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USIA: State Department Report 96-05-15
From: The U.S. Information Agency (USIA) Gopher <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>
STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT, WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 1996
(Vietnam, Armenia) (450)
There was no regular noon briefing. Acting State Department Spokesman
Glyn Davies did, however, speak on the record with reporters.
VIETNAM -- The United States is engaged with other nations to bring
the Comprehensive Plan of Action to a close by mid-1996. U.S.
officials will be in Vietnam this week to meet with Vietnamese
officials to discuss the technical aspects of an in-country
reprocessing program for Vietnamese refugees. The talks are part of
semi-annual meetings for the Orderly Departure Program, which was
instituted in 1980. A new program known as the "ROVR" initiative --
Resettlement Opportunity for Vietnamese Returnees -- operates within
the Orderly Departure Program. Under ROVR, the United States will
offer resettlement interviews in Vietnam to returnees from
first-asylum camps who are of special interest to the United States
due to their previous experiences or their associations in Vietnam.
This would include individuals who had a close association with the
United States presence in Vietnam or with the former government of
South Vietnam prior to 1975, and members of certain ethnic groups.
This initiative was facilitated by the March 1, 1996 agreement by the
Vietnamese government that returnees from first asylum camps may be
interviewed for resettlement in third countries. Any person who was in
a first-asylum camp as of October 1, 1995 who has either returned to
Vietnam or has applied for voluntary repatriation by June 30, 1996 may
apply for ROVR and be processed. Since the Orderly Departure Program
began, some 75,000 Vietnamese have returned to Vietnam.
ARMENIA -- Asked about the Armenian genocide resolution (regarding
Armenian deaths in Turkey) proposed by the House International
Relations Committee, Davies said that the State Department is "well
aware of the passions that have been aroused since 1915 on this issue
and fully acknowledges that there were terrible sufferings endured by
the Armenian people." Nonetheless, State does not regard the
resolution now under consideration by the U.S. Congress as
"appropriate." Turkey, Davies said, is currently a democracy and a
NATO ally. The United States is engaged with Turkey on a wide array of
issues including human rights. "Past experience has taught us that
this resolution's profound impact on Turkish public opinion would
adversely affect our cooperation on all of these issues," Davies said.
"It would also, we think, adversely affect the positive development of
Turkish-Armenian relations. So, we think it's important, obviously,
that the tragedies of this century be studied and commemorated, and we
work to prevent their recurrence, but we don't view this resolution as
it is currently conceived as being appropriate or constructive."
No transcript is available of this informal walk-thru briefing.
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