U.S. and Taiwan (2006)

U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
June 15, 2006

12:32 p.m. EDT

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QUESTION: No, no, no. It's the Shanghai organization, you know, Shanghai group. Iran was -- attended the group meeting, and I wanted to know if you have any comment on their decisions to expand their economic and security links?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, they were -- they attended this cooperation dialogue, I believe, as an observer. Now, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has a stated goal of increasing cooperation and furthering national goals, of fighting terrorism, improving infrastructure, increasing the prosperity of the nations in the region, and fighting narcotics. Certainly, those are goals and a concept that we can certainly support. And in fact, the organization has had some positive developments. China, for example was able to resolve in this framework some pre-existing border disputes with countries like Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and Russia, as well as others. So there's positive things. And as I said the concept of this organization is positive in that it is -- attempts to address certain goals.

Now in practice there have been a couple of things, developments that would seem to run counter to those stated goals. The Astana Declaration in which they called for a set timetable of pulling out multinational forces from Afghanistan when, in fact, Afghanistan was not a state that signed up to that particular statement. We think that that was a counterproductive statement. And certainly counter -- it would run counter to the idea of fighting terrorism in the region. And certainly, having Iran there as an observer -- Iran, the world's largest or most significant state sponsor of terrorism, again runs counter to the idea that this is a group dedicated, in part, to countering terrorism in the region.

So you know, the concept of the organization I think certainly we can support that. But -- and there have been, as I said, some positive things, positive developments that have come out of these meetings. But in practice, there also have been some developments that we view as running counter to the stated goals of the organization.

QUESTION: So you think it couldn't have been positive if Iran became a full member of this organization as they wish?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, again, if this is an organization that is intended to do a lot of different things in terms of fighting trafficking of narcotics, fighting terrorism, increasing regional prosperity and you apply equal weight to those goals, certainly Iran, at least in our view, wouldn't qualify on the fighting terrorism score. Then again, we're not members of it. We haven't sought membership or observer status to the organization.

QUESTION: Do you view this organization as anti-American?

MR. MCCORMACK: No. Okay, I think we can get to Mr. Shanker's question finally.

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QUESTION: Thank you. Do you have any comments on the recent agreement reached between Taiwan and the Mainland on the direct cargo and passenger flights?

MR. MCCORMACK: I'll have to look into it for you. I don't have any details on that. We'll see if we have -- can find something for you on that.

QUESTION: And can I follow up with one question on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization? This year, the joint statement, the six leaders stated flatly that models of social development and political assistance should not be exported. Some see the statement as directed at the U.S. And obviously, this is -- kind of conflict with the U.S. efforts to promote democracy in this region. Do you -- what's your take on this?

MR. MCCORMACK: I haven't seen that specific language. So I couldn't respond on the basis of whether or not that is, in fact, what the people who drafted that language intended it to mean. I would, as a general point, however, I think that you would -- you can look at the remarks from President Bush. You can look at Secretary Rice's remarks just from yesterday and it is our belief that democracy is not a "U.S. political model." It is based upon the fundamental principle that every individual should -- has inalienable universal rights and that those rights are not the possession of the United States. Those are rights that are inherent to each -- every individual around the globe. And the way that they manifest themselves in what political system is going to be up to them. Democracy is certainly the model that has worked all around the world in that regard, but it is not solely America's patented invention that we sell around the world. This is something we believe springs from individuals and their own inherent rights.

Yeah.

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(The briefing was concluded at 1:15 p.m.)