ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96071807.txt
DATE:07/18/96
TITLE:18-07-96  TRANSCRIPT:  PERRY'S JULY 18 REMARKS AT DOD ON TWA CRASH

TEXT:
(Premature to speculate on cause of TWA air crash) (650)

Washington -- Defense Secretary Perry says "it's premature to
speculate on what caused" the crash of TWA Flight 100 out of JFK
Airport in New York City on the evening of July 17.

"Yet you can be sure that it is under very intensive investigation
right now, and we are following that investigation very closely,"
Perry told reporters at the Pentagon.

"Our forces around the world are at an alert status already relative
to terrorist incidents," he said. "At some stations in fact they are
at high alert. So we saw no need to increase the already high alert
status at our stations around the world."

Following is the official transcript:

(begin transcript)

DoD News Briefing Secretary of Defense William J. Perry Thursday, July
18, 1996 -- 9:30 a.m. (EDT) at ceremony welcoming Minister of Defense
General-Lieutenant Leonid Maltsev, of the Republic of Belarus, to the
Pentagon.

PERRY: Let me take the opportunity to formally welcome the Minister on
his first visit to the Pentagon. It's an honor for me to be your host
for this visit. Welcome. Looking forward to our discussions this
morning.

GENERAL MALTSEV: I believe that today's discussions will be productive
and fruitful. I'm sure because I had a very excellent day of staying
here yesterday.

PERRY: This will be my third opportunity to meet with the Minister of
Defense of Belarus. We met previously at an exercise in Ukraine, and
we also met at a Partnership for Peace meeting in Brussels. This will
be our first time for substantive discussions in some depth. We'll be
talking about the areas of defense and security interests for both of
our countries, and regional security in Europe.

Did you have anything you wanted to say to the press Mr. Minister?

MALTSEV: I pay great deal of attention to this visit. I'll hold it as
a protocol meeting. I believe this visit will facilitate and will
create the positive impulse in our cooperation in creating a
sufficient level of understanding in the field of security.
Yesterday's working day we spent here, gave me the basis to state that
the main goal of this visit will be achieved.

PERRY:  Thank you very much.

Q: Mr. Secretary, because of this TWA crash has there been any change
in the -- not alert status certainly, but the posture of U.S. forces
anywhere? Do you have any indication who might be behind this?

A: It's premature to speculate on what caused that accident. Yet you
can be sure that it is under very intensive investigation right now,
and we are following that investigation very closely. Our forces
around the world are at a alert status already relative to terrorist
incidents. At some stations in fact they are at high alert. So we saw
no need to increase the already high alert status at our stations
around the world.

Q: Mr. Secretary, what assistance might defense officials here be
offering authorities in New York as they go about this search
operation and this recovery?

A: We stand ready to provide assistance in the recovery or in the
medical -- if that should become appropriate. We have not received any
requests yet. The New York Air National Guard has provided already
some assistance in recovery. We have not received any requests yet at
the Pentagon. We are certainly prepared to provide assistance if and
when it is requested.

Q: Mr. Secretary, is the intelligence community aware of any possible
terrorist involvement in this? Is there any indication that this was a
terrorist attack has any group claimed responsibility?

A: I say again, it's just premature to speculate on the cause of this;
and I will not speculate on it at this time.

Thank you very much.

(end transcript)
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