With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...
Sunday April 8, 2001; 4:37 p.m. EDT
China Held Back 16 Crew Members at Last U.S. Visit
Chinese authorities on the island of Hainan denied U.S. diplomats
access to most of the crew of a downed reconnaissance plane
during a Saturday night meeting, contrary to widespread reports in
the American media Sunday that all 24 U.S. hostages were made
available.
Monday's South China Morning Post reports that the Chinese
allowed only one third of the American crew held hostage since last
Sunday to meet with U.S. representatives.
"The White House revealed that only eight of the crew, including the
pilot, had been at Saturday's meeting, where U.S. diplomats passed
on e-mails from home, toiletries and the latest American sports
scores," the SCMP said.
"Despite U.S. pressure for unrestricted access twice daily to the 21
men and three women held on Hainan Island.... only eight of the 21
had been permitted to attend the last meeting Saturday night,"
reported the paper, indicating that three U.S. female crew members
were among those left behind by the Chinese.
Apparently U.S. Defense Attache Brig. Gen. Neal Sealock, who
attended the meeting, made no mention at an early Sunday morning
(China time) press conference that the Chinese had denied access
to two-thirds of the U.S. crew.
Sunday morning's U.S. news accounts quote Sealock as assuring
reporters that the crew was in "very high spirits," but said nothing
about China's ominous decision to withold access to most of them.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice reportedly complained
about the new limitation, with the SCMP saying she told CNN the
restriction "isn't helpful" and that the U.S. wants "unfettered access"
to the detainees.
But Rice's complaint could not be found on CNN's website and she
made no mention that 16 of the hostages had been witheld during a
wide ranging interview with the network's Wolf Blitzer on CNN's
"Late Edition" Sunday afternoon.