*EPF412 06/14/01
Excerpts: State Dept on Mideast Security Plan
(Spokesman says U.S. closely watching implementation) (4070)
State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker said U.S. officials have seen evidence that Israeli and Palestinian authorities are implementing the security agreement brokered by Central Intelligence Director George Tenet.
"We've seen some evidence that the parties are going ahead with the aspects of the work plan," Reeker said at the daily State Department media briefing in Washington June 14. "On the ground in the region, of course, is Ambassador [to Israel Martin] Indyk, Consul General [Ron] Schlicher in Jerusalem, and they're, with their teams, monitoring developments...."
Reeker said it was premature to draw conclusions about how effectively the Israelis and Palestinians are implementing the security work plan, which was announced June 13.
The deputy spokesman said the U.S. government continues to work with the parties to develop a diplomatic timeline aimed at fully implementing the recommendations in the Mitchell Committee Report. In addition to a cessation of violence, the recommendations call for confidence building measures and an eventual resumption of negotiations.
Reeker said Secretary of State Colin Powell met Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Brussels and telephoned U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov June 13 regarding the Middle East conflict.
"The secretary, of course, emphasized the fact that the parties shouldn't lose the opportunity presented by this important agreement and said we needed 100 percent effort from both parties," Reeker said.
Concerning Iraq, Reeker said the Bush administration has notified the U.S. Congress of its intention to release up to $6 million of previously obligated fund to support the opposition Iraqi National Congress. He said the INC has earlier received grants totaling close to $4.3 million, "using these funds in an organizational capacity, building media and public diplomacy activities, gathering of information on war crimes, et cetera."
Following are excerpts related to the Middle East from Reeker's June 14 briefing:
(begin excerpts)
Q Yesterday you were saying 48 hours, or thereabouts, could be critical for the peace process, for the cease-fire follow up. Can you follow up and tell us how it's going?
MR. REEKER: Well yeah, as I said, 48 hours we think is critical, and we're obviously still within that period. We've seen some evidence that the parties are going ahead with the aspects of the work plan. And I think right now I'm going to refrain from any particular comment or judgment. Some measures take longer than others, so I'm not going to comment on specifics, and I don't think anybody should draw any particular conclusions on an hour-by-hour basis. We have people on the ground, obviously, waiting to report. And of course this is very much a work in progress.
Q So has Assistant Secretary Burns returned, then?
MR. REEKER: In fact, Assistant Secretary Burns was in Brussels, as you know, with the secretary, and there for the secretary's meeting with Foreign Minister Peres. I believe he's going to come back to Washington. I think he probably heard your comments, Matt, worrying that he wasn't here in Washington, so he's decided to come back to Washington I think today from Brussels. So we expect him actually here in his office tomorrow.
On the ground in the region, of course, is Ambassador Indyk, Consul General Schlicher in Jerusalem, and they're, with their teams, monitoring developments on the ground and in close contact with Assistant Secretary Burns and with the department and with the secretary.
Q So who is going to put in place the political aspects of the Mitchell recommendations?
MR. REEKER: Well, I think we'll keep working with the parties through our people on the ground on developing the timeline for full implementation of the Mitchell committee report recommendations in all their aspects.
Q Does Mr. Burns intend to go back soon?
MR. REEKER: I just don't have a readout on his future travel plans. All I got was an update from Brussels that he decided he would come back to Washington, and then he'll look at his travel and we'll do that one step at a time, as well.
Since we're talking about travel, just to confirm that Director of Central Intelligence Tenet departed the region, as we said yesterday, and returned to Washington last night. And I understand he's back at his desk today.
Eli?
Q What is the U.S. position on an international observers or somebody sort of to judge that both sides are implementing their agreement at this point?
MR. REEKER: I don't think I have anything particular to say on that. What we're doing right now is looking at the initial phases for mutual steps on the ground to fulfill the immediate requirements of the work plan. And as I said, we're not even through the first 48 hours, so we're watching that closely and I don't want to try to draw any particular judgments or make comments on steps at this point.
Q Can I follow up? Would this be something that might be brought up in political conversations or the political discussions in terms of implementing the timeline?
MR. REEKER: I don't know.
Andrea?
Q I understand that Secretary Powell made a number of phone calls yesterday to, I think, Chairman Arafat and the prime minister. Could you give us sort of a readout of those phone calls?
MR. REEKER: Sure. I've been on the phone with Ambassador Boucher, who of course is with the secretary in Goteborg, Sweden, accompanying the president. The secretary yesterday spoke with Kofi Annan, who you know is in the region. He spoke with Prime Minister Sharon twice, Chairman Arafat, President Mubarak of Egypt, and Foreign Minister Ivanov of the Russian Federation. That was yesterday. And I didn't have any update on any calls today. I know he's been participating, obviously, with the president in the U.S.-EU summit activities there in Goteborg.
Q Well, do you have any readout of those calls with Secretary Powell?
MR. REEKER: No, I don't.
Q Was this sort of a follow-on to his meeting with the foreign minister?
MR. REEKER: He, as you know, has had regular contact with all of those individuals, as well as others, on the Middle East, being particularly engaged on this subject. He did meet with Foreign Minister Peres yesterday in Brussels and met for about 45 minutes, as I understand it, yesterday evening. We're told that Foreign Minister Peres began by offering his congratulations to the U.S. and our team for the efforts made to achieve the work plan. And you've heard us talk about how pleased we are with that.
The secretary, of course, emphasized the fact that the parties shouldn't lose the opportunity presented by this important agreement and said we needed 100 percent effort from both parties, and he echoed those sentiments, I know, in his phone calls as well to Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Sharon, stressing again, as I've just mentioned, the critical importance of action on the ground to achieve cessation of violence and a return to normal life for people. And then they spent much of their meeting discussing implementation of the Mitchell report, the confidence-building measures that are called for under that report, and the eventual return to negotiations. And as we discussed yesterday, the secretary also discussed with the prime minister and agreed to work -- excuse me, with the foreign minister -- and agreed to work together with the Europeans, with Russia, with Egypt, Jordan, and others in the international community to implement the Mitchell recommendations in all their aspects.
Elise?
Q (Off mike.)
MR. REEKER: Sorry.
Q Is he going to have a similar meeting with Nabil Shaath? Is Secretary Powell going to have a similar meeting with Nabil Shaath when he's in town next week?
MR. REEKER: I hadn't heard that, but we'll have to wait for the secretary to get back and look at his schedule next week.
Sir?
Q Are you aware of Yasser Arafat having been invited to Washington? Is he coming to Washington as a result of all this?
MR. REEKER: I'm not aware of any particular travel plans of Mr. Arafat.
Matt?
Q Phil, in the work plan that Tenet got the two sides to agree to, it says that there will be weekly meetings -- security -- senior-level security meetings, and after the one yesterday that he -- that Tenet was at, it says they will reconvene at least once a week with mandatory participation by designated senior officials. I'm just wondering if you can say -- is Director Tenet the designated senior official from the U.S.?
MR. REEKER: I'm not going to comment on specifics of the plan, even though I know everybody's been reading versions from the Internet. I'm just not going to comment on those.
Q Okay. Well, is Director Tenet going to go back to the region to be participating in the security --
MR. REEKER: I don't have anything to announce on Director Tenet's travel plans. We'll keep you posted if he develops any.
Q So who is going to represent the United States --
Q Who is going to represent the United States --
MR. REEKER: I'm not going to get into the specifics on the plan of a weekly meeting --
Q Well, it's fantasy to think that no one knows what's in the plan. I mean, the --
MR. REEKER: I'm not suggesting that, Matt. I've watched you read it. I read it myself. I'm just -- I have nothing to add for you at this point. You can continue with your own fantasy as much as you want.
Q I mean, that is the least innocuous of anything that is in here, and you can't say anything about it?
MR. REEKER: I'm glad that's your analysis.
Q You don't --
MR. REEKER: I'm not going to make comments on the plan or specifics of it at this point. As I said --
Q (Off mike) --
Q (Off mike) --
MR. REEKER: We'll let you two debate that topic there, and we'll go on to Eli.
Q I just -- this is maybe a strange question, but is now --
MR. REEKER: Strange questions. It's time for strange questions.
Q -- but is Ambassador Indyk now leading -- is sort of the top guy leading U.S. diplomacy now in the region, now that Burns is coming back? And if so -- well, let me ask you first that. Is he our --
MR. REEKER: Ambassador Indyk is the United States ambassador to Israel. He's been a key figure in terms of this process. He's in Tel Aviv. Our consul general is in Jerusalem. They continue to monitor developments on the ground, remain in close contact with Assistant Secretary Burns, whose most immediate travel I've tried to describe to you. When you take Assistant Secretary Burns' travel one step at a time, I can't look into the future and describe what he might do on another day or two days hence. So we'll keep working this. There are telephones, there are sophisticated methods of communication, and we'll certainly be reading your wire.
Q And as a follow-up, I mean, is he -- there was some -- he had his security clearance at one point temporarily taken away, and I guess he's now gotten it back. What's happening --
MR. REEKER: That was quite a while ago, and he had --
Q It's quite a -- is that resolved, though, at this point, now that he's playing such a critical role?
MR. REEKER: I'd have to check into that.
Q Okay.
MR. REEKER: He's had a critical role for a long time now.
Matt?
Q Just moving a little bit north of there, do you have anything to say about the redeployment of Syrian troops outside of Beirut, or is this something that you don't want to talk about? Have you noticed it?
MR. REEKER: We've --
Q (Off mike.)
MR. REEKER: We've seen several limited redeployments in the past year, and I'm told we're obviously going to continue following developments in Lebanon closely. So I don't have anything particular on that.
Q (Off mike.)
MR. REEKER: Nothing particular.
Jonathan?
Q Can we go east?
MR. REEKER: East. Okay.
Q To Iraq.
MR. REEKER: Yeah.
Q Can you tell us about this $6 million that you're asking for, for the INC? The other day we were told that --
MR. REEKER: I don't know if it's a question of asking for $6 million; it's about notification of an additional $6 million under the money that's already there.
As you know, and as we've discussed, I don't know, numerous times, we continue to cooperate closely with the House of Representatives and the Senate in our joint efforts to support the Iraqi National Congress and other elements of the Iraqi opposition to strengthen their efforts to represent the true voice of the Iraqi people. So as part of this close cooperation, the department is sending to Congress a notification that we will allocate additional funds in support of the Iraqi National Congress. As you noted, the notification is for up to $6 million. And what it is technically is a notification to Congress of an intent to obligate money for interim funding while we continue discussions with the Iraqi National Congress on their programs and activities. I think, as you know, the INC has previously received grants totaling close to $4.3 million, using these funds in an organizational capacity, building media and public diplomacy activities, gathering of information on war crimes, et cetera.
Q Will this money be disbursed before the audit is complete?
MR. REEKER: We anticipate that the new money will be used to continue the programs already ongoing under the current grant agreement -- overhead, cluster offices, staff, media operations, things like that.
In terms of -- I guess what you're referring to is the Office of Inspector General's audit of grants and contracts. And as Ambassador Boucher said a couple of days ago, this is very much a routine audit; this is the kind of thing that goes on. It's, therefore, routine that a grantee like the Iraqi National Congress would continue to receive funding and support while the audit is being performed, because as we said, the role of the audit and the expectation of the audit is to provide us, then, with recommendations on how to improve the Iraqi National Congress's management of its programs and accounts, and anticipate that that will actually enhance more their ability to --
Q You didn't quite answer the question. The question was: Will this money be disbursed to the INC before the audit is complete? You seem to be saying -- want to say yes, but --
MR. REEKER: Well, I can't tell you when the audit is going to be complete, first of all.
That's up to the inspector general, and the inspector general's --
Q I mean, is the audit in any way an obstacle to the disbursement of the --
MR. REEKER: No. There we go. We answered your question. No.
Q Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
MR. REEKER: I thought that was pretty clear, Jonathan.
Q So this is simply the money that was explained to us to help them keep going while the rest of the -- while the audit is being done and while the other money --
MR. REEKER: Right. As you know, there's --
Q -- or other additional money is suspended.
MR. REEKER: There's a pot of money and it gets drawn upon and we notify Congress when we intend to obligate the money, thereby drawing upon that money.
Q Where does this pot of money come from?
MR. REEKER: Well, it was --
Q Under the rainbow. (Laughter.)
Q No, but how much was approved, when? Excuse my --
MR. REEKER: Oh, we'd have to go back. We've been over this so many times here, Jonathan.
Q No, we haven't.
MR. REEKER: Yes, we have. We have discussed the --
Q The Iraq Liberation --
MR. REEKER: The Iraq Liberation Act and the funds that were approved by the --
Q What, so this is part of the 97 million, you mean? Ninety- eight million?
Q Yes, it is.
Q It's not. It's not.
MR. REEKER: I'll have to go and check on that for you.
Q (Off mike.)
MR. REEKER: Yeah.
Q We haven't been over this --
Q Isn't it true that this money is not for use inside Iraq?
MR. REEKER: I would have to check. This money, the 6 million we're talking about, I think is a continuation of the programs that they've had under their current grant agreement; overhead costs, as I said; offices, staff, media operations.
Q So that as it stands now, the INC is not allowed to spend any of this money inside the country, isn't that correct?
MR. REEKER: I know that some funds have been used for gathering information on regime war crimes and human rights abuses, and engaging in diplomatic contacts with regional governments and international organizations, so I'd have to go back to the original grant and get you the details on what that specifics.
Matt --
Q I just want to make sure I'm absolutely clear on this. When the audit began, in general, money to the INC, funding for them was suspending, right? Pending the completion of the audit? And at the same time, I remember Richard -- I think it was Richard -- saying that you were looking into ways to help them keep the ship afloat while that audit was going on. And I just want to make sure. This money that you're talking about now is that money that he was talking about before?
MR. REEKER: This will help them do that. Yeah, I don't think he was talking about specific money.
Q Right, but that's --
MR. REEKER: He said we were looking at ways.
Q And this is a way --
MR. REEKER: This will do that.
Q Okay.
MR. REEKER: In terms of using the audit for, you know, how they can improve their management of programs, their accounting procedures, that should be very useful in then looking ahead even further in what we'll do in terms of cooperation with them.
Eli, and then Andrea.
Q So this money is not necessarily going to go for new programs, such as transmitting programs into Iraq via satellite or humanitarian aid efforts or that sort of thing, or is this going to go for paying salaries and phone bills?
MR. REEKER: As I understand it, this money will go to continue programs already ongoing under the current grant agreement. And funds under that grant agreement have been used for a variety of activities, like organizational capacity building, public diplomacy activities, media activities, gathering information, that type of thing.
Andrea?
Q That was my question.
MR. REEKER: Oh. Let's go here and then George.
Q You said it was sort of regular or routine. Was it because -- was it envisioned from the beginning of the program, or was it initiated because there was, like, some fraud or --
MR. REEKER: Well, the Office of the Inspector General does reviews on a very regular basis on contracts and grants that are awarded by the department. It's a very regular, normal thing. "Routine" is the word that we've used. Having worked in the field, where our posts may oversee these grants, I'm quite familiar with those types of audits to look at the grant and make sure that proper practices are being observed and to make recommendations where things could be improved, because we're always looking to make the programs better. So, while those go on, it's very routine for the program to go on, for that grant to continue in activity so the grantee, in this case the Iraqi National Congress, to continue receiving funding and support while the audit is being conducted.
Q So there was no wrongdoing by them that --
MR. REEKER: No one has suggested wrongdoing. It's simply a review of implementation of this grant. And it includes all kinds of things, like accounting practices, bookkeeping, et cetera.
Yeah?
Q Can I follow up on that?
MR. REEKER: No.
Q (Laughs.) Isn't this the second audit? I mean, wasn't there an -- like this routine audit happened and some irregularities were found, which kicked it over to the Inspector General's Office, which primarily --
MR. REEKER: I'd have to go back and check.
Q -- investigates abuse and fraud and waste?
MR. REEKER: That's not correct. The Inspector General's Office is not charged with primarily investigating abuse and fraud. I'd take --
Q Well, that's what it says on the website, so --
MR. REEKER: They do investigations to look for such things.
They aren't -- there's no suggestion, by having an audit or an inspection by the OIG, the Office of the Inspector General, that such things have taken place. They inspect operations, bureaus, embassies, consulates, you know, offices within the department. That's why we have an Office of the Inspector General. But to characterize it as you did, that that indicated suspicion or anything like that, that would not be correct.
Q But weren't there some irregularities found in the first audit, which then demanded that the Inspector General take a second audit, is, I guess, my question.
MR. REEKER: That I'm not sure of. I'd have to go back and check what the genesis was, but I'd be happy to look into it.
Q Phil, if I could also add, if there's any way to -- I recognize you don't know this now, but just to give us a sense as to how many audits the IG does --
MR. REEKER: They put out a report every year, I think, that lists --
Q With all of their -- and how long, like what the average length of an audit would be.
MR. REEKER: That may be extremely difficult because they run so many different types of audits -- small grants, giant things. I --
Q I mean of this nature, of this nature. Of a similar-size grant, how long do these types of audits take? Just to kind of get a sense as to how long the money --
MR. REEKER: I'll see if they want to do that. They don't comment on things, and I don't think they'll want to give you things to try to compare and contrast audits because then you'll inevitably try to create some impression out of timing which may have no relevance to the actual situation. So we'll look into it.
Q Will this be published when it's over?
MR. REEKER: Generally, I don't know that OIG reports are made public. Aspects of them may be. I'll look into that. I can't recall, Chuck, if -- when we talked about it before. I'd have to go back and look. I know there's usually an unclassified inspection report of certain inspections. I just have to check in with the OIG's office and see what they can tell me on that.
Matt?
Q Isn't an audit, by definition, done to see if there is any -- if there are any irregularities --
MR. REEKER: Yeah.
Q -- because you're unsure of their management practices?
MR. REEKER: I think then you'd have to say that we're unsure of all management practices. Audits are done as a positive -- in a proactive, positive approach.
Q (Off mike) -- of giving them another $6 million when you're not sure whether they're managing it correctly.
MR. REEKER: Matt, when what you're trying to do is look for ways to make a grant even more effective, and accounts, you don't just halt everything in the world. There's no indication that there's a problem here. What this is is a routine audit. While that audit is ongoing, obviously, it would be routine that a grantee would continue to receive the funding and support. And they'll perform the audit, and we hope that that will provide us with recommendations. That's what the results of an audit usually are: Here are some recommendations on how to improve their management, programs, accounts -- how we can then work more effectively together.
Q (Off mike) -- $6 million to waste on however --
MR. REEKER: That's an entirely irresponsible comment, Matt. There's no suggestion of that whatsoever, and to suggest that, I take --
Q I was under -- I was led to believe earlier -- was it Monday? --
Q Yeah.
Q -- that funding to the INC had been suspended pending the end of the audit.
MR. REEKER: No, in terms of taking on new grants, Matt.
In terms of taking on new projects. And what we can -- what we will do in the future with the INC, we'll obviously wait until we move ahead and have a better vision. In fact, the audit should help us with that because we can make recommendations from that on how we can use the money better. There's no suggestion that the grant, the existing grant would stop.
....
Q Yeah. We never hear -- you never tell us anything about Algeria, because we never ask. I thought it was probably time. There's more --
MR. REEKER: There's the secret to the situation here.
Q -- more trouble today. Several people killed in demonstrations in Algiers in connection with --
MR. REEKER: Because you never asked, I didn't check. So I'll have to go and check into it.
Q Oh. I thought -- I was told that you had something to say on the subject, so obviously there's been a miscommunication somewhere along the line.
MR. REEKER: I suppose. You could have mentioned it to me in one of the times we've spoken today.
Q Situation on Yemen still the same? No changes? With the embassy?
MR. REEKER: Right, no change in Yemen. It's a weekend in Yemen. As you know, Thursday-Friday is their weekend, and they'll explore whether to reopen --
(end excerpts)
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