U.S. and Hong Kong (2003)

Transcript: State Department Briefing, January 7, 2003

Following is a transcript of the briefing:

(begin transcript)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003
2:00 p.m. EST

BRIEFER: Richard Boucher, Spokesman

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

QUESTION: The statement is slightly vague as to the timing of the next set of consultations. Will Assistant Secretary Kelly still go to Asia? And if so, do you have any stops you can talk about?

MR. BOUCHER: Assistant Secretary Kelly will be out in the region next week. I do not have his exact itinerary yet. He will be in Japan, Korea, China. I think he is also going to Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Singapore, maybe other places. So he will be out in the region next week.

I think some of you may know the South Korean National Security Advisor at this point will be in Washington in the next few days, so we will be having further meetings with them. We are continuing to have meetings with other governments involved. The Secretary obviously discusses North Korea in his phone calls with foreign leaders. And then later this month, Under Secretary Bolton will be out in the region, as well. So this is an ongoing process of very close cooperation and consultation with the Trilateral -- with Japan, Korea and the United States -- but also with other members of the international community.

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

QUESTION: What can you tell us about whether there was any discussion at the meeting today on who should, if any, make contact with North Korea next? And secondly, whether there was any discussion about what role Russia and China might play in the ensuing dialogue or multi-party dialogue?

MR. BOUCHER: I think as you say, there is support for the dialogue that Japan has, that South Korea has, with North Korea. I think there will be probably different contacts from different countries. We are taking steps to make sure that the allies and friends who are also interested in North Korea are briefed. We have a meeting this afternoon with representatives of China, Russia, the European Union, Australia, Canada. Is that the whole list? Let me make sure I did not leave anybody off. China, Russia, the Europeans, Australia, Canada.

This afternoon, the three heads of delegation -- US, Japan and South Korea -- are going to meet with them, with their representatives in Washington, to keep them up to speed and abreast of what we have been thinking. So we are continuing to work with other governments. I know you have seen South Korea has had people out in Moscow and Beijing as well. So there is a lot of work going on with other governments, as well, and I am sure there will be a variety of contacts of people with North Korea. But which one might happen first, I do not know at this point.

QUESTION: Sorry. Can you just explain a little bit more about that meeting that you just described? What ambassador is coming in and hearing --

MR. BOUCHER: We decided after the trilateral meeting was held -- because it was so important to us to continue our coordination with other governments -- that we would invite these countries to bring some representatives into the State Department and the three heads of delegation will sit down and sort of brief them on our discussions and confer with them on various steps that people were taking. So I think in some cases it is the ambassador. I think the Chinese ambassador. I am not sure if the others will be ambassadors or senior embassy representatives. But they will have senior people in here this afternoon to talk.

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

QUESTION: Richard, I thought I had grasped this, but now I think -- now I'm confused again. As far as I can tell now, what's on the table, what you've put on the table here in this document is not that different than what Kelly went to Pyongyang with in October. Am I correct? The only thing that's changed is that since that visit by Kelly, the North Koreans have taken these additional steps, I guess by throwing out the IAEA inspectors.

What you have right here is basically what the two sentences that everyone is going to concentrate on, is basically the same strip that Kelly went over there with, which is we had been prepared to go ahead with this bold approach, but we can't, now, and we will not be able to in the future unless you come back into compliance with the Agreed Framework. It seems to me that now the only difference is that the North Koreans have violated a whole bunch more agreements in between. So it's their position that's changed, not yours, since October. Is that correct?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, certainly the steps that they have taken since October, particularly with regard to monitoring cameras and the existing nuclear facilities, have been steps in the wrong direction. We have made that clear. The international community has made that clear.

Our willingness to discuss how to promptly and verifiably end the enrichment program, how to reverse those steps in the wrong direction is stated clearly here. I do not know if it was stated in quite the same terms when Assistant Secretary Kelly was in North Korea. But what is different is Assistant Secretary Kelly, having consulted, obviously, all along the way with others. But here you have a statement by three countries together, perhaps the three most important countries in terms of North Korea. It is a statement, a sentiment that we think, is widely shared by the international community -- by China, Russia and others. And I think the international community is looking for a peaceful solution to this. And we are laying out here how a peaceful solution can be found.

QUESTION: But the offer, if one can call it that, that's on the table now is not really any different than what it was in August. And that is, get into compliance with whatever you're violating, in that case, and back then it was just the Agreed Framework, but get into compliance with that and this golden road can open up before you.

MR. BOUCHER: Well, that is only part of the picture, the other picture is we are willing to talk to you about how you can get in compliance.

Charlie?

QUESTION: Richard, before this statement was issued and agreed upon and later issued, were the Chinese and Russians consulted or was it run by them?

MR. BOUCHER: This particular statement, I do not think so. Certainly we have been in active discussions with those governments. I do not think they will find anything here that is too surprising. I know we have had contacts through our embassies, for example, in China and Russia.

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

QUESTION: I've got a couple. Did you get anything on the Hong Kong extraditions that you said you were going to look into?

MR. BOUCHER: Yes, we did. The Hong Kong authorities arrested three people at our request. At a hearing held in Hong Kong on January 6, the fugitives, who have been indicted in US District Court in San Diego on charges relating to drugs and terrorism, consented to their surrender to the United States from Hong Kong. The United States requested the surrender from Hong Kong pursuant to the agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Hong Kong for the surrender of fugitive offenders that was signed on December 20, 1996, and which entered into force on January 21, 1998. We are waiting for Hong Kong authorities to provide the authorization for the surrender of these three fugitives.

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

(end transcript)