Letter may end spy plane dispute
By Barry Schweid
AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON — A letter under review by President Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin could lead to a resolution of a spy plane dispute roiling already touchy relations between the two countries.
The letter, currently in draft form, 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 the 24 crew members of the Navy EP-3E Aries II reconnaissance plane.
The likeliest arrangement for a resolution is to have the two sides make their cases about the collision of the U.S. plane and a Chinese fighter jet at a special meeting of a joint maritime commission set up three years ago to enhance safety on the seas, a senior U.S. official said.
The crew met yesterday with Brig. Gen. Neal Sealock, the defense attache at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, on the Chinese island Hainan, where their plane made an emergency landing Sunday. It was their second meeting, and another was expected Saturday.
The formula for a possible way out of the impasse was disclosed to The Associated Press yesterday by senior U.S. officials. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, later revealed the draft letter's contents.
After receiving a Pentagon briefing, Warner said the letter's language would provide a "common understanding" by the two presidents of the episode.
The Bush administration showed rising optimism that it would be able to unravel its first major diplomatic tangle. The president said negotiations with China had achieved progress, and he and Secretary of State Colin Powell said the crew members were being treated well by the Chinese.
"We're working hard to bring them home through intensive discussions with the Chinese government, and we think we're making progress," Bush said.
A photograph of 11 of the crew members, taken during their first meeting with U.S. diplomats Tuesday, was distributed to family members "so they could see their loved ones," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. The photograph showed the 11 sitting at a table, looking forward with little expression.
The letter, Warner said, was being upgraded from the ambassador and foreign minister level to review "both by our president and the president of China, so it will reflect a common understanding."
He said there would be no U.S. apology in the letter. "I believe the ambassador, and others, expressed regret for loss of life. That will be embraced in the letter," he said.
A senior administration official said the letter would bear the signature of the U.S. ambassador, retired Adm. Joseph Prueher, not Bush. But the president directed it be drafted and will approve the final language, the official said.
Another senior U.S. official cautioned that in negotiations, obstacles and hurdles frequently develop. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Powell, without providing details, said the United States and China were exchanging "rather precise ideas" for the release of the 21 men and three women.
"All of the crew members were in fine shape," he said. "They are in good health. They are in high spirits. Their morale is good."
At the State Department, Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi met with Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage, an Asian specialist who has evolved as a central figure in the standoff. "It was part of our continuing diplomatic exchange," spokesman Boucher said. The Chinese diplomat made no statement.
