From DEBRA@oln.comlink.apc.orgFri Sep 1 10:02:41 1995 Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 12:29:00 +0100 From: Debra Guzman Reply to: beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org To: beijing95-l@netcom.com, beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org Subject: HILARY-_BEIJING-REACT 25.8 [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] DATE=08-25-95 TITLE=HILARY/ BEIJING/REACT BYLINE=JANE KUCZYNSKI TELEPHONE=619-3926 DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=RICHARD KLEINFELDT INTRO: THE SUSPENSE IS OVER. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ANNOUNCED THAT FIRST LADY HILLARY CLINTON WILL LEAD THE U-S DELEGATION TO THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN THAT OPENS IN BEIJING ON SEPTEMBER FOURTH. ( 5:00 PM FRIDAY, AUG. 25) JANE KUCZYNSKI REPORTS ON REACTION FROM THE RIGHT AND LEFT. TEXT: IT HAS BEEN CLEAR FOR MONTHS THAT MRS. CLINTON VERY MUCH WANTED TO ATTEND THE U-N CONFERENCE. AT THE SAME TIME, SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD DEFER TO THE ADVICE OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND THE PRESIDENT'S POLITICAL ADVISERS. U-S-CHINESE RELATIONS HAVE BEEN STRAINED BY A NUMBER OF ISSUES, CHIEF AMONG THEM THE DETENTION OF CHINA-BORN AMERICAN ACTIVIST HARRY WU. A CHINESE COURT ON THURSDAY FOUND HIM GUILTY OF SPYING AND SENTENCED HIM TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON, BUT DECIDED ON FRIDAY TO EXPEL HIM FROM THE COUNTRY. CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST JEANE J. KIRKPATRICK, A FORMER U-S AMBASSADOR TO THE U-N, SAYS SHE IS VERY PLEASED THAT HARRY WU HAS BEEN RELEASED. AS FOR THE UPCOMING CONFERENCE, MS. KIRKPATRICK HAS RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE RESULTS FROM THE MEETING AND MRS. CLINTON'S ROLE IN FOCUSING ON THE ISSUES: TAPE: CUT ONE KIRKPATRICK 45 OR 56 SECS "IF THE WOMEN'S CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON PROBLEMS, LIKE WOMEN'S PROPERTY RIGHTS, AND WOMEN'S CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN BODIES, AND THE DECISION TO HAVE BABIES, FOR EXAMPLE -- NOT JUST TO HAVE ABORTIONS BUT TO HAVE BABIES -- AND FOCUSES ON ISSUES LIKE GENITAL MUTILATION AND SO FORTH, SOME GOOD COULD COME OF IT. IT IS NOT AT ALL CERTAIN THAT IT WILL FOCUS ON REAL ISSUES. BUT, IF IT DOES, SOME GOOD COULD COME OF IT. AND MAYBE HILLARY CLINTON CAN HELP WITH THAT. IF IT IS SIMPLY A FESTIVAL OF RADICAL WOMEN PROMOTING RADICAL CAUSES, THEN IT WON'T BE MUCH GOOD TO ANYONE, NO MATTER WHO LEADS THE U-S DELEGATION. I WILL NOT BE OFFENDED BY HILLARY CLINTON'S LEADING THE U-S DELEGATION, BUT I WILL PROBABLY DISAGREE WITH (MANY) OF THE POSITIONS THAT THE U-S DELEGATION TAKES." TEXT: THERE IS STRONG OPPOSITION, POLITICALLY, TO ANY U-S PRESENCE AT THE BEIJING MEETING FOR FEAR IT COULD BE MISCONSTRUED AS CONDONING CHINESE ACTIONS THE U-S GOVERNMENT HAS CONDEMNED. SOME REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE SAID IT WOULD BE WRONG FOR HILLARY CLINTON TO GO TO CHINA. BUT MRS. CLINTON'S BELIEF THAT THE CONFERENCE IS AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IS SHARED BY MANY -- NOTABLY MEMBERS OF PRIVATE VOLUNTARY DELEGATIONS WHO PLAN TO ATTEND A PARALLEL MEETING IN CHINA. BELA ABZUG -- WHO WILL LEAD THE NON GOVERNMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP, WEDO (WE-DO) -- SUPPORTS THE FIRST LADY'S ATTENDANCE AT THE MEETING. TAPE: CUT TWO ABZUG 70 OR 57 SECS "I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT TIME AND PLACE FOR HILLARY CLINTON, AS A WOMAN, AS IT IS THE RIGHT PLACE FOR EVERY WOMAN -- (OPT) EVERY WOMEN FROM THE HOME, EVERY WOMEN FROM THE WORKPLACE, EVERY WOMAN IN POLITICS, EVERY WOMAN IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS AND DOMESTIC CONCERNS AS WELL AS IN THE QUESTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. (END OPT) SHE IS A WOMAN IN HER OWN RIGHT. SHE HAS GIVEN A NEW DEFINITION TO THE WORD FIRST LADY. SHE CAME TO COPENHAGEN, BY THE WAY, AND ADDRESSED THE CONFERENCE, AND MADE SOME COMMITMENTS ON THE PART OF THE U-S. SHE THEN SPOKE AT THE U-N ON BEHALF OF ELEANOR ROOSEVELT DAY, AND LISTENED TO WHAT THE GOVERNMENTS WERE SAYING DURING THE PREPARATIONS OF THIS CONFERENCE. SHE THEN TOOK A TRIP TO SOUTHEAST ASIA, WHERE SHE SAT WITH WOMEN IN BANGLADESH AND IN INDIA AND LEARNED OF THEIR PROBLEMS. AND SHE HEARS THE CRIES AND THE PAIN OF THE WOMEN IN THE SHADOW OF THE WHITE HOUSE, AND IN CHICAGO, AS WELL AS IN ASIA. I THINK SHE HAS SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE IN HER OWN RIGHT." TEXT: BELA ABZUG SAYS, WHILE CHINA IS THE SITE, IT IS NOT THE SUBJECT, OF THE UPCOMING WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN. THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND THE UNITED NATIONS HAVE EXPRESSED THE OPINION THAT IT'S NOT A CONFERENCE ABOUT CHINA -- IT'S A CONFERENCE ABOUT WOMEN. THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN, GERTRUDE MONGELLA, SAID LAST MONTH: "AS MUCH AS THE ISSUES OF CHINA ARE IMPORTANT, THEY CANNOT REPLACE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AGENDA FOR WOMEN. WOMEN ARE VERY FAR FROM BEING EQUAL." APPARENTLY, HILLARY CLINTON AGREES. THAT IS WHY SHE PLANS TO JOIN THOUSANDS OF WOMEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN A MEETING WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE A WATERSHED ON SUBJECTS OF VITAL INTEREST TO HER AND MANY OTHERS. 25-Aug-95 6:05 PM EDT (2205 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America