Emails concerning press guidance regarding the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) and their February 2004 report.
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Tillery, Monica J
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From: Buche, John A Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 5:20 PM To: Dolan, JoAnn; Pollack, Margaret J(SA-1); Williams, Stephanie T (NEA/ELA); Miller, Ronald W
(S/WCI) . Cc: Buchwald, Todd F (L-UNA); Cummings, Edward R (Main State); Dorosin, Joshua L; Brooks,
Waldo W; McCowan, Mikael C(Main State); Buche, John A(SA-1) Subject: RE: QFR for D on ICRC communication
You may also wish to draw from the following:
Press Guidance of May 7: The February 2004 ICRC Report (on conditions of detainees in Iraq) was provided to CPA and US Military authorities in Baghdad in February. The Department of State first saw a copy of the report in March.
Secretary's May 10 interview with Juan Williams of NPR on the issue. (Transcript provided by Office of the Spokesman 2004/517 on May 11, 2004)
Mr. Williams: "ICRC President Jacob Kellenberger said he met with you as well as NSC Advisor Rice and Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, about the prison abuse situation as far back as January. Is that true? "
Secretary Powell: "Yes. We meet with Mr. Kellenberger every time he comes to town. We think very highly of the
International Committee of the Red Cross. And as you know, Juan, the way they work is when they do their inquiries and investigations, they take what they find directly to the command involved or to the organization involved in the field, and subsequently they will brief up the chain. And so Mr. Kellenberger would brief me on these matters when he was in town. And when he did brief, we would discuss these matters within the interagency process, and I think the Pentagon is now looking at all the information that the ICRC has provided to us over the last year or so to see which findings they presented we did respond to and which ones have not yet been responded to yet. Mr. Kellenberger, when I spoke to him last week on the telephone, he was encouraging us to put out what we did correct and also to take note of what has yet to be corrected."
ICRC press guidance on the issue: "President Kellenberger visited Washington in January and discussed detention matters with Condoleeza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, and Colin Powell. The main focus was on Guantanamo Bay, but Iraq and Afghanistan were also discussed. These meetings were part of the regular bilateral contacts between the ICRC and different governments. Mr. Kellenberger referred to the ICRC's upcoming report on US detention in Iraq, but did not discuss the contents of this report."
----Original Message--
From: Dolan, JoAnn
Sent , Monday, June 14, 2004 4:56 PM
To: Polladr, Margaret J(SA-1); Williams, Stephanie T; Miller, Ronald W(S/WCI); &die, John A(SA-1)
Cc: Buchwald, Todd F; Cummings, Edward R (Main State); Dorosin, Joshua L; Brooks, Waldo W; McCowan, Mikael C
Subject: RE: QFR for Don ICRC communication
. ----Original Message----
From: Pollack, Margaret I
Sent Monday, June 14, 2004 4:51 PM
To: Williams, Stephanie T(Main State); Dolan, JoAnn(Main State Room 6429); Miller, Ronald W(S/WCI); Budie, John A
Cc Burtnvald, Todd F(Main State Room 6429); Cummings, Edward R (Main State)(Main State Room 5635); Dorosin, Joshua L(Main
State Room 6429); Brooks, Waldo W(L-PM Room 6429); McCowan, Mikael C(Main State)
Subject RE: QFR for D on ICRC communication
We are also checking with PA to see what Boucher or others have said.
Margaret Pollack
Director, PRM/MCE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: ARCHIE M BOLSTER
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DATE/CASE ID: 05 JAN 2005 200303827
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Message---
From:.Williams, Stephanie T
Sent:.Monday, June 14, 2004 4:41 PM
,To: Dolan, JoAnn; Miller, Ronald W(S/WCI); Pollack, Margaret 1(SA-1); Buche, John A(SA-1) Ca Buchwald, Todd F; Cummings, Edward R (Main State); Dorosin, Joshua L; Brooks, Waldo W; McCowan, Mikael C Subject:.RE: QFR for D on ICRC communication
Joann -- NEA/Iraq has been assigned responsibility for answering the QFR, but obviously will dear with.LIPM and other appropriate parties. The other thing to keep in mind is that we are trying to stick to unclassified responses. Stephanie •
----Original Message From:.Dolan, JoAnn Sent:.Monday, June 14, 2004 4:37 PM To:. Miller, Ronald W(S/WCI); Pollack, Margaret l(SA-1); Buche, John A(SA-1) Cc:. Buchwald, Todd F; Cummings, Edward R (Main State); Dorosin, Joshua L; Brooks, Waldo W; Williams, Stephanie T; McCowan, Mikael C Subject.FW:•QFR for Don ICRC communication Importance:.High
Below are excerpts from a narrative summary that L drafted for use in preparing the Secretary for anticipated questioning. Elements may be of use in preparing a response for D, subject to input from others that may complete the picture. I have bracketed a portion that may not be appropriate for inclusion in a written response but left it in to complete the picture and for others to weigh in. I am not sure who has been given the task of drafting a response to this QFR to D and I am also not sure this reflects fully what our senior leadership may have done with the information we provided in March, but this may be the start of a response.
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—Original Message--From:.Williams, Stephanie T Sent Monday, June 14, 2004 3:09 PM To: Miller, Ronald W(S/WC1); Pollack, Margaret J(SA-1); Santos, Carol A(SA-1); Dolan, JoAnn; Brooks, Waldo W Subject QFR for 0 on ICRC communication Importance: High
I would very much appreciate your assistance with the answer to this OFR from Senator Feingold for D following his 5/18 testimony to the SFRC on Iraq:
As I understand it, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent alerted senior officials at both the Department of Defense and the Department of State about alarming abuses of Iraqi prisoners directly in mid-January. Press reports indicate that the ICRC communicated concern directly to both Secretary Powell and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz. So regardless of whether other reports made it onto the desks of the right people, the message was delivered at very high levels at that time. I would like to ask both Secretary Armitage and Secretary Wolfowitz, what action did your respective Departments take after the ICRC delivered that very troubling message?
The QFR is due tomorrow, so any input you have would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Stephanie T. Williams
Iraq Political Office Department of State Tel: 202-647-7227 Class e-mail: williamsstDtate.sgov.gov Unclass e-mail: williamsst2tate.gov
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