U.S. Providing Rapid Assistance to Palestinians

(Boucher calls for maximum possible access for aid workers) (3810)

The United States is responding quickly to provide hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of emergency humanitarian assistance to the
Palestinians, said State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher.

Speaking at the State Department daily press briefing in Washington
April 22, Boucher said the United States wants to see that the
assistance "gets to the people who need it as soon as possible."

"[I]t's water purification to take care of 10,000 people a day, it's
tents, it's 1,600 hygiene and disease prevention kits. So it's a
substantial quantity of immediate assistance, valued at, I think,
about a quarter of a million dollars. And then there's another 50,000
or so that we can use on the spot from our Consul General," said
Boucher.

Boucher said that more access is being provided to aid workers for
their relief efforts, but called upon the Israeli government to "allow
the maximum possible access."

"There are humanitarian workers getting in. But given the situation on
the ground, a lot of this depends on a daily basis on the facilitation
of the Israelis, and we would urge them to continue to provide access
and allow the maximum possible access for aid workers and people like
that," he said.

The United States is looking to resolve the stand-offs between
Israelis and Palestinians in Bethlehem and Ramallah so that Israel can
complete its withdrawal from areas it recently occupied. He said a
complete Israeli withdrawal would open the way for "the beginning of
security talks and a real cease-fire."

The spokesman also called upon Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to
authorize his people to begin implementing security cooperation with
Israel, as well as to issue instructions to the populace "not to take
part in fomenting violence."

While stating that the Palestinian Authority is capable of preventing
some terrorist attacks against Israelis, Boucher said that the recent
Israeli incursions had "severely degraded" their capabilities.

He said that the United States would undertake an assessment of their
capabilities and "help them reconstitute a security service that can
be capable of maintaining the peace and preventing terrorism
throughout the areas under their control."

Following is an excerpt from Boucher's April 22 State Department
briefing dealing with the Middle East:

(begin excerpt)

QUESTION: Let's talk timelines again, using the phrase loosely. Israel
is retreating or withdrawing, to choose your words, and the Secretary
is speaking of going there in the not-too-distant future. But there
are lots of people who are supposed to get into action -- in fact,
some are already, like Burns -- but you have Tenet and you have Zinni,
all sorts of things.

Can you, if you have some more detail, tell us -- you know, take us
down that road again? What is supposed to happen next? Who goes where?
And I guess the Israeli withdrawal is what you see is what you got.
There's no secret timetable that you've been told about, is there?

MR. BOUCHER:  No.

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: Okay. But how about the American players? When do they move
in?

MR. BOUCHER: When the American leaders decide it's time. I don't have
any more detail on that. It's just not decided at this point about
some of these things, some of these ideas that we brought back from
the region. As you know, Assistant Secretary Burns is out there. He
has visited the Jenin refugee camp. He is meeting with both sides. He
is meeting with Israelis and Palestinians, looking to move things
forward. We are interested also in restarting security cooperation as
early as possible.

So there are a lot of things that we're working on out there, but in
terms of some of these various ideas that came forward during the
trip, no, I don't have any more firmer schedule about the who, what,
when, where and how of those.

QUESTION: There is some distinction between different people's roles.
Burns -- you mentioned Burns, and then you talked about trying to get
security talks going. Burns is into what, the political process?

MR. BOUCHER: Burns is the Assistant Secretary for the region, so he is
ambidextrous in that regard. He can work on all the various aspects of
this. He is obviously looking at the particular situation on the
ground right now. He is about to lead our delegation to Oslo for the
humanitarian assistance and reconstruction issues for the discussion
on the conference that was scheduled for Oslo there.

We have been working it back here as well. We have worked with the
Secretary General and the UN Security Council to draft the resolution
on Friday. So there is a lot of going on in different places. Burns is
basically in the region to work with the parties on following up for
the Secretary's mission, talking about the withdrawals, the need for
Palestinian action against terror and violence, following up on all
the issues that the Secretary discussed while he was there.

QUESTION: He met with the two sides separately. Would it be his role
or goal to get those two sides together, or is that security where you
try to get the two sides together?

MR. BOUCHER: That is one of the many things that we are interested in
seeing happening as the situation moves forward. Whether he would
actually attend such a meeting, I don't know. It often has been
specifically security officials. But what we have been looking for
from both of the parties is for the Israelis to proceed on this path
of withdrawal, and we are pleased that they have been doing so. We
look to resolve the final issues so that those -- that withdrawal can
be made complete and can finish.

We also think there's more that Chairman Arafat can do, even now, with
the institutions under his control. He has the ability to reach out,
talk to leaders in the Palestinian Authority. He can authorize his
people to begin security cooperation with Israel. He can instruct
people not to take part in fomenting violence. So there are a lot of
things we're looking for from both sides at this point to try to keep
the process moving, try to keep the situation moving in a positive
direction that the Secretary was able to set during his trip.

QUESTION: Since the only new information I gleaned from that was that
Assistant Secretary Burns was both right and left-handed, I'd like to
move on to something related, which is the re-emergence of your old
friend, Martti Ahtisaari as the head of the UN investigation team for
Jenin. Do you have anything to say about that selection or that team
and its mission?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't have anything to say on the particular
individuals. They were all chosen by the Secretary General for the
prominence that they have and their ability to do the job that needs
to be done. They go out under a UN Security Council resolution that
the United States drafted and worked with other member of the Council.

We have expressed our serious concerns about the situation in Jenin,
about the humanitarian situation more generally of the Palestinian
people. We have called upon Israel to respect humanitarian principles,
and we do think it's important to support the Secretary General's
initiative in cooperation with the Government of Israel and the
Palestinian Authority to develop accurate information about the
situation in Jenin. We look forward to this team developing a thorough
and objective assessment of the facts.

QUESTION: On that list of things that you want or are looking for
Arafat to do, you didn't mention arresting terrorists. Do you think
that Arafat can arrest terrorists? And if he did, where would he put
them, considering there aren't that many jails left in the Palestinian
Authority?

MR. BOUCHER: There are different capabilities in the Palestinian
Authority in different places, and certainly to the extent that they
have these capabilities, they should use them to crack down on
violence and stop terrorists.

QUESTION:  But can he arrest them, do you think?

MR. BOUCHER:  Yes.

QUESTION: You think -- so you're asking the Palestinian -- where are
they going to be put?

MR. BOUCHER: It depends where they are arrested. The situation is not
uniform across the West Bank or Gaza. There are capabilities that the
Palestinian Authority still has, but we've also recognized that their
capabilities have been severely degraded in some places by the Israeli
offensive. And so one of the things we do want to do as we go forward
to assess their capabilities and help them reconstitute a security
service that can be capable of maintaining the peace and preventing
terrorism throughout the areas under their control.

So granted that they have severely degraded capabilities in some
places; they have capabilities in other places, and we look for them
to use that apparatus, whatever they have, to try to help prevent
terrorism, since that terrorism not only kills innocent people but
harms the cause that they are trying to achieve.

QUESTION: I have two questions. One, last week the Secretary was
saying, or alluded to the fact that he was unsatisfied with the amount
of humanitarian assistance getting into Jenin. And, as you know, Bill
Burns said that -- he said that Bill Burns found the situation very
disturbing. Do you see that the Israelis have made any progress in
opening up the camps to humanitarian workers, workers to treat the
wounded and take away the dead?

And also, on the Mukataa, do you think that Yasser Arafat should be
given more -- or his isolation should be ended, even if he does not
hand over these -- some suspected Ze'evi killers?

MR. BOUCHER: Let me try to deal with the facts of the situation. Yes,
there are humanitarian workers going into Jenin camp. There are more
people able to get in there and to help out. There are critical needs,
and we have urged the Israelis, as I have urged them just a few
minutes ago again, to permit the kind of access to humanitarian
workers that's needed, and to permit all these places that they're
withdrawing from to return to normal life.

The United States is providing a considerable quantity of humanitarian
assistance right away. We've got -- I believe most of it is arriving
in Israel today, and therefore it can be delivered shortly. But it's
water purification to take care of 10,000 people a day, it's tents,
it's 1,600 hygiene and disease prevention kits. So it's a substantial
quantity of immediate assistance, valued at, I think, about a quarter
of a million dollars. And then there's another 50,000 or so that we
can use on the spot from our Consul General. So the United States is
responding quickly. We want to see that that assistance gets to the
people who need it as soon as possible.

As for the situation in Mukataa, the Secretary has said before, will
say again, we are looking for the circumstances to be eased so that he
can do what the Israelis want him to do, do what we all want Chairman
Arafat to do, and that is to be able to direct the resources, direct
his own voice, direct the people around him with instructions for
everybody to stop the violence and to curtail the kind of attacks that
have been going on.

QUESTION: Can we move south to Bethlehem? Do you have any update on
the situation there? There was fighting reported, or shooting
reported, a little while ago.

MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't have any instant update. I'll leave that to
the wire services.

QUESTION: And do you have any update on the U.S. negotiating efforts
to resolve the situation, irrespective of what the wire services may
report?

MR. BOUCHER: Taking into consideration what the wire services may
report, I don't really have an update. We remain in touch with various
parties about how to resolve the situations in Bethlehem, and at
Chairman Arafat's compound for that matter. I don't have any new news
for you today, but these remain particular issues that we are
interested in resolving so that we can see the withdrawal continue and
be completed.

QUESTION: On a related matter, can you give us a readout, please, from
the Secretary's meeting with King Mohamed?

MR. BOUCHER: It was a good, useful, and thorough discussion of a
number of issues. As you might expect, the events in the Middle East,
the Secretary's trip to the region since we last saw King Mohamed in
Morocco, that was the main focus of our discussion. I don't know how
much I want to characterize it. I'll just say the King welcomed the
efforts the Secretary had made, described the results as positive. And
the Secretary informed him of a lot of different ideas that we had
heard during this visit, about the cooperation and support that he had
gotten and appreciated from the international community, including
Arab countries like Morocco and Egypt and Jordan. And then they
discussed other issues, like the Western Sahara.

QUESTION: Did the Secretary ask the King why he hadn't started his
visit to New York or Los Angeles?

MR. BOUCHER:  No, he didn't.

QUESTION:  Okay.  Can I ask -- 

MR. BOUCHER: They did talk a little bit about the press coverage of
some of those remarks, and I think the King's phrase was, "You know,
it was a question, not a remark."

QUESTION: What is the status of the latest PLO compliance report that
you guys are supposed to send up to the Hill?

MR. BOUCHER:  It went last week, didn't it?  

QUESTION: Well, I don't know. I've been asking around, and I can't --
I heard something about that in the air while on the trip, but --

MR. BOUCHER: I heard it on the ground while on the trip, but I believe
the White House releases that, and released it last week.

QUESTION: Back to the humanitarian aid. Who will distribute this on
the ground? Will the Palestinian Authority be distributing the tents
and the water purification systems?

MR. BOUCHER: It goes to the UN Relief and Works Agency, I believe, and
some of the NGOs that they work with.

QUESTION: Okay. Will it be coordinated with the Palestinian Authority?

MR. BOUCHER: I suppose so, but it's -- we do our assistance on the
West Bank and Gaza and the occupied territories, we do it through
nongovernmental organizations, through UN organizations. They have the
capability, they have the expertise, and we work through them and
support them. The $30 million the Secretary announced while he was in
the region just a week or so ago was for the UN Relief and Works
Agency.

QUESTION: Does the fact that you're still in the present tense urging
Israeli to allow access into these areas mean that you're not
satisfied with the level of access at the moment? I know it was worse
before, and you asked them to let these workers in. But that sounds
like there is still a problem.

MR. BOUCHER: I would put it the way I did, that there are -- there is
more access, there are humanitarian workers getting in. But given the
situation on the ground, a lot of this depends on a daily basis on the
facilitation of the Israelis, and we would urge them to continue to
provide access and allow the maximum possible access for aid workers
and people like that.

QUESTION: Can I follow up on that? Richard, you're saying two
different things. I mean, you're urging them to continue to allow, but
would you say at this point that this access is free and unfettered?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't want to try to characterize it beyond what I
have. As I said, I'm not trying to give a daily update on who got in
and who didn't. It's important that they provide that kind of access.
We've stressed that before, and we'll continue to stress how important
that is, that Israel needs to facilitate the access, because there are
people in need, and they need to get the assistance that's being
offered.

QUESTION: Are you satisfied with the media coverage overall that's
coming from this region? And also, Secretary Powell was on five
television networks yesterday talking about his mission. What are you
seeing also from Arab press? Are you satisfied overall that it's above
board and accurate?

MR. BOUCHER: The last thing I would ever want to do would be to
comment on media commentary. I would prefer to comment on intelligence
matters, frankly. (Laughter.)

QUESTION:  They're the same thing, aren't they?

MR. BOUCHER: No, they're quite a bit different many times. But I will
refrain from taking the opportunity now, if you don't mind.

QUESTION: I hope you (inaudible) these questions I'm going to ask you.
(Laughter.) I'm looking for positions. You know, we've been into
logistics. Maybe we can elevate the discussion a little bit.

Does the State Department have a position on Israel's demand for
suspects in the "paymaster," so to speak, and also, for the killers --
for the alleged killers of the Israeli Cabinet Minister? And does the
State Department have a position on, even as Israel withdraws, their
intention appears to be to keep a certain number of troops in the
strategic positions, so it's not really a wholesale withdrawal.
There's going to be some folks hanging out -- and whatever reason they
find to put them into action.

So on those two things, is there a position -- do you want a total
withdrawal --

MR. BOUCHER:  Do we have a position on Israel's desire -- 

QUESTION:  Demands.

MR. BOUCHER:  -- demands to get the -- 

QUESTION:  -- Israel's troops -- 

MR. BOUCHER: -- and Israel's desire to hang around? Okay. Let's take
them separately. The positions are the ones that we have described to
you previously, that the Secretary described to you previously, and
did yesterday on these TV appearances that he did. We certainly
understand Israel's desire to get custody and jurisdiction over the
people that are wanted for the murder of one of their ministers and
for supporting terrorist acts. We also understand the Palestinian
position that is based on the Oslo Accords.

So this is a question that needs to be resolved, and we have been
involved with the parties, discussing with the parties how that might
be done. At present, I don't have an answer for you. But those things
need to be resolved. We understand the positions that both sides have
taken in that regard, but there's clearly an issue that needs to be
resolved.

As for the issue of hanging out, as we have, I think, made clear many
times, Prime Minister Sharon has said himself in public that he
intended to get out of all Areas A. We think it's important to get out
of Area A, for that to be -- for that withdrawal to be completed. And
then, as you know, furthermore, as we head down to implement the Tenet
plan, the Mitchell plan, those things will bring the situation back to
where it was even much before that.

So we do think that this process is important. We need to get it
started. But we -- to finish the status of forces now, those issues of
Bethlehem and of Arafat's compound still need to be withdrawn --
resolved, so that we can get back to the -- where we can see the
complete end of the incursion and the beginning of security talks and
a real cease-fire take hold.

QUESTION: Did the Secretary discuss with the King the idea of a
conference, or has that kind of been left by the wayside, given that
things are still taking place --

MR. BOUCHER: No, the Secretary discussed it with the King, said it was
one of the ideas that we had heard, he had heard from various people
during the course of his visit in the region. And I think some of the
Europeans as well and others have talked about the idea of an
international meeting or conference, regional meeting or conference.
At this point there is no decision on it. We are interested in the
views of others, including people like King Mohamed, and will keep, I
am sure, discussing it with them as we look at a strategy of how to go
forward and whether and how this might fit.

QUESTION: Just to go back to Barry's question, in general, when Israel
takes action in Area A or any Palestinian territories to specifically
arrest or apprehend suspected terrorists, does that fall under the
realm of what you guys used to say, which was Israel has to take
actions to defend itself from -- you know, certainly in its own
self-defense, has a right to its own self-defense? Is that the State
Department's -- does the State Department believe that kind of action
falls under that?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't want to make any sweeping judgments on actions
that have not yet taken place. We'll have to see. In each particular
case we usually find an opportunity to express ourselves, if that's
necessary.

QUESTION: Can I phrase it another way, then? If Israel takes actions
--

MR. BOUCHER: You can phrase it any way you want. I'll give you the
same answer.

QUESTION: Okay. When Israel takes these actions, does it undermine
your goal of trying to revive security cooperation, which would assume
that Arafat --

MR. BOUCHER: That was a nice question that started with "when" instead
of "if" but it was basically a question to ask me to make a sweeping
judgment on all potential actions. I can't do that at this point.

QUESTION: But these are actions that are taking place right now,
though.

MR. BOUCHER: And we've expressed our view of actions that are taking
place right now or have taken place in the past, and we'll be happy to
express that view should such actions take place in the future.

QUESTION: When you see terrorist organizations in Palestine and
Lebanon supported by Iran, how is it possible to bring peace to the
Middle East without dealing with Iran?

MR. BOUCHER: I think there are a variety of efforts underway by
members of the international community to end terrorism. We have
direct relationships with some of the states that have influence over
those groups. We have made quite clear what our position is on Iran's
support for these groups, and we look to others as well that we
coordinate with who agree with us that the support for terrorism that
Iran provides is bad for the region and harmful there. So I think
there's a variety of ways of doing that. We have always said we are
ready to sit down and address these issues directly with Iran, but
it's not the only way to deal with the situation.

(end excerpt)

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