DEPARTMENT OF STATE
                         DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

                                                      DPC #51

                  FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1993, 12:51 P.M.
                (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)


         MR. BOUCHER:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  I have one 
announcement today about travel of Reginald Bartholomew:

          The U.S. Special Envoy, Reginald Bartholomew, will travel to 
the Balkan region and Western Europe April 11-16 as part of the U.S. 
effort to support a Bosnian settlement.  Ambassador Bartholomew will be 
visiting Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Belgrade.  It is anticipated that he will 
meet with the leaders in each capital -- that would be Bosnian President 
Izetbegovic, Croatian President Tudjman, and Serbian President 
Milosevic.  We also expect him to see the Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic 
and Bosnian Croat leader Boban.  Of course, the final meetings are not 
pinned down and scheduled.  We'll have to see how the schedules work 
out, but this is what he's going out to -- the people he's going out to 
see.

          Arrangements are also being made for Bartholomew to see some 
outlying areas in Bosnia.  `I have: no more detail on that for you at 
this point.

          Ambassador Bartholomew will be going to press directly, with 
all his interlocutors, the main line of our policy and the international 
community's policy on Bosnia.  The international community is focused on 
trying to bring the conflict to a settlement after the agreements that 
have been reached so far in New York.  We want the Bosnian Serbs to come 
to an agreement so that we can put a prompt end to the conflict.

          In Western Europe, Ambassador Bartholomew will visit Paris, 
London, and Bonn for high-level consultations.  He will be accompanied 
by Lt. General Barry McCaffrey, Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff, and Ralph Johnson, the principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of State's Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs.

          Q  What's the date?

          MR. BOUCHER:  `April: 11-16, for the whole trip.

          Q  Is he taking any press with him?

          MR. BOUCHER:  No, I don't think so.

          Q    Does he start in Sarajevo?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Excuse me?

          Q    Does he start the trip in Sarajevo?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't know the exact order of stops.

          Q    There's supposed to be a meeting on Monday in Sarajevo of 
the various leaders.

          MR. BOUCHER:  I think that's the U.N. meeting with the 
military commanders that they've had before.

          Q    Yeah.  He wouldn't try to dove-tail --

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't know, frankly.  These meetings of the 
U.N. with military commanders have been something they work on regularly 
to try to get a cease-fire.  For the last few times they've had them, I 
think the Serb commander didn't show; and they're looking to try to get 
all the three commanders together again.

          Q    Richard, what can you tell us about this incident in the 
northern "no-fly" zone over Iraq?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Well, I can tell you that I have a copy of the 
piece of paper that EUCOM put out about it, and that I'd be glad to tell 
you a few of the pieces of information that the Pentagon and the 
European Command have made available on this.

          The incident occurred on April 9.  There were four U.S. Air 
Force aircraft that were assigned to "Provide Comfort" coalition that 
were fired upon by Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery.  The aircraft were 
conducting a routine monitoring mission.

          In response to the threat, three of our F-16s dropped a total 
of four cluster bombs on the site.  We don't have a damage assessment at 
this point.

          Q    Was this the first such incident since, I believe, 
January; correct?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I think the last one that they've been able to 
tell me about, or that the EUCOM folks have, was February 3.  There were 
two French Mirages that received anti-aircraft artillery fire.

          Now, let me add to that, you can get more details from the 
Pentagon.  As far as the policy goes, I want to state that the United 
States and our coalition partners remain determined to enforce all 
relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the various 
measures that were enacted to enforce them, including the two "no-fly" 
zones.

          The latest incident underscores Iraq's continued failure to 
abide by these resolutions and its international obligations.  Iraq 
understands clearly what its obligations are in regard to the "no-fly" 
zone and will be held solely responsible for the serious consequences of 
failure to comply with these obligations.

          Q    Did you say that was the northern "no-fly" zone, Richard?

          MR. BOUCHER:  It was the northern "no-fly" zone, yes.

          Q    Whereabouts in the northern "no-fly" zone?

          MR. BOUCHER:  It was approximately two miles east of Saddam 
Dam, which I assume you can find on a map.

          Q    Saddam Dam?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Yes.  We'll all have to look for it.  I don't 
know the location myself.

          Q    Can you tell us any more about the incident itself?  What 
were the aircraft doing there?  Were they just on routine mission?

          MR. BOUCHER:  They were on a routine monitoring mission.  
There were at least three F-16s.  I guess you'll have to get the --

          Q    Were the F-16s --

          MR. BOUCHER:  It's three F-16s and one F-4G.  They completed 
their mission; returned without further incident.

          Q    But the F-16s were part of the four that were fired on.  
They then retaliated.  They were not called in to retaliate?

          MR. BOUCHER:  No, they were the four that were fired on.

          Q    At what altitude were they flying?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't know.  I don't know that kind of detail.  
You'll have to get that from the military folks.

          Q    I just have a quick question about the plane sales to 
Iran.  Do you think that that should be altered in any way? It should be 
reconsidered?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Dee Dee Myers already answered that question at 
the White House.  Basically we know that the companies are interested in 
making some sales.  We know they have competition.  They've asked us to 
look at this.  We're looking at it, but we haven't made any decisions at 
this point.

          Q    Do you have any readout of the meeting that they had with 
Warren Christopher last month -- the people from GE and Boeing?

          MR. BOUCHER:  No, I don't, really.  They came and told us 
about the situation.

          Q    You mean it is under -- it is being reconsidered?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I wouldn't say that.  But when our companies ask 
for us to look at something, we look at something; and that's basically 
what it is.  They were interested in prospects for sales.  We know they 
have competition.  We also know of Iran's record on terrorism and other 
issues, and we're taking a look at it.

          Q    Could you speak to the details of their complaint, and 
that is that there are other places where Iran can buy aircraft engines 
and all that we are doing by this policy is preventing U.S. companies 
from making sales that they could make otherwise?

          MR. BOUCHER:  John, I don't think I can speak to that in any 
detail at this point since, as I said, we're aware of the foreign 
competition.  They're concerned about it.  We obviously have to be 
concerned about it.  It involves our commercial interests, but we're 
also concerned about other things with regard to Iran.  This is 
something they asked us to take a look at, and we're looking at it.

          Q    Just for the record, would you restate the U.S. position 
on Iran as a perpetrator of international terrorism?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I think I'll leave it to what the Secretary said 
last week.

          Q    Richard, what is the U.S. estimate of where the proposed 
resolution in the Security Council on tightening sanctions stands?

          MR. BOUCHER:  The resolution stands on its own two feet.

          There's a final draft text of the omnibus sanctions resolution 
that's been circulated to the Security Council.  It was circulated last 
night.

          As you know, we believe the resolution is necessary to 
maintain pressure on the Bosnian Serbs to agree to a workable peace 
settlement.  The resolution toughens sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro, 
the Bosnian Serbs' main source of support, if they fail to participate 
in a peaceful settlement within a specified time frame.

          We're continuing to work with other members of the Council on 
the resolution.  We're moving forward.  As I said, it has been 
circulated.  We're looking for a vote soon.  The Council meets again on 
the subject on Monday.

          Q    Well, the Russians have offered a number of amendments 
which would greatly water down the thing.  Do we go along with that?  
Are we --

          MR. BOUCHER:  As I said, John, the co-sponsors have circulated 
a final draft to the other members of the Council. Of course, we're 
working with the Russians, as we're working with other members on this.  
The Council will continue to discuss this, and we're looking for a vote 
soon.

          Q    Did Madeleine Albright come to Washington today to 
discuss this matter?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I think she's coming to Washington today, but I 
don't know -- I wouldn't characterize it precisely to discuss this 
matter.

          Q    Richard, when you say "final draft," that implies that 
you aren't going to change it any more.  Is that a false conclusion to 
draw?

          MR. BOUCHER:  The final draft is an attempt to put into 
English what the U.N. calls "in blue," meaning that there's a draft that 
the sponsors have agreed upon that they've circulated to the other 
members and that is ready for a vote.

          Q    Who are the sponsors in this case?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't know if I have the full list. I'll have 
to check.

          Q    Well, of the Perm Five, who are the sponsors?

          MR. BOUCHER:  No, I don't think it's all the Perm Five.

          Q    No.  I say "of the Perm Five."  Which of the Perm Five 
are identified as sponsors?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Again, Alan, I'll have to check and find the 
sponsors.

          Q    Are we?

          MR. BOUCHER:  We are one of them.

          Q    Specifically, are the Russians one of the sponsors of the 
final draft?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't have a list of sponsors.  I think that's 
clear from the last four questions.  I'll find out.

          Q    Are we pursuing this just at the U.N., which is closed 
down for the weekend, or are we talking to the Russians in Moscow and 
here as well?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't think I can go into precise discussions 
of this, but we have been, at least recently, discussing this with the 
Russians in a variety of ways and discussing it with other Security 
Council members in a variety of places.

          Q    Well, Richard, there's a report this morning that a 
Bosnian Serbian leader was commenting favorably upon a plan which Vitaly 
Churkin has evidently been peddling there.  Do you know precisely what 
the -- it has to do with the map and the ten autonomous provinces.  Do 
you know what it is that the Russians are proposing?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I don't personally know.  We have been in close 
touch with the Russians.  My understanding was that Churkin was going to 
actually come to D.C. today and would probably be seeing Reggie 
Bartholomew, our Special Envoy, later to discuss the issue.  He's been 
working -- they've obviously been in close touch all along.  So we'll 
hear from him perhaps this evening if they can arrange to meet to 
discuss that further.

          Q    Here or in New York?

          MR. BOUCHER:  That would be here.

          Q    Richard, I would like to ask for a filing break.

          MR. BOUCHER:  O.K.  Filing break.

          Q    Anything new on Pakistan?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Nothing new on Pakistan, no.

          Q    Have you received any message from India on the alleged 
involvement of Pakistan in the Bombay explosion?

          MR. BOUCHER:  I really don't know the answer to that, no.

          Q    Richard, could you address the situation in Nagorno-
Karabakh again?  I know that you welcomed a few days ago the restraint 
shown by the Turks, but apparently President Ozal had a very strong 
statement this morning, while visiting Alma Ata, against the Armenians 
and things, saying that some actions should be taken against the 
Armenians, implying that some of those actions could be military 
actions.  Are you concerned --

          MR. BOUCHER:  Jacques, I haven't seen that situation. 
Obviously we continue to believe that people should support peaceful 
means of reaching agreement on this.  At present, I think there was some 
discussion among the parties with the Russians, but at this point we 
can't say that a cease-fire is in effect.  Obviously we continue to 
believe that the Minsk Group -- the CSCE-sponsored group -- is the best 
forum to try to resolve this conflict.

          We've urged all parties involved to cease military actions and 
to return to the negotiating table, and that continues to be the course 
that we have pursued.

          Q    Are you engaged, or is the U.S. Government engaged, in 
any kind of specific dialogue on the issue with the Turks?

          MR. BOUCHER:  We've been in close contact with the Turkish 
Government as well as many others that are interested in this.

          Q    The Azerbaijan Foreign Minister is in Washington. What do 
you have on that?  I mean, did he talk to Secretary Christopher?

          MR. BOUCHER:  That's something I'll have to check on. I wasn't 
aware that he was here.

          Q    Have any of the Arab Governments notified the State 
Department that they are coming for consultations before the next round 
of peace talks?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Yes.  We're looking for a group of -- well, a 
group; not a group -- but a series of discussions with them next week.  
The Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian representatives will come to 
Washington early next week for consultations prior to the planned April 
20 resumption of peace talks.  We're still in touch with the 
Palestinians to work out arrangements for additional consultations.

          Q    I think they announced today that they were coming.

          MR. BOUCHER:  I saw something on the wires about it.  I don't 
have a specific -- I don't have that pinned down.  We're still in touch 
with them about arrangements for the Palestinians.

          Q    Will they be here during the presence of the Secretary, 
or will it be -- he's going to be gone for --

          MR. BOUCHER:  He'll be in Tokyo.

          Q    Will he be discussing with them?

          MR. BOUCHER:  Ed Djerejian, our Assistant Secretary for Near 
East Affairs, will be leading the team on our side.  There are a variety 
of people involved from our side.  Depending on the schedules, they may 
not overlap with the Secretary's presence since he's gone from Monday 
'til Thursday night.

          Q    Thank you.

          (The briefing concluded at 1:06 p.m.)  (###)

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