News

June 8, 1998

PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY AND AMBASSADOR JAMES DOBBINS , SENIOR DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FOR INTER-AMERICAN AFFAIRS


		


                               THE WHITE HOUSE

                        Office of the Press Secretary
                             (New York, New York)
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                     June 8, 1998     

		
                              PRESS BRIEFING BY 
                                MIKE MCCURRY 
                        AND AMBASSADOR JAMES DOBBINS			,
                 SENIOR DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL 
                          FOR INTER-AMERICAN AFFAIRS			  
		
		      Waldorf Astoria
                              New York, New York    			      
      


6:05 P.M. EDT
		
		
		MR. MCCURRY:  This is your briefing.  We are passing out to 
you right now a joint communique that the two Presidents authorized be issued 
on their behalf, because they continue to meet at this moment.  President 
Zedillo, President Clinton began their bilateral meeting at about 5:00 p.m. 
and concluded the formal part of their dialogue at 5:40 p.m.  And then they 
both agreed they wanted to spend some time together, and when Ambassador 
Dobbins and I left, they were still at it.
		
		They met in the Presidential Suite here at the Waldorf Astoria 
for what I would describe as an excellent meeting, the summary of which you're 
being given in the joint communique.  I think there are a few points in that 
that we would like to highlight, and I've asked Ambassador Jim Dobbins, who is 
our NSC head for Inter-American Affairs, who participated in the bilateral to 
give you a briefing.
		
		AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I think the joint statement covers most 
of it.  They began with a brief discussion of the U.N. Special Session, noted 
with pleasure the number of heads of state that have attended, discussed a bit 
about the anticipated results of the session.
		
		There was discussion of U.S.-Mexican narcotics trafficking.  
The President congratulated President Zedillo for the recent arrest of two 
major kingpins -- the Amezcua brothers.  A third one of these brothers had 
been arrested several months ago.  President Zedillo talked a bit about 
several other operations which are underway.  

	     
	     They discussed the Casablanca issue and I think the 
terms of that discussion are covered in the statement that you've 
got.  It was a discussion focused on looking forward, on 
improving mechanisms for cooperation, as is indicated there.  

President Zedillo made clear that he thought that the focus for 
the two Presidents should be in dealing in issues of principle, 
looking forward and finding ways of improving cooperation, and 
endorsing the efforts of the two Attorneys General to improve 
mechanisms and processes for collaboration and communication on 
law enforcement operations and other areas of counternarcotics 
cooperation.
	     
	     They also discussed the recent forest fires in 
Mexico.  Again, this is covered in the communique.  The President 
noted that these kinds of events -- he had similar discussions 
with President Cardoso yesterday evening at Camp David.  Brazil, 
too, has had a very serious set of forest fires this year, both 
linked to climate change, to El Nino, to unanticipated long, dry, 
hot spells.  This was a natural lead-in to the issue of climate 
change.  
	     
	     President Clinton made his usual eloquent case for 
cooperation and participation by developing countries in a 
process of reducing emissions, his absolute confidence that this 
would not inhibit growth, and suggests that the officials on both 
sides in whom the President's had confidence should sit down, try 
to work together on plans which would allow developing countries, 
including, in particular, Mexico, to participate in the process 
of reducing emissions and said that he would never propose 
something that in his judgment would reduce or inhibit Mexico's 
development and growth.  And President Zedillo said he was more 
than ready to enter into those discussions.
	     
	     Q	  This communique reports to continuing all drug 
trafficking and conforming to the laws of the land and respect 
each other's sovereignty.  So the United States won't do it 
again?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  The communique is intended to 
be a forward looking document on ways to improve our cooperation.
	     
	     Q	  Won't do it again --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I wouldn't characterize it 
beyond what it says.
	     
	     Q	  That's what it says.
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  That's what it says.
	     
	     Q	  Did President Zedillo say he was going to seek 
extradition of those agents involved in Casablanca?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  There was no discussion of 
extradition or prosecution.  President Zedillo did make clear 
that under Mexican law, there was a requirement that they inquire 
as to whether Mexican law had been violated.  He made clear that 
they had come to no conclusions in this regard and he also 

indicated that he thought that this was not an issue for the two 
Presidents to deal with; the two Presidents needed to deal at the 
level of principle and means of improving our cooperation in the 
future.
	     
	     Q	  Did he express any dismay about --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I don't think I want to 
characterize it beyond what's in the communique and what I've 
said.  President Zedillo has spoken on the record on several 
occasions; he said nothing new.
	     
	     Q	  Well, in principle then, did the U.S. make any 
commitment or any guarantee?  Can the U.S. government guarantee 
that in any further operation of this nature there will be full 
communications and notification to the Mexican authorities?  Is 
there a guarantee that was --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I think the joint statement is 
pretty clear, that the intention is that the two Attorneys 
General should work out processes to improve communication and 
collaboration on law enforcement operations in the future.  And 
that's a work in progress, it's a work just begun.
	     
	     Q	  But there was no promise that this --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  There was no discussion beyond 
what's reflected in the joint statement in that regard.
	     
	     Q	  Ambassador, who was at the meeting from each 
side?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  Let's see, on the U.S. side it 
was the President; the Secretary of State; Secretary of the 
Treasury; Barry McCaffrey; Mack McLarty; Bill Richardson; Sandy 
Berger; Jeff Davidow, Assistant Secretary for Inter-American 
Affairs; Mike and myself.
	     
	     On the Mexican side, Rosario Green, the Foreign 
Minister; Jose Gurria, the Finance Minister; Mr. Madrazo, the 
Attorney General; and Juan Rabieato (phonetic) the Deputy Foreign 
Minister.  I think Mr. Burros (phonetic), who's an advisor to the 
President in Los Pinos -- I think that's it.
	     
	     Q	  This statement says that they're striving for 
improved cooperation and mutual trust with full respect for the 
sovereignty of both nations.  Does President Clinton think that 
the sovereignty of Mexico was respected in Casablanca?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  The issue wasn't addressed in 
those terms.
	     
	     Q	  What was the President's reaction overall to 
the speech that President Zedillo gave at the U.N.?

	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  He congratulated him for -- I 
can't remember whether he specified the speech or for the 
conference as a whole.  He did listen to the speech and he 
thought it went well.  I don't recall he got into more detail on 
the specifics of it.  But he clearly was happy with it.  
	     
	     Q	  Ambassador Dobbins, the Attorney General said 
that given the fact that you have to conduct these operations and 
protect lives of agents, she acted like there is no guarantee in 
the future.  And improving communications doesn't mean it won't 
happen again, correct?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I really don't want to be drawn 
in and I'm sure the Attorney General doesn't want to be drawn in 
and wasn't drawn beyond what's in the joint statement.
	     
	     Q	  She made it pretty clear that weighing agents' 
lives versus communication, she was going to err on the side of 
agents' lives.
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I heard exactly what the 
Attorney General said, and you're free to quote her, but that's 
not what she said. 
	     
	     Q	  Some of the points that are being discussed in 
the conference is spending about a billion dollars a year on 
eradication of opium, cocaine, marijuana, et cetera.  Did 
President Zedillo and President Clinton talk about whether the 
United States is going to contribute to these efforts in terms of 
financial assistance to eradicate this so-called problem?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  They didn't discuss 
eradication, per se.  The United States of, course, is the major 
contributor to eradication around the world already.     I think 
some of the debate is how much of it should be channeled in 
addition to what we're already doing through the U.N.  My 
impression from what Barry McCaffrey said earlier today to 
another press briefing was that we haven't made a decision on 
that, we haven't yet seen the U.N. numbers, and when we do we'll 
make some decision about how much we're going to contribute.  But 
the United States already is the largest contributor to 
eradication.
	     
	     Q	  On the forest fires issue, did the President 
offer any further assistance?  And also, aren't some Mexican 
Cabinet officers meeting with U.S. officials this week in 
Washington? 
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I'm not sure of the timing.  I 
know both Bruce Babbitt who -- no, I'm sorry, the Secretary of 
Agriculture Glickman and Brian Atwood, the head of AID, have been 
meeting with their Mexican counterparts.  They went to Mexico, 
and I just don't know what their schedule is and whether there's 
a 

meeting.
	     
	     Now, there's a meeting of what's called the 
Binational Commission on Thursday, which brings together 
virtually the entire Mexican and U.S. Cabinets.  It's an annual 
meeting and I'm sure that those Cabinet participants will 
participate, along with the Attorney General, with Barry 
McCaffrey, with Madeleine Albright.
	     
	     Q	  There was nothing said in this meeting about 
further assistance either of personnel or financial --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  No, nothing specific.
	     
	     Q	  I wonder if the President of Mexico or 
President Clinton mentioned anything about the possibility to 
persecute American agents that were involved in Casablanca, the 
covert operation.
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  As I said, President Zedillo 
made clear that his Attorney General had an obligation to 
determine whether there had been any violations of Mexican law.  
That process wasn't completed.  They weren't presuming that -- 
they had come to no conclusion.  There was no discussion of what 
would happen thereafter.  President Zedillo made clear that 
wasn't an issue for the two Presidents to discuss.  The two 
Presidents should discuss the principles of their cooperation and 
encourage their Attorneys General and other officials to improve 
processes for coordination and collaboration and communication.
	     
	     Q	  Did President Zedillo ask for any further 
information on this Casablanca to be able to determine whether 
any laws were violated?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  No, but I don't know that he 
needed to.  Our officials were down in Mexico City late last week 
for the first exchange, where we provided information on the 
case, and we agreed that we would continue to meet with the 
Mexicans.  So I assume he didn't ask because he felt that they 
were getting full information from us.
	     
	     Q	  If it's a question of Mexico's sovereignty 
being violated, why is there any question of U.S. agents being 
extradited as individuals instead of --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I don't know that there is a 
question of U.S. agents being extradited.  
	     
	     Q	  Well, there clearly in -- political circles.
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I mean, I can't speak for the 
Mexican President.
	     
	     Q	  The Foreign Minister -- extradition publicly.

	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  It didn't come up in the 
meeting.  I mean, what the issue was -- there's no point in my 
repeating it.  He said they needed to review whether there had 
been a violation of Mexican law.  They haven't come to any 
conclusions, and there was no discussion beyond that.
	     
	     Q	  As a generic matter then can you rule out 
extraditing U.S. citizens or law enforcement --
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  That's a hypothetical question, 
which is well in advance of where we are at the moment.
	     
	     Q	  Was Casablanca the main -- would you say that 
the Casablanca operation was the major subject discussed by the 
President?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I would think they spent as 
much time on climate change as Casablanca.  They probably -- 
those two occupied the biggest chunks of what was about a 
40-minute meeting.  But there were several other things and then 
they've gone on to talk privately for 25 minutes and I don't know 
what was in the 25 minutes.
	     
	     Q	  Can you characterize the tone of Zedillo's 
comments on the Casablanca issue?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  The meeting was a very positive 
meeting.  These are good friends, they know each other well.  
There was no negative tone in the meeting.  The issue is clearly 
one that is a serious one for the Mexicans, but there was nothing 
in the tone of the meeting which suggested anything other than 
that the United States and Mexico were going to continue to move 
forward in intensifying an already uniquely collaborative 
relationship.
	     
	     Q	  Would you try to dispel the impression that 
Mexico was really very angry at the U.S. over this episode?
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  I'm trying to characterize a 
meeting between the two Presidents.  I'm not trying to 
characterize a relationship between two countries.  And when you 
talk about Mexico, are you talking about the press, are you 
talking about the Cabinet, are you talking about the Congress, 
Mexican Congress?
	     
	     Q	  -- had an adverse effect on U.S.-Mexican 
relations.
	     
	     AMBASSADOR DOBBINS:  All I can tell you is that this 
was a positive, forward-looking meeting, the results of which are 
in the joint statement.
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  Any last thing for Jim?  Other 

subjects?
	     
	     Q	  Ms. Reno said today that by way of saying that 
Mexican officials weren't the only ones -- saying there are 
officials in this country left out as well.  Can you say who 
didn't know?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  Other Cabinet officials have addressed 
that, including the Secretary of State.  But the point the 
Attorney General made today is that in sensitive law enforcement 
operations that involve undercover work, for the protection of 
courageous and heroic law enforcement officials, information is 
very closely held.  And she made the point of saying it's very 
closely held within our government.  There were a number of 
senior ranking officials, and I can't quantify it precisely, but 
many high ranking officials in the U.S. government who are 
unaware of Operation Casablanca until it is formally announced by 
our government.  
	     
	     Thank you.  Other subjects at all?
	     
	     Q	  Abacha's death?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  Have we put out any formal statement?  
I'm asking you.  (Laughter.)  I haven't had a chance to -- let me 
say the United States government acknowledges the death of 
General Sani Abacha.  The United States government is interested 
in what type of opportunities exist for transition to civilian 
rule in Nigeria.  A long-sought goal of U.S. policy has been to 
restore to the people of Nigeria a freely-elected democratic 
government that is consistent with the great aspirations of the 
Nigerian people and reflective of the great potential Nigeria has 
in the world community.
	     
	     Our hope, among others, would be at this moment of 
transition that an accountable civilian government that is able 
to lead the Nigerian people will emerge from what has been a very 
horrific episode in which basic fundamental rights have been 
suspended, in which rule of law has not applied, in which the 
results of elections have been set aside in the name of 
authoritarianism..
	     
	     Q	  Is the United States still open to the idea of 
any military ruler seeking election as a civilian?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  The United States government is 
interested in seeing a freely and democratically elected civilian 
government that can help make the orderly transition away from 
authoritarianism and back to democracy that the people of Nigeria 
deserve.  I'm not going to speculate on who that might involve, 
and I don't think anyone is in a position to speculate at this 
point.
	     
	     Q	  Regardless of whether or not that candidate is 

out of the Nigerian military?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  Well, there have been freely and 
democratically elected figures throughout Africa that formerly 
were involved in the military.  I'm not going to speculate about 
what might emerge at this moment in the history of Nigeria.  Our 
interest is in a government that will reflect what we believe is 
the desire and will of the people of Nigeria to see themselves 
freely governed by a democratically elected president who wants 
to restore prosperity and opportunity for the people of Nigeria 
-- opportunity and prosperity that they once enjoyed.
	     
	     Q	  Did the President talk to the Secretary of 
State today about Kosovo and what's the message that we're going 
to have on Friday?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  The President did receive a briefing 
today from his National Security Advisor, since they happened to 
be here, and both Mr. Berger and Secretary Albright participated 
from here in New York in a meeting of the President's advisors 
today.  
	     
	     I think when you recall when the Contact Group met 
in early May, we agreed to impose an assets freeze and investment 
ban unless President Milosevic agreed to talks and to take other 
measures to avoid violence in Kosovo, directed to the Kosovo 
Albanians.  President Milosevic did agree to those talks, but in 
the last two weeks we have seen instances of indiscriminate 
violence that has undermined the basic value and premise of the 
talks that President Milosevic engaged in with the leadership 
with the ethnic Kosovo Albanians.  
	     
	     Therefore, the United States is going to move 
forward to implement the assets ban and the investment ban that 
we suggested that we would pursue.  We expect the Former Republic 
of Yugoslavia to live up to its pledge this past weekend to allow 
access by international observers and humanitarian organizations 
in Kosovo.  We call on both sides to resume their dialogue, to 
urge all parties to avoid actions that would undermine peaceful 
negotiations.
	     
	     We're also concerned about the refugee flows that 
have occurred as a result of this violence.  There are a 
substantial number of Kosovo Albanians that have fled their homes 
a result of these attacks, and we and others in the international 
community are now mobilizing resources that will deal with what 
is clearly a very pressing need for the people who are now in 
refugee status.
	     
	     We're also simultaneously working with our allies, 
working closely with our allies, other partners in the 
international community as well -- both through NATO, through the 
United Nations, and through the Contact Group that has been 
established to work together on problems in the Balkans.  We're 

looking for measures that will help end the violence and promote 
a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the Kosovo 
Albanians and the Serbian populations in Kosovo.  We're 
conducting accelerated contingency planning at NATO, and there 
have been a variety of steps there authorized, as some of you may 
know, as a result of the recent meeting at the ministerial level 
of the North Atlantic Council.  The Pentagon and others have 
briefed on some of the things that are underway in the region and 
in and around Kosovo that involved deployment of NATO resources.  
	     
	     I'll spare you some of that.  I will say that we and 
our partners have a variety of options available to us, and no 
decisions have been made on that score, but again, nothing should 
be ruled out either.
	     
	     Q	  Are you going to be backing a U.N. resolution 
that will allow for the use of force?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  We are going to be in very close 
contact with our allies, particularly with those that we have 
cooperated with closely on in matters related to the Balkans.  
And I expect that as this week unfolds there will be further 
discussions underway about how best to press the arguments that 
we want to make.  I would hesitate to say at this point that we 
concluded that a single resolution or a single course of action 
suggests itself, but we are consulting with other governments 
even as we speak.
	     
	     Q	  Is there any concern -- did the President hear 
about the reports that the U.S. used seran gas in Laos against 
American --
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  He did hear about those reports.  The 
President expressed interest in them, although they clearly 
involve allegations about behavior for administrations that are 
long gone.  The President's understanding is that the Pentagon is 
reviewing the historical record, and my understanding is that the 
Pentagon was briefed extensively on that today.  Other than to 
say the President was interested in and aware of the reports and 
assured that other parts of our government were looking into it.  
We're not in a position to take further action on it here today.
	     
	     Q	  On Korea -- what are you planning to highlight 
tomorrow?  Will the President -- has there been any consideration 
of the South Korean request that the U.S. consider lifting 
sanctions?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  Well, there has not been a request by 
the Republic of Korea to lift sanctions on North Korea.  There 
have been some suggestions that President Kim Dae Jung has an 
interest in raising that issue and exploring it with President 
Clinton during their state visit tomorrow.  We look forward to 
that opportunity because the future of the Korean Peninsula is of 

keen interest to the people of the United States of America, in 
having fought for peace there and having followed very closely 
the efforts to bring about reconciliation between North and 
South.
	     
	     We have other interests that we certainly will be 
exploring with the Republic of Korea as well -- our work together 
to contain the nuclear program of the North, the DPRK; our common 
efforts with respect to economic issues; what we do together on a 
range of regional security issues.  There's an extensive 
bilateral agenda that we'll explore as well.  But clearly, 
because we cooperate so closely with our close friend and ally, 
the Republic of Korea, we will be very interested in what this ne 
government and this new President suggest with respect to the 
future of diplomatic efforts to bring about reconciliation on the 
Korean Peninsula.
	     
	     Q	  Mike, on that point, in the view of the U.S. 
government, has North Korea's conduct been such that it would 
warrant the lifting of sanctions at this time?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  North Korea's conduct has been 
consistent with the October 1994 agreed framework, which is right 
now the most important document with respect to the containment 
of a program that once posed such great danger to the peoples on 
both sides the divide.  
	     
	     At the same time, we still consider this a regime 
that has not fully committed itself to a peaceful resolution of 
the disagreements that exist on the Korean Peninsula.  That is 
why we have encouraged the government in the North to pursue in 
the four-party talks framework a discussion of the issues that we 
hope could bring about exactly that kind of peaceful 
reconciliation.  We need to see a lot more before we think of 
setting aside those implements and tools available to help bring 
about the type of peaceful reconciliation we seek, but clearly 
among those at those point, dialogue is chief and foremost.
	     
	     Q	  Sorry to be thick about this, but I don't see 
the statement, the joint communique really speaking for itself.  
I just would like to ask, if you had the same situation, weighing 
the risks that you had this time for the agents involved, in the 
future, with this improved communications, would you communicate 
the information about this raid -- the exact same situation?
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  I think that that discussion of a 
hypothetical was not the way the two Presidents spent their 
energies in their discussion today.  They reviewed how they're 
going to go about creating a dialogue, starting with the work 
their two chief law enforcement officers, their Attorneys General 
do together to devise a procedure that will allow the mutual 
interests that both countries have in avoided undesirable effects 
to take place -- exactly as the communique suggests.  
	     


	     There's no way to predict the future and neither is 
there any particular reason to dwell unnecessarily on the past.  
I think the tone and content of this meeting was one that 
suggested the two Presidents would best spend their time 
reviewing the principles that ought to underpin the close 
cooperation Mexico and the United States have when it comes to 
fighting drugs.  And that's -- reaffirmation of those important 
principles is what the two Presidents concentrated their time on.
	     
	     That's a wrap for today.  There's nothing more, I 
think, on the evening event tonight.  I don't anticipate any 
particular fireworks and we're out of here at 8:30 p.m.
	     
	     Q	  Got any guidance on whether there's any line 
item veto in store on --
	     
	     MR. MCCURRY:  I do not, Mark.  I haven't heard any 
discussion of that.  Barry, anything?  Okay.
	     
	     That's it.  I didn't even have anything here you 
didn't ask about -- on the foreign policy side.

            END                        6:32 P.M. EDT