Briefing: US State spokesman Ian C. Kelly speaks at yersterday's media conference at which he answered questions on Bermuda's acceptance of former Guantanamo prisoners.

A media briefing

US State Department Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Ian C. Kelly concerning the resettlement for four Guantanamo Bay detainees in Bermuda.

Question: Uighurs.

Kelly: Uighurs.

Question: It's becoming increasing clear that the five Uighurs

who decided that they would agree to go to Albania really got the raw

end of the deal here.

What where do things stand with regards to Palau. And what

kind of security assurances have you given Bermuda? And then why are

the Brits upset? They seem not to have been consulted about this at

all, even though they're responsible for (inaudible) foreign affairs

and security.

Kelly: Well, let me let me just, first of all, reiterate what

the attorney general said this morning, that we're extremely grateful

to the government of Bermuda for its assistance in resettling these

these detainees. And we commend the leadership it has demonstrated on

this important issue.

We dealt directly with the government of Bermuda to make this

happen. I think just before coming down here I saw some of these

saw some of these reports of concerns of the British government.

We ar we're in very close with them. The secretary spoke with with Foreign Minister Miliband this morning. And we understand that

there are some concerns about some of the details of the resettlement, and we're confident that we can work these things through with the

government of the U.K.

Question: Was there any consultation with the Brits prior to

today about this?

Kelly: We did consult with them, but I'm not going to get into,

you know, the chronology, the exact details of when. That's, I think

that's a matter for...

Question: Well, you said that's a matter for?

Kelly: Private those are private diplomatic...

(CROSSTALK)

Question: You said we dealt directly with the government of

Bermuda to make this happen?

Kelly: Right.

Question: You are [EmDash] you are aware that Bermuda is British

territory, and that Britain...

Kelly: Right.

Question: ... is responsible for its dealings with foreign

governments, as it relates to foreign affairs...

Kelly: Right.

Question: ... foreign diplomacy and security issues?

Kelly: I think, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

Question: Why why would you bypass...

Kelly: Well, I don't think we bypassed anybody.

(CROSSTALK)

Question: ... followup, and you said we did consult with the

British government. I'm not look for an exigetical you know,

chronology here. But to be precise, did you consult with the British

government about the possibility of any of the Uighurs going to

Bermuda?

Kelly: Like I say, I'm just not going to get into the the

details about it.

Question: Well, you said you consulted with them.

(CROSSTALK)

Kelly: We consult with them constantly.

Question: Right. I know. You consult with them about all kinds

of things, including things that have nothing to do with Guantanamo.

So your statement that we consulted with them could be true and

completely not germane.

And I want to make sure that it's germane, that you did consult

with them about the possibility of the Uighurs going to Bermuda. Or,

you know, it may have been you consulted with them more generally

about Guantanamo, but not about this precise matter.

Kelly: Right. Right. You know, I may have more for you later

today. But right now, I don't have anything else.

Question: Well, was this a subject in the call between Miliband

and the secretary this morning?

Kelly: I'm not going to get into the details of it. They had a

very good conversation this morning.

Question: About the Uighurs?

Kelly: They did discuss this issue, yes.

Question: And other things?

Kelly: They discussed a number of issues as well.

Question: Is it your understanding, Ian, that Bermuda by itself

could agree and it would be legally binding, if...

Kelly: You know, I'm just not going to I'm just not going to

go there. I am not an expert in this. And I just really have to

refer you to the to the government of Bermuda.

Question: Well, is the British concern that the Uighurs could go

eventually to Britain?

Kelly: I'll refer you to the British government for that.

Question: But you said you discussed concerned with them.

Kelly: Yes.

Question: You had...

Kelly: I'm not going to tell I mean, you really have to ask

the British government what their concerns are.

Question: Ian, if you're not the expert on this, who do we ask?

Kelly: Well, like I say, we I may have some more information

for you a little later on, but, right now, I don't have (OFF-MIKE)

Question: What kind of security guarantees, or what kind of

measures are going to be taken to ensure that the good citizens of

Bermuda are safe?

Kelly: Well, I think that's really that's a question of the

Bermuda government.

Question: So you're basically dumping them off there and washing

your hands of the whole (ph) thing (ph)?

Kelly: No, no, we're not dumping them off there and washing our

hands. I just [EmDash] like I say...

Question: Well, it sounds that way.

Kelly: ... this is it's it's an ongoing process, and I

just don't have anything else for you.

Question: What about assurances that they're not going to be

able to come to the United States?

Kelly: You know, that, I think, really, is really an issue for

the Department of Justice, for in terms of homeland security

issues.

Question: But, I mean, obviously, part of this agreement with

Bermuda to take them involved some kind of security assurances, A,

that the citizens of Bermuda would be safe, and B, that the government

of Bermuda would have the adequate resources, wherewithal, will, to

make suer that these people don't just leave Bermuda...

(CROSSTALK)

Kelly: Yes, on all those issues, I really have to refer you to

the Department of Justice.

Question: Is there any sort of financial compensation offered to

the government of Bermuda, in exchange for taking these four in?

Kelly: Well, I think, any time that we we transfer detainees,

we [ we do provide some kind of modest and routine resettlement

reimbursement, but, beyond that, again, I think you'd have to ask the

Department of Justice?

Question: How much is that per person?

Kelly: How much is that per I'm not going to go into...

Question: It's a...

(CROSSTALK)

Question: ... legitimate question, I think, to ask. I mean...

Kelly: Yes, well, I just I don't have the information.

Question: Can you take that question, please?

Kelly: Well, I refer you to the Department of Justice.

Question: Well, what is the resettlement fee for? What is the

resettlement, you know, compensation for?

Is it for measures to make sure that the security is provided or

is it to make sure that they have meals, or what is it?

Kelly: Yes, I'm sorry. I have to refer you to the Department of

Justice, and I brought my wrong glasses. That's why I'm taking them

off.

Question: Well, who negotiated the agreement? Was it Dan Fried

on behalf of...

Kelly: It was an interagency process, and for the details of it,

you really have to go to the Department of Justice.

Question: No, the details of agreements between two governments

are are...

Kelly: Not always public.

(CROSSTALK)

Question: ... of the State Department.

Kelly: Yes, well, I [EmDash] I don't have them here right now, and I'm

not even sure I could share them with you right now.

Question: Let me go back to the issue of Palau (ph).

Kelly: Yes.

Question: Is if there were 17 Uighurs who had remained at

Guantanamo and four have now arrived in Bermuda is there any

decision on the where the other 13 may reside?

Kelly: You know, as I said yesterday, we're involved in ongoing

discussions with a number of governments on this issue, including with

the government of Palau. And I don't have anything to add from

yesterday.

Question: OK, so nothing's changed since then. There's...

(CROSSTALK)

Kelly: Nothing has changed since then.

Question: (inaudible) realize, Ian, that the president of the

country went on television and said that the government of Palau is

currently finalizing an agreement with the United States about the

details, but that they've already agreed to take them.

Kelly: Yes...

(CROSSTALK)

Kelly: ... we welcome...

Question: Are you disputing that?

Kelly: ... we welcome any offers to...

Question: Wait, it's not just an offer. I mean, he's talking...

Kelly: ... to accommodate these detainees.

Question: It's not just an offer. He's talking about the

finalization of an agreement that you've been negotiating. Are you...

Kelly: That's not finalized.

Question: But you're not disputing that you're in in

negotiations of an agreement.

Kelly: I'm not disputing that we're involved in talks with a

number of countries, including Palau.

Question: The impression, you know, that I guess we're getting

from this is a bit of flailing around and looking for, desperately,

for a place to put these people. So correct me if I'm wrong, but

there's a lack of information, things come up suddenly.

The Uighur community here says, "Wow, that was news to us," that

(inaudible) Bermuda. It seems very sudden. We can't get much

information from you. Isn't this an admission that there's a certain

sense of desperation to find someplace for them?

Kelly: No, that's not an admission of that at all.

This [EmDash] this is a [EmDash] a top priority for the president. On the

first day of his administration he signed an executive order to close

Guantanamo, to close the detention facility there. We are working

very hard to reach that goal of closing it within the time period the

president has set.

This is a it's a complicated process involving negotiations

wit with many different countries, some of which, of course, we've

we've talked about here.

Kelly: And it's also [EmDash] it's also an interagency process. So

it's, you know, diplomacy is not always a pretty thing, but it's [EmDash]

it's a complicated process.

Question: How much of a sore point is it with the Chinese?

Publicly, the foreign ministry has complained about it, says you

should return them to China. Privately, have you received calls from

them and at what level?

Kelly: They have pretty consistently expressed their their

concern, both publicly and privately, regarding the discussions that

we were were having that are ongoing on resettling the Uighurs

into third countries. We have taken thos those concerns on board,

but we've made it we've made it quite clear to them that we are not

going to transfer them back to China.

Question: And has there been [EmDash] what has the latest

communication with the Chinese been on this? Has the secretary spoken

with the foreign minister?

Kelly: She has not spoken to the Chinese foreign minister

for at least for a week or so.

(CROSSTALK)

Question: (inaudible)

Kelly: Well, I know I saw a press report of my counterpart in

Beijing...

Question: Today?

Kelly: ... registering a protest.

Question: Yes. No, no, I saw that, too. What I wondered was

whether there had been any non-public, you know, whether they had

contacted the State Department, not necessarily at the secretary's

level, but at some other level about this today.

Kelly: Yes. I'm not aware of it, but as I say, they've been

very consistent in conveying this message.

Dave?

Question: Ian, there's a press report today about a possible

imminent deal between the United States and Yemen to repatriate a

Yemeni from Guantanamo. Is there something to that?

Kelly: Yes, you know, I might have something on that.

I thought I had something on it.

Kelly: Yes, I'll take that question sorry.

Question: Back to China when you've made it clear to China

that you're not going to repatriate them back to China, have you also,

kind of, made clear to China that you expect them not to retaliate

against countries that might take them, like Palau, for instance?

Kelly: Well, I mean, we've made it clear to them that we're not

going to transfer them back to China. And we certainly wo I

don't know if specifically made it clear to them that they shouldn't

retaliate against countries that do receive them. And we certainly

would hope they wouldn't retaliate.

Question: Well, I mean, isn't that one of the reasons it's so

hard to find a country that will take these Uighurs, because they're

afraid of repercussions with China?

Kelly: Well, I'm not aware of that. I mean, you have to ask the

countries, themselves, if they fear retaliation.

Question: How hard (ph) do you explain to the Chinese why you

wouldn't transfer them back to China?

Kelly: You know, again, I don't really want to get into the

details of our diplomatic exchanges. I would say as a general

principle as I think I said on my first or second day of briefing

up here that we do not, as a rule, transfer prisoners to countries

in which they would have a well-founded fear of persecution.

Question: But some are going back to our countries where they...

Kelly: We wouldn't transfer any prisoners to a country where the

prisoners, themselves had or detainees would have a well-founded

fear...

Question: So Yemen is ruled out?

Kelly: Well, I don't know. Like I said, I took that question

out. I have to find that out.

Question: You said that the secretary hadn't spoken with the

Chinese foreign minister in a week?

Kelly: You know, I'll have t yes, maybe I should check on

that.

Question: Can you check on that, because I would've thought that

she would've talked to him at least about the North Korea resolution

at the U.N.

Kelly: OK, well, I'll follow up on that.

...

Question:<\p>And, as you one more thing on the Uighur issue, who was it Miliband who called the secretary or did she call him?

Kelly: I'm not sure, frankly, who initiated the call.

Question: And are ther as you're going around to these other

countries, are you now that you've managed to slip these guys into

Bermuda undercover, are you looking at other British overseas

territories to...

(LAUGHTER)

... the Falklands, maybe...

(CROSSTALK)

Kelly: We're engaged in ongoing discussions with a number of foreign governments, and I'll leave it at that.

Tip a friend
Message:	Your name: Your e-mail address:  To e-mail address: