U.S. and Taiwan (2006)

U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 3, 2006

1:58 p.m. EDT

MR. MCCORMACK:a Good afternoon, everybody. I have one opening statement from the Secretary and then we can get right into questions. This concerns the 16th World Press Freedom Day.

"As the United States celebrates World Press Freedom Day, we hail the courageous sacrifices made by journalists around the world to report the facts, even at the cost of their lives and their freedom. Every day brave men and women risk harassment, beatings, detention, imprisonment and even death simply for seeking to share the truth with others around the world. In other countries, the crackdown on press freedoms include: tightening libel laws, a concentration of media ownership, restricted internet search engines and diminishing independent press outlets.

"In China, 62 cyber-dissidents are being held in prison. Zhao Yan, a New York Times researcher, was also charged with revealing state secrets in connection with a 2004 New York Times story on leadership changes in China. Despite the charges recently being dropped, he still has not been released. In Zimbabwe, security forces selectively harassed, beat and arbitrarily arrested members of the media.

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QUESTION: What about the criticism from Russia and China that if you use a Chapter 7 resolution that the United States could use that as a pretext to use military action similar to the way it did in Iraq? I know you've talked that it's not about military action right now, but that is a concern of Russia and China when signing on to a Chapter 7

MR. MCCORMACK:a Right. Well, we've made clear the President -- from the President on down, that we are on a diplomatic course. We are -- the agenda now is diplomacy. And while the President never takes any options off the table, we are on a diplomatic course. And in our view this Chapter 7 resolution would focus specifically on the issue of suspension of uranium activities, as well as some other possible steps that the Iranian Government might take to start to rebuild that confidence with the international community. So our focus is on diplomatic action. Our focus is on using those diplomatic levers at the disposal of the United States and the international community to get Iran to change its behavior.

Yes. Sue.

QUESTION: Are you still optimistic, though, that you're going to achieve a Chapter 7 resolution? And secondly, Germany and some others say that the time is now right for you to be talking directly to Iran and that that would lower the temperature and really help with this. So are you -- that's one of the reasons why Angela Merkel is here today to speak to President Bush to ask you to speak directly to Iran.

MR. MCCORMACK:a I'm not going to speak exactly what the -- Chancellor Merkel might raise with President Bush. She'll obviously have the chance to raise whatever she wants to in just a couple of hours and I think that there's also a plan for them to appear before media as well.

In terms of whether or not we believe that we can get a Chapter 7 resolution, we think that certainly the behavior of the Iranian regime in terms of its defiance easily merits a Chapter 7 resolution. This is, again, a strong diplomatic step but it is again a progressive step. It is incremental. And we think that their continued defiance certainly merits a Chapter 7 resolution and we think that after some appropriate discussion on the matter that the Security Council will also agree that it is time to take that step.

Jonathan.

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QUESTION: Just to follow up, just quickly on -- it may not be related, it may be related. But I understand the Taiwanese President is not being allowed to stop off, as he wanted to, in San Francisco or New York. Is this a sop to China at this difficult time in negotiations?

MR. MCCORMACK:a My understanding is he had chosen not to travel on this trip. I think he's cancelled his trip. That's the latest information that I have. He was offered transit through the United States, as is customary with our policy, when he chooses to travel, but he has decided not to travel.

Yes.

QUESTION: The Taiwanese press says that he was given Alaska but was turned down for San Francisco and New York. Are you saying that those reports are not true?

MR. MCCORMACK:a What I'm saying is he was offered transit consistent with our previous policy and actions with regard to requests from him to travel. He was offered a transit through Anchorage, Alaska. I understand now -- the latest information I have that we've received from TECRO is that he has chosen not to travel. That's his decision.

Samir.

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(The briefing was concluded at 2:40 p.m.)

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