U.S. and Taiwan (2006)

U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 4, 2006

12:44 p.m. EDT

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QUESTION: Two things just to follow up. So can we assume then that there probably won't be a vote until the P-5+1 dinner or --

MR. MCCORMACK: I'm not going to link a vote to that dinner one way or the other. We'll see. As it stands now, my understanding is that today there are informal discussions and tomorrow there will be informal discussions, so I'm not sure there is, at this point, a meeting scheduled in which they would take a vote. Of course, if there is agreement and unanimity within the Council and agreement on this language, of course one could happen at any time, according to the rules. But at this point, I don't think there is a vote scheduled before Monday.

QUESTION: And just one last thing. Do you have a reading any more on the Russians or the Chinese either way -- abstain, no, yes, whatever?

MR. MCCORMACK: I'm going to let them speak for themselves, where they stand, but we're talking to them and they'll be at the dinner on Monday, too.

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QUESTION: Thank you, Sean. Do you have any updates on Taiwan's President Chen's transit through the United States?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, I understand he will, on his outbound leg to his destination in South America, or destinations in South America, that he will not be transiting the United States. It is an open question whether or not -- whether on the way back he will transit the United States. As of this point, we don't have a request for that, but if we do receive the request we will certainly look at it consistent with our past practice on that question.

QUESTION: A follow-up. In the past, the U.S. has approved Taiwanese leaders to transit through other U.S. cities like New York, San Francisco, which were more preferable to the Taiwan side. Can you tell us why this time the U.S. put only stops in Alaska?

MR. MCCORMACK: There was an offer of transit through Anchorage, Alaska, which we thought was appropriate. We take each of these requests on a case-by-case basis. Each of them we take on their individual merits and beyond that I don't have any further comment on it.

QUESTION: One last follow up, sir. In your (inaudible) yesterday, you called Chen Shui-bian "he" and never once did you address his title and you are the spokesperson and a diplomat, I would assume your expressions are --

MR. MCCORMACK: "He" referred to Chen Shui-bian.

Yes.

QUESTION: Excuse me, can I follow up on this President's transit issue? By rejecting the U.S. offer to transit in through Alaska, President Chen is obviously, you know, showing his displeasure with the U.S. arrangement. Do you think there will, you know, a chilling effect of current and future U.S.-Taiwan relations?

MR. MCCORMACK: First of all, I would refer you to his -- Chen Shui-bian's traveling party for a comment on why they chose not to transit through Alaska. And as for the second part of your question, I would expect that it would not have any effect.

Yes, Nicholas.

QUESTION: The transit -- was that meant to be just to refuel for a couple of hours or was that supposed to include an overnight if the timing coincided or --

MR. MCCORMACK: Again, you can talk to his traveling party about that.

QUESTION: Well, no, but wait a second. This is a serious decision -- was that -- what does transit mean? Does it mean 24 hours, less than 24 hours, 12 hours? What does it mean?

MR. MCCORMACK: It has meant different things at different times.

QUESTION: Okay.

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(The briefing was concluded at 1:05 p.m.)