SECRETARY KERRY'S MEETING WITH EMBASSY STAFF, FAMILIES IN LONDON

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Secretary Kerry Meets With Staff and Families at Embassy London

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

London, United Kingdom

June 13, 2014

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AMBASSADOR BARZUN: Well, it is great to see your faces. Now, as you look at the faces on the walls up here, there’s some you may recognize – Abraham Lincoln, President Obama, George Washington, my predecessor over here -- there’s one you might – oh, where did he go? – might not recognize over there, which is Ambassador John Wynant. And he was ambassador here from 1941-1946, and I would argue, and I think the case can be made that there’s no single American outside of uniform and outside of FDR who did more to get the United States to join the fight with Great Britain in World War II. And it just so happens that John Wynant went to the same small, little prep school in New Hampshire that Secretary Kerry went to and that I went to. And when he went there, he was so inspired by the example of John Wynant that he founded the Wynant Society to get young people excited about serving overseas. And so I got to benefit from what you started and what you inspired. And here is what is written on John Wynant’s gravestone, based on the memoirs he wrote about being a diplomat.

He wrote: “Doing the days’ work, day by day, doing a little, adding a little, broadening our bases, wanting not only for ourselves, but for others also a fair chance for all people everywhere.” Each of you here at Mission UK is living up to that vision every single day. And that is inspiring. And when I got out of that little prep school, I went to go be an intern with none other than then-Senator Kerry. So I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to all the interns and the summer hires who’re here today. Can you raise your hands? (Applause.)

Secretary Kerry inspired me then; he inspires me now. And I just had a master class in diplomacy from him when I got to drive in the car with you when you arrived at Stansted on your first trip here, when I was here, and we were a few minutes into the drive and his phone rang and it was the foreign minister from Russia. And you very graciously said, “Do you mind?” I said, “Sure. Take the call.” (Laughter.) And then I thought to myself, “This is so cool. I’ll get to hear at least 50 percent of a fascinating conversation.” (Laughter.) But I didn’t quite hear 50 percent. Because what I heard Secretary Kerry do is start off with a clear and concise, filled-with-conviction, articulation of what our government policy was. And then he listened and listened and listened. And at the end played back to his interlocutor in his own words what he thought he had just heard. And so I didn’t end up hearing 50 percent at all, but what I got to see was daily diplomacy in action – active listening, active engagement, and that inspires all of us. Thank you so much for being with us. Thank you. (Applause.)

I was looking to get a caffeine boost after our long morning together, and I’m not kidding you, downstairs I reached into the thing and I pull it out and it says: “Share a coke with Kerry.” So this is meant to be, sir. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, that’s unbelievable. Thank you. Hi. Hello Embassy London. How are you?

AUDIENCE: Good.

SECRETARY KERRY: Everybody good? (Applause.) All right. It’s wonderful to be here. You guys are all thrilled to be out of school? And the first thing you do is you get trotted down in the embassy. (Laughter.) That’s great. Anyway, Matthew did not tell you the whole story. Matthew is actually a cousin of mine – not so close that it amounts to pure nepotism – (laughter) – but cousins. And his mom and I were sort of the same generation growing up together with all of our cousins, and when she came back to the State Department to celebrate Matthew’s swearing-in, I thought I was really being a wise guy and say – I turned to her, I said, “Serita, did you ever think that Matthew was going to grow up to be the ambassador to the Court of St. James?” And without missing a beat, she looked at me and said, “No. I never thought you were going to grow up to be Secretary of State.” (Laughter.) So it’s a good tradition of back and forth.

But it’s really a pleasure for me to see Matthew here. And Matthew, I don’t want to put pressure on you, but five of your predecessors at Court of St. James have gone on to be President of the United States. (Laughter.) This young man – he is – has had an incredible career, literally beginning by being an intern for me. And he was a terrific intern and he went on from that to do a number of other things, most importantly going into the private sector, be out in California, be involved with a start-up company, and a really interesting life. But already in his forties, he’s serving in his second ambassadorship. He was ambassador to Sweden; he came back to America because President Obama had so much confidence in him, he asked him to be the chairman of his finance committee for the entire campaign. And as you know, in today’s American politics in a race for presidency, you’re raising something like a billion dollars when you put it all together and everything that’s going on.

So you folks are blessed to have an ambassador who is savvy, smart, creative, an entrepreneur, who looks for new ways of doing things, but who’s really thoughtful and I think very, very tuned in to people and to your needs. So I’m honored that he’s here. And Brooke, is she here somewhere? Is Brooke hiding? She’s not here. But he’s also blessed to have a good wife. I know Brooke, have gotten to know here over the years, and she was incredibly supportive and helpful to all of us. So Matthew, thank you for you what you’re doing. We appreciate it very, very much.

Likewise, I want to single out a couple of people. The DCM Liz Dibble is over here. (Applause.) I know Liz, I met Liz – I met her in Rome where she was serving and doing an incredible job running the whole show for a period of time. And she’s been in various incredible places – Islamabad, Tunis, in – where else? – Damascus. You’ve been in Damascus, I believe. And so a hugely interesting career, and we’re blessed to have you here with your daughter. Nice to have you here also. Thank you.

There’s another fellow I’d like to mention if I can quickly. I met Jeff Lodinsky -- he’s hiding over here – Jeff I met in Bethesda Naval Hospital the weekend after I was first sworn in quietly and privately on a Friday as Secretary of State. I hadn’t even been in the building yet – in the State Department – which I went into on Monday. But on Sunday, I went over and visited with Jeff and few other folks who had been wounded in a couple of different incidents. And I have to say thank you to him and to his spirit, to the example that he sets. He, as you know, he was seriously wounded in Kunar Province in Afghanistan. We were just reminiscing upstairs, because I literally walked around in that village and drove up to meet with the governor that he was going to meet with when I was in the Senate. And I know that area well, and I can just feel – imagine what he went through when he was out there doing his duty and doing his – every two weeks meeting with the governor to talk about the things we needed to do together. And now he’s here, and Jeff, we’re just so proud that your service and your daughter Rika is somewhere in here hiding out. I don’t know where she went off to. But it’s like my kids, they never want to be around – (laughter) – “Geez, Dad, don’t embarrass me.” (Laughter.)

Anyway, Jeff, thank you. I want everybody here to – (applause) – I’m not going to keep you long. I understand there’s an ice cream social. Is that correct? Is that really what brought you guys down here, huh, free ice cream? (Laughter.) So I’ve learned enough in politics and diplomacy never to stand between a young person and their ice cream. (Laughter.) So I’m going to be pretty brief here I promise you.

But I want to say thank you to all of you, and I want to say thank you to on behalf of the President of the United States, on behalf of the entire State Department and all of our senior leadership. And I really want to say thank you on behalf of the American people. We are living in an extraordinarily complicated world today. It’s very different from the world that – Cold War, which I grew up in. It’s even different from the 1990s and the exuberance after the fall of the Berlin Wall and this incredible bursting energy as people who have been quashed for years suddenly smelled freedom and lived freedom.

But now forces have been released that are challenging all of us. Globalization is one of them. No politician, no leader could conceivably put globalization back into the bottle no matter how hard they tried, can’t do it. Because people now are in touch with people everywhere. That’s what’s happened in these incredible 15 years. I rewrote, together with other members of the committee that I was chairman of the subcommittee, we wrote the telecommunications law back in 1995, ’96. By the time the ink was dry on the President’s signature, the law was outdated because the law was all about how you manage telephones. And boom, within months it was data, the movement of data on the internet. And back then you had a very few number of companies. Name them, I mean, Google and Yahoo and AOL and a few of those, et cetera, until today unbelievable numbers of companies, unbelievably how we take for granted every day moving around, looking at our smart phone, our mobile device, working this way in this new world. Well, so does everybody else.

Kids in Africa are running around with smart phones. They don’t have a job, they may not get an education, but they’ve got a smart phone. And they can go in and tune into how people are living everywhere else in the world and they want it. When I went to Kyiv a few months ago during the upheaval, I was really struck by a guy who came up to me when I was down on the Maidan walking down the street where the snipers had killed people and where there were flowers, unbelievable memorials that had been put together. And still barricades and tires and bedposts, and all the detritus that had come out to protect these people.

And a guy came up to me and said, “I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for coming. I was in Australia two weeks ago, and I saw what was happening in my country, and I came back here to be part of this change because I saw how people lived in Australia, and I said, ‘We have to be able to live like that, too.’”

That’s the aspiration that’s breaking out all over the world, but in too many countries, you have failed governments, you have failing governments, you have an absence of the ability of these people to participate and make their voices heard. And so we’re living in an era – a tectonic shift, a moment of extraordinary change. And our interests are at stake everywhere.

That’s what I want to reinforce in you. There’s no us and them, over there, over here, and you’re safe. We’re all connected to what’s going on. Terrorists in Syria today, in Iraq today are thinking about how they can hurt people in London or Paris or Berlin or even in the United States. And they don’t offer anything else to their people. They’re not offering an education plan, they’re not offering – well, actually, it’s do what we tell you. Read one book and that’s it, and you live by it. But they’re not offering a broad-based set of opportunities and education. They don’t talk about building their country, they don’t have healthcare, nothing. That’s what we’re struggling with.
And so what we do in each of our embassies is absolutely critical to helping people to tap into and understand our values and to be thoughtful about the choices in life itself. There are few jobs where you get to get up in the morning and go to work and know that you are working in as big an enterprise as – it has a universally aspired to set of principles and values, where you can feel like you’re making a difference changing somebody’s life.

No matter what you do in this embassy, whether you are Foreign Service, Civil Service, local employee, political appointee, you are an ambassador. And the people you meet on a daily basis may be the only – it’s conceivable particularly in other countries, not necessarily so much in London, but in plenty of places, that encounter may be the only encounter that person will ever have with an American or with somebody who works with Americans. And they’ll get a sense of who we are, how we behave, how we treat them, what we do, how quickly we can help them, if we help them at all.

So I thank you for doing this. And for those of you young guys who are here, I’ll tell you I was 11 years old when my dad packed up and we went off to Berlin, Germany after the war, and I was the son of a Foreign Service officer, and I got to know what it was like to pack and move and leave school and leave my friends and come back and go to another place. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was great. And you all should not think for an instant you’re missing anything anywhere.

The rest of your lives you’ll look back and say, “Wow, I had these great opportunities.” And you’ll learn a language, you’ll see another culture, you’ll travel, you’ll have a sense of history. So I just say thank you to your parents, thank you to all of you for being part of a great family, and I can promise you as long as I am Secretary of State we will do everything in my power to represent you, protect your interests, protect our embassies, make sure we are doing things that make sense and that advance the interests and the values of the United States of America. On behalf of President Obama, thank you all very, very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

SECRETARY KERRY, ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI MAKE REMARKS AFTER MEETING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini After Their Meeting

Remarks

John Kerry
Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

May 13, 2014

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SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody, I guess almost good evening. Federica,benvenuta a Washington. We’re happy to have you here. I’m very delighted to welcome Foreign Minister Mogherini to Washington. We met in Rome about two months ago, I think it was, and in the best Italian-American tradition, we bonded over food as well as good discussions.

At the time, we were co-hosting an event that I might mention here which we consider important, which is support for the USA Pavilion at the Milan Expo 2015, which is focused on the challenge of feeding the planet, of food security and energy for life. And we believe it’s important to participate in this. We look forward to it. And I think when we consider the huge numbers of young people growing the populations of countries throughout the world, but particularly in Africa, South Central Asia, and elsewhere, the challenge of food security is critical, and we’re very grateful to Italy for hosting this affair and for highlighting the importance of this challenge.

I think everybody here knows, and if they don’t, I will restate it clearly – Italy is one of the United States’ most important allies. We, I think, can safely say that our alliance has never been stronger than it is at this moment. And today, we spoke about some of the most difficult challenges that we face at this moment of time – from Ukraine to Syria to Libya, and always the challenge of Iran and the nuclear program, and the potential of peace – still a concern for peace in the Middle East.

May 25^th, we believe, we are convinced, is a real opportunity for the people of Ukraine to express their will through the ballot box. And Ukraine’s future absolutely should not be determined at the barrel of a gun. We all stand together, united for the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine, and we don’t believe that ballots that are marked in Moscow or referenda directed from there should decide Ukraine’s future.

We deplore today’s violence and senseless killings, and the separatists who are very busy spreading fear and violence in Donetsk and Luhansk really need to answer the real call of the people of Ukraine, which is under the banner of “Let us vote.” And that vote, the real vote, will take place in the election on May 25^th.

The other key step in the path to heal the tensions politically are the Ukrainian-led, OSCE-supported national dialogue and the roundtables that are to take place across Ukraine. These will focus on decentralization and constitutional reform. And the United States very strongly supports this process. We’re in constant touch with the OSCE itself, with Foreign Minister Steinmeier and others, and with Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia, in efforts to try to encourage this process to take hold as fully as possible, as fast as possible. And we also welcome the OSCE’s appointment of a veteran diplomat, Walter Ischinger, Ambassador Ischinger, in order to serve as a mediator in that process.

So let me be clear: We expect to see, want to see, and will work to achieve real de-escalation, disarmament, evacuation of occupied buildings in exchange for amnesty and dialogue. And that is what is called for in the Geneva statement of the 17^th last month, and also the OSCE roadmap. We hope that the OSCE will support the Government of Ukraine in facilitating these steps as rapidly as possible.

Finally, I want to welcome the news that our friends in the European Union have applied additional sanctions on Russia – Russians, Russian individuals and Russian companies involved in the occupation of Crimea. The EU has made it clear that should the May 25^th elections be disrupted in Ukraine, then there will be additional sanctions. So Russia, we would say – and we don’t say this punitively, but Russia really does face a choice, and the choice is to allow the people of Ukraine to determine their own future without interference from outside and with efforts by all of us to try to assist in de-escalating the tension, removing people from buildings, pulling back security forces, counterterrorism initiatives – all of those things – in order to give the people of Ukraine the ability to breathe through the democratic process.
We also want to be clear: There are still threats to a Europe whole, free and at peace. And because of that, our commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Charter remains ironclad. NATO territory is inviolable, and we will defend every piece of it. That’s why we are deploying United States military assets to the region and that’s why the United States is encouraging our allies both to contribute to the reassurance effort that is currently underway as well as to meet their NATO commitments with respect to defense spending and planning.

The foreign minister and I also discussed briefly the efforts to eliminate serious chemical weapons. We greatly appreciate Italy’s assistance in eliminating the Syrian chemical weapons, including offering the port of Gioia Tauro for loading the materials onto the vessel Cape Bay – Cape Ray. And I want to emphasize this really underscores Italy’s very strong commitment to this initiative, to help us destroy these weapons in the most secure and safe environment possible.

I might underscore, we are currently slightly over 92 percent – 92 percent – of all of the chemical weapons of Syria declared being removed. There are still challenges with respect to some knowledge about undeclared, but at the moment we need to insist that the Syrian regime fully comply with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the UN Security Council Resolution 2118. And we will remain vigilant until this is achieved.

The last issue we discussed was the issue of Libya. I again thank Italy for hosting the donor conference in March, the ministerial conference that we held on Libya. The United States and Italy are very committed to the transitional process that needs to take hold even more in Libya, and we will continue to support the Libyan Government as it works overtime to be able to provide a democratic process and to deliver both good governance and security to the people of Libya.

So, Federica, thank you for taking time to be with us today. I know you have to fly back to join all of us at the meeting in London, and then fly back again, so we appreciate enormously your efforts to be here today. And more especially, we appreciate the good work we’re doing together. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: Thank you, John. Thank you for welcoming me here in my first official visit abroad – and that was not by chance. That was a clear sign of showing how strong our – how good, how excellent our relation is, both bilaterally and in the international organizations we are in together. Actually, you visited Rome, I think, twice in the last couple of months. We were extremely happy to have you in the conference on Libya in the beginning of March, as we were extremely happy to host you during the visit of President Obama last month in Rome. I felt it was the most natural thing to do to pay my first visit in Washington to show how strong and excellent our work together is in all fields.

Let me start by saying that I have been flying here directly from Brussels, where yesterday we had the foreign council on – whose main concern was Ukraine; how important it is that we speak with one voice, and we act in the same way. I want to thank you because I have experienced in this first month of my mandate good – extremely good coordination whenever it comes to facing a difficult situation.

I think that part of the important response that we’ve given to the crisis in Ukraine has been in – speaking with one voice, both in Europe, across the Atlantic, in the G7, in the UN. And I think that has to stay our first priority, to speak with one voice when it comes to dealing with the crisis in Ukraine.

At the council yesterday in Brussels, we decided exactly on the same line as you described – a mix of instruments for making sure that a solution to the crisis is found in the most effective and quick way. First priority is to stop the violence on the ground, to de-escalate, as was stated in the Geneva agreement of the 17^th, and as we should make sure that it is implemented on the ground.

We all agree and we’ve always all agreed on the fact that there is no military solution to the crisis that is extremely concerning for all of us. And the political answer to this crisis is a mix of creating the conditions for internal and external dialogue, the national dialogue that is going to start tomorrow, and that the leadership of the Ukrainian Government with the full support of the U.S.A., with the full support of the European Union, and following your words also on the United States and the international community, and on the other side, sanctions that always say it’s a way putting political pressure to get the result, which is a political solution to the crisis.
But now the first objective for us is decreasing tensions, stopping the violence, making the elections of the 25^th happen, and making them a success, and at the same time, supporting the Ukrainian Government to follow up the process of additional reforms in the inclusive way in which they have committed to do.

As you said, we discussed also all the other crises that are open around us. Ukraine is extremely important, especially for us Europeans, but I know also for you how deep the concern is. Still, it should not shadow other crises that are extremely dramatic around us. Starting from Syria, three years of war, the need for re-launching a way of finding a political stop to the conflict, finding ways of giving humanitarian assistance, because there are people dying, children dying, and fleeing from the country. The surrounding countries that are by miracle sustaining this conflict – I think of Lebanon – and the process of dismantling the chemical arsenal that we are – happy is not the appropriate word, I guess, to describe that, but probably proud to contribute to by offering the Port of Gioia Tauro for the – for this operation. And again, it’s extremely important that at least this path is at least partially a successful one.

As you said, we discussed Libya, shared the concern for a situation that in terms of security on the ground, in terms of control of the territory and of the borders of the country, is extremely worrying and unstable. The way is trying to support the internal democratic dynamics, political dynamics in the country, so that they manage to get to forming a government able to deal with the control of the country and of the territory itself. For us, it’s a priority, and I know that we have you and all the international community at our side in trying to find the most useful way on that.
Thank you again for your commitment to Expo. We appreciate it very much, and we are willing to host you next year, but for sure before that in Milan for Expo 2015. It’s a great occasion for us to underline how much we can do together to fight one of the most dramatic elements of our time. On one side over-nutrition; on the other side, people dying, for hunger. There’s a contradiction there that we have to face and try to solve, and Expo is going to be a great chance for the international community to face this problem together and try to solve it and to move it forward.

So thank you very much.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you very much, Federica. We appreciate it very, very much. And let me – we are honored that you selected to come here first. We really appreciate that. And it is a sign of the special relationship and the way we work together, so I’m very grateful. We all are.

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: Thank you, but it’s natural. That’s natural.

MS. PSAKI: The first question will be from Roz Jordan of Al-Jazeera.

QUESTION: Thank you, Madam Minister. Welcome to Washington. And Mr. Secretary, three brief questions. First, regarding Syria: As we all know, Lakhdar Brahimi has stepped aside as the special envoy for Syria. He is the second person to fail in this job after Kofi Annan. Can a third special envoy succeed where he and Annan have failed? The SNC, for its part, is adamant that a political calculation cannot be brought about unless its armed component does receive weapons from the West, and it says it will be making that request when all of you gather in London on Thursday. Will the U.S. support the SNC’s request? Does the U.S. believe that the SNC is mistaken in this regard?

Regarding Nigeria, the U.S. coordination team led by the State Department is now on the ground; surveillance planes are in the air. Does the U.S. have a better sense of where these kidnapped girls and their kidnappers are? Will the Nigerian army have the capability of rescuing them, if indeed they are located via intelligence and surveillance methods? And is the U.S. prepared to offer its own troops to assist the Nigerian army? Is Abuja willing to have that sort of assistance?

And finally, the Saudi Government has invited the Iranian foreign minister, Mr. Zarif, to Riyadh for meetings. Does the U.S. welcome this? Is this the first sign of a rapprochement? Did the U.S. have anything to do with this invitation extended by the Saudi foreign minister? Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: I think there were about 9 or 10 questions there. (Laughter.)

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: All yours. (Laughter.) I’m not kidding.

QUESTION: She already spoke on Syria.

SECRETARY KERRY: First of all, Mr. Brahimi did not fail. It’s a great mistake here to place on a peacemaking effort the notion that the failure of an envoy or a special envoy, or the inability to be able to reach agreement is the fault of the envoy. It’s not. It’s the fault of a party – Assad – who will not negotiate, who absolutely refused to negotiate at every single session.
Now, when this was announced in – I think it was March, April of a year ago, when I went to Moscow and Sergei Lavrov joined in the announcement with President Putin’s support, it was because at that point in time, there was a sense that there was a need to negotiate. And the Russians supported that negotiation with the belief that that was the only way to settle this.
Regrettably in the intervening months after that, as everybody knows, there was a growth in the number of extremist groups who were trying to remove Assad, and then an increasing fight between the extremists and the moderate opposition. So whether it was Ahrar al-Sham or al-Nusra or al-Qaida or the Iraqi State Levant and so forth, those groups began to detract, and frankly that detracted from the effort. In addition to that, the intervening time also saw Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, cross international lines to go in and actively fight on the ground, in addition to which there are IRGC forces – Iranian forces – on the ground in Syria.
So the dynamics shifted on the ground between the time of the announcement and Mr. Brahimi’s efforts, and I applaud his efforts. He patiently and diligently worked to give the parties an opportunity to be able to negotiate in good faith in pursuance of the Geneva agreement, which was to have a transition government that could move to a peaceful resolution. The opposition showed up; the opposition did a better job than the regime of making its case. And the opposition consistently tried to adhere to the rules of talking about the future with respect to a transition.

The Assad regime never did. And so this represents a continuation of the stubborn clinging to power of a man who is willing to drop barrel bombs on his people, to gas them, to shell artillery on innocent civilians, to starve people in their homes, and somehow claim a right to be able to run a country. I don’t think the civilized world is going to stand for that, and so there will be a continuation of an effort to put pressure on Mr. Assad.

President Obama is continuing to support the moderate opposition. He has increased the support to the moderate opposition, as have others, with a belief that we need to get to a negotiation at some point in time. And when the parties are ready to negotiate, then a mediator will have a chance to be able to help them do so, and everyone can succeed by giving the people of Syria an opportunity to reclaim their future.

With respect to Nigeria, our people are on the ground. We are proud to be contributing to the effort in order to help find these young women. And as everybody knows, there was recent evidence demonstrating that at least a certain group of them were together and in one place at a certain period of time. We don’t know exactly when. What I can guarantee you is that we will make every effort possible in order to help free those young women, and we are there helping to do that now. I’m not going to discuss what mechanism or methodology may or may not be used in order to do so, except to say that we are committed to this effort together with, I think, decent, civilized people all around the world who think this is a barbaric, horrendous act against the conscience of people everywhere. And so the President has all options with respect to the future. We’re dealing with the government of another country. That’s always got its diplomatic requirements.

With respect to the Saudi invite, no, the United States did not have anything to do with this invitation, but we’re delighted to see our good friends, the Saudis, engaged in diplomacy that may or may not be able to add to any number of different possibilities in the region. They have a longstanding difficulty in that relationship, but it is completely in keeping with their prerogatives to be able to reach out and engage. And we encourage it, we welcome it, and we hope that it might be able to produce something with respect to one of several conflicts in which the Iranians could perhaps have an impact.

MS. PSAKI: The next question will be from Paolo Valentino.

QUESTION: Thank you. I have only one question for each of you. Mr. Secretary, I’m afraid my question will be a bit out of context, but the subject has been vividly discussed in the last 24 hours in Italy and in Europe. In his recently released book, former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner claims that in 2011, some European officials approached him asking for help in a scheme to force Silvio Berlusconi out of power, and that the answer was no.

Now, despite the fact – I quote – “that it would have been desirable to have better leadership in Europe,” as a member of the cabinet, do you have anything to say on behalf of the Administration? And as then-chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, do you have any recollection of having any hint or echo of this subject at the time?

For Minister Mogherini, Ukraine: Today, you sounded a note of cautious optimism about the possibility of launching a national dialogue based on the apparent acceptance from both Kyiv and Moscow of the OSCE roadmap. Now, how does this square with the growing violence which, even today, claimed some victims? And did you, in your talks, discuss the eventual possibility of floating the idea of a UN-sponsored interposition force in Ukraine? Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: I got the easier question. No, we didn’t discuss that option. It is not on the ground so far. As concerns the first part of the question, it is exactly because violence on the ground is not diminishing that we need to support a national dialogue effort. Tomorrow, as far as I know, the first national dialogue exercise will start in Ukraine. Obviously, it is an extremely difficult process. It is not easy. It is not to be given for granted that it works. But still, we are putting all of our political pressure on all sides, including, obviously, Russia, to be coherent – words and actions – and allow, first, violence on the ground to stop, and second, Ukrainians to talk to each other and to find their way of ruling the country as one country. We have said from the beginning territorial integrity, unity, sovereignty of Ukraine is our goal. For doing that, for achieving that, we need internal dialogue and the dialogue with all the regional actors relevant.

I’m sorry, I guess I have to repeat something in Italian for the Italian press. That’s right. If I
manage to say the same things. (Laughter.) I’ll try. (In Italian.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Io non so niente.

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: I said the same. I said the same. I said the same. Exactly the same.

QUESTION: Did you read the book?

SECRETARY KERRY: No. No, I was not – I – absolutely, this is the first I’ve ever heard of it. Thank you. Grazie tanto.

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: And can I --

SECRETARY KERRY: Honestly, I hadn’t – I knew nothing as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and I know nothing about it now. You have to ask somebody else.

FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: Can I add just one thing that I forgot to say – two small things that I forgot to say --

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh, yes
.
FOREIGN MINISTER MOGHERINI: -- in those remarks? Sorry, it’s a little bit of jetlag coming in. One is the dimension that we discussed and I wanted to say publicly how much we appreciate the efforts that John has been putting and is still putting on the Middle East peace talks that are now facing a difficult time, but his efforts and his commitment to that are precious. There are all – not only us Italians, but all Europeans supporting this effort very much, and hope and think that this work is an excellent opportunity for the Middle East to finally find a way out of the conflict.

And second, we also discussed Afghanistan and to recommit ourselves, once the election phase is over and there’s a new leadership in Afghanistan, to accompany their democratic transition furthermore.

MS. PSAKI: Thank you everyone.

SECRETARY KERRY: Is that it? Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.

STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL'S CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY ON INTERNATIONAL CRIME

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

United States Assistance to Combat Transnational Crime

Testimony

William R. Brownfield
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Statement before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Washington, DC

May 7, 2014

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Chairwoman Granger, Ranking Member Lowey, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to discuss the evolving threat of transnational organized crime and the efforts of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to address it.

If I were sitting before you 35 years ago, when the predecessor to INL—the Bureau of International Narcotics Matters—was first established and you asked me what transnational organized crime would look like in the year 2014, I might have informed you of the violent and hierarchical structure of the drug cartels and various mafias and have foretold the success of U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Colombia or the expansion of our anti-drug trafficking efforts worldwide. I might have accurately predicted the efforts of some cartels to move across the Caribbean and destabilize communities across the hemisphere. I might have surmised that, criminals being opportunists, they would diversify and seek out not only new markets but also new forms of criminality with minimal risk and high rewards. And I would have assumed—accurately—that certain elements of illicit trafficking would remain the same regardless of the product being trafficking: demand for the product, which produces a market; a producer at the source; the need for a logistics network to move the product across international borders, a system to market or distribute the product at its destination, and the need to convert the product into cash or some other marketable commodity usable in the licit market. But I could not have predicted the extent to which globalization, coupled with dramatic improvements in technology, would turn criminal organizations that had once had only a domestic or regional impact into networked enterprises posing threats to our and our partners interests across the globe.
Today’s reality is that criminal and illicit networks have expanded their tentacles to all parts of the world, corrupting public and market-based institutions alike. Their activities threaten not only the interdependent commercial, transportation, and transactional systems that facilitate free trade and the movement of people throughout the global economy, but are jeopardizing governance structures, economic development, security, and supply chain integrity. Their penetration of state institutions and financial and security sectors is particularly concerning.
Recognizing the expanding size, scope, and influence of transnational organized crime and its impact on U.S. and international security and governance, in July 2011, the White House released theStrategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime. The Strategy calls on all departments and agencies to "build, balance, and integrate the tools of American power to combat transnational organized crime…and urge our foreign partners to do the same." The Strategy also calls for the U.S. government and our international partners to work together to combat transnational illicit networks, and take that fight to the next level by breaking their corruptive power, attacking their financial underpinnings, stripping them of their illicit wealth, and severing their access to the financial system.

With our diplomatic reach and foreign assistance authorities, INL is strengthening partner nation capacity to deal with these emerging transnational criminal threats including by combating corruption and targeting the illicit wealth of criminal entrepreneurs. INL’s programs promote regional capacity-building to mitigate the famous "balloon effect" we saw in South America in the 1980s and 1990s, whereby criminal groups jump from one country to another as pressure was applied. Through the Central America Regional Security Initiative, the Merida Initiative, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, the West Africa Cooperative Security Initiative, and other programs you have supported, we are focused on coordinating investigations, supporting prosecutions, and facilitating the sharing of information across borders.

Many of the approaches and methods we have refined over the past three decades to reduce the harm of narcotics trafficking are transferable to new and urgent threats – and I will focus on one such threat today -- wildlife trafficking. It is fueled by high demand for wildlife products, high profits -- an ounce of rhino horn is worth more than gold, cocaine, or heroin in weight -- and low risk for detection or meaningful punishment. Its impact on the planet’s natural resources is as obvious as it is devastating – entire animal species are at risk. But even setting aside the risk to wildlife, the United States has cause to be seriously concerned about this criminal enterprise: the corruption that it both encourages and benefits from undermines good governance, the rule of law, and citizens’ confidence in their government institutions; the high tech weaponry and aggressive tactics used by poachers and the syndicates and corrupt officials that support them threaten civilian populations; the crime creates and exacerbates border insecurity; wildlife trafficking can weaken financial stability and economic growth, particularly in countries for which tourism is a major revenue source; and we have seen some evidence of involvement by terrorist entities and armed groups.

For these reasons, we need to address wildlife trafficking not only as a conservation issue but also a national security issue. The President issued an Executive Order calling for a whole of government response to combat wildlife trafficking on July 1, 2013 and on February, 11, 2014, the White House released a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. The Strategy calls on agencies and departments to strengthen domestic and global enforcement, reduce demand for illegal wildlife products, and build international cooperation and public-private partnerships.

INL is playing a significant programmatic and diplomatic role in implementing the National Strategy. For over a decade, we have provided wildlife investigative training delivered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of our International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) program. Within the last year, with strong support of this Committee and this Congress, we have begun to greatly expand our assistance, drawing on our experience in addressing other forms of transnational criminal activity. We have organized our work abroad around four key areas that support the enforcement and international cooperation goals of the National Strategy.

First, we will strengthen legislative frameworks to make wildlife trafficking a serious crime with strong penalties to give investigators and prosecutors the legal tools they need to put the traffickers behind bars.

Second, we will improve law enforcement and investigative capabilities -- including intelligence, evidence collection and analysis, investigative skills and methods, and collaboration across agencies and governments – to promote intelligence-led investigations and operations that strive not simply to pick up individual poachers but rather to better understand and begin to dismantle the organizations for which they work.

Third, we will build prosecutorial and judicial capacities. As we have learned, rangers and police will not continue to pick up the bad guys if they believe prosecutors or judges will just let them go so, as we improve legislative frameworks and offer up new tools, we need to ensure prosecutors and judges know how to use those tools effectively and creatively.

And fourth, we will enhance cross-border law enforcement cooperation, particularly by working with the regional Wildlife Enforcement Networks (WENs). There is much that we do not know about how wildlife trafficking organizations operate – but we do know that illegal wildlife products often make their way through multiple transit points as they move from supply – or "range" – states to demand markets. So we need to build alliances and processes across borders for sharing information and intelligence and collaborating on operations.

Our work in these areas will be done on a bilateral basis. A portion of our overall assistance is dedicated towards our programming in Kenya ($3 million in FY13) and South Africa ($3M in FY 2013); regionally in Africa ($4 million in FY 2013) and Asia ($1.45 million in FY 2012); and globally ($4.3 million in FY 2012) through organizations including INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the World Customs Organizations, who are part of the International Consortium for Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC). Using $15 million in FY 2014 funds, we will expand efforts begun or piloted using prior year resources, such as training for customs officers at ports of entry, prosecutorial training, and joint capacity building-operational exercises across continents.

INL is also approaching the wildlife trafficking problem in new ways. We are using new tools such as the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which Congress, with your support, authorized in 2013. In November 2013, Secretary Kerry announced the first reward offer under the program of up to $1 million for information leading to the dismantling of the Xaysavang Network. The Xaysavang Network, based in Laos and operating across Africa and Asia, facilitates the illegal trade of endangered elephants, rhinos, and other species. This reward offer provides us with an additional tool to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks and bring its leaders and members to justice.

We are also using our diplomatic tools to build an international consensus around the importance of dismantling wildlife trafficking networks. For example, at the UN Crime Commission in April 2013, the United States introduced a successful joint resolution with Peru encouraging governments around the world to treat wildlife trafficking as a "serious crime" pursuant to the U.N. Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Making it a serious crime unlocks new opportunities for international law enforcement cooperation, provided under the Convention, including mutual legal assistance, asset seizure and forfeiture, extradition, and other tools to hold criminals accountable for wildlife crime. The U.N. Economic and Social Council adopted the resolution in July 2013, further elevating wildlife trafficking as a major concern for the United Nations. These measures provide the mandate that we need, as members of a larger body of concerned nations, to harness our collective capabilities to learn more about these trafficking networks, share information, and collaborate on plans and programs that will undermine them.

The resolution was one of several early successes to which we can point. Another is a month-long global law enforcement cooperative effort that we helped to support in February known as "Cobra II." Participants from 28 countries, including representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Justice, executed a global operation to combat wildlife trafficking and poaching that resulted in more than 400 arrests and 350 major seizures of wildlife and wildlife products across Africa and Asia and the U.S.

Although we have more to learn about the links that exist between wildlife trafficking organizations and other transnational criminal groups, we do know that wildlife traffickers do not operate in a vacuum. Like any legal enterprise that seeks to diversify its portfolio, criminal organizations tend to use the same routes and shipping methods as smugglers of weapons, drugs, and counterfeits. They bribe the same customs officials. They deploy poachers in the same restive regions where terrorists and other criminals may sow instability and conflict and exploit weak institutions and porous borders. Money and corruption are common denominators of all forms of transnational organized crime, and wildlife trafficking is no exception.
Corruption greases the wheels of illicit trade in everything from counterfeits to ivory. In the Sahel-Sahara region of Africa, for example, collusion between smugglers and state officials has eroded state authority and created lucrative funding channels for terrorists, militias, and criminal groups. INL is looking at ways to link up our anti-corruption and unit vetting programs used effectively in narcotics-producing regions, to support willing governments afflicted by illicit wildlife trade.

Following the money is equally important. All illicit criminal networks need money to finance their activities and as illicit funds move through the international financial system, they can be detected and monitored. In addition to exercising leadership within the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), we are promoting and applying tools like asset recovery and forfeiture to combat transnational organized crime and money laundering. Through the FATF style regional body for Eastern and Southern Africa, we are working with international partners to uncover and counter money laundering and other illicit financial flows related to wildlife trafficking. When it is finished, our capacity building projects will address the gaps identified.

Madam Chairwoman, Ranking Member Lowey, and distinguished Members, there is no doubt that transnational organized crime presents a growing and profound threat to international security. Illicit networks undercut the ability of law enforcement to protect citizens, deprive the state of vital revenues, promote corruption, and both thrive on and contribute to bad governance. But as organized crime has evolved and diversified, so has INL. Our programs are both tailored to specific threats, such as wildlife trafficking, and cross-cutting, to target the common facilitators of all types of crime.

Thank you, Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Lowey. I welcome your questions.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS TOURING GE FACILITY IN LUANDA, ANGOLA

FROM:  THE STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks While Touring a GE Facility in Luanda

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Luanda, Angola

May 4, 2014

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Well, Jay Ireland, thank you very much for a generous welcome here to General Electric in Luanda in the center of this extraordinary economic activity. I’m very excited to be here. I’m sorry that my wife is not here, because she was born in Mozambique and speaks – her first language is Portuguese. (Applause.) So I hear it around the house all the time – muito obrigadoand all that stuff. (Laughter.)

But it’s a privilege for me to be able to be here, and I want to thank Foreign Minister Chikoti for his welcome and for the opportunity to be able to meet the president tomorrow and have a good conversation about the bilateral relationship between the United States and Angola. I am particularly pleased to be here with other representatives of the oil and gas industry, a representative from Chevron, from ConocoPhilips, as well as from ExxonMobil – Esso, as you call it here. And I’m very grateful that the representative from the U.S.-Angola Chamber of Commerce is here, too.

As you’ve heard in the earlier introductions, I’m here with former United States Senator Russ Feingold, who is our – President Obama’s and my special envoy to the Great Lakes region and who is working to produce greater stability and peace in the region. President dos Santos and Angola have provided important leadership, and I want to thank you, Angola, for the leadership an the participation and the help to solve conflicts that have gone on for too long.

But as I mentioned a moment ago, we’re standing in a place of enormous economic activity with great promise for future economic growth and development. I am accompanied on this trip by the president and CEO of the EximBank^[1], Elizabeth Littlefield, because the EximBank^[2] is very much a partner with General Electric and very involved in helping to support economic development here in Angola and in other parts of Africa.

In fact, though EximBank^[2] we have just provided a $600 million, just about a $600 million loan guarantee that will assist in the purchase of a Boeing 777 for Angola. This will grow the opportunity of, obviously, more ability to have business and more ability to have trade, and also for people to simply come to be able to engage in some of the exciting things that are happening in Angola. In addition, Exim^[2] is providing another $300 million or so of additional economic investment here in Angola.

So let me just say quickly why being here is important today. Africa is changing. Eight of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world are here in Africa. There is enormous opportunity for the people of Africa, the people of Angola, to be able to gain in healthcare, in education, in jobs, in the quality of life. And I know the government is very focused on how to provide for increased standard of living for the people of the country. That comes from fair and reasonable trade agreements where everybody benefits, where there’s an ability to create jobs. When a Boeing airliner is bought from Boeing, it creates jobs in America, but it will also create jobs and opportunity here in Angola.

General Electric has recently sold four power turbines to Angola. This is for a project in Soyo. And this will help provide the power that then generates the ability for hospitals, for schools, for homes, for cities, for stores to be able to grow and prosper. So we believe there are great opportunities on which we can build where, most importantly, Angolans will benefit.
I just spoke with the representative for ConocoPhillips, who tells me and the representative for Chevron – who tell me about the several thousands of employees. ConocoPhilipps is newer here, but Chevron has about 3,500 workers employed. So more and more Angolans are being trained to take on more and more different kinds of important jobs.

The first lady of Angola was in Los Angeles a number of years ago, and she was talking with the executives there about a disease here in Angola. A lot of people thought you couldn’t do anything about it. But Chevron, which had been working here for many years, stepped up and they talked with the Texas Children’s Hospital and they got care to be able to come her to help cure this disease for children. More than 3,000 children’s lives have been saved

So this is not just about business. This is about building a relationship between two people, two countries, and building a future. And when I look out at the economic energy out here in the port in all these containers and these ships and the work that you’re doing, I am confident that Angola, working together as you are now, will be able to help contribute to an extraordinary journey in Africa as a whole, and we will provide greater opportunity to everybody.

Thank you for the privilege. Muito obrigado. (Applause.)

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[1] Elizabeth Littlefield is the president and CEO of OPIC.
[2] OPIC

SECRETARY HAGEL MEETS WITH DEFENSE MINISTERS FROM SPAIN, ITALY AND DENMARK

Right:  Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti on the sidelines of meetings for NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Feb. 26, 2014. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett.

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Meets With Defense Ministers of Spain, Italy, Denmark
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here yesterday with defense ministers from Spain, Italy and Denmark on the sidelines of the two-day NATO defense ministers conference, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

Today, on the final day of the meeting, the ministers will discuss defense capacity building, cyber defense and maritime security, along with NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative, which involves improving operational collaboration with other military forces, according to NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
Also today, the defense ministers will meet with International Security Assistance Force contributing partners and Afghanistan’s defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, she said.

During Hagel’s meeting with Spanish Defense Minister Dr. Pedro Morenes, they discussed the strength of the U.S.-Spain military relationship and opportunities to broaden the relationship bilaterally and through the NATO alliance, Kirby said.
The defense secretary thanked Morenes for Spain's hosting of U.S. ballistic missile defense-capable ships at Rota and for support Spain has provided for U.S. Marines at Moron.

Hagel also expressed appreciation for Spain's ongoing commitment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

Both leaders talked about security challenges in Africa, pledged to continue the dialogue and expressed interest in improving bilateral training opportunities, especially in the maritime environment, the Pentagon spokesman said.
In the secretary’s meeting with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti, the defense leaders discussed a range of mutual security issues, including political unrest in Ukraine and ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Kirby said.

Hagel thanked Pinotti for her leadership and Italy’s strong contributions to the NATO alliance, including the ISAF mission. He also pledged to continue to seek ways to deepen the bilateral relationship with Italy.

During his meeting with Danish Defense Minister Nicolai Wammen, Hagel thanked the minister for his leadership and for helping the United States and Denmark maintain a close military-to-military relationship. The secretary expressed gratitude for Denmark's leadership and capabilities in the future transfer of chemical materials out of Syria, Kirby said. The two leaders discussed the importance of the Arctic and promised to continue consulting as both nations explore ways to deal with the challenges of climate change in that region, he added.

Hagel and Wammen also discussed regional challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, political unrest in Ukraine, and the NATO ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the Pentagon spokesman said.

OP-ED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND FRENCH PRESIDENT HOLLANDE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Op-ed by President Obama and President Hollande: An Alliance Transformed

The full text of an op-ed by President Obama and President Hollande of France is printed below. 

Obama and Hollande: France and the U.S. enjoy a renewed alliance
By Barack Obama and François Hollande,
Monday, February 10
Barack Obama is president of the United States. François Hollande is president of the French Republic.

Today, American and French diplomats are preparing for talks with Iran that build on the agreement that has halted progress on and rolled back key elements of the Iranian nuclear program. French and American officials share information daily to combat terrorism around the world. Our development experts are helping farmers across Africa and on other continents boost their yields and escape poverty. In forums such as the Group of Eight and the Group of 20, the United States and France promote strong, sustainable and balanced growth, jobs and stability — and we address global challenges that no country can tackle alone. At high-tech start-ups in Paris and Silicon Valley, American and French entrepreneurs are collaborating on the innovations that power our global economy.

A decade ago, few would have imagined our two countries working so closely together in so many ways. But in recent years our alliance has transformed. Since France’s return to NATO’s military command four years ago and consistent with our continuing commitment to strengthen the NATO- European Union partnership, we have expanded our cooperation across the board. We are sovereign and independent nations that make our decisions based on our respective national interests. Yet we have been able to take our alliance to a new level because our interests and values are so closely aligned.

Rooted in a friendship stretching back more than two centuries, our deepening partnership offers a model for international cooperation. Transnational challenges cannot be met by any one nation alone. More nations must step forward and share the burden and costs of leadership. More nations must meet their responsibilities for upholding global security and peace and advancing freedom and human rights.

Building on the first-step agreement with Iran, we are united with our “P5+1” partners — Britain, Germany, Russia and China — and the E.U. and will meet next week in Vienna to begin discussions aimed at achieving a comprehensive solution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. In Syria, our credible threat of force paved the way for the plan to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons; now, Syria must meet its obligations. With the Syrian civil war threatening the stability of the region, including Lebanon, the international community must step up its efforts to care for the Syrian people, strengthen the moderate Syrian opposition, and work through the Geneva II process toward a political transition that delivers the Syrian people from dictatorship and terrorism.

Perhaps nowhere is our new partnership on more vivid display than in Africa. In Mali, French and African Union forces — with U.S. logistical and information support — have pushed back al-Qaeda-linked insurgents, allowing the people of Mali to pursue a democratic future. Across the Sahel, we are partnering with countries to prevent al-Qaeda from gaining new footholds. In the Central African Republic, French and African Union soldiers — backed by American airlift and support — are working to stem violence and create space for dialogue, reconciliation and swift progress to transitional elections.

Across the continent, from Senegal to Somalia, we are helping train and equip local forces so they can take responsibility for their own security. We are partnering with governments and citizens who want to strengthen democratic institutions, improve agriculture and alleviate hunger, expand access to electricity and deliver the treatment that saves lives from infectious diseases. Our two countries were the earliest and are among the strongest champions of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Alongside a revitalized alliance on the world stage, we’re also working to deepen our bilateral economic relationship. Already, France is one of America’s top export markets, and the United States is the largest customer for French goods outside the European Union — trade that supports nearly a million jobs in our two countries. Our cooperation in science and education is illustrated by existing partnerships between our universities, top research laboratories and space agencies. But as entrepreneurial societies that cherish the spirit of invention and creativity, we need to do more to lead the world in innovation.

The trade and investment partnership that we are pursuing between the European Union and the United States is a major opportunity to build on millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic already supported by U.S.-E.U. trade. Such an agreement would result in more trade, more jobs and more export opportunities, including for small businesses in both of our countries. It would also build a lasting foundation for our efforts to promote growth and the global economic recovery.

This includes our leadership to combat climate change. Even as our two nations reduce our own carbon emissions, we can expand the clean energy partnerships that create jobs and move us toward low-carbon growth. We can do more to help developing countries shift to low-carbon energy as well, and deal with rising seas and more intense storms. As we work toward next year’s climate conference in Paris, we continue to urge all nations to join us in pursuit of an ambitious and inclusive global agreement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions through concrete actions. The climate summit organized by the U.N. secretary general this September will give us the opportunity to reaffirm our ambitions for the climate conference in Paris.

The challenges of our time cannot be wished away. The opportunities of our interconnected world will not simply fall into our laps. The future we seek, as always, must be earned. For more than two centuries, our two peoples have stood together for our mutual freedom. Now we are meeting our responsibilities not just to each other — but to a world that is more secure because our enduring alliance is being made new again.

NATO COMMANDER IN EUROPE SPEAKS ON IMPORTANCE OF SPECIAL OPERATORS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Breedlove: Special Operators Provide Decisive Capability

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 - Special operators, working together through the NATO Special Forces Headquarters, have provided the decisive edge during NATO missions in Europe, Afghanistan and Africa, and continue to improve their capabilities across the land, air and sea domains, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in Europe said today.


"These 'quiet professionals' provide unique current and emerging capabilities that enable our team to respond rapidly and precisely in ways no one else can," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, noted in a blog posting. "As our military teams across the alliance find more efficient and effective ways of providing the right forces at the right place and at the right time, we will increasingly look to our special operators to get the job done."

Breedlove praised the role of special operators after presiding today over the NATO Special Forces Headquarters' change of command ceremony. Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank J. Kisner passed command to Navy Vice Adm. Sean A. Pybus.

Breedlove recognized the operational support the headquarters has provided more than 2,200 allied and partner special operations service members serving in Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force mission. Meanwhile, the NATO Special Forces Headquarters has provided special operations expertise to Operation Unified Protector in Libya, Operation Ocean Shield off the Horn of Africa, Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea and other NATO missions, he said.

The general attributed much of the success of these missions -- and future ones -- to the NATO Special Operations Forces Training and Education Program. This initiative is "the centerpiece of building and sustaining allied and partner SOF capability," he said, with more than 3,500 special operations personnel from 34 nations graduating from the program's 26 courses that span the spectrum of special operations capabilities.

Breedlove singled out examples of these capabilities across the region. Members of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, based in Stuttgart, Germany, "are accomplishing great things every day on the ground, in the air and on the seas across the European theater and beyond," he said.

New aircraft arriving in the theater will bring additional capability, specifically in support of crises response, disaster preparedness and emergency airlift missions, he noted. The first of two CV-22 Osprey aircraft at the British Royal Air Force base at Mildenhall, United Kingdom, represent "a first for U.S. special operations aviation in Europe, providing transformational vertical-lift capability to our theater," he said.

Also arriving are the first of 12 MC-130J Commando II aircraft, "uniquely capable of low-visibility, low-level aerial refueling missions for special operations helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, as well as infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of ground and maritime special operations forces," the general said.

"These aircraft bring new capabilities to our theater that are welcome additions," Breedlove said. "These important upgrades will allow our special operators to fly further, faster, higher and longer than ever before, dramatically increasing our theater special operations capabilities and range of modern support to our European partners."

Meanwhile, Special Operations Command Europe continues to focus on expanding theater-wide SOF capabilities. Efforts to train, develop and enable European allies and partners "thickens our lines," Breedlove said.

In Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force's Combined Special Operations Task Force 10, led by the only U.S. special operations forces serving under NATO operational control, includes special operators from Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Breedlove recognized the contributions the element is making across nine Afghan provinces, with "profound effects on enabling the Afghans to assume full responsibility for their national security."

Navy Special Warfare Unit 2, Special Operations Command Europe's maritime element, also remains heavily engaged in Afghanistan, Breedlove noted. Teamed primarily with Romanian and Polish forces and Afghan law enforcement officials, they are "bringing some very bad people to justice," he said.

Meanwhile, the unit has built strong relationships with allies from Greece and Denmark and Norwegian navy special warfare teams to create "a theater maritime response capability second to none," Breedlove said.

Looking to the future, Breedlove said coalitions will remain the cornerstone of international military missions. Just as in current operations, he said special operators will be looked to "to get the job done."

"From what I have seen thus far, our quiet professionals in NATO and Eucom are exactly the right people to meet this challenge," he said. "They are a special breed, and I'm grateful for what they bring to our team."

FUTURE THREAT TO HUMANS MAY COME FROM THE BANDED MONGOOSE

Banded Mongoose.  Credit:  Wikimedia.

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Human Disease Leptospirosis Identified in New Species, the Banded Mongoose, in Africa
The newest public health threat in Africa, scientists have found, is coming from a previously unknown source: the banded mongoose.

Leptospirosis, the disease is called. And the banded mongoose carries it.

Leptospirosis is the world's most common illness transmitted to humans by animals. It's a two-phase disease that begins with flu-like symptoms. If untreated, it can cause meningitis, liver damage, pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure and death.

"The problem in Botswana and much of Africa is that leptospirosis may remain unidentified in animal populations but contribute to human disease, possibly misdiagnosed as other diseases such as malaria," said disease ecologist Kathleen Alexander of Virginia Tech.

With a grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Coupled Natural and Human Systems Program, Alexander and colleagues found that the banded mongoose in Botswana is infected with Leptospira interrogans, the pathogen that causes leptospirosis.

Coupled Natural and Human Systems is part of NSF's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability investment and is supported by NSF's Directorates for Biological Sciences; Geosciences; and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences.

"The transmission of infectious diseases from wildlife to humans represents a serious and growing public health risk due to increasing contact between humans and animals," said Alan Tessier, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology. "This study identified an important new avenue for the spread of leptospirosis."

The results are published today in a paper in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health. The paper was co-authored by Alexander, Sarah Jobbins and Claire Sanderson of Virginia Tech.

The banded mongoose, although wild, lives in close proximity to humans, sharing scarce water resources and scavenging in human waste.

The disease-causing pathogen it carries can pass to humans through soil or water contaminated with infected urine.

Mongoose and other species are consumed as bushmeat, which may also contribute to leptospirosis exposure and infection in humans.

"I was convinced that we were going to find Leptospira interrogans in some species in the ecosystem," said Alexander.

"The pathogen had not been reported previously in Botswana, with the exception of one cow more than a quarter of a century ago.

"We looked at public health records dating back to 1974 and there were no records of any human cases of leptospirosis. Doctors said they were not expecting to see the disease in patients. They were not aware that the pathogen occurred in the country."

Alexander conducted a long-term study of human, wildlife and environmental health in the Chobe District of Northern Botswana, an area that includes the Chobe National Park, forest reserves and surrounding villages.

"This pathogen can infect many animals, both wild and domestic, including dogs," said Jobbins. "Banded mongoose is likely not the only species infected."

The researchers worked to understand how people, animals and the environment are connected, including the potential for diseases to move between humans and wildlife.

"Diseases such as leptospirosis that have been around for a very long time are often overlooked amid the hunt for the next newly emerging disease," Alexander said.

Leptospirosis was first described in 1886, said Jobbins, "but we still know little about its occurrence in Africa."

With the new identification of leptospirosis in Botswana, Alexander is concerned about the public health threat it may pose to the immunocompromised population there. Some 25 percent of 15- to 49-year-olds are HIV positive.

"In much of Africa, people die without a cause being determined," she said.

"Leptospirosis is likely affecting human populations in this region. But without knowledge that the organism is present in the environment, overburdened public health officials are unlikely to identify clinical cases in humans, particularly if the supporting diagnostics are not easily accessible."

The researchers looked for Leptospira interrogans in archived kidneys collected from banded mongoose that had been found dead from a variety of causes. Of the sampled mongoose, 43 percent tested positive for the pathogen.

"Given this high prevalence in the mongoose, we believe that Botswana possesses an as-yet-unidentified burden of human leptospirosis," said Jobbins.

"There is an urgent need to look for this disease in people who have clinical signs consistent with infection."

Because banded mongoose have an extended range across sub-Saharan Africa, the results have important implications for public health beyond Botswana.

"Investigating exposure in other wildlife, and assessing what species act as carriers, is essential for improving our understanding of human, wildlife, and domestic animal risk of leptospirosis in this ecosystem," the scientists write in their paper.

The paper also cites predictions that the region will become more arid, concentrating humans and animals around limited water supplies and increasing the potential for disease transmission.

"Infectious diseases, particularly those that can be transmitted from animals, often occur where people are more vulnerable to environmental change and have less access to public health services," said Alexander.

"That's particularly true in Africa. While we're concerned about emerging diseases that might threaten public health--the next new pandemic--we need to be careful that we don't drop the ball and stop pursuing important diseases like leptospirosis."

Alexander is working to identify immediate research and management actions--in particular, alerting frontline medical practitioners and public health officials to the potential for leptospirosis in humans.

The research was also funded by the WildiZe Foundation. Jobbins and Sanderson were supported in part by Virginia Tech's Fralin Life Science Institute.

-NSF-

STATEMENT FROM G-8 FOREIGN MINISTER'S MEETING HELD APRIL 10-11

Photo:  Big Ben.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
G8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting Statement
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 11, 2013
Introduction

G8 Foreign Ministers met in London on 10-11 April. The G8 represents a group of nations with a broad range of global interests and with a collective responsibility and opportunity to use its influence to address some of the most pressing issues in the world.

Foreign Ministers addressed a number of international issues, challenges and opportunities that impact on global peace, security and prosperity. Beyond exchanging views and coordinating actions on the pressing foreign policy issues of the day, they made a number of commitments as set out below and in the separate Declaration on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Foreign Ministers endorsed the Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. They called for urgent action to address comprehensively the culture of impunity and to hold perpetrators to account for acts of sexual violence committed in armed conflict. Ministers emphasised the need to promote justice and accountability for sexual violence in armed conflict by strengthening the existing framework for prosecution, and to provide more long-term support to prevent and respond to sexual violence in armed conflict, as part of broader development and humanitarian efforts. They confirmed that rape and other forms of serious sexual violence in armed conflict are war crimes and also constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions affecting large numbers of women and girls as well as men and boys. In addition to the physical and psychological trauma, sexual violence when used to deliberately target civilians or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations is a violation of international law, which can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of peace and security. The G8 has an important role in advancing the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and Children and Armed Conflict, including by tackling conflict-related sexual violence and advancing the participation of women in peace building and transition processes, as Ministers acknowledged in Washington in April 2012.

Africa

G8 Foreign Ministers noted, as Africa commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union), the sense of optimism in the light of progress in economic growth, political stability, and democratisation over recent years in many parts of the African continent. The African Union and African Regional organisations are increasingly resolved to intensify regional cooperation and to ensure peace and security on the continent.

Many African states have taken great strides in reducing poverty and generating sustainable development and long-term growth. G8 Ministers supported the aims of the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), to take place in Yokohama in June. G8 Ministers supported the deepening and expansion of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

North and West Africa

G8 Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of building resilience and good governance across North and West Africa in order to address deep-seated security, economic and development challenges, and in particular to address the needs of the Sahel region. They reaffirmed their commitment to promoting tolerance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They welcomed the work of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in support of initiatives aimed at building economic opportunity and prosperity, and expressed the hope that this might take place in a co-ordinated fashion across the wider region, including North Africa. The Ministers emphasised the need for a co-ordinated response to address the immediate humanitarian challenges in the region. They also stressed the need to accelerate actions to build long-term resilience in the face of environmental challenges and endemic food insecurity, particularly in the Sahel. The Ministers encouraged the United Nations and International Financial Institutions to adopt coherent and co-ordinated policies to address the development needs and the resilience of the Sahel, and, in this regard, called for rapid progress to finalise and implement the UN Integrated Regional Strategy for the Sahel.

The Ministers specifically endorsed the need for a regional response to a wide range of security challenges, including: restricting the proliferation and illicit trafficking of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons and MANPADS; stemming the flows of illicit finance generated by organised criminality; building capacity in security and justice sectors; improving aviation and border security; encouraging counter-terrorism partnerships, including on crisis response and counter-radicalisation; and building contingency planning capacity in the private sector.

The G8 Ministers commended the efforts undertaken at the conference on women’s leadership in the Sahel region (Brussels, 9 April) to advance gender equality and women’s leadership as a contribution to resolving the crisis in the Sahel.

Mali

G8 Foreign Ministers restated their support for the territorial integrity of Mali and their condemnation of the violence by separatist and terrorist groups. Ministers expressed their support for the efforts of France and its African partners to re-assert Malian state control over its territory. The Ministers emphasised the strong international consensus in the United Nations Security Council, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States for this action. The Ministers agreed to support a successful handover of stabilisation activity to AFISMA which has now successfully deployed to Mali and, as soon as conditions permit, to a multi-dimensional UN Operation. The Ministers welcomed the establishment of the EU Training Mission to train the Malian Armed Forces. They emphasised the need for all actors in Mali to recognise their obligations under international law and their responsibilities to meet international human rights standards. They also called on the international community to support short-term humanitarian needs in Mali, as well as contribute towards resolving longer term development challenges.

The Ministers welcomed the decision of the Malian authorities in January 2013 to adopt the Road Map and Action Plan to transition to democracy and to hold elections in July 2013. The Ministers welcomed the Malian Government’s commitment and noted that meaningful progress must be made, in parallel with preparations for elections, on institutional reform, accountability, promotion and protection of human rights, including prosecution of human rights abuses in national courts, taking forward co-operation with the ICC and the UN Independent Expert on Mali, and dialogue and reconciliation. Ministers therefore welcomed the establishment by the Malian Government of the National Council for Dialogue and Reconciliation on 6 March 2013, and expressed their wish that the Malian authorities take forward the process of inclusive dialogue with the necessary urgency. They urged an end to the settling of disputes through violence, and called on all Malians to engage in dialogue as the only sustainable, long-term solution to instability.

Somalia

G8 Foreign Ministers welcomed the significant progress made in Somalia over the past 18 months on security, political transition and humanitarian conditions and recognised the considerable support provided by the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), African Union strategic partners, Troop Contributing Countries, the United Nations, European Union and other international donors. G8 Ministers underlined the need for continued early international support to the new Somali Government. The G8 noted that the second Somalia Conference in London, to be co-hosted with the Somali Government in May, aims to endorse a series of Somali-led plans to rebuild the security forces, the judiciary, and public financial management systems. It will also support the Federal Government of Somalia in establishing effective federal structures for Somalia. The Special Conference on Somalia in the margins of the TICAD V in Japan in May will focus on the need for socio-economic development from the angle of human security. This will be followed in September by an EU conference seeking to encompass a broader set of Somali priorities for rebuilding the state and establishing a new political order. It will do so on the basis of a Compact, in line with the New Deal Principles for Fragile States. All three conferences will place the new Somali Government firmly in the lead on rebuilding Somalia.

Somalia: IFI re-engagement

Ministers agreed to provide high-level political support to the process of Somalia’s re-engagement with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, while taking into account the policies and procedures of the International Financial Institutions with regard to countries in fragile situations, including security considerations. Ministers strongly encouraged the Somali Government in its efforts to this end. They recognised that the economic and institutional expertise and broader support these organisations can provide is necessary to help implement reforms that could promote macroeconomic stability, fiscal sustainability, the potential for inclusive economic growth, an enabling environment for Foreign Direct Investment, and the expansion of trade.

In parallel, Ministers urged the Somali Government to demonstrate particular political commitment to public financial management and to strengthening transparency and accountability in order to lay the foundations for IFI re-engagement. Ministers acknowledged that full IFI engagement and the rebuilding of Somalia was a long-term endeavour that would require sustained high-level political support.

Somalia: Counter-terrorism

Al Shabaab and foreign fighters present in Somalia remain a major terrorist threat to Somali and international interests. G8 Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of continued co-ordinated international assistance to develop the rule of law, Somalia’s security, financial and judicial systems (including on border security, anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing), in line with the Rabat principles on human rights. Foreign Ministers acknowledged the importance of the Somali Government’s work to promote reconciliation, de-mobilise and re-integrate those Al Shabaab fighters who have renounced violence, and pledged to support these efforts. They reiterated the importance of a comprehensive political settlement in Somalia, including clarity on relations between central and regional authorities, as a means of reducing the operating space for those who advocate violence and terror.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

G8 Foreign Ministers expressed concern about the security and humanitarian situation in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and were particularly concerned by reports of continuing killings of civilians, the forced recruitment of children into armed conflict, and sexual violence. They condemned such acts of violence and called on all parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and respect human rights and human dignity. They called on all countries of the region to fight impunity and ensure that those suspected of serious violations be brought to justice, including through cooperation with the ICC.

Ministers welcomed the recent signature of the regional Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and other regional countries, as well as the signing by the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Southern African Development Community, and the United Nations as guarantors. The Ministers urged all parties to the Framework to work together to implement their commitments, and to play a constructive role in building long term stability and prosperity in eastern DRC. This should involve addressing the underlying causes of conflict, and improving the lives of ordinary people there. The Ministers welcomed the appointment of the UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa to oversee the implementation of the Peace Security and Cooperation Framework and urged the Special Envoy to establish a comprehensive political process, building on the Framework, that includes all relevant stakeholders and addresses the underlying regional, security, economic, and governance issues.

The Ministers welcomed UNSCR 2098 which renews the mandate of the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC to enable it to better carry out its mandate to protect civilians, neutralise armed groups, and build peace in the region, including through the deployment of an intervention brigade.

Sudan and South Sudan

G8 Foreign Ministers noted the economic, security and human rights challenges that face Sudan and South Sudan, and underlined the need to implement the September 2012 Addis Ababa agreements, and meet the deadlines set out in March 2013. In particular, Ministers welcomed progress towards the establishment of the safe demilitarised border zone, deployment of the joint border verification and monitoring mechanism, a resumption of the production and export of oil from South Sudan, and called for a process to determine the final status of Abyei. Ministers noted the need for Sudan to improve respect for human rights while addressing the causes of its conflicts. They noted with concern that in Sudan, the conflict in Darfur has entered its tenth year, with insecurity continuing. They called for faster implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, and called for all groups to engage in the peace process. Ministers expressed alarm at the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. They called on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to enter into talks immediately to agree a ceasefire and full humanitarian access. Ministers commended and offered their continued support to the role of the African Union, in particular the work of the High-Level Implementation Panel.

Ministers regretted the loss of life of Indian peacekeepers and a number of civilians, in Jonglei, South Sudan, on 9 April and offered their condolences to the Governments of India and South Sudan.

The Middle East

Syria

G8 Foreign Ministers expressed deep concerns about the increasing human tragedy of the conflict in Syria. They were appalled that more than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict and that there are now more than a million Syrian refugees registered by the UNHCR in neighbouring countries, and more than two million internally displaced persons in Syria. They acknowledged the importance of neighbouring countries’ efforts in hosting refugees, and stressed the need for the international community to help the most affected neighbouring countries. They called on all countries to join with them in maximising their contributions to the latest UN appeals and to provide them with direct support in order to help them face this challenging situation.

Against this desperate background, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting a Syrian-led political transition, and the work of Joint UN and Arab League Special Representative Brahimi, based on the principles set out in the Geneva Communiqué. This transition should meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enable them to democratically and independently determine their own future. They called for the UN Security Council to remain seized of this matter. The Ministers condemned in the strongest possible terms all human rights violations and abuses in Syria and called on all sides to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, noting the particular responsibility of the Syrian authorities in this regard. They welcomed efforts to document all crimes for the purposes of future accountability.

The Ministers condemned the ongoing use of heavy weapons against residential areas and reaffirm their view that any use of chemical weapons would demand a serious international response. To this end, the Ministers reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding sites where any such weapons are held.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is deplorable and continues to worsen. The Ministers called for greater humanitarian assistance and for improved and safe access to the Syrian people by humanitarian agencies in co-ordination with all parties to the conflict.

Middle East Peace Process (MEPP)

G8 Foreign Ministers confirmed their commitment to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. They agreed on the urgent need to make progress on the Middle East Peace Process towards this goal and underscored the need for a major international effort, involving all relevant parties, including the Quartet, to drive the peace process forward.

The Ministers welcomed President Obama’s visit to the region and his statement that peace between Israelis and Palestinians is necessary, just and possible. They urged both sides to show the bold political leadership needed to achieve peace, to take the necessary steps to build trust and to work towards the resumption of negotiations without preconditions.

The Ministers stressed that a long term solution to this conflict can be achieved only through direct negotiations, taking note of the 23 September 2011 statement of the Middle East Quartet. Ministers called on parties to refrain from unilateral actions and to create an atmosphere conducive to peace. They strongly reaffirmed that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations.

Ministers expressed grave concerns about the poor state of the Palestinian economy, and the impact this has on Palestinian state-building efforts. Ministers affirmed their support for the Palestinian Authority and encouraged Arab countries, as well as emerging economies, to extend the fullest assistance possible to revitalising the Palestinian economy.

The Ministers welcomed the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire of 21 November 2012 which ended hostilities in Gaza and southern Israel, condemned rocket attacks in contravention of this and urged all sides to uphold their commitments.

Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition

The Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition has played an important role in bringing together Middle Eastern and North African countries in transition, regional partner countries, G8 members, and International Financial Institutions in an effective and pragmatic partnership to promote successful economic and political transition.

G8 Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the six Deauville Partnership transition countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Libya and Yemen) recognising progress made since the start of the Arab Spring and noting the enduring partnership of the G8 in continuing to address the difficulties they continue to face. Deauville transition countries are encouraged to seek the broadest possible consensus on the political transition in their countries. Ministers reiterated their belief that democratic process, open societies and open economies were essential to create confidence, consolidate political reform and achieve inclusive economic growth. Ministers recalled the principles which are fundamental to the long term security and prosperity of the Middle East and North Africa, and underline our capacity to partner together toward shared goals. Those principles include the responsibilities to reject violence and protect all persons living within their territory regardless of faith, ethnicity, or gender; to promote tolerance and freedom of expression; freedom of religion and belief, including practicing the freedom of religion in safety; and to uphold the rule of law and security.

Ministers welcomed the continued focus of the Deauville Partnership in 2013 on open economies and inclusive economic growth, supporting job creation and increasing economic opportunities for youth and women, and recognised the important role of the International Financial Institutions in delivering this. Areas of focus will include promoting enhanced trade and investment, facilitating access to capital markets, progress on asset recovery, international exchanges and the fight against corruption. Ministers expressed support for the planned high-level conference in London in September, which will showcase investment opportunities in transition countries, and the steps being taken by governments to improve the investment climate. Supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region will be central to economic development and growth. Implementation of SME Action Plans will take place in parallel with a new initiative to provide mentoring support to SMEs. The G8 will also promote a new focus on encouraging women’s participation in business and the economy. Ministers acknowledged the UK’s co-chairmanship of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and encouraged efforts to engage Deauville Partnership countries in OGP activities.

Ministers welcomed the operationalisation of the Transition Fund and the initiation of the first tranche of high quality projects which will provide technical assistance to help strengthen public institutions and build capacity to advance country-led reforms. There was recognition of the high level of demand from the transition countries for further support of this kind, and Ministers encouraged partners to increase contributions to ensure the initial capitalisation of $250 million is met. Ministers showed support for the ongoing work of extending the geographical mandate of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in order to make available greater investment programmes in the region.

As stated in the last Ministerial meeting on the Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition (New York, 28th September), G8 members will build on the G8’s accountability efforts and report on progress achieved in the Partnership.

The Ministers welcomed the upcoming meeting on April 19th of Deauville Partnership Finance Ministers and look forward to continued work by their Finance counterparts and the International Financial Institutions to provide macroeconomic frameworks for bilateral and multilateral assistance.

Foreign Ministers underlined the critical role of independent civil society organisations in an inclusive political process that responds to the aspirations of the region’s citizens. Ministers reaffirmed the consensus Tunis Declaration reached at the 2012 Forum for the Future, which brings together governments, civil society and private sector leaders to engage in dialogue on social, political and economic reform. They welcomed the UK and Egyptian co-chairing of the process in 2013.

Yemen

G8 Foreign Ministers re-affirmed their strong support for the political transition process in Yemen, including the start of the National Dialogue Conference, as outlined in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative and the UN Implementation Plan. They encouraged all Yemeni parties to contribute in a positive and meaningful way, and urged all parties to comply with UNSCRs 2014 and 2051. They welcomed the generous pledges made by the Friends of Yemen to underpin the transition and urged donors to deliver rapidly the $7.8bn pledged, which will benefit the lives of ordinary Yemenis.

Ministers recognised the stability of Yemen remains essential for the stability of the wider region, and the maintenance of international security. Ministers commended the Yemeni Government’s steps to advance security sector reform and ongoing efforts to counter the continued threat from AQ-AP and other violent extremists.

Non Proliferation and Disarmament

G8 Foreign Ministers agreed that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery continues to be a major threat to international peace and security. Addressing it is one of the G8’s top priorities. G8 countries are all committed to seeking a safer world for all and to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons, in a way that promotes international security, peace and undiminished security for all in accordance with the goals of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. The illicit trade in conventional weapons also represents a serious challenge, causing great suffering and threatening regional stability.

Ministers welcomed the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United Nations General Assembly on 2 April. Efficient implementation of the Treaty will contribute to saving lives, reducing human suffering, protecting human rights, preventing the diversion of weapons to the illegal market and combating terrorism, while upholding the legitimate trade in arms, vital for national defence and security.

G8 Foreign Ministers continue their commitment to efforts that strengthen and enhance long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security in outer space. G8 Foreign Ministers welcomed the statement agreed by the Non-Proliferation Directors’ Group and published today.

Ministers recalled the decision at the 2010 NPT Review Conference to hold a Conference on the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons, as well as other weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. They regretted that it was not convened in 2012. They strongly supported the continued efforts of the facilitator of the Conference and welcomed the commitment of the co-sponsors of the 1995 Resolution. The Ministers called upon all States concerned to make all efforts necessary for the preparation and convening of the Conference in the nearest future.

Iran

G8 Foreign Ministers expressed their deep concern regarding Iran’s continuing nuclear and ballistic missile activities in violation of numerous UN Security Council and IAEA Board of Governors resolutions.

Following the 5-6 April substantive round of negotiations in Almaty, Kazakhstan with Iran and the E3+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union High Representative), the Ministers reaffirmed their desire for a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the nuclear issue, noting that talks cannot continue indefinitely. They noted that the positions of the E3+3 and Iran remain far apart and called on Iran to engage urgently, actively and constructively in the diplomatic process with the E3+3, and to cooperate with the IAEA to resolve the serious concerns of the international community and to demonstrate that its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful. Ministers further reaffirmed that, in line with the United Nations Security Council’s approved dual track approach, Iran has the ability to avoid further isolation and improve its situation only if it promptly addresses the concerns of the international community.

Ministers urged Iran to comply with international obligations to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion, and end interference with the media, arbitrary executions, torture and other restrictions placed on rights and freedoms. They further urged Iran to cooperate constructively with all relevant UN human rights mechanisms. A visit by the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran would be a step in this direction.

Ministers also urged Iran to play a more constructive role in supporting regional security and to distance itself from all acts of terrorism and terrorist groups.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

G8 Foreign Ministers condemned in the strongest possible terms the continued development of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), including its uranium enrichment. This is in direct violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087 and 2094.

Ministers noted that the DPRK’s nuclear test on 12 February 2013 - the third since 2006 - and its launches using ballistic missile technology on 13 April 2012 and 12 December 2012 seriously undermine regional stability, jeopardise the prospects for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and threaten international peace and security. Ministers welcomed UNSCR 2094, adopted unanimously on 7 March 2013, to respond to the DPRK’s nuclear test and emphasized the importance of full implementation of the resolution by the international community. Ministers supported the commitment in the resolution to strengthen the current sanctions regime and take further significant measures in the event of a further launch or nuclear test by the DPRK. Ministers also expressed concern about the DPRK’s announcement that it intends to re-open its Yongbyon nuclear facility.

Ministers confirmed their commitment to the goal of lasting peace and the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. They condemned DPRK’s current aggressive rhetoric and confirmed that this will only serve to further isolate the DPRK. They urged the DPRK to engage in credible and authentic multilateral talks on denuclearisation, abide by its obligations under all relevant UNSCRs and its commitments under the September 19, 2005, Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks, abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and refrain from further provocative acts.

Ministers expressed concerns over the systematic and widespread human rights violations in the DPRK, highlighted the importance of improving inter-Korean relations and emphasised the need to address humanitarian issues including abductions and family reunions. They emphasized that the DPRK must address these issues and cooperate fully with all relevant UN mechanisms.

Burma/Myanmar

Ministers noted with satisfaction that since President Thein Sein took office in March 2011, the Government of Burma/Myanmar has, with the support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, opposition groups and parliament, initiated a number of remarkable political and economic reforms toward strengthening democracy and the rule of law, improving human rights (including the release of political prisoners and freedom of the press), expanding economic activity and engaging with the international community. Ministers welcomed the progress that has been made on addressing national reconciliation and encouraged the Government of Burma/Myanmar and other actors, including ethnic groups, women and political parties, to continue on this path in particular in view of the complex situation in Kachin State and unresolved tensions in Rakhine State. They also called on the Burma/Myanmar Government to take further steps to end all violence, to respect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and to pursue inclusive peace negotiations.

Ministers underlined their firm intention to continue to support ongoing political and economic reforms, to help the authorities tackle the important challenges that remain, and to work closely with other donors to ensure our assistance is used effectively to address the needs of the people of Burma/Myanmar in line with the Naypyitaw Accord for Effective Development Cooperation.

Ministers welcomed the resulting new opportunities for investment and development, as well as the prospects for greater transparency, accountability and prosperity. They believed that new investments and development programmes should operate consistently with international environmental, business, and human rights principles and guidelines with the goal of benefiting the people. They welcomed the Government’s commitment to responsible investment in Burma/Myanmar in line with the UN Global Compact and Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Afghanistan

G8 Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their collective commitment to support Afghanistan on the path to peace and stability as it enters the ‘transformation decade’. Ministers noted that Afghanistan would continue to face many challenges, including in the field of security, and reiterated international support to the Afghan Government in overcoming them.

They welcomed the pledges of long-term support to Afghanistan by the international community, including at the Bonn Conference, the NATO Chicago Summit meetings and the Tokyo Conference. They agreed that all must meet their commitments under the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework. Ministers noted the importance of protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom, particularly of women, children and minorities, and of expanding opportunities for them to contribute to Afghanistan’s future.

The Ministers noted progress made on transition of responsibility for security. Ministers looked forward to the ANSF taking the nationwide lead for security in mid-2013. Ministers encouraged the Afghan Government to make progress on its National Drug Control Strategy, which balances law enforcement action with capacity-building and the development of sustainable alternative livelihoods. Ministers endorsed the continuing need for an international response to tackling more effectively illicit drug production, trade, trafficking and dealing with the threat of terrorism. Money from the trafficking of narcotics continues to fund insurgent activity.

The Ministers welcomed the announcement of the date for Presidential and Provincial elections in Afghanistan. It is important that the Government of Afghanistan and relevant authorities continue to work with all stakeholders and international organisations to prepare for inclusive, credible and transparent elections.

The Ministers fully supported an inclusive Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process that is based on the principles of renunciation of violence, cutting ties with all terrorist groups and respect for the Afghan Constitution including its human rights provisions, notably on the rights of women, in line with the Kabul Communiqué and the Bonn Conference Conclusions. The Ministers welcome and support efforts to strengthen regional co-operation.

Transnational challenges and opportunities

Cyber

G8 Foreign Ministers agreed that a safe, open and accessible Internet is an essential tool for our societies and economies. They agreed that it promotes prosperity, freedom, democracy and human rights. They also acknowledged the importance of the Internet in helping all nations to benefit from the potential for economic growth and innovation. Ministers recognised that this potential is reliant on availability, trust and security – which are essential for developed and developing countries alike.

Ministers noted that, since the Deauville G8 Declaration on a Renewed Commitment for Freedom and Democracy in 2011, there had been a wide range of welcome initiatives in various international fora. They highlighted in particular the work of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security (UNGGE). Ministers encouraged the UNGGE to reach consensus on substantive recommendations on norms of responsible state behaviour and confidence building measures, including capacity building, as an essential element of international stability.

Ministers affirmed that international law is relevant in the digital world as it is off-line. They further affirmed the need to take steps to promote transparency and confidence building measures in order to reduce the risk of misperceptions between states.

Ministers agreed on the importance of international capacity building efforts to enhance trust, strengthen the fight against cyber crime and improve the security of the global digital environment. They noted that capacity building required the full participation of governments, business and civil society. Ministers agreed to promote and advance international cyber security capacity building initiatives to encourage a wide range of partners, including industry, to deliver increased and more effective capacity building across the globe.

Ministers agreed that cyber security capacity-building in this area needs to be embedded in the wider context of the economic growth and social benefits derived from the global digital economy. They also agreed to ensure that these efforts are implemented in a way which promotes openness, trust and security, stability and the rule of law in the digital realm.

Ministers welcomed the efforts by the Roma-Lyon High Tech Crime Sub Group (HTCSG) to strengthen and expand the G8 24/7 Network of Contact Points, including through a sustained training initiative. Ministers encouraged all future Presidencies to continue these efforts.

Climate Change

Climate change remains a key global challenge which, if not controlled, would have dramatic consequences not only on the environment but also on economic prosperity. G8 Ministers recognised climate change as a contributing factor to increased economic and security risks globally. The G8 agreed to consider means to better respond to this challenge and its associated risks, recalling that international climate policy and sustainable economic development are mutually reinforcing. Officials from interested G8 countries will meet to consider the potential consequences of climate change and associated environmental and resource stresses as a contributing factor to increased security risks globally, and report to Foreign Ministers.

Ministers recognised the ambitious measures already undertaken to reduce greenhouse gases, noting that action needs to continue and intensify as a matter of urgency. Ministers remain committed to long term efforts with a view to limiting effectively the increase in global average temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, consistent with science. The G8 remain fully committed to the UNFCCC process; to achieving, by 2015, a new climate change agreement, applicable to all Parties, which will come into effect and be implemented from 2020; to increase mitigation ambition in the pre-2020 timeframe, including through international cooperative initiatives such as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition; and to the developed countries’ goal of mobilising jointly USD 100bn per year by 2020, from a wide variety of public and private sources, in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation. Ministers stressed the importance of transparency in the UNFCCC process. Measurement, reporting and verification will play a key role with respect to mitigation, adaptation and international climate finance flows in order to measure progress towards the achievement of our goals.

Maritime Security

G8 Foreign Ministers recognised the importance of maritime security as a critical enabler of regional stability, economic development, trade and international prosperity. Maritime insecurity affects the international community as a whole and, as such, can only be effectively addressed through a comprehensive national and international approach. Ministers remain committed to the freedom of navigation, unimpeded lawful commerce, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with applicable international law including UNCLOS.

Ministers, firmly condemning acts of piracy and other maritime crime, expressed their continued commitment to pursue international cooperation to combat these threats remaining consistent with international law and internationally recognised principles of jurisdiction in international waters. Ministers noted the importance of continuing work to develop and support regional maritime security capability, increase capacity to prosecute maritime crime, and maximise economic potential from the maritime domain through frameworks like the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, Friends of the Gulf of Guinea and Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.

Human Rights

G8 Foreign Ministers emphasised the importance of promoting and protecting all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of women, freedom of religion or belief, and the freedoms of expression and association.

Ministers reiterated the need to accelerate efforts to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in order to ensure their equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Ministers expressed concern for the continuing practice of early and forced marriage.

Counter Terrorism

G8 Foreign Ministers reiterated their absolute condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They noted the evolving nature of the terrorist threat, which was increasingly fragmented and geographically diverse, and the increasing use in some areas of the world of kidnapping for ransom as a growing source of terrorist financing. Ministers remained concerned about the threat posed by al-Qaeda and affiliated groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and other countries, and noted the increased threat of terrorism in North and West Africa, as demonstrated by recent events in Algeria, Mali and Nigeria; they also noted new radicalisation trends and related terrorist risks; which will be examined in more detail by the G8 Roma-Lyon Group and its expert-level sub-groups dealing with transnational organised crime and terrorism.

Ministers reiterated the importance of continued international support for those countries facing a terrorist threat, including through assistance to build the capacity of their security and justice systems to identify, disrupt and prosecute terrorist activity, while respecting human rights and humanitarian law and ensuring safe operations of foreign investment which is a valuable source of growth for those countries. They noted the efforts of the United Nations and its Security Council, and of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, in this regard. They further emphasised the importance of regional co-operation in tackling terrorist groups that move across borders and exploit local and regional issues to their own ends. Ministers underlined the need for further implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, based on the comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism combining security, diplomatic and development efforts to counter violent extremism and to deprive the terrorists of resources and support and to tackle the conditions and grievances that terrorists seek to exploit.

Illicit Drugs

G8 Foreign Ministers are concerned by the scale of the problem of illicit drug production, trade and trafficking and its harmful consequences for individuals, societies and States, as well as regional and international stability. They reiterated their commitment to the balanced and evidence based approach set out in the three United Nations conventions on the control of drugs (1961, 1971 and 1988). They recognised the need for increased political impetus and a stronger mobilisation of the international community within that legal framework and support further steps to implement the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption.

Ministers underlined the crucial importance of intensified cooperation among States on the basis of common and shared responsibility and a balanced comprehensive approach tackling both demand and supply of illicit drugs.