Beijing, Washington harden stance on apology

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, APRIL 8. As the detention of the 24 members of the air crew of the EP-3E Aries surveillance plane entered the second week in the Hainan Island, there are indications of both Washington and Beijing toughening their positions.

While China continues to demand an American apology, the Bush administration has even more adamantly reiterated that it will go no further than the expressions of regret that have already been made by senior officials and by the President, Mr. George W. Bush.

``Our position is unchanged'', remarked a spokesperson of the National Security Council, when commenting on whether an apology from the United States was still possible. The White House, while saying that it would go no further than expressing ``regret'' is also saying progress is being made in the talks.

In both capitals, senior officials are said to be working on the drafts of a letter that will eventually be exchanged between Mr. Bush and his Chinese counterpart, Mr. Jiang Zemin. The point being made here is that the sharp public posturings of China are quite opposite to the attitude they have taken in the negotiations.

On Capitol Hill, where law makers are now on a two- week Easter recess, the rhetoric may be somewhat non-existent, but senior members of Congress have continued to express their dismay at the length of the stand-off. ``I think if we lower the rhetoric and don't pound the table, there ought to be a way out of this. But the Chinese have to use commonsense too, and right now I don't see much of that on their side'', said Mr. Henry Hyde, the Chairman of the House International Relations Committee.

The accident over the South China Seas took place on April 1 when the pilot of the EP-3E made an emergency landing at a military base in the Hainan Island after hitting a Chinese F-8 fighter. The Chinese plane went down and the pilot is still listed as missing after bailing out. The Chinese authorities, in squarely blaming the U.S. for the incident are also making the point that the American pilot broke Chinese law by landing his plane without permission.

The Republican administration, known for its hardline stance against China from the very beginning, has been trying to play it low key knowing the political implications of indulging in a high profile slanging match in public. At the same time officials are anxiously looking for a way out of this difficult situation for no one wants any comparison with the earlier Carter administration and its handling of the Iranian hostages.

In fact for political and legal reasons, the Bush administration has not yet classified its detained crew as ``hostages''. On the one hand that will sharply raise the rhetoric level; and on the other hand, make China liable for damages in American courts to the tune of millions of dollars. Repeatedly in the last one week, the State Department and the White House have stayed away from characterising the detained crew members as ``hostages''.

With a view to keep the momentum of the talks going the Bush administration has been giving details of meetings between American diplomats and the detained crew members. On Saturday, U.S. diplomats had their third meeting. ``The crew... is in very high spirits. They understand the circumstances under which they are here... They do offer that they very much appreciate the e- mails they've been allowed to receive from home'', remarked Brig. Gen. Neal Sealock, the Defence Attache of the American embassy in Beijing.

Gen. Sealock's message was conveyed directly to Camp David where the President is spending the weekend. Mr. Bush is in the Presidential Retreat with the First Lady and his National Security Advisor, Ms Condoleeza Rice. The White House has also said that the President received a letter from the wife of the downed Chinese pilot criticising the United States for the collision and for refusing to apologise.

In the midst of all the optimism in recent days of the stand-off coming to an early end, what is seen here is also a hardening of the public stance of top Chinese officials and leaders. For example in his reply to a letter from the Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, China's Vice-Premier is said to have made the point that American statements of regret are still ``unacceptable'' and that an apology is required. And China's Defence Minister, Gen. Chi Haotian has apparently said that the People's Liberation Army will not allow Washington to ``shirk'' its responsibility.

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Section  : International
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