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CNN Live Saturday
Negotiations Continue in U.S.-China Standoff
Aired April 07, 2001 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Now, a week since the standoff began between the United States and China over the crew of that Navy surveillance plane. U.S. and Chinese officials continue to meet this weekend to secure the release of the 24 crew members being held on China's Hainan Island.
In the meantime, a U.S. delegation has concluded its third meeting with the crew. Beijing continues to hold out for an apology for last Sunday's collision between the plane and a Chinese fighter. The United States is hoping that Beijing will accept a letter expressing regret for the incident.
Mr. Bush and top U.S. officials this week expressed regret for the loss of a Chinese pilot during the collision, but that is not enough for the pilot's wife. She sent a stinging letter to Mr. Bush.
Details now, CNN's senior White House correspondent John King with us -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, we're told President Bush received and read that letter earlier today. He's at the Camp David presidential retreat this weekend. No immediate response planned from the president, we're told. His focus right now on the diplomacy.
Now, the president also being briefed on that third meeting between U.S. officials and the 24 crew members. The president was promised a phone call by Brigadier General Neal Sealock as soon as that meeting broke up over on Hainan Island.
General Sealock telling reporters as he left that the crew was in relatively high spirits. We know that U.S. officials brought with them some e-mails from family and friend members -- friends, excuse me, to share with the 24 crewmembers.
The diplomacy is aimed, of course, at winning their release. Now, when the week began and the standoff first began, you had some pretty tough statements from leaders on both sides. The Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, blaming this squarely on the United States and demanding an apology; U.S. President Bush coming out and saying it was not the fault of the United States, that he would not apologize and warning of potential ramifications for long-term U.S-China relations if this dragged on very long. Both leaders relatively quiet in recent days. Among those who thinks that's a good idea, let the diplomacy run its course, is the former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Unfortunately, there were some pretty arrogant statements made on both sides at the beginning, and now, they'll form a joint commission to look into the truth, facts about the air collision and to express regrets, I think has been a very good process. I think the Chinese will accept that expression in good faith, and we'll see our hostages not become hostages, but just become detainees and come on back home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, as recently as last night, some senior administration officials saying they hope to have this all resolved over the weekend, by earlier Monday at the latest. Today, their line is let's not set a timetable here. They say the diplomacy continues and that the president is encouraged simply by the fact that the meetings are still ongoing from time to time between U.S. officials and Chinese officials.
The president being briefed on all those developments as he spends the weekend at Camp David, and Donna, we're told he's growing a little bit impatient here, but believes the best thing for him to do is to stay quiet right now and let the diplomats do their work.
KELLEY: All right, John King at the White House. Thank you. In Beijing, the U.S. ambassador held two meetings with his Chinese counterpart, and CNN's David Ensor is at the State Department, brings us up-to-date -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, as we've said, the diplomats are doing their work. Admiral Prueher, the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, held two more meetings Saturday with his counterparts at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, exchanging papers, exchanging ideas on how to resolve this impasse.
But officials here not willing to characterize whether things are going well or badly. They just say we're still working on it, and basically, that is the theme we've been hearing ever since Secretary of State Powell spoke yesterday.
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COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are in very intensive discussions and negotiations and exchanging ideas and papers, and there has been movement. But that's as far as I'd like to go right now.
QUESTION: Can you say exactly what -- can you be a little more specific as to why you say you're encouraged?
POWELL: I'm encouraged because there has been movement and because we are exchanging rather precise ideas as to how to bring this to a conclusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENSOR: Precise ideas such as the idea of a joint letter, which would be signed by Ambassador Prueher and a Chinese officials, and would set out the agreed framework for an end to this impasse, which would probably also include some sort of reference to a group, perhaps the U.S.-Chinese Maritime Commission, to try and resolve who was really to blame in this accident, and to try to set up a framework so if there is another accident in the future, it won't create this kind of a crisis, so to speak, between the two countries.
So, the diplomats here feel that they've made quite a lot of progress, and they feel that the thing could be resolved quite quickly if the Chinese wanted to. But as one official here has said, the timetable is really up to the Chinese -- Donna.
KELLEY: David Ensor at the State Department. Thank you.
In China today, a U.S. delegation met with Navy airmen being held by Chinese authorities. That meeting ended less than an hour ago, and the delegates say that the servicemen and women are healthy and safe.
Also today, the Chinese government stepped up its efforts to find a missing fighter pilot. Wang Wei's plane splashed down into the South China sea after brushing with the Navy spy plane.
CNN's Lisa Rose Weaver has this report on the rescue effort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He said that more than 800 fishing vehicles recruited from Hainan, Guangzhou Provinces, Hong Kong and Macaw and Taiwan have joined the rescue. So, the Chinese side has not given up hope, apparently, in find this Chinese pilot.
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