NEWS REPORTS
30 January 1998
(Senior State Department officials discuss reports) (740) By David Pitts USIA Staff Writer Washington -- Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott has accused Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of conducting "a reign of terror" against his own people in addition to being "in defiance" of U.N. Security Council resolutions requiring on-site inspections to ensure that weapons of mass destruction are not being built. Talbott spoke January 30 after the release of the State Department's 1997 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Saddam Hussein "is a powerful illustration of why the United States must continue to make human rights a cornerstone of our diplomacy," he remarked. As far as human rights violations are concerned, Talbott called Saddam "Exhibit A." In addition to his remarks on Iraq, Talbott also briefly touched on the financial situation in Asia. He said that the United States "strongly supports" the efforts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help Asia recover. Democracy in the region has been "an important complement" to economic growth and the U.S. supports "greater transparency and openness" throughout the area, he added. He stressed the connection "between economic freedom and political freedom." The State Department Report is the 21st in a series of annual reports on human rights. This year, it includes assessments of 194 countries, Talbott said. Pointing out that the reports assess both "progress and setbacks," he noted that "sometimes both occur in the same country," and the reports reflect that. Talbott also noted that the reports are available at the State Department web site on the Internet as well as in hardcopy. He said that last year's report "got 130,000 hits within 24 hours of its release," making the Web an important vehicle for getting this information quickly into the hands of governments, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), human rights activists and other interested parties. The report "is ammunition in the right hands," he said. John Shattuck, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor affairs, said that there are "still too many places where people face repression" for exercising what should be basic human rights. The human rights standards the United States uses are those in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he added. He said this year's report gives particular focus to religious freedom and women's rights. Among the specific country situations Shattuck addressed were:: -- Bosnia. Nineteen ninety-seven will mark a "turning point towards peace and justice," he said, noting the increased number of arrests of alleged war criminals and the return of more refugees to their homes. Shattuck also noted that the term of the NATO stabilization force has been extended. He added: "Our continued engagement is essential." -- Russia. Shattuck criticized "a restrictive and potentially discriminatory law of religion," but noted that Russian officials say "religious freedom would be maintained." -- China. Shattuck said there had been "positive steps" as far as human rights are concerned, but added there had been "no major change" over the last year. The United States wants "to encourage further positive developments," he added. Asked about U.S. policy toward a China resolution at the upcoming meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, Shattuck said the U.S. "is about to begin consultations" with other members that will be in attendance. The U.S. position will depend on developments in China, he added. -- Nigeria. Shattuck noted there had been "little meaningful progress" toward a return to democracy. -- Algeria. "Alarming brutalities" continue which point out "the need for a credible international fact-finding mission," Shattuck said. -- Cuba. "Extreme repression" continues on that island nation, the assistant secretary remarked. -- Haiti. "Human rights abuses have been sharply curtailed since 1994," Shattuck said. Asked about possible human rights abuses in the United States, Shattuck said the U.S. "puts great emphasis on its human rights record," noting that the country "is open" about "major difficulties" such as racial discrimination. He stressed President Clinton's emphasis on this issue and frequent reports and publications from such entities as the civil rights division of the Justice Department and the Civil Rights Commission. Shattuck also briefly mentioned the issue of holding war criminals to account for their actions. He said the international war crimes tribunals investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda had "been strengthened" and that the effort to establish a permanent international court had "gained momentum" over the last year.