*EPF401 04/06/00
White House Report, Wednesday, April 6, 2000
(Pakistan, Cuba, Colombia, China, World Bank/IMF meetings) (1190)

White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart answered reporters' questions at an early afternoon briefing.

U.S. PLEASED PAKISTANI COURT SPARES LIFE OF SHARIF

Asked to comment on the April 6 guilty verdict by a Pakistani court against former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Lockhart said:

In terms of the legal process, "Basically we've moved from one phase to another...I understand there will be an appeal. And we call on the authorities in Pakistan to ensure that that process remains transparent and that Mr. Sharif is afforded the access to counsel and other rights that he should have."

The court in Karachi found Sharif guilty of terrorism and hijacking and sentenced him to two life sentences.

Lockhart said that it's "a positive step," "a positive development," that the death penalty apparently has been taken off the table. President Clinton, on his recent stop in Pakistan, appealed to General Pervez Musharraf to spare Sharif from the death penalty, Lockhart said.

Musharraf ousted Sharif in a military coup last October.

Asked if Pakistan's arrest April 2 at the Pakistani-Afghanistan border of a man reputed to be an associate of terrorist leader Usama bin Laden, is an indication that Musharraf is moving on Clinton's request to crack down on potential terrorism, Lockhart said:

"We certainly made that case while we were there, and it's certainly our hope that more will be done. But I think only time will tell, you know, on their commitment. We've certainly asked them to do things, and we've worked well with them in some areas, and other areas less well. So it's something we're going to continue to watch."

IT'S A "POSITIVE STEP" THAT CUBAN BOY'S FATHER NOW IN U.S., LOCKHART SAYS

Asked to comment on the April 6 arrival in the United States from Cuba of Juan Miguel Gonzalez, the father of the six year-old Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez, found clinging to an innertube off the coast of Florida last November, Lockhart said:

"The President and the administration believe that this is a positive step towards, ultimately, reuniting a father with his son. That's what the courts have ruled. The father coming here is a constructive way to facilitate that process."

The boy's father, stepmother and infant half brother arrived at Dulles International Airport on the outskirts of Washington early April 6. They are now residing in a private home in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, vacated by the chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C.

The boy was rescued by two fishermen following a boating accident that killed his mother and several other Cubans fleeing to the United States. He has been living with relatives in Miami since then.

Lockhart said the Justice Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service are working to find a fair, orderly and prompt way to reunite the father with his son.

"Beyond that, I can't be more specific about what the details of the reuniting will be," he said.

Asked how involved President Clinton is in the case, Lockhart said, Clinton "feels, as he stated very directly at the press conference last week, that this is something that should be done not on the basis of political views, but on the basis of the facts and the law...He understands there are some important discussions that are going on with the family on how the father and the son will be reunited, and there's really not much he can add to the situation by, you know, doing a daily and running commentary on the subject."

Clinton "thinks that the INS and the Justice Department have acted properly and in accordance with the facts and the law" in their handling of the case, Lockhart said.

Asked whether he differs then with the view of Cuban Americans in Miami who claim that the father is speaking as an instrument of the Castro regime, Lockhart said Clinton "believes that the INS interviewed him twice and extensively in this matter" and "have been very clear" that he was speaking for himself.

CLINTON CONCERNED BY SENATE DELAY ON COUNTER-NARCOTICS MONEY FOR COLOMBIA

Asked if Clinton has been in contact with the President of Colombia regarding the delay by the U.S. Senate in approving Clinton's supplemental request for Colombia, Lockhart said, "I don't think that the President has, but I think he's obviously quite concerned, as his statement the other day pointed out, that very important counter-narcotics money is being held up by what appears to be an inter-party squabble on Capitol Hill between the leaders of the two bodies in the Republican Party.

"The House members have made clear to the Senate how important this is; how they want to move forward and it's time, I think, for the Senate to get on with business and get the supplemental passed."

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, (Republican-Mississippi), earlier in the week decided to forego an emergency supplemental spending bill in the Senate this year, and handle the supplemental request in the FY-2001 budget.

CLINTON TO CONTINUE WORKING TO GET U.S. CONGRESS TO APPROVE CHINA TRADE BILL

President Clinton will continue to do everything he can between now and the week of May 22 to make members of Congress aware of the importance of approving administration legislation to grant China permanent normal trade relations with the United States, Lockhart said.

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (Republican-Illinois) announced April 5 that the legislation will be brought up for a vote in the House of Representatives the week of May 22.

"We believe that yesterday's announcement from the Speaker's office is quite important because it sets, you know, a firm time frame for when the vote is. You know, we're sort of locked in now," Lockhart said.

Clinton, he added, "is going to work very hard between now and the week of May 22nd to line up enough votes."

Over the last two months, "there's probably no other subject that Clinton has discussed more in speeches" and he's "met privately now with dozens and dozens of members. We're going to continue that process, continue to talk to members, you know, one at a time, in small groups, in larger groups, as appropriate," Lockhart said.

UPCOMING IMF/WORLD BANK MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON

Asked if President Clinton will be supportive of demonstrators, environmentalist and labor groups planning to protest during the IMF/World Bank Spring meetings April 11-17 in Washington, Lockhart said "the President supports people's right to peacefully protest. He also expects people to respect the rule of law and not to break the law. And I think, as he said in Seattle, a large majority of people were there to peacefully protest and there were some people who had some other ideas, and he condemned the violence, the vandalism and the gratuitous acts of those who were there for reasons other than peaceful protest."

Lockhart said he did not expect Clinton to speak at or attend the upcoming IMF/World Bank meetings.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)
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