KARUNA SHINSHO, CNN ANCHOR: The technical aspects of the return of a U.S. surveillance plane being held on Hainan Island have been decided. The plane made an emergency landing there April 1st after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet. The U.S. and China have been negotiating its return ever since. Lisa Rose Weaver has details.</s>LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than a month of diplomatic negotiations appeared to end as the U.S. and China agreed on a plan to return the EP-3 surveillance plane.</s>SUN YUXI, CHINESE FOREING MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): Agreement on technical issues were reached yesterday in Beijing, and now both sides are preparing for the disassembling and the transportation of the plane.</s>WEAVER: Beijing ruled out from the start that the spy plane would be allowed to fly out under its own power, even though U.S. technicians said that after some repairs, the plane could fly. Later, China and the United States agreed that the wings and tail could be removed so that the craft would fit into a Soviet-designed cargo plane, the largest type in the world. The U.S. embassy confirmed that four technicians are in Beijing and will stay in China until the plane is flown out. Beijing said the Americans will be allowed to Hainan to take apart the plane. The most dramatic part of the spy plane saga ended when the 24 American air crew members were released, but the diplomatic stress lingered. Progress on negotiating the return of the plane was apparently slow and drawn out. The technical agreements lent some relief.</s>YUXI (through translator): We hope that bilateral relations can now get back on track.</s>WEAVER: There was no confirmation for when the technicians will start their work. Lisa Rose Weaver, CNN, Beijing.
Technical Aspects of Return of U.S. Surveillance Plane on Hainan Island Have Been Decided