WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT ON NSA SUSAN RICE'S MEETING WITH CHINESE GENERAL FAN CHANGLONG

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
June 12, 2015
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Ned Price on National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice’s Meeting with General Fan Changlong

National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice met on June 12 with General Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, at the White House.  Ambassador Rice and General Fan agreed to strengthen coordination in developing a more sustained and productive military-to-military relationship.  They reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation in addressing regional and global challenges, including by increasing coordination in the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster response.  Ambassador Rice underscored the importance of strengthening risk reduction measures and narrowing areas of disagreement, including on maritime and cyber issues.

SAMANTHA POWER'S REMARKS ON HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SYRIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Samantha Power
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
New York, NY
February 26, 2015
AS DELIVERED

Thank you. Thank you, Assistant Secretary-General Kang, High Commissioner Guterres for your powerful presentations.

One year ago, the Security Council adopted resolution 2139, aimed at addressing the humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in Syria. As today’s briefings made clear, the humanitarian crises have only deepened – there are multiple crises.

It is estimated that 12.2 million people need humanitarian assistance in Syria. At this time last year, 9.3 million people were said to need humanitarian assistance. That’s nearly three million more people who need aid to survive, in just a year. Think about that.

That is why it is absolutely crucial that all donors make generous commitments at the Humanitarian Pledging Conference in Kuwait in March, commitments that are commensurate with the magnitude of Syria’s crisis – this is what the United States plans to do.

While the international community absolutely must meet the immediate and dire needs of the Syrian people, we must also face the fact that humanitarian assistance is a band aid, it must be accompanied by more intense political pressure to stop the violence and widespread abuses that are fueling the crisis. Although more people in Syria need humanitarian aid than ever before, the Assad regime also seems more intent on denying aid and causing civilian harm than ever before.

Security Council resolution 2139 called on the Syrian parties to immediately cease the indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas, including through aerial bombardment using barrel bombs. Yet in the year since the resolution was adopted, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Assad regime has dropped at least 1,950 barrel bombs, which have killed at least 6,480 people, 95 percent of whom were civilians. According to Human Rights Watch, the report released earlier this week, satellite imagery identified at least 450 distinct major damage sites in ten opposition-held towns and villages in the Daraa governorate, and more than 1,000 major damage sites in the Aleppo governorate, between February 2014 and January of this year.

The Human Rights Watch report shows that many impact sites have damage signatures consistent with the detonation of large, air-dropped munitions, including improvised barrel and conventional bombs dropped by helicopters. Yet in spite of this clear evidence, Assad cheerfully denied that his forces used barrel bombs and called any such claims, “a childish story”– a particularly grotesque choice of words, given that well over 10,000 children have been killed in the conflict so far.

The recently released UN Commission of Inquiry report on Syria documents many attacks on civilians. One of them occurred on Aleppo’s al-Shaar neighbourhood on November 6th. The first barrel bomb reportedly killed civilians in its area of impact, and buried more in rubble. When others rushed to the area to dig out the people buried and assist the wounded, the government dropped a second barrel bomb. At least 15 people were killed in all, most of them women and children. Some of the wounded later died in field hospitals, according to the report, due to the lack of necessary medical supplies.

The lack of medical supplies is no accident – it is the result of the Assad regime’s routine confiscation of medical and surgical supplies transported by UN convoys. The UN and its implementing partners have tried to be maximally transparent with the Syrian regime by allowing the government to inspect cross-line shipments, going beyond the provisions in Security Council resolutions 2165 and 2191. Yet, even when these “regime approvals” for cross-line operations are granted, the regime seizes medical supplies such as surgical items, midwifery kits and rehydration kits, which could save the lives of mothers, small children, and babies. The Council was clear in its demand that all parties allow delivery of medical assistance and cease depriving civilians of food and medicine indispensable for their survival in resolution 2139.

The Physicians for Human Rights report that Assistant Secretary-General Kang mentioned documented 228 attacks on 179 separate medical facilities. Of these, PHR found, 90 percent were carried out by regime forces. To date, according to Physicians for Human Rights, 145 medical personnel have been executed or tortured to death in Syria. One hundred and thirty-nine of those 145 individuals, those deaths were carried out by Syrian government forces or by ISIL.

In Yarmouk, 18,000 civilians – most of them Palestinians refugees – are virtually cut off from assistance and surrounded by fighting. In 2014, the UN was only able to provide the equivalent of 400 calories a day for each inhabitant of Yarmouk – the equivalent of two cups of rice – due to the extremely limited access provided by the Syrian regime. If you haven’t seen the photos of the kids inside Yarmouk, you should force yourself to stare at their sunken, hollow faces and glossed eyes. This is what Assad’s regime has done to children, and he is under insufficient pressure from his backers to do something as simple as let food through. And Yarmouk is not an outlier. Of the 212,000 Syrians living in besieged areas, 185,000 of them, or 87 percent, live in areas being besieged by Syrian government forces.

Now, terrorist groups like ISIL have committed horrific abuses against Syrians, and we must be absolutely adamant and united in our condemnation of those horrors, which are on the rise. We condemn in the strongest possible terms ISIL’s attacks on February 23 on Assyrian Christian villages in the northeast Syrian province of Hasakeh, where they kidnapped hundreds of civilians, including women, children, and older persons, and we join others in demanding the immediate and unconditional release of these civilians, together with all of ISIL’s hostages.

In December, four mass graves were discovered in Deir ez-Zor, containing the bodies of some of the hundreds of people abducted by ISIL months before. ISIL has also established what they call “cub camps,” where they indoctrinate kids, teaching them how to use weapons and to carry out suicide attacks. At the same time we condemn ISIL and unite to confront them, we must remember that the rise of these violent extremist groups in Syria would not have happened without the atrocities perpetrated by the Assad regime. And the regime’s ongoing atrocities continue to be the extremists’ best recruiting tool. So any plan that would ally the international community with Assad to confront these violent extremist groups would be completely counterproductive, as it would further fuel ISIL’s rise.

There is only one way out of this horrific crisis, and that is through a comprehensive political solution. To that end, the United States again joins others in commending the efforts of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to halt – even for a limited time – the use of all aerial bombs and heavy artillery in Aleppo, whose civilians have suffered immensely amidst fierce fighting. While it would be a welcome step if the Assad regime were to fulfill the commitments it made to de Mistura to stop unilaterally its aerial bombardment in Aleppo and allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians for six weeks, the regime has an abysmal track record on honoring its commitments. Indeed, these very commitments are supposed to have been implemented under resolutions adopted by this very Council. So what matters, and what we must look to, are the regime’s actions.

In addition to being a year since the adoption of Resolution 2139, we also mark other terrible benchmarks today. On March 15th, we will enter the fifth year of the Syrian conflict. And it has been three years since plain-clothes security officers raided the office of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression – a Damascus-based group dedicated to promoting freedom of expression – detaining 14 staff members. Many of those detained were tortured, according to staff members who were later released. Among those detained was the group’s director, Mazen Darwish, who was charged with so-called crimes, such as publishing human rights reports and documenting the names of people tortured, disappeared, or killed during the conflict.

Mazen is still behind bars today, despite a UN General Assembly resolution last May that included a demand for his immediate release. Writing from jail last year, Mazen said, “There is not a single prison in Syria today without one of my friends inside it, nor is there a cemetery in Syria today that doesn’t contain the remains of one of them.”

There is a risk, in our regular meetings on Syria, to get used to the fact that the numbers of individuals detained and killed and disappeared and displaced and denied food – and so many other measures of human suffering – those numbers continue to rise. Indeed, there is a perverse dynamic whereby, as those numbers continue to rise, our sensitivity falls. Our nerve endings harden, and a sense of inevitability takes hold.

We must not let that happen. We must remember each of those rising numbers, each one of those millions, stands for just another person. We must return to the commitments this Council has made, such as those in past resolutions to take further measures in the case of non-compliance and to hold accountable those responsible for violations and abuses.

This Council’s impact will increase only if member-states’ positions change. And that will happen only if we recognize that there are children just like our own starving in Yarmouk, and mothers just like our own who die in childbirth in Aleppo, because medical supplies have been stolen off UN trucks; or mothers who feel helpless in the face of their children’s pleas for food. If this doesn’t motivate us, literally nothing will. Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LETTER REGARDING WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Letter from the President -- War Powers Resolution Regarding Iraq

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE

September 1, 2014

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

As I reported on August 8 and 17, 2014, U.S. Armed Forces have conducted targeted airstrikes in Iraq for the limited purposes of stopping the advance on Erbil by the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), supporting civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar, and supporting operations by Iraqi forces to recapture the Mosul Dam. U.S. Armed Forces have also provided humanitarian assistance to the civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar.

On August 28, 2014, I further authorized U.S. Armed Forces to conduct targeted airstrikes in support of an operation to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in the town of Amirli, Iraq, which is surrounded and besieged by ISIL. Pursuant to this authorization, on August 30, 2014, U.S. military forces commenced targeted airstrike operations in the vicinity of Amirli, Iraq. These additional operations will be limited in their scope and duration as necessary to address this emerging humanitarian crisis and protect the civilians trapped in Amirli.

I have directed these actions, which are in the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. These actions are being undertaken in coordination with and at the request of the Iraqi government.

I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in this action.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

REMARKS: SECRETARY KERRY WITH SUDANESE PRESIDENT SALVA KIIR

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Before Their Meeting

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

August 5, 2014

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SECRETARY KERRY: It’s my pleasure to welcome President Kiir of South Sudan. The president and I have visited many times there and here, and I’ve had the privilege of being with him at the moment that the referendum took place that gave birth to the nation of South Sudan. This is a very timely meeting because right now South Sudan is suffering the fate of being the most food-insecure nation in the world as a consequence of manmade circumstances. There is a struggle going on, which has been going on for some time, in which innocent civilians are caught up. And President Kiir has agreed – along with the former Vice President Riek Machar – to negotiate, and ultimately to engage in the creation of a unity transition government.
That transition government needs to be negotiated, and the neighbor countries – Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia – have been deeply involved together even with Sudan in trying to help bring parties together and see if we can’t resolve this in a peaceful way. So our hope is that we can have a discussion today that helps to clarify the road ahead, to try to minimize the violence. There is a commission of inquiry on what has been happening on the ground. It’s very important for us to figure out how that will also figure into the future here.

The most important thing, and I know President Kiir agrees with this, is to make sure that the people are able to find security, and hopefully that we’re able to get food, medicine, humanitarian assistance to people at a time of huge need. And I look forward to my conversation with the president this morning.

Mr. President, if you want to say anything.

PRESIDENT KIIR: Well, thank you very much, Honorable Secretary, and it’s my pleasure to be in Washington at this moment, and on bilateral issues and for your also involvement in the issues of our country. The situation in South Sudan today, of course, on the ground it is not as been reported in the media. And if the two sides – that is the government and the rebels – were forthcoming, all of them, this thing could have been resolved a long time back. But we get difficulty on the side of the rebels. We signed the cessation of hostilities with the leader of the rebels in May on the 9th, which he did not respect. We again met in June and we signed another recommitment, cessation of hostilities on the 10th of June, but they did not abide with all these agreements.

I always say that Riek Machar is not in control of what he calls his army. And so each commanders in different areas are operating on their own. I want to repeat what I said in that meeting, the last meeting. I told the press that if peace was to be brought to South Sudan today or tomorrow, I will be happy because the people who are dying on both sides are my people. I am an elected president, and the people who elected me were not from my tribe. I was elected by all the people of South Sudan. So other people die in support of Riek Machar or is my support – these are all my people.

Those who are in need of humanitarian assistance can be served anywhere, wherever they are. This is still my position today, that if there is any humanitarian assistance, that ought to be delivered to the people who are affected. This thing has – can go unhindered. And it has been happening that humanitarian assistance has been going to the areas affected by this conflict. I’m hopeful that we are going to find a solution very soon to that conflict. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Mr. President. I just want the record to be clear that it is our judgment – and the former Vice President Mr. Machar needs to understand this – that he has broken – it was his initiative that broke the agreement and took his troops back into a violent status. And he needs to understand the importance of living by the agreements. In my conversations with the prime minister of Ethiopia, who made it clear this is his judgment also, he needs to understand the international community is going to be impatient with those breaches.

So what we’re looking for is the fulfillment of the agreement, which means moving to a transition government that heals the wounds and brings people together. And we have said before and I reiterate now that the president is the duly elected, constitutional president of South Sudan, and this is a rebel group. Nevertheless, it needs to understand the importance of adhering to international agreements and the importance of bringing this to a negotiated conclusion and path forward.

So I hope today we can find a way to get back to these talks in a serious way, Mr. President, and I thank you very, very much for your statement and for being here to join us for this conversation. Thank you all very much.

SECRETARY KERRY'S STATEMENT ON AUTHORIZATION OF TARGETED MILITARY ACTION AGAINST ISIL

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

August 7, 2014

---

President Obama has acted expeditiously and appropriately in authorizing targeted military action and providing significant humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq at this very difficult moment when it is vitally needed.

The stakes for Iraq’s future could not be clearer, and today’s crisis underscores the stakes profoundly. ISIL’s campaign of terror against the innocent, including Yezedi and Christian minorities, and its grotesque and targeted acts of violence bear all the warning signs and hallmarks of genocide. For anyone who needed a wake-up call, this is it. ISIL is not fighting on behalf of Sunnis. ISIL is not fighting for a stronger Iraq. ISIL is fighting to divide and destroy Iraq – and ISIL is offering nothing to anyone except chaos, nihilism, and ruthless thuggery. With a gut-wrenching humanitarian crisis unfolding, and the rolls of the starving and sick growing daily, there’s not a minute to waste. The United States is acting and leading, and the world cannot sit by and watch innocents die. We will continue to coordinate with our allies in the region and the international community to assist Iraqis to confront ISIL’s brutal ideology which poses a severe threat to Iraq, the region, and the United States.

President Obama has been unequivocal that he will do what is necessary and what is in our national interest to confront ISIL and its threat to the security of the region and to our own long-term security. He has been equally clear, as I have on my visit to Iraq and in all my conversations with Iraqi and regional leaders, that the only durable way to stop ISIL is for Iraq’s real leaders to unite and form an inclusive government as rapidly as possible within their own constitutional framework, including the selection of a prime minister. Iraq’s leaders must confront the growing humanitarian and security crisis with the urgency that it demands. They must do so knowing that ISIL finds an inadvertent, unwitting ally in any delay in the political process inside Iraq. Only ISIL wins if Iraqi political leaders avoid making tough choices rapidly to tip the balance in favor of inclusive and effective governance.

The safety and security of our men and women serving overseas is fundamental. Every day we wrestle with difficult choices to keep our people safe. I will remain closely engaged with Ambassador Beecroft, Deputy Assistant Secretary McGurk, and our team on the ground as we work to ensure that our personnel in Erbil, Baghdad, and across Iraq are secure.

NSC SPOKESPERSON'S STATEMENT ON ASSISTANCE TO SOUTH SUDAN

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE  

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on Additional Humanitarian Assistance for South Sudan

,
In advance of tomorrow’s South Sudan pledging conference in Oslo, Norway, today the President authorized the use of up to $50 million in assistance from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund to help address urgent humanitarian needs resulting from the crisis in South Sudan.  The $50 million will support the UN High Commission for Refugees and its partners as they urgently expand assistance to help the more than 300,000 refugees that have crossed into Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda, as well as to provide critical household items, shelter support, and protection services to internally displaced persons in South Sudan.

Months of conflict between the Government of South Sudan and rebel forces have exacted a terrible toll on the people of South Sudan.  More than 1.3 million people have been displaced, and the country is now at risk of famine unless humanitarian agencies are able to scale up relief efforts and access those in need.  Even as we continue our intensive effort to end the violence, we are working to meet the humanitarian needs of the South Sudanese people.  The $50 million in additional Emergency Refugee and Assistance Funds the President authorized today will form part of a package of nearly $300 million in additional assistance the U.S. delegation will formally pledge tomorrow in Oslo, bringing total U.S. humanitarian assistance since the start of the conflict in December 2013 to approximately $433.6 million.

READOUT: NSA ADVISOR RICE'S MEETING WITH SYRIAN OPPOSITION PRESIDENT JARBA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY 

May 13, 2014

Readout of National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice's Meeting with Syrian Opposition Coalition President Ahmad Jarba

This afternoon, President Obama joined National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s meeting with Syrian Opposition Coalition President Ahmad Jarba and the Coalition delegation.  President Obama and Ambassador Rice reaffirmed that Bashar al-Assad has lost all legitimacy to rule Syria and has no place in Syria’s future.  Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a political solution to the conflict that includes a transition to a new governing authority.  President Obama welcomed the Coalition’s leadership and constructive approach to dialogue, and encouraged the Coalition to further its vision for an inclusive government that represents all of the people of Syria.  President Jarba thanked President Obama for U.S. non-lethal assistance, which totals $287 million and supports the Coalition, local communities inside Syria, and the moderate armed opposition.  He also thanked the United States for being the largest donor of humanitarian assistance.  The $1.7 billion committed by the United States goes to those in need inside of Syria and in neighboring countries.

The President and Ambassador Rice condemned the Assad regime’s deliberate targeting of Syrian civilians through aerial bombardments—including the use of barrel bombs—and the denial of food and humanitarian assistance to civilians located in areas under siege by the regime.  They emphasized the responsibility of the Syrian regime to provide rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian assistance.  The delegations also discussed the risks posed by growing extremism in Syria and agreed on the need to counter terrorist groups on all sides of the conflict.

President Obama and Ambassador Rice emphasized the illegitimacy of the regime’s plans to hold elections and underscored that the United States stands with the moderate opposition and the Syrian people in their efforts to end the conflict and facilitate a political transition.

HAGEL URGES U.S., CANADA, MEXICO WORK TOGETHER ON THREAT ASSESSMENT AND CYBERSECURITY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Right:  Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel lays a wreath with Mexican Ministers of National Defense Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda and Adm. Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz at the Squadron 201 Memorial in Mexico City, April 24, 2014. Hagel participated in the wreath-laying ceremony after attending the second North American Defense Ministerial trilateral meeting among defense ministers of Mexico, Canada and the United States to discuss issues of mutual importance. DOD Photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo.  

Hagel Urges Trilateral Work for Threat Assessment, Cybersecurity
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, April 25, 2014 – At the second North American Defense Ministerial, with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urged a quick start to trilateral work on continental threat assessment and cybersecurity, and closer work among the three nations on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The secretary also offered to host the next defense ministerial in Washington in 2016 to continue the important trilateral dialogue.

Meeting in Mexico City yesterday during his first forum with Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson and Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda and Naval Secretary Adm. Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz, Hagel observed in prepared remarks that a dynamic defense partnership that builds on successes and shared interests, and respects sovereignty concerns, will create a more resilient North America.

“Our presence here today and our commitment to advancing our defense partnership is a recognition that together we can more effectively address the complex security threats facing our countries,” the secretary said during the ministerial plenary session.

Beginning with common challenges, Hagel said the ministers should support a Canadian proposal to produce a digest of collective defense activities and policies.

Similar to an effort begun after the inaugural 2012 North American Defense Ministerial to develop an updated continental threat assessment, he added, such a digest could provide a starting point to coordinate efforts to avoid duplication and maximize scarce resources.

The initial effort to develop a continental threat assessment was a good start to identifying common threats and interests, the secretary said.

“There is merit to updating that assessment to reflect current and future threats and deepen our understanding of our security challenges. I propose that we establish a working group to provide principals an updated, non-binding, continental threat assessment within a year after this ministerial,” Hagel said. “It’s something we can assess when we next meet at the ministerial level.”

Cybersecurity is another common challenge that knows no borders, the secretary said.
Each U.S. defense institution works individually to address potential cyber threats, he said, adding that the Defense Department has worked to elevate the importance of cybersecurity in the National Security Strategy.

In its recently released Quadrennial Defense Review, the department said it would dedicate more resources to cybersecurity, Hagel noted.

“While our defense institutions do not have the lead in our respective countries for cybersecurity, we all share a common interest in [protecting] military communications,” the secretary said. “I propose that we establish a cyber working group to identify potential opportunities to work together to share best practices and lessons learned.”

On humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Hagel said natural disasters also recognize no national borders and defense institutions provide critical support to lead civilian agencies under such circumstances.

“Each of our nations faces constrained defense budgets [but] the demand for military support to civilian agencies continues to increase as we experience more frequent and larger-scale natural disasters,” the secretary said.

“This was a key … subject of discussion at the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or] ASEAN Defense Ministers meeting I attended earlier this month in Hawaii. We are making important progress with our Southeast Asian partners in coordinating military responses to disasters,” Hagel told the ministers, “and I am pleased that we are beginning to do the same in our hemisphere.”

Recalling relief efforts after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2004 Indonesian 9.1-magnitude earthquake whose Indian Ocean tsunami killed as many as 230,000 people, the secretary said these natural disasters demonstrate the challenges any one country faces in trying to meet enormous demands for humanitarian assistance in the wake of such events.

The capabilities and experience militaries collectively bring in response to natural disasters can’t be overstated, he added.

“I would like to see our three countries work more closely together in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Hagel said.

“We should commit to focusing attention on developing our capacity to coordinate, with a goal of maximizing our resources,” the secretary added. “This is an area that would benefit from establishment of a permanent working group tasked with identifying areas of cooperation and implementing coordination protocols as we move forward.”

During their meetings, the ministers agreed with a working group determination that combating transnational crime at the strategic level is best addressed by the security group under the North American Leaders Summit process.
But, Hagel said, “We need to ensure that coordination at the tactical and operational levels continues.”

A Canadian proposal to establish and serve as the initial chair of a permanent secretariat was an important step toward institutionalizing the North American Defense Ministerial, Hagel said.

As members of a regional organization, the secretary said, the ministers should work individually to strengthen hemispheric forums such as the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Defense Board, an international committee of defense officials who develop collaborative approaches on defense and security issues facing North, Central and South American countries, and the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas, created in 1995 to provide a forum of debate for Northern Hemisphere countries.

“The upcoming October conference of defense ministers in Peru will address hemispheric defense cooperation in key areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, search and rescue, and military health,” Hagel added.

After the meeting, in comments to the press, Hagel said, “These kinds of dialogues and conferences are important for many reasons but especially important it gives the ministers themselves an opportunity to personally exchange ideas and thoughts about our world, about our common interests and about our common challenges.”
The secretary said he and the other ministers have tasked their defense agencies to go forward and put together plans and programs based on initiatives agreed to during the meeting.

After the ministerial, Hagel joined Zepeda and Sanz at a somber wreath-laying ceremony for some of the 250,000 Mexican citizens who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II.

The memorial to El Escuadron 201 in Mexico City's Chapultepec Park celebrates the 36 experienced combat pilots and the 250 or so electricians, mechanics, radiomen and armament specialists who made up the ground crew of Mexican Fighter Squadron 201, called the Aztec Eagles, who fought alongside U.S. troops in the last months of World War II in Europe.

The squadron left Mexico for the United States in July 1944 and received five months or more of training at facilities around the country. It was the first time Mexican troops had been trained for overseas combat.

The 300 volunteers of the Aztec Eagles were attached to the U.S. Army Air Forces 5th Air Force's 58th Fighter Group during the liberation of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the summer of 1945.

The pilots flew P-47D "Thunderbolt" single-seat fighter aircraft, carrying out tactical air-support missions, according to a 2003 American Forces Press Service article and interview with former Aztec Eagles pilot, retired Mexican air force Col. Carlos Garduno, who said the pilots flew close-air support missions for American and Filipino infantry troops on the ground.

The Aztec Eagles flew 59 combat missions, totaling more than 1,290 hours of flight time, participating in the allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa, now Taiwan, to push the Japanese out of those islands.

Immediately after the wreath-laying ceremony, Hagel told a press gathering that the memorial is “a pretty special monument to a country that participated with the allies, with the United States, in World War II.”

He added, “[It was] a brave thing that Mexico did. The service rendered, represented by this memorial, should be remembered.”

The secretary said he was honored to be part of the ceremony and shared a personal connection to the Aztec Eagles and their service to the nation.
“I know what memorials mean to countries and how they reflect their history and their sacrifices, Hagel said. “In fact, the 201st … that represented the expeditionary force of Mexico was attached to an Army Air Corps unit in the Pacific that my father served in, in World War II, with the 13th Army Air Corps.
“So I have some family and special recognition as to what this unit meant and also a personal appreciation,” he continued. “And on behalf of the United States I want to thank the country of Mexico for their contributions to all of our efforts in World War II.”

DEFENSE COOPERATION DISCUSSED AT PENTAGON BY U.S., SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

U.S., Japan, South Korea Meet on Defense Cooperation

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2014 – The United States, Japan and the South Korea held what officials called “a productive, substantial meeting” at the Pentagon to promote trilateral defense cooperation.

The two days of meetings, which wrapped up today, grew out of the trilateral summit hosted by President Barack Obama in The Hague on March 25.
In a joint statement summarizing the meeting, officials said the three nations reaffirmed that they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state and that they agreed to coordinate closely to deter North Korean provocations.
The three countries also reaffirmed the necessity for a coordinated response and close cooperation with the international community with respect to the threat to international security posed by the North Korea's nuclear, ballistic missile, and proliferation programs, the statement said.

In addition, the three countries shared the understanding of the importance of cooperating on nontraditional security issues such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and counterpiracy, and discussed additional ways to cooperate in these areas.

Mark Lippert, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s chief of staff; Yoo Jeh-seung, deputy minister for policy in South Korea’s Defense Ministry; and Hideshi Tokuchi, director-general of the Japanese Defense Ministry's Defense Policy Bureau, headed the delegations for the meetings.

READOUT: VP BIDEN'S MEETING WITH DIDIER BURKHALTER, PRESIDENT OF SWISS CONFEDERATION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Readout of Vice President Biden’s Meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation and Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Didier Burkhalter

Vice President Biden met today with the President of the Swiss Confederation and Chairperson-in-Office for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Didier Burkhalter, to discuss regional and bilateral issues of concern.  The two leaders consulted on the current situation in Ukraine, including what support the United States and the OSCE could offer to help return the country to peace and stability, to ensure justice and accountability, and to strengthen democratic institutions as Ukrainians chart their future course.  The Vice President praised the strong and important friendship between our two countries and expressed deep appreciation for Switzerland’s continued protection of U.S. interests in Iran and Cuba.  The Vice President and President Burkhalter discussed opportunities for continued cooperation across our shared agenda, including on non-proliferation, countering violent extremism, development and humanitarian assistance.   Finally, given shared interest in strengthening workforce skills, the Vice President and President Burkhalter discussed vocational and other job skills training efforts in both countries.

THE WHITE HOUSE CONDEMNS ONGOING AIR ASSAULT IN SYRIA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Statement by Press Secretary Jay Carney on the Ongoing Air Assaults by the Syrian Government

The United States condemns the ongoing air assault by Syrian government forces on civilians, including the indiscriminate use of SCUD missiles and barrel bombs in and around Aleppo over the last week. The attacks over the weekend killed more than 300 people, many of them children. The Syrian government must respect its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect the civilian population. The Syrian government must fulfill its November commitment to do more to facilitate the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, so that millions of Syrian men, women, and children have access to urgently needed services. To bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end, it is imperative that Syrians reach a comprehensive and durable political solution to end the crisis in Syria. The United States remains committed to advancing a political settlement to help end the bloodshed in Syria.

RECENT U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTOS FROM TACLOBAN, PHILIPPINES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
A sign displays thanks to all agencies involved in relief and recovery efforts in Tacloban, Philippines, Nov. 23, 2013. U.S. troops, multiple government agencies, international aid groups and militaries assisted in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to affected areas throughout the island nation following Typhoon Haiyan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Master Sgt. Antoine Robinson.

A van is abandoned in the middle of a swamp outside of Tacloban, Philippines, Nov. 23, 2013. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Master Sgt. Antoine Robinson.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS ON INTERNATIONAL MISSION IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Support for the African Union International Support Mission in the Central African Republic
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
November 20, 2013

I am deeply concerned by the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic and the deplorable levels of violence and lawlessness that affect millions of people every day. In the continuing aftermath of the March 2013 overthrow of the government by the Seleka rebel alliance, militia groups are now organizing themselves along increasingly sectarian lines and engaging in a cycle of retaliatory abuses against civilians. At this moment, the United States sees no evidence that the CAR transitional government has the capacity or political will to end the violence, especially the abuses committed by elements of the Seleka rebel alliance that are affiliated with the government.

Pending notification to the United States Congress, the Department of State plans to provide $40 million in assistance to MISCA, the African Union-led peacekeeping mission in the CAR, to help protect civilians and provide security throughout the country. This assistance may provide logistical backing, non-lethal equipment, training, and planning support. In the immediate term, we believe that MISCA is the best mechanism to help quickly address the ongoing violence in the CAR and prevent further atrocities. MISCA is also in the best position to help establish an environment that allows for the provision of humanitarian assistance and an eventual political transition to a democratically elected government.

There are nearly 400,000 internally displaced persons and over 220,000 CAR refugees in neighboring countries, including approximately 68,000 new refugees who have fled in recent months. In the past year, the U.S. government has provided more than $24 million in humanitarian assistance to support programs that provide food, health services, and other aid in the CAR. We have also provided an additional $6 million in humanitarian assistance to specifically support new Central African refugees.

We call on the region and the international community to support and fully deploy MISCA in order to restore security in the country, and we will continue to work with others in the region and the international community to implement a credible political transition and assist the people of the CAR who have suffered so greatly in this conflict.

DOD TOUTS UNFOLDING U.S.-CHINESE MILITARY RELATIONS

China.  Credit:  U.S. State Department/CIA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Officials Map Next Steps in U.S.-Chinese Military Relations
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2013 - U.S. and Chinese officials mapped the next steps in the military-to-military relationship between their nations at the 14th annual defense consultative talks that ended in Beijing yesterday.

James N. Miller, the undersecretary of defense for policy, met with Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff. The two men last met in July.

"We're engaging the Chinese in a number of channels, ... and we are working to build cooperation in areas of mutual interest," Miller told reporters following the meeting. "We're also discussing our differences and working to narrow them where we can. Where we can't narrow the differences, at least we can understand each other's perspectives better, and we're working to reduce the chances of misunderstanding and miscalculations."

The United States and China are the world's two largest economies. The consultative talks on defense "looked for ways to build strategic trust and look for opportunities to build on cooperation in areas of mutual interest," Miller said. This includes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping and maritime safety, to name just a few, he added.

The talks sought to capitalize on recent cooperation. Last month, Chinese and U.S. forces completed a counterpiracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden, Miller noted, and China already has announced it will participate in the RIMPAC 2014 exercise in the Pacific Rim. The U.S. and Chinese teams also discussed the Chinese participating in other exercises, including multinational exercises such as Cobra Gold 2014, he said.

The talks covered maritime security in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and the two sides exchanged views on cyber, space, nuclear policy and missile defense" Miller said.

"I emphasized our grave concerns reference North Korea's nuclear and missile developments," the undersecretary said. "We called on China to pressure North Korea to return to a process of credible and authentic negotiations aimed at denuclearization."

U.S. PROVIDES ADDITIONAL $19 MILLION IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR SYRIAN PEOPLE

Photo:  Roman Ruins In Syria.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Announces Additional Funding in Response to Syria Crisis
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
February 19, 2013
　

Today in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Syria Humanitarian Forum, U.S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Nancy Lindborg announced that the United States is providing an additional $19 million in humanitarian assistance in response to urgent needs emanating from the brutal conflict in Syria. On January 29, President Obama announced an additional $155 million to help those suffering inside Syria and refugees in the neighboring countries. Today’s announcement brings the United States total contribution of humanitarian support in response to this crisis to nearly $385 million.

U.S. funding has helped train nearly 875 medical personnel, treat over 410,000 patients, and perform over 29,000 surgeries in Syria. This new funding will provide additional medical supplies and emergency medical care for those in need in Syria.

This additional funding will also allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue providing life-saving assistance, in particular rehabilitation and upkeep of water and sanitation systems, provision of medical care, and the distribution of food and non-food items in all of Syria’s 14 governorates, including in opposition-controlled and contested areas. ICRC’s reputation as a neutral and independent actor continues to help gain access and outreach to those affected by conflict; this role is essential in any conflict.

This funding will also provide food vouchers for more than 50,000 additional Syrian refugees in Jordan. The vouchers can be redeemed for approved items at designated local markets. Given that many of these refugees are living in host communities and not in camp settings, voucher assistance provides beneficiaries with the dignity and freedom of selecting what is best for their families while also stimulating the local economy.

The United States remains committed to supporting humanitarian assistance for all those in need inside Syria and to working with a wide range of international partners and Syrian humanitarian organizations whose dedicated staff are taking great risks to ensure aid is directly reaching those in need. The U.S. Government is coordinating closely with the Syrian Opposition Coalition in helping identify and reach those in need of humanitarian assistance where access is constrained.

Over 870,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring countries since the beginning of the conflict. Just since January 1, over one-quarter of a million Syrians have fled the country, with the majority seeking refuge in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. Nearly $170 million of our assistance is provided to help those seeking refuge in these countries.

The United States recognizes and applauds the generosity of the governments and people of Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, who continue to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence, and we urge them to continue doing so for all those in need—including Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. We also express appreciation to all countries, including Iraq as well as countries in North Africa and Europe that are hosting and providing assistance to these vulnerable populations.

FACT SHEET ON U.S. ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Government Assistance to Syria
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

The United States supports the Syrian people’s aspirations for a Syrian-led transition to a democratic, inclusive, and peaceful Syria. The United Nations estimates that more than 60,000 Syrians have been killed in the nearly two years since unrest and violence began. In the last month alone, the number of Syrians seeking refuge in neighboring countries has risen sharply. More than 700,000 Syrians have registered as refugees since the crisis began, or are awaiting registration in neighboring countries while, inside Syria, an additional 2.5 million people remain internally displaced and 4 million people are in need of assistance. The Syrian regime has sacrificed all legitimacy in a vicious effort to cling to power. U.S. assistance includes vigorous diplomatic support of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, $365 million in humanitarian assistance to help those affected by the conflict, and over $50 million nonlethal support for local opposition councils and civil society inside Syria.

Diplomatic Support

The United States continues to support the Syrian people as the Syrian Opposition Coalition sets a course toward the peaceful, democratic, inclusive future that the people of Syria deserve. We are working with other nations to further isolate the regime and support the Syrian people’s calls for President Assad to step down. We and our international partners actively supported the efforts of the Syrian people to launch the Syrian Opposition Coalition in Doha in November 2012 and, on December 11, 2012, President Obama recognized the Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The Coalition – which includes opponents of the Assad regime from across the political and ethno-sectarian spectrum – has made real progress since its founding, and is stepping up its outreach to women, minorities, religious leaders and civil society. The Coalition has also begun to develop formal structures and plans for a democratic political transition that protects the rights, the dignity, and the aspirations of all Syrians. In Paris on January 28, more than 50 countries supporting the Syrian opposition gathered to reaffirm their commitment to provide support to the Syrian Opposition Coalition and agreed on the urgent need to increase and improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including for areas outside of regime control. On February 2, Vice President Biden met with Syrian Opposition Coalition President al-Khatib in Munich. The Vice President praised al-Khatib’s personal courage and leadership of the Coalition and urged al-Khatib to continue his efforts to maintain unity among the SOC leadership, to isolate extremist elements within the broader opposition, and to reach out to – and be inclusive of – a broad range of communities inside Syria.

Humanitarian Assistance

The United States, along with the international community, is tirelessly working to provide humanitarian aid to the innocent civilians affected by the brutal conflict in Syria. In advance of the International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait, President Obama announced an additional $155 million in humanitarian assistance for those suffering as a result of the Assad regime’s brutality. This new funding includes $10 million in humanitarian assistance to provide flour to bakeries in Aleppo previously announced on January 25.

With this new assistance, U.S. humanitarian assistance totals $365 million to help more than 1.5 million people inside Syria and the more than half a million people who have fled to the safety of neighboring countries. Over $200 million of this total goes to address critical needs inside Syria. Our assistance is providing emergency medical care and medical supplies, food aid, and winterization supplies like blankets and heaters for those affected by the crisis, both inside Syria and those now seeking refuge.

U.S. humanitarian aid is being provided throughout all 14 governorates of Syria on the basis of need. It is not branded in order to ensure the safety of aid recipients and humanitarian aid providers as well as to ensure that aid distribution is not thwarted en route. The United States is committed to using all channels to reach affected Syrians throughout the country and is working through UN, NGO, and community-based partners, as well as with the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit. The United States is also working closely with country partners in the region who have generously opened their borders.

Transition Support to the Unarmed Opposition

The United States is also providing over $50 million in nonlethal support to the unarmed Syrian opposition, including emergent local and national democratic institutions, and nonsectarian civic groups. This assistance includes training and equipment to build the capacity of a nationwide network of ethnically and religiously diverse civilian activists to link Syrian citizens with nascent governance structures. This support enhances the information security of Syrian activists, human rights organizations, and media outlets, empowers women leaders to play a more active role in transition planning and peace negotiations, and supports the psycho-social rehabilitation of Syrian refugees who are victims of torture and war. Activities sponsored by these funds enable local councils and grassroots organizations to respond to the needs of their communities and promotes constructive participation in the country’s political transition.

Over 4,000 major pieces of equipment have been provided, mostly to Damascus, Aleppo, and other areas with significant opposition presence, including communications and computer equipment, as well as generators and medical supplies, to support unarmed Syrian opposition groups strengthen civil society, media, and democratic transition planning.

Support to civil society groups and local councils includes efforts to train, equip, and build the capacity of nearly 1,500 grassroots activists, including women and youth, from over 100 opposition councils and organizations in 10 different regions of Syria; develop groups’ abilities to mobilize citizens, share information, provide community services, and undertake civic functions; support interreligious and communal dialogues and encouraging citizen participation in shaping the Syrian transition; and supporting human rights documentation and transitional justice workshops while laying the foundation for future accountability efforts.

Support to independent media projects includes assistance to community radio stations providing information for refugees about available services; training for networks of citizen journalists, bloggers, and cyberactivists to support their documentation, packaging, and dissemination of information on developments in Syria; and technical assistance and equipment to enhance the information and communications security of Syrian activists within Syria.

Assistance in support of democratic transition planning includes efforts to link unarmed opposition elements inside Syria with global supporters; support for the independent Syria Justice and Accountability Center to document human rights abuses and coordinate transitional justice and accountability efforts; technical assistance to emerging political parties; and facilitating nonsectarian Syrian activists’ participation in political and economic transition planning to promote the business community’s engagement in transition processes.