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April 15, 2001

Detained U.S. Air Crew Freed
The crew of a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane arrived in Hawaii Thursday, following a tense diplomatic standoff that began when their surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. The 24 crew members, who made a brief stop over in Guam, will remain in Hawaii for a few days, before they begin their final journey home. A statement by Chinese Foreign Minster Tang Jiaxuan, read on state television and radio, said the 24-member crew was freed on humanitarian grounds. Prior to the release of the U.S. Navy aircrew, President Bush warned reporters before a Cabinet meeting that "there is a point, the longer it goes ... at which our relations with China could become damaged."

US Offers Bejing Formal Statement of Regret
The release of the 24-member aircrew came after the United States offered China a formal statement of regret in a bid to end the diplomatic standoff over the midair collision of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet. The New York Times quoted senior Bush administration officials as saying the statement amplified language used previously by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell said Sunday the United States regrets the loss of the Chinese pilot in the April first incident. He also acknowledged the U.S. plane violated Chinese airspace when it made an emergency landing on Hainan Island, where its 24-member crew is being held. But, U.S. officials say the formal statement does not contain an official apology which China had been demanding. Washington says the collision was an accident. The statement reportedly also proposes a joint investigation of the collision, which occurred April 1st over international waters near China, and bilateral discussions on how to avoid similar incidents.

Jesse Jackson Offers to Mediate US Crew Release
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson offered to travel to China to help negotiate the release of the 24 crew members of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft. A report in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper quoted Jackson as saying that getting the Americans home is worth expressing an apology to China. The United States has refused to apologize for the April 1 mid-air collision that claimed the life of the Chinese fighter pilot who caused the accident. Jackson has successfully intervened in similar cases in the past, helping free Americans held captive in Syria, Iraq, and Yugoslavia. In this case, the 24-member aircrew was released without Jackson’s assistance--and without the apology demanded by the Chinese.

Schroeder and Putin Continue Talks in St. Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder completed a two-day summit in St. Petersburg, Russia Tuesday. The two leaders hailed closer ties between their countries, but they did not resolve the issue of Russia's long-standing debts to Germany and other western creditors. Winding up two days of talks, Gerhard Schroeder said Russia's economy is currently strong enough to allow Moscow to repay its debts. But, he also indicated Germany would help in the future to restructure Russia's payment schedule if necessary. In a joint appearance with Putin Monday, Schroeder commented on the controversy over Russia's independent NTV television network. The network, currently owned by Russian Jewish Congress president Vladimir Gusinsky, is currently fighting a takeover bid by Russia's state-controlled natural gas company, Gazprom. Putin said he supports media freedom, but considers the NTV issue a business dispute and does not intend to intervene. Also on Monday, the German and Russian defense ministers said the two countries plan to expand military and technical cooperation this year.

Dutch Parliament Approves Mercy Killing
Dutch lawmakers have given final approval to a bill legalizing euthanasia of humans. The move makes the Netherlands the first country to allow doctors to kill terminally ill patients. Guidelines set out in the new law say that a patient's request for euthanasia must be voluntary. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls has called the measure an affront to human dignity.

Locusts Threaten Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Taleban rulers say millions of locusts are threatening a vast northern area of the country and urgent aid is needed to contain the problem. A senior Taleban agricultural ministry official said Tuesday that millions of locust larvae were spreading over seven provinces, which are major fruit and cereal producing region of the drought-hit country. He said the Taleban has asked the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for help in efforts to eradicate the locusts.

UN Warns 28 Million Africans Face Food Shortages
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organizations says 28 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will face food shortages this year. At a Nairobi news conference Monday, FAO spokesman Shukri Ahmed said 16 sub-Saharan nations, primarily in central Africa, face exceptional food emergencies. Ahmed blames last year's devastating drought as well as flooding, civil strife and lower than normal harvests in some areas for the food shortfall.

Clinton Draws Crowds in India
Thousands of villagers lined streets in northern India Sunday trying to catch a glimpse of former President Bill Clinton. The main purpose of Clinton's trip was to spotlight efforts to help survivors of last January's devastating earthquake. The ex-president had dinner in New Delhi Saturday night with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behare Vajpayee. He left New Delhi for London Monday.

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