ACCESSION NUMBER:00000

FILE ID:95062207.POL

DATE:06/22/95

TITLE:DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, THURSDAY, JUNE 22



TEXT:

(Bosnia, China/Iran/Pakistan, Perry/Moscow-Warsaw trip) (670)



NEWS BRIEFING -- Spokesman Ken Bacon discussed the following topics:



BOTH U.N., NATO APPROVAL REQUIRED FOR AIR STRIKES IN BOSNIA



Asked about recent prohibited Bosnian Serb flights in the no-fly zone

and the reported rejection by U.N. commanders of a NATO request for

air strikes, Bacon stressed that the authorization for air strikes

"remains a dual-key approach" requiring approval by both the United

Nations and NATO.



Either the U.N. or NATO can "refuse" to turn the key, he noted, and

the decision is for them to resolve.



Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Perry told reporters that NATO

continues to enforce the no-fly zone over Bosnia. During an appearance

with Norwegian Defense Minister Jorgen Kosmo, he noted that the

unknown mission of two Bosnian-Serb aircraft was "aborted" after NATO

airborne early warning radar aircraft detected the flights and two

NATO F-18 aircraft were dispatched to the vicinity. As a result, the

secretary said the Serb aircraft "immediately landed," proving the

effectiveness of the no-fly enforcement effort.



Commenting on the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) which is being deployed

to Bosnia to protect the U.N. Protection Force (UNPROFOR), Bacon said

the 10,000-person British-French-Dutch force is designed to provide

"added protection" to UNPROFOR and to help the peacekeepers carry out

their mandate "more effectively."



Bacon said the United States would participate in providing NATO air

cover if requested to do so. The United States has also offered to

provide strategic airlift to the RRF, he said, and will probably do so

in July when a request is forthcoming. U.S. and NATO officials, the

spokesman said, are still working out "the parameters" of the RRF

support package.



Earlier, when Perry was asked about the provisions for possible U.S.

air cover for the RRF, he noted that the United States would not be

asked to do so "unilaterally." While the request would be made to

NATO, the secretary said, because the United States represents about

half of the NATO force, "there is a fifty-fifty chance that it would

be U.S. airplanes actually called upon to do it."



Asked about the cost of RRF support and the possibility of obtaining

Congressional approval, Bacon indicated that there are "elements" of

support which could be provided without specific congressional

authority, but he stressed that the goal of the administration is to

consult "fully" with Congress.



NO FIRM EVIDENCE OF CHINESE MTCR VIOLATION



Bacon said the United States will continue to monitor "very closely"

the possible transfer of Chinese missile components to Iran and

Pakistan, following a June 22 New York Times report alleging that the

Central Intelligence Agency believes that certain components have been

delivered.



"We are concerned about any actions that encourage or produce the

proliferation of weapons," the spokesman said.



As of now, the spokesman said, there is "no firm conclusionary

evidence that the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) has been

violated."



Bacon said Defense Secretary Perry has discussed the subject with his

counterparts in China and Pakistan. While U.S. officials continue to

look at the issue "very carefully," the spokesman said, there is still

no evidence the MTCR has been violated "by any ongoing or recent

transactions."



OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:



PERRY WILL TRAVEL TO POLAND AND RUSSIA



Defense Secretary Perry will depart Washington June 26 for a trip to

Poland and Russia.



The secretary will hold bilateral meetings with senior Polish

officials in Warsaw on June 27.



On June 28, he will arrive in Moscow where he will participate in a

regularly scheduled meeting of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission,

co-chaired by Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor

Chernomyrdin, that will be held June 29-30.



Perry also will meet with senior Russian government officials and

members of the Russian parliament before returning to the United

States on June 30.

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