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Talks To Release Plane Crew Persist
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Behind-the-scenes negotiations to gain
the freedom of 24 American servicemen and women continued a week after
their spy radar plane was forced down on an island in southern China.
U.S. diplomats who met with the crew for a third time on Saturday
said they remained in good spirits and hopeful they would be released
soon.
``They are looking forward to going home. They do offer that they
very much appreciate the e-mails that they've been allowed to receive
from home,'' said U.S. Embassy military attache Army Brig. Gen. Neal
Sealock, one of two diplomats to see the crew.
Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell were
both scheduled to appear on Sunday's television interview shows and
the continuing international incident was expected to dominate the
programs.
At least publicly the high-level talks between China and the United
States appeared to have reached something of a stalemate. The Bush
administration stood by its earlier statements that it regretted the
collision of a Chinese fighter jet and the Navy spy plane while in
Beijing government officials continue to press for an apology.
As the standoff entered its second week, China's top military newspaper,
the Liberation Army Daily, said Sunday that Beijing is entitled to
``thoroughly investigate'' the captive crew and their downed aircraft.
The paper also demanded that the United States end surveillance flights
near the coast.
The strongly worded article was another sign China's politically powerful
military is pressing for a hard line with Washington.
President Bush, spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential
retreat, remained in close contact with the negotiations and conveyed
his greetings to the crew through Sealock, White House spokesman Ari
Fleischer said.
U.S. officials hoped a letter under review by Bush and Chinese President
Jiang Zemin could lead to a resolution of the dispute.
The letter would express regrets for the collision last Sunday between
the plane and a Chinese jet fighter and arrange for the two sides
to exchange their views of the incident. It also would clear the way
for release of members of the Navy EP-3E Aries II reconnaissance plane.
In a letter to Powell, China's Vice Premier Qian Qichen said U.S.
statements of regret about the incident ``so far are still unacceptable''
and an apology is required. But two American officials who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said the stern rhetoric doesn't reflect the
tone Chinese negotiators have taken in private discussions.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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