Boy the Chinese know when to fold; the thought of Jesse Jackson coming
to China was just too much - and Clinton as backup man?
Diplomacy is like, never having to say I apologize - but I am sorry will
sufficeall save face - no Hari Kari (Chinese do they do this) and
our 24 returns home - eveybody Happy - and Jesse can go back into
retreat.
Wonder what that pilot and co pilot were doing when they were on
automatic pilot - reading novels in the John?
Saba
China says it will free U.S. crew
U.S. says it's 'very sorry'
for Chinese pilot's death,
violation of sovereignty
when U.S. plane landedApril 11 -- NBC's Ned Colt reports that China has
agreed to release the crew of a U.S. reconnaissance plane.
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
April 11 China said Wednesday it would free the detained crew of
a U.S. spy plane after receiving a letter from President Bush saying he
was "very sorry" that an American spy plane was forced to land in
Chinese territory after a crash that apparently killed one of China's
fighter pilots. U.S. officials confirmed the deal and told NBC News that
a plane would leave Guam shortly to retrieve the 24 Americans, who have
been held in China for 11 days.
'The U.S. ambassador has received verbal assurances from the
Chinese government that the air crew will be allowed to leave promptly.'
WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT
THE FATE of the high-tech EP-3E spy plane was not
immediately clear, although Chinese officials indicated they still
needed to conduct a lengthy investigation. U.S. officials had previously
said they expected the aircraft to be returned.
The wording of the letter from Bush will allow officials
in both countries to claim victory after the 11-day diplomatic standoff,
with China portraying it as the apology it had demanded and the United
States saying it was not, Pentagon sources told NBC News.
Chen Ci, a Foreign Ministry spokesman on Hainan Island,
where the crew was being detained, said that U.S. Ambassador Joseph
Prueher delivered the letter Wednesday afternoon to the Chinese Foreign
Ministry saying the U.S. government was "very sorry" about the incident.
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"Please convey to the Chinese people and to the family of
pilot Wang Wei that we are very sorry for their loss," Chen said. He
said the letter goes on to say that Washington is "very sorry the
entering of China's airspace and landing did not have verbal clearance."
The American letter also expressed appreciation for
"China's efforts to see to the well being" of the crew, he said.
'VERBAL ASSURANCES' FROM CHINA
The White House issued a statement saying, "The U.S.
ambassador has received verbal assurances from the Chinese government
that the air crew will be allowed to leave promptly."
Bush was to make a statement at the White House within
the hour.
The 21 men and three women have been held on Hainan
island in the South China Sea for 11 days. They made an emergency
landing on Hainan after their U.S. Navy EP-3E surveillance plane
collided with a Chinese fighter jet, which crashed at sea, apparently
killing the pilot. U.S.-China face offLatest newsWashPost:
Detainees develop a routineNewsweek: Special reportNewsweek: Crash
in cloudsCrew of the U.S. planeOpinions: Diplomacy tipsChina's
military: MSNBC special reportNBC: Was pilot top gun?Interactive:
China's militaryWhat's your opinion? Sound off on our BBS Pentagon
officials said that Chinese objected to the use of a military aircraft
to retrieve the crew, so the U.S. was dispatching a commercial charter
from Guam. The plane will carry specialists who will begin debriefing
the crew on the return flight and psychologists for possible counseling,
the officials said.
After retrieving the crew, the charter will return to
Guam to be refueled, but the crew will likely remain on the plane until
it arrives in Hawaii, they said. The crew will spend several days there
"decompressing" and being debriefed about the accident, the landing and
their incarceration.
China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said the crew was
being released on "humanitarian grounds" and expressed hope that the
dispute would not damage relations between the two governments.
"China puts great importance on its relations with the
United States," Tang said.
Tang urged Washington to cooperate in settling the
dispute, and to do nothing that would damage relations between the two
governments.
U.S. OFFERS EXPRESSION OF REGRET
The compromise language that cleared the way for the
release of the crew was hammered out Tuesday. The letter also notes that
while the U.S. plane violated Chinese sovereignty, it was crippled by
the crash, was flying under a mayday signal and had to make an emergency
landing.
Bush's expression for the U.S. plane landing on Chinese
soil was part of a larger U.S. proposal offered to Beijing several days
ago, with no immediate response, officials said.
At only his second news briefing since opening the trip
last Thursday in
