[excerpt]

STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFINGS

State Department Documents

Richard Boucher, Spokesman

Washington, DC

January 16, 2004

TRANSCRIPT: ....

QUESTION: Richard, can you discuss the placement on a watch list of some Indonesian military figures?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm afraid I can't. We're barred by law from talking about who's on the watch list.

QUESTION: On that, Richard, is General Wiranto welcome to visit the United States?

MR. BOUCHER: Once again, I'm not in a position to comment on visa eligibility or ineligibility.

QUESTION: I'm not asking about visas. I just want to know, is the United States Government -- he is a presidential candidate.

MR. BOUCHER: I don't believe we've invited him.

QUESTION: Would he be welcome to come here?

MR. BOUCHER: There's several billion people in the world. I'm not going to start asking -- answering whether individuals are welcome in the United States.

QUESTION: Yeah, but several billion people weren't named in a story in a major U.S.newspaper as having been placed on a watch list. I'm just curious if --

MR. BOUCHER: Because somebody writes a newspaper story doesn't mean I have to violate the law and start talking about who's on the watch list.

QUESTION: I'm not asking if he's on the watch list. I'm asking if he's welcome to visit the United States.

MR. BOUCHER: That's the same question, worded another way. I'm sorry, I can't get into individuals.

QUESTION: Okay. Are you concerned at all about the failure of the Indonesian Government to turn over people who have been indicted by this UN-supported trib-- these UN prosecutors in East Timor?

MR. BOUCHER: I think we've talked many times on that point.

QUESTION: No, you've spoken to the ad hoc Indonesian human rights court, but you have not spoken, that I am aware of, of the -- about the failure -- the refusal of the Indonesians to turn people over.

MR. BOUCHER: I'll check and see if we have and if we haven't, see if we have anything to say.

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