White House: No 'side deals' in China-plane agreement

The spy plane crew prepare to leave Guam on Thursday

From CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There are no "side deals" in the agreement struck between the White House and China to end the standoff over the 24 crew members and the American surveillance plane, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice told CNN on Thursday.

"There were no side deals. No other issues ever entered the discourse. This was clearly just about this particular accident," Rice said in a CNN interview.

A senior administration official had said Wednesday the United States did not offer any concessions over other issues, such as potential American arms sales to Taiwan, Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympics, and China's permanent normal trade status with the United States.

Another senior administration official said the main priority for Washington going into the April 18 meeting with the Chinese will be the return of the American EP-3 plane, while the Chinese intend to raise the issue of U.S. reconnaissance flights along its coast.

U.S. officials say the Chinese "can talk about" surveillance flights, but the administration is not negotiating over the issue.

"We fly these kinds of missions all over the world," said Vice President Dick Cheney in a radio interview on NPR's "Diane Rehm Show." "They are over international waters in international airspace. We have every right to be there. And it's a right that we would -- have always insisted upon in the past."

As for how the two sides came to an agreement, one senior aide, briefing a small group of reporters, said the "basic elements of a deal" were set one week ago on Wednesday, April 4. The administration expressed that it wanted the crew "first" and the plane "later," telling the Chinese there would be no apology because there was "nothing to apologize for," said the official.

After Wednesday, the focus centered on negotiations about "language," the official said.

The first draft of a U.S. letter included the word "regret," but the Chinese wanted more, said the official. By last Thursday evening Washington time, the word "sorry" was added to the letter, and by Saturday evening Washington time, the words "very sorry" were added.

The administration, in the letter presented to the Chinese Wednesday, said it was "very sorry" about the loss of life in the collision, and "very sorry" the plane entered Chinese airspace and landed on Chinese territory without "verbal clearance."

From Saturday to Wednesday, the official said the White House was "waiting for the Chinese to say 'yes'."

The official cited China's "complicated" decision-making system as one possible reason for the length of time it took the Chinese to accept the American offer, a system made more "complicated," the official said, with Chinese President Jiang Zemin traveling outside the country during much of the stand-off.

What may have gotten China's attention, the official said, were comments from the president and his aides that relations between the two countries could be damaged, and similar messages sent by other countries. The official also cited pressure coming from congressional delegations canceling trips to China scheduled to take place during the April recess, and business leaders deciding not to travel to Beijing.

Aides say through it all, Bush was "steady as she goes," and confident the administration's strategy would prove effective.

"The president saw sooner than most that this would lead to a successful conclusion," said a senior aide.

However, at the same time, the president and his senior advisers were concerned that if the stand-off did not get resolved before the weekend, pushing it into the two-week mark, then the administration might face a tougher time "domestically," with mounting criticism from lawmakers and the public.

Bush's national security team made a decision not to have President Bush use the hotline installed during the Clinton administration to contact President Jiang, because the White House feared such a move would "box" the Chinese leader "in," the senior official said.

The president's aides concluded a presidential phone call was not a "productive" way to move things "forward," said the official.

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Chinese envoy urges Congress not to block Olympic bid
April 10, 2001

The White House
U.S. Department of State

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