urgent basis, our attitude and
most others is to turn our attentions to -- collectively in the
United Nations forum -- what is it that we can do.
And I don't have a specific for you today. I don't
have a specific other -- if it will take the form of a United
Nations resolution, or if it will be simply a statement by the
Security Council President. Is it going to focus solely on is
more aid needed. Do you need more International Red Cross
representatives. But it will definitely be in the humanitarian,
as all of this has been, area inside of this equation.
Q Does the U.S. have a position on the French and
Turkish resolutions, both of which advocate specific things in
terms of aid?
MS. TUTWILER: My understanding is there is neither a
Turkish nor a French resolution.
Q I'm sorry I used the word "resolution." I know
there is no resolution, but both the Turks and the French, as
you know --
MS. TUTWILER: Have raised -- have sent a letter.
Q -- have raised the issue in a letter --
MS. TUTWILER: Correct.
Q -- and said that they would raise it again as soon
as the vote has been taken --
MS. TUTWILER: That's right.
Q -- in the Security Council -- and you're quite
aware, in the Department, of what they're likely to propose.
MS. TUTWILER: To be perfectly honest with you, the
French and the Turks have both said publicly and in private,
they too are in total agreement with the United States and
others that we need to have the cease-fire resolution done and
completed.
The Turks sent a letter to the President of the
Security Council last night, Bill, in which the Council was
asked to meet to consider Iraqi action against citizens of
northern Iraq and to adopt necessary measures. Those measures
are not spelled out. I do not have for you what the measures
would be.
The Council President is circulating that letter to its
members this morning. Once the Council has passed the
resolution dealing with the formal cease-fire, it will then
turn, as I said, to the humanitarian situation in Iraq.
France is also concerned about the humanitarian
situation in Iraq, as we all are. It has not presented a
resolution to the Council, but it tends to bring the situation
to the attention of the Council after the vote on the cease-fire
resolution.
So I think that there is no disagreement on a number of
things: (1) get the cease-fire resolution adopted and passed;
(2) on an urgent basis and immediately the United Nations, the
Security Council, turns its attention to the humanitarian
situation in Iraq.
As far as any government that I personally am aware of
that has presented a specific yet or tabled a document or has a
specific idea in mind, I'm not sure that it's jelled that far
yet.
[Iraq: Turkish Border Refugees]
Q Margaret, leaving aside the question of U.N.
action on this, can you confirm that the Turks have closed their
border with Iraq and are thus preventing Kurdish refugees from
fleeing across into Turkey?
MS. TUTWILER: No. We cannot confirm that, and in fact
the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman this morning said that
they were saying that they will close them. As of this
briefing, the borders are not actually closed. Further detail I
can tell you on the status of the borders is that we understand
that Iraqi refugees continue to enter Turkey through the
mountains near Cukurca and by crossing the river along the
Turco-Iraqi border near Silopi.
The bridges at the Habur border crossing were destroyed
by the Iraqis during the Gulf conflict. While the Turks are
obviously concerned that hundreds of thousands of refugees may
be arriving along their border with Iraq, we understand that
those refugees who have made it to Turkey have not been turned
back. Turkey would clearly need significant international
assistance to handle any international refugee flow.
Our Ambassador, Morton Abramowitz, met yesterday and I
believe again today with officials at the Foreign Ministry to
discuss this very situation. It was brought, to be quite honest
with you, to our attention yesterday, and he was immediately
over at the Foreign Ministry.
We have seen reports in the press of up to 200,000 that
are massed there. We cannot confirm that for you at this time.
We don't have independent information of that.
Q Is the United States urging Turkey to keep the
border open, so that these people are not trapped between an
advancing Iraqi Army and a closed border?
MS. TUTWILER: The United States, in the form of our
Ambassador, began yesterday discussing this situation with the
Turkish government, and I cannot at this briefing tell you the
specifics of what we are or are not urging. We are well aware
of this situation. As I have said, as of this briefing the
Turks had not closed the border.
Their spokesman has said they will be closing -- their
Foreign Ministry spokesman -- and that we are very aware
ourselves of the significant humanitarian needs that Turkey will
need, should it prove to be true, which we cannot confirm yet,
that there are as many as 200,000 displaced persons that are
located along the border with Turkey. We just have no
independent confirmation of that number.
I would tell you that the United Nations has
prepositioned material and personnel in Turkey for this
possibility. The United Nations received pledges, as I've said
earlier -- $63 million -- to operate refugee programs in Turkey,
Jordan, Syria and Iran, and I told you what our contributions
are to this. So there is some material that is already
prepositioned -- United Nations material.
Q Margaret, on Assistant Secretary Kelly's meeting
today and the other meetings with different dissidents from Iraq
and the Kurds, there are Kurds who are saying this is window
dressing, and that they're expressing disappointment in U.S.
policy. How do you respond to that?
MS. TUTWILER: I would, instead of getting into another
hour-long debate on United States -- which we've done three days
in a row -- I would say, obviously, we stand by our
policy. We have said that these meetings, if asked -- which we
were -- that obviously officials here would meet with -- it's
not just Kurds, as you know, it is a number of different
opposition groups.
[Iraq: Contact with Dissidents]
And I would like to give you exactly what is going on
today concerning Ambassador Kelly's meeting. As I told you
yesterday, there will be six individuals who will be meeting
today with Ambassador Kelly and other individuals from his
staff. One of you asked me yesterday if other agencies were
going to be involved in this meeting -- as of coming to the
briefing and checking, we believe that there will be, but I
don't have yet exactly what other agencies.
Two of the individuals that will be meeting today are
American citizens. The rest are individuals resident in the
United States. This group, as I said yesterday, represents both
Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. There are no Kurds among this group
today. We will be meeting with Kurds later this week.
At this point, we're not sure when the meeting with the
Kurdish representatives will take place, nor whether those
people will want their names released to you, the press, or not.
The meeting today has been moved outside of this building in
order to protect those who are coming here and their family
members that are still in Iraq.
The group sent us a letter last night, specifically
requesting in writing that we not give out their names. So,
obviously, we are not, and their reasons given were the ones
that we stated yesterday -- they had told us verbally -- for
fear of reprisal against family members still living in Iraq.
We obviously intend to respect and honor that request.
I would characterize, as you all asked me to do
yesterday, what types of individuals, who do they represent,
etc. -- this meeting today I would characterize as individuals
that are not representing any one specific group and are not
claiming to represent one specific group. They are leaders in
their own profession and their own skills. They represent a
diversity of professions. I will give you generic types of
professions we're talking about -- authors, professors, doctors,
engineers.
All of those today are currently residing in the United
States, and some of them are United States citizens. Ambassador
Kelly will call me when the meeting is concluded, and he and I
will write for you all a readout of this meeting and post it as
soon as possible.
Q What time?
MS. TUTWILER: I'm not going to give you the times,
unfortunately. We just really -- I'd rather refrain from doing
that.
Q Is it going on already or --
MS. TUTWILER: No. It has not happened.
Q Can you tell us about the two agencies represented
in the meeting of today?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't believe I said two. I believe I
said that I believed there would be some agencies that might be
in the meeting. I don't want to say which agencies until we're
positive they are indeed attending.
Q How about the schedule for the rest of the week?
You said that --
MS. TUTWILER: The rest of the week?
Q Yes.
MS. TUTWILER: They haven't set the meetings. I
believe yesterday we had three additional requests. We still
have those additional three requests. In at least one of those
it's going to be with Kurdish representatives. I don't have
names, and I don't have times yet when these are going to be
scheduled.
Q You had said, though, that there would be four
meetings over three days. Is that still the basic format, or
are we talking about --
MS. TUTWILER: I thought I said four meetings over the
remainder of this week, but maybe -- we only got a few days
left. So this will be one, and then three more, so --
Q You also said --
MS. TUTWILER: -- three more still exist.
Q You also said you were still considering whether
Secretary Baker would meet with some of these groups. Has that
been decided?
MS. TUTWILER: No. It has not been decided. This
particular group today did not request to see him. Some of the
other groups that we have, as I believe, as of yesterday ten
total requests has specifically asked for him, and we're still
evaluating that.
Q Margaret, can you say one way or the other whether
the United States through overtly or covertly and in an official
capacity, during the war or before the war began, gave aid,
comfort of any sort to rebel forces within Iraq?
MS. TUTWILER: No. If you're asking me an intelligence
question on have we done anything covertly, you know I can't
answer it.
Q I'm not asking an intelligence question. I'm
asking you -- yesterday --
MS. TUTWILER: I mean, some of the things, Saul, are
very, very public. Would you say dropping pamphlets that say,
you know, "Give up your arms and come," is stirring up trouble.
I don't know.
Q It goes to this question that, as you said
yesterday and repeatedly, that the United States did nothing to
encourage these groups to rise up, or overtly encourage these
people to rise up against Saddam Hussein, that it was not our
policy or an objective of the war.
But there are some claims now that during the war as
part of the war we did encourage, we did work with rebel groups
inside of Iraq, and that may have led to their belief that they
had the go-ahead from the United States. I'm asking whether
there was any such aid.
MS. TUTWILER: If we did, I have absolutely no personal
knowledge of such an operation. I would be more than glad to
check into it for you. I know of no such operation, and I
believe the question came at me yesterday -- I believe it was
from you -- didn't President Bush's statement encourage these
people to go up, is how I remember it, but I could be wrong. I
don't remember it coming at me this way.
One other thing, Jim, you asked me yesterday what was
the policy previously in this Administration or the government,
the State Department on meeting with opposition types from Iraq.
We put an answer out last night -- I don't know if you had a
chance to see it -- which is what I said yesterday, I thought we
had. I am correct. We have been.
Q Margaret, did the groups meeting with Kelly this
afternoon indicate an unwillingness to meet with the press even
on an anonymous basis after they're through --
MS. TUTWILER: I didn't ask that question. Yesterday
it was a verbal request to us. Last night Ambassador Kelly
received a typed, signed letter that specifically requests that
they remain anonymous. I would be happy to have him pose this
question to them, but once you read this letter it's very clear
in black and white. And it's not the only thing they wrote in
on. But I, myself, read it this morning, and so that is -- it's
not our desire to keep information away from you. It's these
people's genuine desire.
Q Does the letter represent the views of all 6
people, Margaret?
MS. TUTWILER: It's clearly my understanding.
Q Why aren't you meeting with --
MS. TUTWILER: But, again -- excuse me -- as we said
yesterday, any individual that comes in the State Department is
more than welcome to come speak to any of you that they so
choose to. So if anyone, or 3 or 4, of these individuals change
their minds or have a different view, they are totally -- it's
only their request that we're honoring.
Q Why aren't you meeting with people who can go
public? How effective can Iraqi dissident leaders be who meet
privately with you and have nothing to say afterwards?
MS. TUTWILER: Pat, this is clearly these peoples'
choice. They've stated their reason.
Q There are many leaders out there. Why are we not
meeting with those --
MS. TUTWILER: We are not in the business --
Q -- who can come forward and who can talk and who
can explain their position? What is the value of a meeting that
no one knows anything about?
MS. TUTWILER: Well, Pat, we're not in the business of
open-ended invitations to every individual in the world who
wants to come to the State Department. This group requested a
meeting with this Department. Ambassador Kelly is honoring that
request. So we're not out soliciting anybody and everybody who
wants to come in and have a meeting, saying: "Come on in." So
this is how these individuals, who sent the request to us,
requested that this be handled.
Q There are about 150 Kurds, for example, in front
of the White House right now very publicly demonstrating, and
I'm just curious as to why --
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know that they've asked to meet
with anybody in the State Department. Do you?
Q I don't know if those specific ones have.
MS. TUTWILER: Nor do I.
Q You don't think it would be of some value to meet
with people who can, at least, communicate whatever they learn
from the State Department to others in the movement who are
concerned about it?
MS. TUTWILER: Again, I said last week, until this
issue, as we stated yesterday, was raised by a number of you
all, there was not a single request in this building for any
individual at any level to meet with individuals of the Iraqi
opposition.
We are not, whether it's this situation or in other
situations -- one, we couldn't handle it; and, two, we're not in
the business of going out saying, "Come one, come all." We just
have nothing else to do but to meet.
I have said that the rest of these groups -- there are
3 other other groups, and there are 10 requests in, and I'm sure
there are going to be more requests coming in. Many of them may
well choose to handle this differently. This is how these 6
individuals have specifically requested, verbally and in
writing, to this Department for us to handle this meeting that
they are having with Ambassador Kelly. I assume we're doing it
that way.
Yes, John.
Q Has the President signed one or more
intelligence-findings authorizing covert action?
MS. TUTWILER: I have no idea. I'm not sure that we
would respond if I did know, but I know that I don't know. I'm
not sure it's the type of thing that we go out and talk about.
Q The wires are carrying a story to that effect this
morning.
MS. TUTWILER: They carry a lot of things. I saw that
one story, and I believe it was an unnamed official.
Q That's why I asked the question that I did. You
say you do not know --
MS. TUTWILER: I do not know?
Q -- whether we've given any help as part of --
MS. TUTWILER: Seriously, I don't know. It's not
something that I'm going to go noodling around into. I saw Mr.
Dancy's report last night. I am going to plead ignorance --
that's the best way to go on this. It's something I don't delve
into. It's something we don't talk about. So I haven't spent a
lot of time on it; no.
Q Margaret, in your statement on the United States
position in the Security Council following the ceasefire vote,
you said they would be looking for the most effective way the
Security Council could express its condemnation of the
humanitarian violations.
The way the Security Council expressed its condemnation
of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait seemed to be quite effective.
Is there any thought being given to using a similar method of
telling the Iraqis to stop or they'll have force used against
them?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know, Norm, what the consensus
will be of the various government representatives.
Q I'm asking about the U.S. position going into the
meeting?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know that the United States
position going into the meeting is one other than how I've tried
to express, that this initial meeting -- it is my understanding
-- is to discuss, on any urgent basis, humanitarian assistance.
I have not heard discussed this morning anyone suggesting what
you've just hypothesized.
I think that the urgent need -- as Bill has pointed
out, the French have pointed out, the Turks have -- is of
humanitarian assistance. Our policy has not changed, nor am I
aware of any other governments, intervening in this civil war.
Q Margaret, is it possible to get any sort of an
accounting of humanitarian assistance the U.S. has given? I
know you touched on it yesterday.
MS. TUTWILER: I did a very lengthy one this morning.
Q Oh, you did it this morning, too?
MS. TUTWILER: I did a more extensive one this morning.
Q Margaret, do we understand what you just said,
that we would not support a resolution condemning Iraq's --
MS. TUTWILER: I cannot get into the position of "We
will never do this or we will do that." There's nothing to give
an opinion on yet. This is something that, hopefully, if this
vote comes today -- as you all know, we have been trying for
many, many days to get a vote to get this cease-fire resolution
adopted and passed so that you can move down the road here.
I can't prejudge for you what, indeed, the various
members, on instructions from their governments, will be
discussing if, indeed, it happens this afternoon.
Q I suppose what we're asking is, what is the
American position? What would the United States like to see in
such a resolution or action?
MS. TUTWILER: I think I just tried to answer that to
Norm. My understanding of our government's position on this, as
is all the other governments that are discussing it right now,
is humanitarian.
Q Our policy is basically that the rebellion -- our
policy is still that the rebellion is basically an internal
matter --
MS. TUTWILER: Our policy has not changed since
yesterday; correct.
Q We're not in favor of any kind of condemnation of
the actions of Saddam Hussein?
MS. TUTWILER: I just did that this morning. The
President himself did it yesterday. That's quite different from
saying you condemn something from a specific that I believe Norm
was asking me. Now that you've condemned it, what is your
follow-through action? What specifically, literally, are you
going to do? We have all condemned it. I just did it again
this morning.
Q In your statement in the beginning you condemned
any violence against innocent citizens. What about violence
against the dissidents? Even though they are rebels, but
they're rebels whom we encouraged.
MS. TUTWILER: I believe that you're over-interpreting
something. If you're condemning innocents being hurt in
violence, I would take that to be all-inclusive: innocent
people getting hurt.
Q So what about dissidents? Are you condemning
violence against the dissidents?
MS. TUTWILER: We are condemning violence, as we do --
as you're very familiar with -- all around the world. We are
condemning violence. We are condemning the innocents that are
getting trapped or hurt in this violence.
Q Margaret, in addition to refugee problems --
humanitarian needs of refugees -- there are some people who are
very concerned about genocide. It makes me ask you if you could
remind me what U.S. policy is about war crimes, perhaps, against
Saddam Hussein? What actions on that level might we be willing
to contemplate if, in fact, he tries to eliminate the Kurdish
population?
MS. TUTWILER: It's totally speculative question for
me, Johanna. As you know, on war crimes, we have stated what
our policy was all along. This is something that throughout the
Gulf crisis the Defense Department is the repository of all
types of evidence or information that we, as a government,
collect. That has been done throughout this. This is part of
what will be addressed in the ceasefire resolution. This is
something that we said we will continue to discuss among
ourselves and among the coalition.
To be perfectly honest with you, I am not exactly sure
how this is going to come out on the final draft, that is the
document that is passed.
Q On the ceasefire resolution, if I may, did the
U.S. Government receive objections from any of the Arab
countries, especially those among the coalition members,
objecting to the article calling for the destruction of the
nuclear, chemical, and other destructive weapons by Iraq?
MS. TUTWILER: Not that I am personally aware of or
that I have any knowledge of, but I'll be happy to ask for you.
Q Margaret, on another subject.
Q The French President, through is spokesman this
morning, said he wants the international trade embargo
maintained against Iraq as long, as he describes, the repression
in Iraq continues. Does the United States have a position on
those trade sanctions?
MS. TUTWILER: I'm just going to continue to refrain
from speculating on what will evolve out of a meeting that has
not even taken place yet, and when presented with specific
language, with the specifics, of what then the United States
position would be.
Jan's really been trying.
Q Thank you, Margaret. On another issue, if I may.
MS. TUTWILER: Terrific.
Q Israel: The French news agency is running a very
detailed report on an Israeli proposal for a Middle East peace
plan --
MS. TUTWILER: For what?
Q -- opening with a regional conference in Cairo; a
plan which the French news agency says has been given to them by
Israeli officials is definitely worth you looking at if you
haven't seen it.
MS. TUTWILER: I really haven't.
Q It gives many, many details. Perhaps you could
take a look at it and then have some response to it?
The second thing on Israel is, do you have anything yet
on the restrictions that you have been -- your embassy has been
looking into over the past X number of days?
MS. TUTWILER: Yesterday, we spoke to that, Jan. You
mean, have we put out for you the Israeli restrictions?
Q In response to you?
MS. TUTWILER: We did our response yesterday.
Yesterday, what we refrained from doing, since it after all is
an Israeli document, is we refrained, as I remember, from
putting out an Israeli document and referred people to the
Israeli Embassy here to get the literal specifics of what's
contained in the document. But we have expressed -- I believe
Richard (Boucher) did on Monday, and I know I did yesterday, our
feelings concerning this.
Q Margaret, I know that you've addressed this before
but one more time, because today is the meeting, or the
beginning of a series of meetings. With the dissidents, what is
the purpose of these meetings? And what is it that the
Administration is trying to communicate to Iraq and to the Iraqi
dissidents by holding these meetings?
MS. TUTWILER: You're right. I did all of that
yesterday. If you wouldn't mind, can I just refer you to the
record. I answered every one of those questions yesterday.
Q There's a report today that President Bush is
going to meet Gorbachev in Berlin in June. Is there any --
MS. TUTWILER: I haven't heard the report, and I
haven't heard that independently on my own upstairs. I haven't
heard that. I don't know.
Q Just trying to clear up one little thing. You
said that you didn't know what Abramowitz was saying to the
Turks about keeping the border open. But what is our position
on that? Would we like them to keep the border open?
MS. TUTWILER: Our position is that we are, right now,
in conversations with the Turkish Government on this subject. I
am not going to say what we are saying in diplomatic channels to
another government. We refrain from doing that all the time.
We take note that the borders, as of the beginning of this
briefing, are not closed. We cannot confirm the number that's
in the press of 200,000. In fact, the numbers range from 10,000
to 200,000.
We recognize that this will be -- should the Turkish
Government decide, and there is all these thousands of people --
an enormous burden on the Turkish Government. As I said, there
is a group that meets at the United Nations that has been
meeting throughout this discussing refugee situations in various
countries. I just cannot tell you or go into that level of
detail other than it is something, throughout this, that we have
worked on.
In fact, what just comes to my mind is at the outbreak
of hostilities, you remember there were just wild numbers
floating around concerning all these refugees flooding into
Jordan. It didn't materialize. And all the ones that were
there were taken care of.
So many of these mechanisms and processes have existed
up to, it's my understanding, handling 400,000 people. We just
said there's some material that's pre-positioned there.
Q Can you tell us whether the President raised this
issue with Ozal yesterday when they spoke?
MS. TUTWILER: I really don't know. Maybe the White
House does. I don't know.
Q You said that the Turks had indicated that they do
intend to close the border. What would be the --
MS. TUTWILER: I said a spokesman at the Foreign
Ministry had said that this morning. I've seen one wire copy on
that.
Q Assuming that's accurate, what would be the U.S.
position if they follow up and do that?
MS. TUTWILER: It's the same question Saul asked me.
Let me just deal with the situation, as we're dealing with it.
It's on-going. Tomorrow, maybe I will be in a better position
to say "Morton Abramowitz said X, or the United States has
firmly said Y." But right now, at this moment in time, our two
governments are communicating, are talking.
I said, to be perfectly honest, this came to our
attention early yesterday morning, and our Ambassador was
immediately over at the Foreign Ministry. But I'm just not
going to get into today what he is saying through diplomatic
channels.
Yes, Barry.
Q Margaret, do you have anything on Kuwait so far as
whether there's political reform, and if it's satisfactory to
the U.S. Ambassador who is prone to speak of the Amir as being
somebody interested in reform?
In fact, we were all entertained by the Amir in Taif
and he even spoke of maybe women voting some day --
MS. TUTWILER: He sure did.
Q -- which seemed a huge leap from the Kuwait we've
been reading about.
The Times has a nice story today. It suggests nothing
much has happened. What's going on in Kuwait?
[Kuwait: Proposed Politcal Reform]
MS. TUTWILER: The Government of Kuwait has made
explicit pledges to broaden political participation by the
Kuwaiti people, starting last October when the Crown Prince
publicly affirmed the government's commitment to return to
Parliamentary rule under the 1962 constitution. Since then, he
has repeatedly stated the government will hold elections for
Parliament. He has said, however, that the government's first
priority must be to restore order and basic services in Kuwait.
This accomplished, a specific date will be set for elections.
Senior Kuwaiti Government officials have been meeting
with opposition leaders to discuss the process of political
change.
In our on-going dialogue with the Government of Kuwait,
political reform, as we have mentioned many times, is a number
one topic. It's a regular topic with Ambassador Skip Gnehm.
The U.S., of course, puts a premium on nurturing and
encouraging democratic systems. We very much encourage broader
political participation and see the commitment of the Kuwaiti
Government to increase meaningful political participation as a
welcome development. However, we will not impose a system on
Kuwait nor is it proper for anyone but the Kuwaitis to chart
their political course.
Q You did use the word "democratic," which has
dropped out of the lexicon of late.
What about palace-building? Is the Amir --
MS. TUTWILER: What about what?
Q Palace-building.
MS. TUTWILER: Palace-building?
Q It seems that the Amir is spending a lot of what
Kuwait has in the way of resources to make himself a nice, new
fancy palace. Is that true? Could that money be spent for
other purposes in the U.S. view, or is it a live-and-let-live
situation now that Kuwait is free again?
MS. TUTWILER: Kuwait has a full-blown embassy here and
a very capable Ambassador that I know you're very familiar with
--
Q I see him on TV a lot.
MS. TUTWILER: -- and those questions might be better
addressed to the Kuwait Government. I don't have that level of
detail. Yes, I'm aware that along with refurbishing a palace, I
have also seen, as I'm sure you have -- if you watch TV -- the
--
Q A little bit.
MS. TUTWILER: -- street lights that have been returned
to that city, the telephone operations and grids that are being
returned to that city; water purification that is being cleaned
up. There's any number of things, Barry, that that city is
doing. But I don't think I'm in a position to best say what
specifically is being allocated for what services in that
country.
Q But I'm asking about Kuwait. There's sort of a
paternalistic interest in Kuwait because the United States has
just spent a lot of fortune and --
MS. TUTWILER: It's a sovereign nation, Barry.
Q I know. But you guys --
Q The things you just enumerated are being done by
the Corps of Engineers, I believe.
MS. TUTWILER: Paid for by the Kuwaiti Government -- at
the instruction of the Kuwaiti Government, is my understanding.
Q Not by the Corps of Engineers, you're saying?
MS. TUTWILER: I said paid for by the Kuwaiti
Government at the instruction of Kuwaiti officials whom, I
believe, are all back and functioning and all ministries are up
and running.
Q Do you have anything on the Swiss channel? There
are some reports that the United States and Iran have been
talking about --
MS. TUTWILER: No, I have nothing to say concerning
that.
Q You have nothing to say or you're not --
MS. TUTWILER: I have nothing to say. I've read one
story about that. I have zero to say.
Q Margaret, back to Kuwait --
Q You took a question yesterday about that.
MS. TUTWILER: I don't remember taking a question on
the Swiss yesterday.
Q No, but there was a question about U.S. officials
talking to Iranians. And you said, as of --
MS. TUTWILER: That was Barry's question.
Q Right. As of Thursday morning, when you left --
MS. TUTWILER: And when we checked it out -- I thought
we put something out last night -- I know of no such meetings.
[Kuwait: Abuse of Collaborators and Minorities]
Q Back to Kuwait. Do you have anything on these new
human rights reports that are suggesting that original reports
of atrocities and torture were exaggerated? Not so many
incubators, etc.
MS. TUTWILER: I don't have anything in incubators.
Are you specifically talking about a report that's in today's
newspaper concerning prisons.
Q (Inaudible)
MS. TUTWILER: With the removal of most checkpoints and
the withdrawal of most of the Kuwaiti military from the streets,
problems of abuse now center on detention sites about which we
continue to receive reports. We are concerned by these reports,
and Ambassador Gnehm has again raised these concerns at many
levels of the Kuwaiti Government.
We pursue all such reports with the Kuwaiti
authorities. One of our highest priorities continues to be to
urge the government to ensure that suspected collaborators or
members of minority communities in Kuwait are not subject to
unlawful abuse.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is
monitoring the human rights situation in Kuwait and has been
granted access to Kuwaiti prisons.
Q What I was asking about was the reports yesterday.
MS. TUTWILER: This is the most current situation that
I'm aware of, Jan. I don't know what you're referring to of
yesterday.
Q Yesterday, there was a report in the Washington
Post --
MS. TUTWILER: On what?
Q -- quoting the various human rights groups, saying
that the Iraqi atrocities against Kuwaitis may have been grossly
exaggerated?
MS. TUTWILER: Right. And what you will find is what
I've just said to you is in, what you're going to see -- the
very latest report -- that is going to be published by a group
concerning prisons.
If you're going back to all of the various stories
concerning Palestinian rights there, and they're being abused,
etc., we have answered that. Nothing has changed on that.
Q Not the abuses on Palestinians or Kuwaiti abuses
on anybody else. I'm talking about Iraqi abuses on Kuwaitis
during the war?
MS. TUTWILER: Oh, those. I don't have anything new on
that. Sorry. I misunderstood you.
Q Margaret, back to the Amir's palace for a moment.
Even though Kuwait paid for this work, did I understand you
correctly? You said the Corps of Engineers had done the work at
the palace?
MS. TUTWILER: No. Bill Plante said, "The Corps of
Engineers is doing all this work." I thought you meant, when
you said the phone grids, the desalination plants, the street
lights, the sewers, I did not believe Bill was asking me about
the Amir's palace. If I misunderstood, I apologize.
Q Although there is one report that two members of
the Corps of Engineers put in some gold-plated bathroom
plumbing.
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know. Maybe the Pentagon
mentioned that.
Q Other than that, I was referring to the power
grid, as you --
MS. TUTWILER: Thank you.
Q I was wondering how you hire these fellows to come
over and do some work at your house?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know. I was answering a question
concerning street lights and sewers, and the things that I had
mentioned. Bill has been very gracious in confirming that that
was, indeed, what he asked me.
Q Back to Iran, Margaret,
MS. TUTWILER: Iran?
[Iran: Report of EC Economic Aid]
Q I'm still curious whether or not the United States
has a position on a purported economic agreement between the EC
and Iran?
MS. TUTWILER: Yes. You asked me that yesterday. I
believe it was you. It's my understanding that the EC members
-- I think they're just getting there today. I don't think
they've even met. I can't find it right now. We don't have a
view of the suggestion that has been reported that they are
going to, indeed, suggest economic aid, as I believe you asked
me yesterday. I believe that I'm correct that that meeting is
just due to begin today.
Q That the U.S. position is basically neutral?
MS. TUTWILER: We have no information at this time of
an EC-Iranian agreement of any kind. The EC-troika Foreign
Ministers -- Luxembourg, Italy, and The Netherlands -- will
visit Tehran today. The U.S. continues to believe that Iran
should take positive steps toward freeing the hostages in
Lebanon and ending its support for terrorism before it may enjoy
full relations with the international community.
Q One other question on a different subject. Is the
United States planning to make some sort of counter proposal on
CFE to the latest overture from Gorbachev?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know, Carol. I would assume
that we would be responding to President Gorbachev's letter to
President Bush. But as far as timing and contents, I'm not
aware of what they are. I'm assuming that we would be
responding to it.
[Pananma: Status of Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaty]
Q Do you have anything on an agreement with Panama
-- money laundering?
MS. TUTWILER: Yes, George, I do. Panama. This
agreement, it's my understanding -- you're talking about the
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, MLAT?
As we have said before, an MLAT would be an important
agreement that would allow both United States and Panamanian law
enforcement agencies to obtain evidence in criminal cases more
easily.
We have made substantial progress and hope to be able
to sign an MLAT with Panama soon. So we're not there yet.
Q Margaret, there was a bombing at the Lima, Peru,
airport today. Do you have anything on that?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know a thing about it.
Q That airport recently had been -- there had been a
U.S. security warning against it that had been lifted, and I was
wondering if --
MS. TUTWILER: I have no idea. I hadn't heard about
it.
Q Margaret, without going into the details of an AFP
report you haven't seen, there's something you must know
personally. Did Secretary Baker agree with Mr. Shamir that the
PLO would be excluded from any peace agreement in the future?
MS. TUTWILER: I am not going to get into, regardless
of whether there is an AFP report or not, anything concerning
Secretary Baker's one-on-one meeting with the head of state of
Israel. We have refrained from doing that since he was there,
and I'm not going to start today.
Q Is there anything new about the human rights
debate in Geneva on Cuba?
MS. TUTWILER: I don't know.
Q Has there been any discussion, in general terms,
about a possible meeting between King Hussein and President
Bush?
MS. TUTWILER: Not that I've heard of.
Q Was it raised at the meeting that you sat in on
with Abdul Odeh last last week?
MS. TUTWILER: No.
Q Thank you.
MS. TUTWILER: Thank you all.
(Press briefing concluded at 1:15 P.M.)