News-Info-Alerts

Re: Speicher - State Briefing Transcript

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Date: August 16, 2002

"State Department Briefing Transcript

State Department Deputy Spokesman Phil Reeker briefed.

Following is the State Department transcript:

(begin transcript)

Daily Press Briefing
Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC

August 14, 2002

INDEX:

IRAQ
-- Meetings with Iraqi Opposition Leaders/Request for Security Guarantees
-- Intent to Award Iraqi National Congress Another $8 Million/ Biological Weapons
-- Reclassification of Mr. Speicher

IRAN
-- National Council of Resistance of Iran Press Conference/Building of Nuclear Sites
-- Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations

SRI LANKA/THAILAND
-- Talks Between Tamil Tigers and Government of Sri Lanka in Thailand

ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS
-- Indictment of Marwan Barghouthi
-- Palestinian Reconciliation Talks in Gaza

RUSSIA/BELARUS
-- Alyaksandr Lukashenko's Visit to Moscow/Proposed Union

RUSSIA
-- Denial of Re-entry Visas for Peace Corps Volunteers

PAKISTAN
-- Temporary Closure of American Cultural Center in Islamabad

CHINA/CAMBODIA
-- Persecution of Falun Gong Followers/Deportation of Chinese Couple

CHINA
-- Chinese Government's Request for Meeting with Jia Yukun's Father

NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA
-- Agreed Framework/Possibility of US Visit to Pyongyang

VENEZUELA
-- Possibility of Another Coup/Potential for Unrest Over a Court Decision

DEPARTMENT
-- Secretary Powell's Phone Calls

COLOMBIA
-- Under Secretary Grossman's Talks in Colombia

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2002
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

TRANSCRIPT:

MR. REEKER: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome back to the State Department. My only announcement is that it is Wednesday, something we can all agree on, I believe.

NON-RELEVANT MATERIAL EDITED BY AII POW-MIA

QUESTION: Can I change the subject to Iran?

QUESTION: Can we stay on Iraq?

MR. REEKER: Elise has more in Iraq. Please.

QUESTION: It seems as if the United States is trying to reclassify Michael Speicher, the pilot that was shot down in -- over Iraq as still being alive, rather than -- rather than he was killed. Do you have anything on --

MR. REEKER: I believe that is something the Pentagon did long ago.

QUESTION: No, he -- no.

QUESTION: They changed it to Missing in Action.

MR. REEKER: To Missing in Action, right. There was a reclassification
from Killed to Missing in Action.

QUESTION: And now there's a new one?

MR. REEKER: And that would be something that the Pentagon could then
answer your questions on. Thanks.

Judy.

QUESTION: Did you ever get an answer or send a cable through a third
party on information regarding Speicher?

QUESTION: Speicher.

MR. REEKER: We -- Speicher is the name of the gentleman. I don't have
anything new on that. We had discussed that and the action we took,
the messages that we sent to Iraq asking them to provide all
information they had on that.

QUESTION: Did you ever get anything back?

MR. REEKER: I discussed what we did or not did receive many months
ago. I'll have to check into it and see if there's anything new to
report.

NON-RELEVANT MATERIAL EDITED BY AII POW-MIA"