US DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING #1: 
Source: State Department Deputy Spokesman Joseph 


12:44 P. M.


(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)



         MR. SNYDER:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  I have one
announcement to make, and then I'll be happy to take your questions.

         Secretary Eagleburger will address a general meeting of the
members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, January 7,
at 2400 N Street, N.W.  The speech will begin at 6:20 p.m., followed
by a question-and-answer session.  The media contact at the Council
is Jonathan Zemmol.  He can be reached at 212-734-0400.

         Press coverage for this event will be pooled.  Media wishing to
cover should inquire about the pool arrangements at the State
Department Press Office.

         Q  Will there be an advance text?

         MR. SNYDER:  I don't know yet.  You can check with us.

         Q  Do you know how many people will be there?

         MR. SNYDER:  No, I'm sorry, I don't.  On details like that you
can check with the Council on Foreign Relations.  Oh, at the pool?

         Q   No.  I mean, he's making a speech to the Council on Foreign 
Relations.

         MR. SNYDER:  Yes.

         Q   And reporters can only be there in a pool?

         MR. SNYDER:  That's the ground rules.

         Q   Is it a seating problem?

         MR. SNYDER:  You'll have to check and ask them about the ground
rules that they've set up.  We're going to be helping to set up a
pool for them.

         Q  Joe, would you mind repeating that phone number?

         MR. SNYDER:  212-734-0400.

         Q    "M" as in Mary --

         MR. SNYDER:  I'm sorry.

         Q    "M" as in Mary or "N" as in Nancy?

         MR. SNYDER:  Z-e-m-m, as in Mary, o-l.

         Q    No, the street.

         MR. SNYDER:  N Street -- Nancy.

         Q    How do you spell that?  (Laughter)

         MR. SNYDER:  O.K.  I'll be happy to take your questions.

         Q    Joe, I'm trying to find out the practical
significance of the statements that the President and the French
President made yesterday so far as whether the United States is
now going to back off, it sounds like, and take its time, give
diplomacy some more time, in enforcing the "no-fly" zone.

         He only has 16, 17 days left.  Do I have that correct,
that now the idea is don't push ahead with the "no-fly" zone,
let's see if diplomacy will end this war?

         MR. SNYDER:  Barry, we believe that an enforcement
resolution remains necessary, and we are continuing to seek such
a resolution as soon as possible.

         Q    But the Secretary said he expected action by the
1st, and it's now past the 1st.

         MR. SNYDER:  Well, we are working on it, and we are
trying to get it as soon as we can, as we've been saying all
along.

         The Secretary talked again, as we discussed last week
-- the Secretary discussed what some of the problems are, and
we're working to overcome those problems.  But we do continue to
work on the resolution.

         Q    Do you have a target date?

         MR. SNYDER:  As soon as possible.

         Q    Well, since the Secretary first raised this
question in the previous trip to Stockholm, which was the
beginning, towards the beginning, of December and there's still
no resolution, what should give us confidence that there will be
a resolution, that you will, in fact, resolve these questions,
since you seem to have been unable to overcome the objections in
three weeks of really rather intensive diplomacy so far?

         MR. SNYDER:  Well, there are no guarantees in the
business, but we want to see the resolution.  We think an
enforcement resolution is necessary, and we're going to keep
working at it.

         Q    Is the outlook for a diplomatic solution better
now than it has been in the last few weeks?

         MR. SNYDER:  I don't really want to judge the outlook.
I mean, the Geneva talks are going on right now.  Bosnian
President Izetbegovic, Serbia-Montenegrin President Cosic,
Croatian President Tudjman, Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic and
Bosnian Croat leader Boban are all in Geneva to discuss a
settlement to the conflict at the conference proposed by
Co-Chairmen Vance and Owens.

         Those talks began on Saturday, and they will continue
through tomorrow.  We fully support the Co-Chairmen's efforts to
find a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Bosnia, and
we're pleased that the leaders are meeting to work out their
differences.

         It really would be inappropriate to comment on
substantive matters under discussion while the talks are
underway and the situation is evolving.

         Q    Joe, I think that I can say with some confidence
that there are policies which are pursued more vigorously than
others.  There are policies that are given higher priority than
others.  Is the United States pushing this with the full weight
of its diplomatic determination to get this through, or is this
one of these policies where you state a policy and basically
leave it at that?

         MR. SNYDER:  As the Secretary himself has said, we are
working hard at getting this.  It's something we are pushing
hard on.  I'm not going to draw comparisons with other policies,
but it's something we want to get and we are doing our best to
get it as soon as we can.

         Q    Do you anticipate getting it before January 20?

         MR. SNYDER:  I'm not talking about deadlines.

         Q    In Moscow, a senior U.S. official said the U.S. is
in favor of a warning period -- a waiting period.  I think he
means once the enforcement is announced, there would still be
time for the Serbs to stop violating the "no-fly" zone.

         Do you know how those negotiations are going?
Apparently that's your hope for a compromise with those who
don't want to do anything, such as the British.

         MR. SNYDER:  There are a number of issues, Barry.
Again, as the Secretary discussed at various times during the
last week or two, that's one of them; and we continue to work on
it.

         Q    What are some of the others?  Withdrawing the
peacekeeping troops so they wouldn't be targeted?

         MR. SNYDER:  We are very cognizant of the concerns of
countries which have forces there, and we want to take those
concerns into account.

         Q    Joe, in relation to Boutros-Ghali and the mob that
stopped him from entering the offices in Somalia, there have
been other reports about the conduct of the Secretary General,
that he doesn't get along with his people, and all kinds of
things like that.  Do we have full confidence in the leadership
of Boutros-Ghali as Secretary General of the United Nations?

         MR. SNYDER:  Yes, we do.  He's working very hard in a
number of areas.  He and the rest of the U.N. are working very
hard in Somalia, working hard in Geneva and in Bosnia on the
Bosnian issue.  And, yes, we do have confidence in his work.

         Q    Do you have a read on what happened today in the
peace talks in Somalia?

         MR. SNYDER:  No, we don't.  We haven't gotten a report
yet.  I'm sorry.

         Q    Are we represented there?

         MR. SNYDER:  I believe we are, yes, but we just don't
have a report.  The talks are going on today.  I'm not sure what
time it is, but I don't have anything.  I tried to get it and
don't have it.

         Q    Do you have any statement on the U.S. troops in
Somalia?  There was some confusion over the duration of the U.S.
leadership.

         MR. SNYDER:  No, not especially.  The Pentagon has been
talking at some length about U.S. troops, which is, of course,
their prerogative.

         Q    Joe, generally speaking, what sort of interim
steps would we like to see grow out of these two, maybe three,
days of peace talks?  I know they're not going to have national
reconciliation at this point.  What kind of interim things would
we like to see happen?

         MR. SNYDER:  I really don't want to go into the talks
and predict what might come out of it.  We obviously want to see
movement towards reconciliation among the factions.  We want to
see parties which have been at each other's throats for months
stop it.  I mean, that's the first step.  And eventually we want
to see a Somali government set up by the Somali people
themselves.

         Q    Joe, do you have any comment of the killing of the
U.N. worker in Kismayu; the U.N. withdrawal from there; and, I
guess, Part B is whether the State Department and the Pentagon
have come to an agreement on whether there were indeed
widespread clan killings before the U.S. troops moved in?

         MR. SNYDER:  We deeply regret and we strongly condemn
the killing of UNICEF worker Sean Devereaux.  We have no
information on the motives for this senseless act nor indeed who
is responsible for it.

         I understand from a wire that I saw just before I came
in that DOD is investigating it.

         As for the killings before we moved into Kismayu, we
addressed that last week.  Reports available to us suggest that
there were fairly widespread killings before we moved in.

         Q    At the time there seemed to be a difference of
opinion between State and the Pentagon, or at least the
military.

         MR. SNYDER:  My understanding is that the Pentagon
Spokesman, Colonel Peck, in Somalia discussed that and clarified
it.

         Q    He went back and clarified his previous statement
that was in contradiction of what you all were saying?

         MR. SNYDER:  That's my understanding.  It wasn't really
in contradiction, but you might want to check with the Pentagon.
 What we had to say last week stands.

         Q    Do you have anything today on the Palestinian
deportation situation?

         MR. SNYDER:  There's been no change in the status of
the Palestinians deported by Israel.  We remain in touch with
the Israeli and Lebanese Governments about both sides permitting
international relief agencies to provide the deportees with
food, water, and medical assistance.

         From a strictly humanitarian point of view, we think
these people should not remain in these conditions.  As the
Secretary said, "You can't leave them wandering around in the
middle of no place."

         Q    Do you have any response to the question I asked
the other day:  Any thoughts on why no other countries would
take them in?

         MR. SNYDER:  I think you have to ask other countries
why they behave the way they do.

         Q    Joe, do you have anything on the Yemen situation?
Have U.S. -- it may be a Pentagon question.  But has there been
a withdrawal from Yemen?

         MR. SNYDER:  I understand there has.  I didn't look
into it.  It is a Pentagon question.  It's a Pentagon support
operation.  Our State Department people remain in Yemen.

         Q    Oh, they do?

         MR. SNYDER:  Although they're in -- yes, they remain.
But you might want to check with the Pentagon on its support
operation.

         Q    To go back for a minute to the Palestinian
situation, have you any indication that the peace talks will
resume?  And if so, when?

         MR. SNYDER:  I don't have any indication one way or the
other.  I think all the parties talked about resuming
eventually, but I don't have any specific details.

         Q    Has the State Department had a chance to see
whether the elections in Kenya were free and fair?

         MR. SNYDER:  We commend the people of Kenya for their
dedication to this historic political process.  Kenyans
approached the December 29 elections and the subsequent counting
process with seriousness, restraint, and a spirit of civic
responsibility.

         The International Republican Institute, which organized
the U.S. Observer Delegation, has not yet issued its final
report on the elections.

         It is clear, however, from its preliminary report and
from the comments of other observers, that the electoral process
was marred by serious shortcomings.  For example, in the weeks
leading up to election day, the integrity of the election was
compromised by the manipulation of the state's administrative
and security organs to the ruling party's advantage.

         Administrative irregularities affected both the voting
and counting processes, undermining the confidence of Kenya's
voters.  There are troubling reports of anomalies in voter
registration lists and of questionable manipulation of some
parliamentary races.

         However, in spite of these weaknesses, we believe that
the election served to advance the establishment of democratic
institutions in Kenya and provided Kenya with a more
representative government.  For example, opposition parties have
established themselves as a credible political force in Kenya.

         Leaders of several opposition parties have rejected the
results of the election and have called for new elections to be
held.  We believe that many of the opposition's concerns must be
addressed.  We call upon leaders of all political parties to
pursue challenges to the election through constitutional means,
and we urge President Moi to confirm his acceptance of the rule
of law in considering these challenges.

         Q    And what is the status of the bilateral aid program to 
Kenya?

         MR. SNYDER:  I don't know.  Let me check.  I didn't ask that.

         Q    Is the U.S. likely to accept the results of these 
elections?

         MR. SNYDER:  Before we make our final judgment, we want
to see the final report of the International Republican
Institute.

         Q    While you're on Africa, do you have anything on South 
Africa -- continued violence, black against white, or whatever?

         MR. SNYDER:  No, sorry.

         Q    What about the situation in Angola?

         MR. SNYDER:  Yes.  Over the past week, fighting has
taken place in and around three provincial capitals in Angola.
Each side blames the other for provoking violence which resulted
in substantial loss of life.

         Circumstances surrounding the outbreaks of fighting are
unclear but it does appear that in recent days the government
has adopted a more aggressive military posture to counter past
UNITA military gains.

         As you know, in mid-December the government and UNITA
accepted a series of steps aimed at a resumption of dialogue.
The initial phase -- UNITA'S withdrawal from Uige and Negage and
the government's placing of its representatives there -- is
already underway.

         However, we are deeply concerned that the renewed
fighting noted above will set back plans for renewal of
face-to-face negotiations.  Military action cannot be a
substitute for serious discussions if Angola is to find a
peaceful solution to the current crisis.  We call on both the
government and UNITA parties to halt the violence and to follow
through on their commitments to resume a constructive dialogue.

         Q    Is UNITA at all responsive to American complaints?

         MR. SNYDER:  In the past I think both sides have been
responsive to our discussions with them.

         Q    How about Cambodia?

         MR. SNYDER:  Nothing on Cambodia today.  Sorry, George.

         Q    Do you have anything on the killing of the Israeli
Shin Bet officer?

         MR. SNYDER:  No, I don't have anything specific on
that.  As we've said many times, we regret the cycle of violence
in Israel and the occupied territories and call on both sides to
desist.

         Q    Any details on the expulsion of this Russian
diplomat?

         MR. SNYDER:  No.  As is our practice, we don't talk
about such matters.

         Q    Do you have any update on the Cuban airliner
situation of last week?

         MR. SNYDER:  I've got nothing really specific.  The
plane and those who wanted to go back went back.  INS and the
Justice Department have been pursuing their pieces of the
action.  You might want to check with them -- INS in the case of
those who sought asylum, and Justice on the inquiry into whether
crimes had been committed.

         Q    Joe, does the Administration have anything to say
about the Turkish parliament's vote to commit troops to Bosnia?

         MR. SNYDER:  Let me see if we have something.  I don't
have anything right here.

         Q    Anything on Iraq, either north or south or middle?

         MR. SNYDER:  Iraq, north or south or middle?  No, not
really.

         Q    Something?

         MR. SNYDER:  Anything on anything?

         Q    Iraqi-New Zealand relations.

         Q    What a question:  Anything on Iraq?

         Q    Thank you.

         (Press briefing concluded at 12:59 p.m.)

To the top of this page