U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright addressed the United Nations Commission on Human Rights March 23 in Geneva, then met with Swiss Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss for bilateral discussions. Afterwards, Albright and Deiss briefed reporters on their talks.

Deiss said they reviewed developments in the Middle East peace process, particularly the scheduled meeting in Geneva March 26 between President Clinton and Syrian President Hafez al Assad, and Albright thanked the Swiss government for agreeing to host the meeting.

Asked if she thought the meeting between President Clinton and President Assad will result in an announcement by the President of a resumption of the Israel -Syria talks, Albright said, the President ... will try during this meeting to give his understandings of what he sees as the needs of both sides. But I cannot predict for you what will happen as a result of the talks.

"... All I can tell you is that the United States continues to be committed to help in any way we can and I think for the President to be coming here after an arduous trip to India and Pakistan is just one more sign of the fact that we are willing to go the last 5,000 miles to do what we can to help."

Deiss also commented on the multilateral peace process, saying, "We have a firm conviction that this process will ease the implementing of peace solutions and that Switzerland is still committed to its role as a shepherd of human dimension."

They also discussed southeast Europe and the need for donor countries to provide the resources they have promised for reconstruction and development. "I think there is a lot to be done on civil structures," Deiss said, "and we hope that in the Stability Pact we will be able to find more actions and more efficiency."

When a reporter asked Albright if the United States would accept the partition of cities in Kosovo and the cantonization of the province, she said neither is possible. "It is not possible, because it is against everything that we have begun to do and that we are doing in Kosovo," Albright said.

Deiss said they discussed Chechnya and agreed that Russia needs to cooperate with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, and international humanitarian organizations.

And in response to a question, Albright welcomed the agreement reached in Berlin on allocating compensation for victims of Nazi-era slave and forced labor policies. "We worked very hard to get that compensation fund up and going and to be able to begin the distribution, so I am very pleased with that," she said.

Following is the transcript of their remarks:

(Begin transcript)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman (Geneva, Switzerland)
For immediate release
March 23, 2000

PRESS STAKEOUT WITH SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT
AND SWISS FOREIGN MINISTER JOSEPH DEISS

La Pastorale
Geneva, Switzerland
March 23, 2000

FOREIGN MINISTER DEISS: Well, Madame Secretary of State, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would say that we had a very interesting and intense meeting and had a lot of different subjects to discuss.

The first was the peace process in the Middle East where we had a review on the different bilateral tracks. And I could reaffirm that Switzerland stands ready to make it possible for further meetings. We have of course been talking some bit about the organization of the meeting of next Sunday. We will of course find suitable ways to organize these meetings and also from the Swiss side, as a host, to meet our guests. We have also, from the Swiss side, said something about the multilateral peace process. We have a firm conviction that this process will ease the implementing of peace solutions and that Switzerland is still committed to its role as a shepherd of human dimension.

On Chechnya we had to stress the necessity of cooperation of the Russian authorities with not only the international organizations like OSCE in particular, or the Council of Europe, but also especially with the international humanitarian organizations and with need of monitoring.

We also had some exchange on the Balkans, and stressed the necessity of being more committed and bringing in what has been promised. I think there is a lot to be done on civil structures, and we hope that in the Stability Pact we will be able to find more actions and more efficiency.

That's the main point from my side. We could just see that we had very good bilateral relations and there was no need for so much time about questions which are bilateral.

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Thank you very much Mr. Minister. I was very pleased to be here and to have this kind of a meeting with the Foreign Minister. We have, as he described, a large number of subjects to discuss.

I was very glad to take a small detour from India on my way to Pakistan by way of Geneva to come here not only to meet with the Foreign Minister, but also to deliver a statement at the Human Rights Commission because I felt that it was very important for the United States to underline and emphasize the support that we give to the Commission and the importance that we put on the work of it, and to make clear why we have taken the positions that we have vis-a-vis Chechnya, China, Burma, Iraq, Iran, on the 13 Jews, and a variety of human rights issues and to make really clear the centrality of human rights to American foreign policy. But I was very pleased to have such a good discussion with the Foreign Minister on the Middle East Peace Process and we are very grateful on behalf of President Clinton, and I would like to say thank you so very much for allowing us to come to Geneva to have these very important talks and also to have a chance to talk about the Balkans in which we obviously both have a very strong common interest. So we had a very, very good discussion. One of many, and I look forward to seeing you again in a couple of days.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, as you just said, in less than three days you are going to be coming back here with President Clinton for a meeting with President Assad. I am wondering if there is any reason to believe that after that meeting the President will be able to announce a resumption of the Israel-Syria talks, and then, very briefly, I am wondering if you have any reaction to the agreement that was reached today in Berlin on the Nazi slave labor compensation fund?

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well let me take that first. Obviously we are very pleased that that agreement took place. Under Secretary Eizenstat has spoken on my behalf on that. I think it is a very important step forward. We worked very hard to get that compensation fund up and going and to be able to begin the distribution, so I am very pleased with that.

On the talks, let me say, we have worked also to try to get the Israeli-Syrian talks back on track. The President has invested a lot of his time. He will try during this meeting to give his understandings of what he sees as the needs of both sides. But I cannot predict for you what will happen as a result of the talks. I have given up predictions as far as the Middle East is concerned. All I can tell you is that the United States continues to be committed to help in any way we can and I think for the President to be coming here after an arduous trip to India and Pakistan is just one more sign of the fact that we are willing to go the last 5,000 miles to do what we can to help.

QUESTION: (Translated from French) Madam Secretary, how do you see the situation in Kosovo nine months after the arrival of the security force? Will the United States accept the partition of cities like Mitrovica and the cantonization of Kosovo?

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: (Translated from French) First of all, I must say that many good things have taken place in Kosovo. There are 800,000 refugees who have returned to Kosovo and who did not die during the winter, and who are living there once again, and I believe that that is very important. There is nonetheless a great deal to do in Kosovo and I discussed with the Minister the importance that UNMIK and KFOR working together.

The United States is against the partition of Mitrovica. It is not possible, because it is against everything that we have begun to do and that we are doing in Kosovo. Thus, partition is not possible, and neither is cantonization.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, do you have any expectations on the issue of Kuwaiti POWs after the appointment of Mr. Vorontsov? Do you have good expectations after this appointment? Where do we stand today?

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I worked with Mr. Vorontsov a lot when he was Ambassador at the United Nations. He is now a United Nations employee. He knows what the goals are in terms of the Kuwaiti prisoners and the returned goods, and I would hope very much that Ambassador Vorontsov would work in a completely objective way to achieve those goals. When he and I were together we talked about them a lot during the UN and on all Iraq resolutions, and it is part of what needs to be resolved. We have said that it is important for Saddam Hussein to live up to all the resolutions and dealing with the Kuwaiti prisoners, the missing, and Kuwaiti property is a very important part so I hope very much that Mr. Vorontsov will be able to move the process forward.

(End transcript)

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