U.S. DOD LEADERS SAY TERRORISTS WILL NOT HAVE BASES IN MIDDLE EAST

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Leaders Vow to Deny Terrorists Middle East, Africa Bases
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2013 - The need for U.S. vigilance in thwarting terrorism throughout the Middle East and North Africa led the conversation during dual interviews Pentagon senior leaders took part in today.

In television segments that aired today on CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey addressed lessons learned following the Benghazi, Libya, embassy attacks on Sept. 11, 2012, and the embassy attack in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 1, 2013. They also discussed their continued focus on eradicating al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM.

Panetta said that before his retirement, expected later this month, he expects to testify on Capitol Hill about the Benghazi attacks on Sept. 11, 2013. He noted defense officials are working with the State Department to review embassy security around the – "especially around that part of the world." He added, "We are taking steps."

But better security is one of three essential considerations in protecting U.S. embassies, he noted. "You still need to build up the host-country capacity," Panetta said. "[And] you've got to harden these embassies as much as possible."

Panetta and Dempsey described the complexities of orchestrating personnel and aircraft distance, intelligence and other factors to respond to an attack such as Benghazi.

"This is not 911," Panetta said. "You cannot just simply call and expect within two minutes to have a team in place; that's the nature of it."

Dempsey said the nearest armed aircraft were in Djibouti, Africa, at the time of the Benghazi attacks.

"The distance from Djibouti to Benghazi is the difference from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles," Dempsey said. "There are some significant physics involved."

The chairman also maintained that with the alert time and intelligence information available at the time, the U.S. was "appropriately responsive."


"We've learned a lot from the Benghazi incident," Dempsey said. "We work with the State Department in surveying those parts of the world where there's a new norm ... of instability."

Dempsey and Panetta agree that many stymied attacks by the U.S. often go virtually unnoticed. Panetta noted the Feb. 1 suicide attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, which left the bomber two gatehouse security guards dead, occurred at the perimeter "nowhere close to the embassy."

"I think that was good security and ... [was] an example of good intelligence ... [guiding] us so that we could prevent something more serious from happening," he said.

Both leaders acknowledged that while AQIM remains a menace to Middle Eastern and North African regions, the U.S. will work with partner nations to contain terrorist organizations and prevent their acquiring chemical or other weapons in the region.

"We're better when we operate with partners," particularly in the Middle East, Dempsey said. "We've got options for any number of military contingencies, and we're maintaining both a deterrent and preparedness posture."

Dempsey said current U.S. planing involves working with partners in Turkey, Jordan and Israel, all of whom "share common interests in making sure these spill-over effects don't affect them."

Panetta said as al-Qaida affiliate leaders become more brazen in their movements, as recently happened in Mali, he is pleased with the French initiative to push back extremist encroachment and prevent burgeoning safe havens.

The secretary added that the U.S. and its partners have successfully targeted senior al-Qaida leaders in the federally administered tribal areas in Pakistan along the Afghanistan border, as well as in Yemen and Somalia. Planners have long foreseen the eventual need to contain extremists in North Africa has long been foreseen, he added.

"We were always aware that there was AQIM [there]," Panetta said. "Now we're focused on AQIM as a result ... of the French action, but we were also anticipating that we would have to move into North Africa."

Panetta said he hopes the massive changes happening in the Middle East and North Africa in the wakrt of the "Arab spring" will move toward greater democracy and stability in those regions, but operations against terrorist cells must not ebb.

"Wherever they are, we have to make sure they have no place to hide," Panetta said. "Bottom line is, al-Qaida is our enemy and we have to make sure we go after them."

U.S. DEPUTY DFENSE SECRETARY CARTER VISITS FRANCE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Paris Visit Honors Important Relationship, Carter Says
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Feb. 1, 2013 - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter spent a rainy day in Paris today, meeting face-to-face with that nation's top military leaders and their advisers.

Carter deliberately chose France as his first stop on a six-day trip to countries in Europe and the Middle East, he said, "to emphasize the importance of our relationship."

As part of that bond, the United States has joined other countries and institutions in Europe and Africa in supporting France's effort to chase Islamic extremists from Mali and bolster the capability of Mali's own military forces to keep them out.

Mali and the path forward there was a large part of discussions today between Carter and French defense officials.

"I want to compliment the extraordinary performance of French units in Mali," Carter said, adding that more work remains but he wanted to recognize the courage and professionalism of French forces working with Malian and other partners.

This morning Carter and his staff met with the U.S. Embassy country team in Paris before heading to the Secretariat for Defense and National Security. There he met with Francis Delon, general secretary for defense and national security in the office of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Carter also met with Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian, Presidential Military Adviser Gen. Benoit Puga, Ministry of Defense Senior Political Adviser Jean-Claude Mallet, and Chief of Defense Adm. Edouard Guillaud.

The U.S. government is committed to supporting French efforts, the deputy defense secretary said, including with airlift capabilities, with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, and the help of military planners.

Carter also said the Defense Department plans to support contributing institutions like the United Nations, the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States as they equip and train regional forces and provide airlift capabilities.

Carter left Paris today bound for Germany, where he will participate tomorrow, along with Vice President Joe Biden and many other U.S. and international officials, in the 49th Annual Munich Security Conference that began today.

The major, intensive security policy conference draws security experts, foreign ministers and defense ministers from around the world.

U.S & AFRICA COUNTER-DRUG COOPERATION

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
A team from the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio and the U.S. Coast Guard dispose of bags of illegal narcotics from a vessel they boarded on Oct. 15, 2009. The team seized and disposed of more than four tons of hashish while conducting counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Bash  

U.S. Paves Way for African Counter-Drug Cooperation, Success
By Donna Miles
STUTTGART, Germany, June 29, 2012 - Last October, when U.S. Africa Command was garnering unprecedented international attention during its campaign to protect Libyan civilians from Moammar Ghadafi's violent crackdown against a rebellion, the command achieved another, less headline-dominating victory.

Police in Cape Verde, a small group of islands off Africa's west coast, seized an estimated 3,300 pounds of cocaine in the country's largest-ever drug bust. The cocaine had originated in South America and was transiting through Cape Verde bound for Europe, Africom officials said.

And as confirmed by an International Institute for Strategic Studies report in April, proceeds from shipments like this one are a major funding source for terrorist activities.
Thanks in large part to the new Africom-funded Counter-Narcotics and Maritime Security Operations Center in Cape Verde, profits from the $100 million in captured cocaine there never made it into terrorists' hands.

The center, built with about $1.5 million from Africom and formally presented to the Cape Verdean government in May 2010, is enabling the country's police, coast guard and military to collaborate more closely to crack down on illicit trafficking, piracy and other transnational threats, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Mark Huebschman said.

"We feel that interagency center was a key asset that helped facilitate this very significant drug seizure," Huebschman, chief of Africom's counternarcotics and law enforcement assistance division, told American Forces Press Service.

The center features inter-island communications relays that give Cape Verdean government agencies and offices the ability to share information and coordinate their activities against narco-trafficking and other illegal activities, Huebschman explained.

To complement its operations, the United States also helped Cape Verde upgrade its tiny, four-craft patrol boat fleet and donated another small high-speed vessel.

As a result, Cape Verde is better equipped to monitor and patrol its vast territorial waters and economic exclusion zone, with the United States providing only a supporting role, Huebschman said.

Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, Africom's commander, called these efforts an example of the capacity-building initiatives that are helping Africans to solve African problems.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee in February, Ham called narcotics trafficking a destabilizing influence throughout Africa, particularly in West Africa.

"The Africans are not the overall consumers of these drugs that are coming from Central and South America," he told the House panel. "But they are the transit point for the narcotics that go into Europe."

Yet the consequences impact Africa directly, he said, breeding corruption and undermining good governance wherever illegal narcotics flow. "That," he told Congress, "works contrary to our national interests."

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Tysinger searches the cargo of a vessel during a boarding on Oct. 15, 2009. The team seized and disposed of more than four tons of hashish. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Bash  

As narco-traffickers move cocaine shipments through West Africa, their counterparts in Afghanistan and Pakistan are increasingly funneling heroin shipments through East Africa, Huebschman reported. In addition, traffickers are beginning to pay couriers in drugs rather than cash, he said, creating new local markets for drugs on the continent.

Africom is working with its African partners to confront narcotrafficking head-on, while also drawing on resources and expertise from its staff representatives from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FBI and Coast Guard, all of which have reach-back to their agencies in the United States.
"This is really a problem we have approached through a whole-of-government effort," Huebschman said.

The efforts run the gamut, from training to building capacity within partners' civilian law enforcement agencies or equipment for them to operate, to minor construction projects to establish bases for their operations.

"We also do projects that promote information sharing, like computer systems and telecommunications systems," Huebschman said. "All are geared toward providing these law enforcement agencies with an enhanced capability to be able to attack these drug-trafficking organizations."

For example, officials used high-tech full-body scanners provided by Africom and ICE-led training to interdict a drug courier at one of Nigeria's international airports almost immediately after putting the system into operation, Huebschman reported. The scanners have proven so successful in supporting Nigeria's counter-narcotics efforts that the United States last year removed Nigeria from its list of major illicit drug-producing and drug-trafficking countries.

Meanwhile, Africom continues to promote cooperation among its African partners so they can provide a unified front to address the problem.

For example, law enforcement officials from seven West African countries met in Sierre Leone in December to explore ways to curtail drug trafficking in the region. The conference, organized by the U.S. State and Justice departments under the auspices of the West Africa Cooperative Security Initiative, focused heavily on the need to combat transnational organized crime activities, particularly corruption, in West Africa.
A new strategy document developed through that initiative is designed to take this effort to the next level by leveraging ongoing efforts by international partners and organizations: G8 partners, The European Union, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, among them.

"We're trying to approach this problem from an international perspective, and to leverage all the resources and capabilities that these various countries and agencies bring to this challenging problem," Huebschman said.

Meanwhile, rather than basking in the glory of their recent cocaine interdiction, the Cape Verdeans are continuing to exercise with their counterparts from the United States and Europe to improve their maritime security operations.

They recently took part in the multinational Saharan Express 2012 exercise, part of the Africa Partnership Station mission focused on combating illicit activities -- such as illegal fishing, narcotics-trafficking and piracy -- that are endangering the maritime security in many of the participant nations.

Ten regional militaries participated in the training, conducted off the coasts of Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia, with scenarios that included visit, board, search and seizures, search-and-rescue scenarios, medical casualty and radio communication drills, and information management practice techniques.
"We live in a world that is confronted with many problems like piracy, drug trafficking, terrorism, organized crime," said Col. Alberto Ferdandes, chief of staff for the Cape Verde armed forces. "It's necessary for each of us to find a solution to respond to these problems in an efficient manner, we need to have a communal response and it is important that we are all prepared so we can produce a unified action."

"We all know that illegal fishing threatens the food security of our countries," agreed Senegalese Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Mohamed Sane. "Illegal acts like immigration, arms trafficking, pollution, piracy and terrorism threaten social stability. No maritime power can face these challenges alone."

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, USAID AND WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Highlights of the U.S. Department of State and USAID's Efforts to Support Press and Media Freedom
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 3, 2012
On World Press Freedom Day—and every day—the United States honors and supports media freedom at home and abroad. Press freedom is a key element of the freedom of expression, which is a foundation for other universal human rights. In 2011, the United States hosted the international World Press Freedom Day activities in Washington, D.C. This year, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Esther Brimmer is leading the U.S. delegation to a World Press Freedom conference in Tunisia, May 2-6; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathy Fitzpatrick of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor will also attend.

As a part of its "Free the Press" campaign, the Department of State is documenting on www.HumanRights.govemblematic cases of journalists living and working under threat and duress because of their efforts to exercise the freedom of expression. We call on all governments to protect the universal human right to freedom of expression.

Advancing media freedom is a regular part of U.S. diplomatic work. We advocate for freedom of expression and raise media freedom issues, including specific cases, in bilateral discussions with other governments and in multilateral bodies, including but not limited to the UN Human Rights Council, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Organization of American States. At the OSCE, for example, the United States has been a leading voice for freedom of expression and the defense of journalists, and championed a Ministerial Declaration to support fundamental freedoms in the Digital Age.

The Department of State reports on the state of media freedom around the world—and threats to journalists—through the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. USAID's Media Sustainability Index measures the media environment in countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Eurasia.
With support from Congress, the Department of State and USAID fund foreign assistance and exchange programs that support a free press and Internet freedom.

Foreign assistance supports the development of local and independent print, TV, radio, and online media; advocacy for legal and regulatory reform in support of media freedom and the free flow of information; general and issue-specific journalism training, including for women, youth, and marginalized groups; and security training and emergency assistance for journalists and bloggers. Since 2009, we have allocated approximately $300 million for such programs.

The Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists has welcomed more than 900 rising international journalists to the United States since 2006. According to a recent report evaluating media exchanges from 2001-2006, the 1,600 journalists and media professionals who participated in various Department of State exchange programs engage in activities that promote greater press freedom once they return home, such as advocating for freedom of information; protecting journalists’ rights, and adopting new professional and ethical standards. For more information, please consult the full report or executive summary.

BRAZIL-U.S. PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE JOINT COMMUNIQUE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Brazil-U.S. Global Partnership Dialogue (Brasilia, April 16th 2012) Joint Communiqué
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 18, 2012
he following is the text of a joint communiqué on Brazil-U.S. Global Partnership Dialogue.
Begin Text:
Minister of External Relations Antonio de Aguiar Patriota and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conducted the 2012 Global Partnership Dialogue (GPD) on April 16 to review the state of our bilateral relationship following the successful April 9-10 visit of President Dilma Rousseff to the United States, and to highlight the considerable progress in the development of our joint cooperation since the last GPD was held in June 2011. The Participants also noted with satisfaction the important role of the GPD in the formation of the Brazil-U.S. partnership for the 21st century. They agreed that the GPD is an increasingly important mechanism for advancing our bilateral cooperation and promoting shared interests around the world. Minister Patriota and Secretary Clinton also reviewed the progress of several other bilateral dialogues, including the October 2011 Economic Partnership Dialogue; the February 2012 U.S.-Brazil Management Committee to Advance Cooperation on Biofuels; the August 2011 and March 2012 meetings of the Dialogue on the 1980 Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction; the February 2012 Political-Military Dialogue; the March 2012 Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology; the March 2012 Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Dialogue; and the April 2012 Space Security Dialogue.

They stressed that several initiatives fostered at the 2011 GPD moved forward during President Rousseff’s visit to Washington, such as the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Aviation Partnership, the Memorandum of Understanding for Technical Cooperation Activities to Enhance Food Security in Third Countries, and the announcement of concrete initiatives to promote the increased flow of goods and travelers between both countries. The participants underscored that academic and research collaboration is a priority between our two countries, and that the U.S. goal of “100,000 Strong in the Americas” complements Brazil’s “Science without Borders” program. They celebrated the successful implementation of the Action Plan on Education, with hundreds of Science without Borders students already studying in the United States. The participants also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on State and Local Cooperation during the Presidential visit.

The 2012 GPD was preceded by high-level discussions on bilateral and international issues. Working groups met on Africa; Latin America; economic and commercial issues; science, technology, innovation, and the environment; internet communication and cyber-related issues; and education and culture. In addition, GPD participants met to discuss issues related to social inclusion.

They expressed satisfaction with the enhanced bilateral cooperation under the Joint Commission on Science and Technology, and welcomed the establishment of a working group on innovation. They also noted the mutual commitment to deepen cooperation and collaboration on a range of issues, including oceans, space, biotechnology, health, nanotechnology, and disaster management. They reviewed Secretary Clinton’s announcement of her intention to send an Innovation Delegation, comprised of entrepreneurs, university representatives, and senior government officials, to Brazil.

They also welcomed the establishment of a new dialogue mechanism on Internet and information and communication technologies (ICT)-related issues such as Internet governance, Internet public policy, cybersecurity, and ICT and telecommunications policy. Participants agreed to hold a first interagency "whole of government" discussion in the second half of 2012 to address the priority issue of Internet governance and cooperation on other Internet policy matters, with plans to hold other discussions over the course of the year.

They underlined education and innovation as key factors in promoting social inclusion, competitiveness, and economic growth. They supported efforts to include American community colleges and students enrolled in the Brazilian Federal Professional and Technological Education Network in the Science without Borders and 100,000 Strong in the Americas programs. They also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States under the U.S. –Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality.

The parties agreed to deepen the dialogue that links education, scientific research, and innovation through the Fulbright-Science without Borders Scholar and Distinguished Chair Awards. They also agreed to intensify dialogue with U.S. agencies that conduct scientific research, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as with private sector companies and associations, to explore ways they could further support the Science without Borders and 100,000 Strong in the Americas programs.

The Participants emphasized the importance of the mutual benefits of stimulating increased investment and trade. In this context, they welcomed the creation of a dialogue on investment during the Presidential visit. They also committed to work closely together to satisfy the requirements of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program and Brazil’s applicable legislation to enable U.S. and Brazilian citizens visa free travel.

The Participants noted that strengthening cultural exchanges is a joint priority for both the United States and Brazil, and agreed to facilitate musical collaborations and exchanges between our two countries. Activities could be centered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Salvador, Bahia - cities that are emblematic of the rich musical traditions of our countries - and feature performances by Brazilian and American musical groups, workshops, youth programs, and social media. Another partnership priority will be to explore showcasing Brazilian and American musical groups in third countries, possibly Haiti and Mozambique.
They announced their intention to pursue increased dialogue and cooperation on security and in the fight against transnational organized crime, and looked forward to exchanging experiences and intensifying collaboration on this matter. In furtherance of this objective, they welcomed the upcoming visit of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Assistant Secretary William Brownfield to Brazil to meet with counterparts.

The GPD participants supported an intensified dialogue on regional discussions to include exchanges on the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and East Asia and the Pacific. Recognizing the importance of regular dialogue on shared interests in these regions, the Participants committed to hold discussions later in 2012.
The participants, recognizing shared values and objectives, agreed on the importance of maintaining an open dialogue on Africa to expand the successful existing trilateral cooperation and to exchange views on political developments to identify common contributions to help achieve peace, stability, and sustainable economic development in the region. The Participants also identified new areas for trilateral cooperation in the agricultural and energy sectors.

The Participants welcomed the beginning of a trilateral partnership with the Government of Haiti to improve agriculture practices and technologies. The Participants agreed to cooperate on the Domestic Finance for Development (DF4D) initiative coordinated with specialized Brazilian public institutions to promote effective fiscal management and transparency in third countries, including in Africa. Further, the Participants agreed to expand cooperation in agricultural technology in third countries, with special emphasis on Central America and Lusophone Africa, and to work towards an instrument which will reflect their agreement to work on regulatory cooperation and public outreach, among others. Noting ongoing activities in Africa and Haiti, the Participants expressed their interest in expanding joint trilateral cooperation in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as other parts of the world.

The Participants reaffirmed the intent of both countries to continue to cooperate with Haiti in order to promote its economic and social development. In order to spur new public-private partnerships for Haiti’s energy sector, they committed to work with the Government of Haiti on design and implementation of its national energy plan, including its plans to modernize Haiti’s electric utility and harness renewable energy sources, like the Artibonite 4C hydroelectric plant, to power Haiti’s future development. The Participants reiterated their commitment to Haiti’s security and agreed to pursue partnerships to build the capacity of the Haitian National Police.

The Participants took stock of the progress achieved under the Memorandum of Understanding on the Advancement of Women and under the Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality over the last year, including a new focus on ways our governments and private sector will collaborate to create economic opportunities and career training for historically marginalized and vulnerable ethnic groups, women, and youth in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic games. They also expressed their joint commitment to seek new ways to promote additional collaboration on LGBT issues in human rights multilateral fora.

The Participants exchanged views on the recent Summit of the Americas, held in Cartagena, Colombia. They highlighted the important contribution of the existing sub-regional and regional processes to the economic and social development of the Americas. Minister Patriota and Secretary Clinton also stressed the importance of the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil as an opportunity to promote sustainable development through innovation and broad stakeholder engagement.

FUNDING OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TRAINING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Intellectual Property Training Programs Funded
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
April 19, 2012
As part of U.S. efforts to combat transnational crime and promote the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) worldwide, the U.S. Department of State has approved twelve projects totaling $2.6 million in Fiscal Year 2011 anticrime funds. These projects will enable U.S. law enforcement agencies and diplomatic missions to collaborate on the delivery of IPR protection criminal enforcement training and technical assistance programs for foreign law enforcement partners.

Training and technical assistance in the investigation and prosecution of IPR crime will be provided to foreign law enforcement partners in nations across the Pacific Rim, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs selected the projects after considering input from the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, other federal agencies, our overseas missions, Congress, and industry representatives.

The twelve projects are:
1) Africa - Western Regional Workshops $182,000
Training for West African customs authorities on methods to identify and seize infringing goods.
2) Africa - Sub-Saharan Regional Workshops $525,920
Workshops for Sub-Saharan African law enforcement partners focusing on border enforcement, following the money trail, organized crime involvement in trafficking of counterfeit medicines, and gathering electronic evidence.
3) Africa - East Central Regional Workshops $255,936
Regional training for East African law enforcement authorities in combating counterfeit medicines which threaten human health and safety.
4) ASEAN $242,329
A series of workshops for Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) member state judges and prosecutors focused on judicial and prosecutorial management of IPR cases, especially those that involve transnational organized crime.
5) Brazil $150,644
Training seminars through the U.S. Embassy partnership with the Brazilian Government focusing on “notorious markets” identified in the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Out-Of-Cycle reviews.
6) Chile $100,000
Training for Chilean judges on handling IPR crimes cases, including development of a judicial bench book and follow up monitoring by the U.S. Mission.
7) Colombia $70,000
Training for the Colombia National Police on combating IPR crime.
8) South Asia Regional $210,185
Joint workshops with Indian, People’s Republic of China, and ASEAN IPR enforcement officials to strengthen and build stronger cross-border partnerships.
9) Mexico $438,814
Training for Mexican enforcement partners on following the money trail, digital evidence in online piracy cases, and border and customs enforcement.
(10) Philippines $175,171
Seminars for Philippine judges and prosecutors on courtroom and case management procedures in IPR cases.
(11) Thailand $184,000
Training for Thai judges, customs officials, and prosecutors to strengthen skills needed to carry out Thai IPR reforms.
(12) Turkey $106,375
Training for Turkish judges and law enforcement officials involved in new special IPR courts.

U.S. TO SEND $200 MILLION IN HUMANITARIAN AID TO SAHEL REGION OF AFRICA

The following excerpt is from a U.S. State Department e-mail: 
Humanitarian Assistance to Sahel Region
Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Washington, DC
March 29, 2012
The United States is deeply concerned about the humanitarian emergency in the Sahel region of Africa. Around 10 million people are in need of emergency assistance due to erratic rainfall, failed harvests, high food prices and conflict across the region that includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. In response to current needs, including protection and assistance for refugees, and to prevent a potentially much more serious situation, I am pleased to announce that the United States is providing an additional $120 million in emergency assistance. With these funds, the U.S. Government is providing nearly $200 million this fiscal year in humanitarian assistance to the Sahel region.

We are currently providing targeted humanitarian assistance that addresses acute malnutrition and hunger and builds resilience, and we are also focused on long-term approaches to establish lasting food security. We are making highly nutritious therapeutic food available for malnourished children. In addition to providing life-saving food, we are working to help vulnerable families and communities buy locally-available food and services, while developing small-scale projects and infrastructure that can help build the resilience necessary to withstand future drought.

In partnership with other donors, we have taken early action in response to early warnings. We are targeting specific pockets of great need while working toward sustainable, longer term development. Together, we are saving lives, mitigating impact, and building resilience.