waldron@newport.rutgers.edu (James Waldron) (10/28/89)
PRESS CONFERENCE: SECRETARY OF STATE, JAMES BAKER III
Posting Date: 10/20/89 Copyright UNITEX Communications, 1989
UNITEX Network, USA ISSN: 1043-7932
PRESS CONFERENCE WITH
JAMES BAKER III,
US SECRETARY OF STATE
FROM UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1989
SEC. BAKER: Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether some of
you who have been with us all week are as tired as I am, but I
think it's been a pretty good eight days, notwithstanding that.
I've had 46 meetings with foreign officials over the past five
days, including 35 bilaterals.
To sum it up, I think that the progress we made in Wyoming,
particularly on arms control, helped set a positive spirit that
is encouraging to all members of the United Nations. For
awhile, it's undoubtedly true that international relations no
longer has to move in the shadow of a bipolar world. It's also
true, I think, that the US-Soviet relationship remains very
important to the entire international community. This week, of
course, also saw the President's proposal on chemical weapons,
which offers a new and realistic program for moving in a
practical way toward a global ban on chemical weapons.
It also presented us with an opportunity to address further the
process of change in Eastern Europe. I believe that the nations
of the West are working collectively to encourage these changes
with real support, and also with a real recognition that the
success of these reforms must depend in the end upon the peoples
of Poland and Hungary themselves. We can help and we should
help and we will help, but they must act. It is our hope, of
course, that others in Eastern Europe will not be long to
follow. That's one of the reasons that I met with the
Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister.
I've also had the chance this week to discuss some other
important regional problems and opportunities in both bilateral
and multilateral meetings. It's been a productive week, and we
look forward to building on our efforts here in the days and
weeks ahead.
I'll be glad to try and respond to your questions. Carol.
Q Mr. Secretary, could you expand somewhat on your earlier
comments about the bilateral with the Chinese Foreign Minister
and express (?) whether you see any change in China since the
crackdown in June, any lessening of repression --
SEC. BAKER: Well, I think there is a desire on the part of the
Chinese government to do what they can, as I indicated, to
preserve a relationship that is very important to both countries
from a geopolitical and geostrategic standpoint. I think we've
made it very clear in the action which the President has taken,
and in the two meetings that I've had with the Foreign Minister,
that we have some problems with the approach toward human rights
that was exemplified, of course, by what happened in Tiananmen
Square. I took this occasion to reiterate that. There is a
clear difference of opinion between the two countries with
respect to exactly what happened, and what the appropriate
approach should be, but we will continue to make our views known
in this respect.
You asked me to judge the state of repression in the People's
Republic of China, and I cannot really quantify that for you
except to say that we have been told that people who were
expressing -- simply expressing peaceful dissent will not be
punished. People who were destroying property and violating
laws against that type of behavior will be punished. That is
the position of the Chinese government.
Q Mr. Secretary?
SEC. BAKER: Yes, John?
Q There are indications today that the United States is
prepared to launch (?) the sale of approximately 300 Main Battle
Tanks to the Saudis. Can you say anything about the
appropriateness of the reported efforts by the United States to
get the Israelis not to jam up a lobbying effort against this on
the Hill so that this plan might go forward? Is that an
appropriate thing for the United States to do?
SEC. BAKER: Well, first of all you would want me to, I think,
confirm that that action was taken, and I'm not going to confirm
it, nor deny it for you. Let me simply say that we have a
longstanding security relationship with Saudi Arabia. It's in
our interest and it's in the interest, we think, of peace that
moderately-oriented Arab governments feel secure and capable of
dealing with threats from radicals.
We don't contemplate sales like this to any Arab government
without first taking into account the question of Israel's
security. We are committed, as you know, to maintaining a
qualitative edge, and that commitment is simply not going to
change.
Yes, sir?
Q Mr. Secretary, since we are on the Middle East, you met
today with the Foreign Minister of Syria. Can you tell us about
anything positive about even -- anything -- any commitment that
the Syrians will ever -- will go from Lebanon?
SEC. BAKER: Well, the Syrians did not challenge us when we said
that we think ultimately there must be a withdrawal of all
foreign forces from Lebanon. In fact, I got the distinct
impression from the discussion that they clearly agree with
that. They did say -- the Minister did say that they support
the tripartite committee's approach. And we, of course, have
expressed our support for that approach.
Q Quick follow-up on Syria, Mr. Secretary?
SEC. BAKER: Yeah, we'll let one follow-up there, and then
here.
Q (Off mike) -- peace process. You said it supported or
Syria is rejecting this? What's their position about Mubarak's
10 points. Did you discuss that --
SEC. BAKER: They -- did they -- do they support the tripartite
committee's approach in Lebanon?
Q No. No. About the 10 points of Mubarak. Are they still
against it?
SEC. BAKER: The position of Syria is that they should be
involved in any negotiations regarding the peace process in the
Middle East. And I explained to them that it is not the policy
of the United States that they should not be involved. Of
necessity, they will have to be involved where we are dealing
with questions involving the Golan Heights. However, the job --
the problem confronting us is to find a way to get Palestinians
and Israelis talking to each other. And it may be that we can
do that without the active involvement of the government of
Syria. That's the point I made to them.
Ralph?
Q Did they buy the argument that they should not be involved
in any way in negotiations that do not involve issues of the
Golan Heights?
SEC. BAKER: They didn't -- that's not really the way it was
put. The way it was put was that it's not our policy to take a
-- to -- of general exclusion of Syria from peace process
discussions. And clearly, they must be involved where we're
talking about the Golan Heights.
Q Mr. Secretary --
SEC. BAKER: Yes, Jim? Jim?
Q -- today you and the other four representatives of the
five permanent members signed a statement, and in it it says the
ministers -- including you -- "The ministers reaffirm their
support for an active peace process in which all relevant
parties would participate." Is that a code word for an
international conference --
SEC. BAKER: No --
Q -- including the five permanent members?
SEC. BAKER: Are you talking about the communique that came out
of the luncheon that the Secretary General gave for the five
permanent members? It's not a code word in our view. You'd have
to ask others about their interpretation, but as far as the
United States is concerned, that is not a code word for an
international conference.
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