F-16'S MAY REMAIN IN JORDAN DUE TO CONCERNS OVER SYRIA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Patriots, F-16s May Remain in Jordan After Eager Lion Exercise
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2013 - The United States could leave Patriot anti-missile batteries and F-16 fighter jets in Jordan following the end of Exercise Eager Lion, a Pentagon spokesman said here today.

Jordan has requested the batteries, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has not yet reviewed it, Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters. Hagel is returning from NATO meetings in Brussels today.

"When the secretary receives the request, he will favorably consider it," Warren said. "Jordan is a strong partner with us. We have a longstanding and strong relationship with the Jordanians, and we want to do what we can to support their security requirements."

The fighting in neighboring Syria has raised concerns in Jordan. The Patriot batteries and F-16s are going to Jordan to take part in Eager Lion – an annual exercise that this year encompasses 19 nations and about 8,000 service members. It is scheduled to start June 9 and to run through June 20.

About 200 U.S. soldiers of the 1st Armored Division based at Fort Bliss, Texas, deployed to Jordan in April to provide a nucleus of command and control capabilities if the fighting in Syria spills over into Jordan. About 120,000 Syrians have fled to Jordan to escape the country's civil war.

SECREATY HAGEL VISITS JORDAN

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Places Jordan Among Most Important Middle East Partners
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

AMMAN, Jordan, April 23, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here today with Jordan's Lt. Gen. Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein and Gen. Mashal al-Zaben, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian armed forces, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in a statement.

The United States and Jordan -- which Hagel said is one of the most important U.S. partners in the region -- share concerns about the crisis in Syria and continue to consult closely on issues including chemical weapons and demands posed by the influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the violence, Little added.

During the meeting, Hagel reaffirmed the closeness of the U.S.-Jordan strategic relationship and reiterated the DOD commitment to working with the Jordanian armed forces to address common challenges, the press secretary said.

The leaders discussed Hagel's decision, announced April 17, to sustain U.S. military personnel in Jordan to foster even closer planning, improve joint readiness, and prepare for a range of scenarios, Little noted.

Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, reported to the Senate Armed Services Committee that the secretary ordered the Army deployment to help Jordanian forces defend their border with Syria. The contingent will enhance the efforts of a small U.S. military team that has been working in Jordan since last year on planning related to chemical weapons and preventing a spillover of violence across Jordan's borders, Hagel told the Senate panel.

DOD personnel and interagency partners are helping Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and other Syrian neighbors counter the threat posed by Syria's chemical weapons, Hagel said during the hearing.

The secretary, Prince Faisal and Zaben agreed to continue to work closely together to support mutual objectives, develop capacity and provide military assistance as needed to the Jordanian armed forces, Little said.

Hagel commended Jordan on its decision to keep borders open to refugees fleeing the violence in Syria, the press secretary said, adding that Jordan now hosts nearly 500,000 Syrian refugees.

In addition to about $409 million in humanitarian assistance the United States has provided to those affected by the violence in Syria, Little said, DOD has provided more than $1.2 million in goods such as food, water, medical supplies and power generators through the Jordanian armed forces to help in the care and transport of refugees coming across the border.

DOD also has provided more than $70 million to Jordan this year to help secure its borders and prevent chemical-weapons transfer, Little said.

Hagel's trip to the Middle East, which began April 20 and will end April 26, also will take the secretary to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to discuss common threats and interests in the region.

1ST ARMORED DIVISION ELEMENTS TO AID JORDANIAN MILITARY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Advance Headquarters Elements Operating in Jordan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2013 - Elements of the 1st Armored Division headquarters at Fort Bliss, Texas, are preparing for what's expected to be a year-long mission in Jordan to help the Jordanian military deal with consequences of the Syrian conflict, Army Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, the division commander, told reporters today.

Members of the element, to be led by Army Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby Jr., deputy division commander for operations, are expected to rotate during the mission, Pittard said. Details are still being worked out, he added, estimating that deployments would be in the six-month range.

About 110 soldiers will deploy from Fort Bliss, with liaison officers and other augmentees to increase the element's size closer to 200, he said.

On the ground, the element will coordinate with U.S. military forces operating in Jordan and provide assistance "in everything from humanitarian assistance to stability [operations] to other things in support of Jordan," Pittard said. The operational role, however, is expected to be "very, very limited," he said, adding that the headquarters is prepared to expand the mission and the scale of the mission as necessary.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the deployment during testimony yesterday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The contingent will enhance efforts of a small U.S. military team that has been working in Jordan since last year on planning related to chemical weapons and preventing a spillover of violence across Jordan's borders, the secretary told the Senate panel.

"These personnel will continue to work alongside Jordanian armed forces to improve readiness and prepare for a number of scenarios," he said.

Pittard reported today that the advance party already is on the ground in Jordan preparing for the mission.

The division is regionally aligned with U.S. Central Command, and Pittard and most of his headquarters staff worked alongside their Jordanian counterparts during Exercise Eager Light in October, he said. Exercise Eager Lion, also in Jordan, is slated for June. Another portion of the headquarters is in Saudi Arabia for Exercise Earnest Leader, and others will participate in Exercise Bright Star in Egypt in September, he said.

The deployment comes just two weeks after the announcement that missile defenders based at Fort Bliss would deploy to Guam as a precautionary move to protect against North Korean missiles.
Members of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense System battery deployed last week and are in place and operational in Guam, Pittard reported.

"They are well-trained and ready, and the capability they bring will certainly help to protect our country," he said.

Pittard said he's proud that Fort Bliss "has really become one of our premier installations" in the expeditionary Army.

SECRETARY HAGEL WARNS CONGRESS OF CONSEQUENCES FROM U.S. DIRECT INTERVENTION IN SYRIA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Orders Unit to Jordan, Warns About Intervention in Syria
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced today the deployment of an Army headquarters element to help Jordanian forces defend their border with Syria, while warning Congress of potential consequences of direct U.S. military action in the Syrian conflict.

Hagel joined Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, in reporting to the Senate Armed Services Committee that he ordered the Army deployment last week.

The contingent will enhance efforts of a small U.S. military team that has been working in Jordan since last year on planning related to chemical weapons and preventing a spillover of violence across Jordan's borders, the secretary told the Senate panel.

"These personnel will continue to work alongside Jordanian Armed Forces to improve readiness and prepare for a number of scenarios," he said.

Defense Department personnel and their interagency partners are helping Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and other Syrian neighbors counter the threat posed by Syria's chemical weapons, Hagel said. He noted that DOD deployed Patriot missile batteries to southern Turkey in December as part of NATO's mission to help Turkey protect its border with Syria.

These initiatives, being conducted through the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, include more than $70 million for activities in Jordan, he reported. This includes training and equipment to detect and stop chemical weapons transfers along Jordan's border with Syria, and developing Jordan's capacity to identify and secure chemical weapons assets.

Meanwhile, DOD has expanded security consultations regarding Syria with allies and partners, ensured that the U.S. military is strategically postured in the region and "engaged in robust military planning for a range of contingencies," Hagel said.

Regional security efforts will be a key focus of his trip later this week to meet with defense leaders of Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, Hagel said. The situation in Syria also will be a topic when Secretary of State John F. Kerry visits Turkey this weekend and during Dempsey's trip to China next week for talks with Chinese leaders.

The goal, Hagel said, is "to support broader U.S. diplomatic efforts while ensuring that the U.S. military is fully prepared to protect America's interests and meet our security commitments in the region."

Hagel spelled out U.S. government policy regarding the Syrian conflict:

-- To work with allies and partners, as well as the Syrian opposition;

-- To provide humanitarian assistance across Syria and the region;

-- To hasten an end to the violence; and

-- To bring about a political transition to a post-Assad authority that will restore stability, respect for the rights of all people, prevent Syria from becoming an extremist safe haven and to secure Syria's chemical and biological weapons.

"The best outcome for Syria -- and the region -- is a negotiated, political transition," Hagel told the senators.

Toward that end, the U.S. government is working to mobilize the international community, further isolate the Assad regime and support the Syrian Opposition Coalition, the moderate Syrian opposition, he said.

The U.S. has committed $117 million to the coalition in nonlethal assistance such as communications and medical equipment, Hagel said, and President Barack Obama has directed more for both the Syrian Opposition Coalition and the Supreme Military Council.

In addition, the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development are providing technical assistance and training for Syrian leaders and activists.

"The goal is to strengthen those opposition groups that share the international community's vision for Syria's future and minimize the influence of extremists," Hagel said.

Meanwhile, the United States has provided $385 million to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria and to help more than 1 million Syrian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries, he said.

The United States is rallying the international community, including Russia and China, to provide humanitarian support and resolve the crisis, Hagel said. He reported that international sanctions designed to pressure the Syrian government and help end the conflict are having an impact on the Assad regime's finances.

In addition, DOD has engaged in robust military planning for a range of contingencies, he said.

"President Obama has made clear that if Assad and those under his command use chemical weapons, or fail to meet their obligations to secure them, there will be consequences, and they will be held accountable," Hagel said. "The Department of Defense has plans in place to respond to the full range of chemical weapons scenarios."

So even as it provides options and planning for a post-Assad Syria, Hagel said, DOD is providing Obama and Congress regular assessments of options for U.S. military intervention.

He warned, however, of possible consequences of direct U.S. military action in Syria. It could hinder humanitarian relief operations, embroil the United States in a significant, lengthy and uncertain military commitment, and, if conducted unilaterally, strain U.S. relationships around the world, the secretary told the senators.

"And finally, a military intervention could have the unintended consequence of bringing the United States into a broader regional conflict or proxy war," he said.

Dempsey echoed Hagel, emphasizing that although the military stands ready to provide force, if directed, that such a decision is one no one takes lightly.

"In weighing options, we have a responsibility to align the use of force to the intended outcome," Dempsey said. "We also have a responsibility to articulate risk" -- not just to U.S. forces, but to other security responsibilities that could be compromised.

"So before we take action, we have to be prepared for what comes next," the chairman said. "The use of force, especially in circumstances where ethnic and religious factors dominate, is unlikely to produce predictable outcomes. ... Unintended consequences are the rule with military interventions of this sort."

"Military intervention is always an option, but an option of last resort," Hagel summarized. "The best outcome for Syria -- and the region -- is a negotiated, political transition to a post-Assad Syria."

U.S.-TURKISH OFFICIALS MEET

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, left, meets with Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz at the Ministry of National Defense in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2013. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Carter Meets with Jordanian Leaders, Praises U.S. Troops
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

AMMAN, Jordan, Feb. 5, 2013 - On the final leg of his six-day visit to Europe and the Middle East, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter met with military leaders and Jordan's King Abdullah II here today, and praised U.S. forces stationed here during what he called a pivotal time for the region.

Carter spoke with young U.S. soldiers this afternoon before shaking their hands, giving them commemorative coins and posing with them in photographs.

The deputy secretary also expressed appreciation for Jordan as a premier U.S. ally lately burdened with caring for thousands of refugees fleeing over its borders to escape hunger, brutality and death rising in Syria since March 2011 by the clash between opposition fighters and the Bashar Assad regime.

"I've been in the region for several days, and around the region many times," Carter told the soldiers. "The good news is that everybody wants to be a friend to the United States, ... not only because we're good at what we do, but because we're good. And they like and value that -- none better than the Jordanians."

In October, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced that Pentagon officials were working with Turkey and Jordan to help with collateral humanitarian and security issues affecting them because of Syria.

"We have been working with Jordan for a period of time now on a number of the issues that have developed as a result of what's happening in Syria," Panetta said during a news conference at the time.

Humanitarian relief was among those issues, as was help for Jordan in monitoring Syrian chemical and biological weapon sites and determining how best to respond if such weapons were used, the secretary added.

"We've also been working with [Jordan] to try to develop their own military and operational capabilities in the event of any contingency," Panetta said.

"We have a group of our forces there," he added, "working to help them build a headquarters and to ensure that we make the relationship between the United States and Jordan a strong one [to] deal with all the possible consequences" of the war in Syria.

In a cool and hazy Jordanian capital today, Carter started his day at the U.S. Embassy, where he met with Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Williams and received a briefing from the country team.

Afterward, in the embassy's tiled circular courtyard, the deputy secretary greeted each of the seven Marine Corps guards, took photographs with them, gave them coins from his office, and thanked them for their service to the embassy and the nation.

He also chatted, shook hands and posed with several members of the embassy staff.

Carter later traveled to one of King Abdullah II's royal palaces, Bab As-Salaam, meaning "the Gate of Peace." Joining the king and the deputy secretary there were Dr. Fayez Tarawneh, chief of the Royal Diwan, or the main executive office of the king; Imad Fakhoury, the king's office director; and Gen. Mashal al Zaben, chairman of defense.

Next, just before Carter spoke with Army troops at the military installation in Amman, he sat down for lunch there with 10 of the young soldiers working in Jordan to help with repercussions of the Syrian crisis.

One of the soldiers was Spc. Sarah Moyer, who has been in the Army for about 18 months and has five years to go on her contract. Moyer is a military police soldier from McDonough, Ga., who works in the security force on the Amman installation.

Moyer joined the Army initially to increase her education, she said.

"I know it betters you in a lot of ways. It increases your [physical training] and brings up morale and teaches you teamwork," she noted. "A lot of main values you hold in the Army [convinced me] to join. So I'll uphold those values and learn more about them."

Marquise Washington is an information technology specialist from Los Angeles who joined the Army about a year ago when he was looking for a stable career. "I've had a good experience so far here in Jordan and in my military career," the father of two said.

After lunch, Carter congratulated the soldiers on their courage and commitment and told them to keep up the good work.

"It's sad what's going on in Syria and what the Assad regime is doing and willing to do to its people," he told the soldiers. "He's on the wrong side of history and will lose and suffer the consequences in the end.

"I don't know when that will be -- how many months or even years -- but that is a result that is inevitable," Carter continued. "And ... until that happens, your help is going to be needed and our help is going to be needed, and that's what your mission is all about."

U.S. SAYS IT'S WORKING WITH JORDAN, TURKEY REGARDING PROBLEMS WITH SYRIA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta: DOD Works with Jordan, Turkey on Syria Repercussions
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2012 - The Defense Department is working with Jordan and Turkey to help with collateral humanitarian and security issues affecting them because of the brutal war that continues in Syria, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

During a news conference held at the close of a NATO defense ministers meeting, Panetta described U.S. efforts in the Syrian border countries of Jordan and Turkey, where the numbers of Syrians fleeing to Turkey have spiked because of recent fighting in Aleppo.

Together the nations harbor tens of thousands of the more than 200,000 refugees from the violence and death produced since March 2011 by the clash between opposition fighters and the regime of Bashar Assad.

"We have been working with Jordan for a period of time now on a number of the issues that have developed as a result of what's happening in Syria," Panetta said.
One of the main issues is humanitarian relief, the secretary added, and the United States is doing what it can to help both countries respond to the flow of displaced Syrians.

Pentagon officials also have been working with Jordan in the effort to monitor Syrian chemical and biological weapon sites and to try to determine how best to respond to any concerns in that area, he said.

"We've also been working with [Jordan] to try to develop their own military and operational capabilities in the event of any contingency there," Panetta added.

For that reason, he said, "we have a group of our forces there, working to help them build a headquarters and to ensure that we make the relationship between the United States and Jordan a strong one so we can deal with all of the possible consequences" of the war in Syria.

The U.S. presence in Jordan consists of about 150 mostly Army special operations forces, some of whom have been in Jordan for several months, a senior defense official said.

The United States also has reached out to Turkey on humanitarian and chemical and biological weapons issues, the secretary said.

"They're obviously concerned about the CBW sites as well," Panetta said, "so we've worked with them to do what we can to monitor that situation."

On the U.S. approach to the situation in Syria, Panetta said the nation, in addition to working with allies to apply as much diplomatic pressure as possible, operates in three important areas.

One area is humanitarian relief, he said.

"We've provided funds for humanitarian assistance and we have provided other facilities that are needed ... to support the large number of refuges that have gathered in these different camps," the secretary said.

A second area involves monitoring chemical and biological weapon sites in Syria.

"We continue to be concerned about security at those sites," Panetta said. "We want to ensure that security is maintained and we want to be very sure that those [weapons] do not fall into the wrong hands." The United States continues to work with regional partners to monitor the situation and evaluate the security of the sites, he added.

The third area involves assisting the opposition, the secretary added, including providing nonlethal support.

"I know there are countries in the region that are providing lethal support," he said, "but our effort is aimed at trying to work with the opposition in every way possible to ... try to develop their capabilities as well."

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPRECIAL BRIEFING ON MEETINGS BETWEEN U.S., JORDAN AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY



CREDIT:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Background Briefing on the Secretary's Bilateral Meetings With Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
Special Briefing

Senior State Department Official
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York City
September 26, 2012
MODERATOR: All right, everybody. Thank you for hanging with us for the late hour. We have with us [Senior State Department Official], hereafter Senior State Department Official, to talk to you both about the working lunch that the Secretary had with Jordanian King Abdullah, and also about the meeting that she just had with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Abbas. Take it away, [Senior State Department Official].

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Okay. Well, thank you very much, and good evening. We might start with the working lunch that the Secretary had. It lasted about an hour. It was preceded by, oh, I don’t know, about 15-20 minutes of one-on-one time as well. It was over at the King’s Hotel at the Mandarin Oriental. And the participants in the lunch were, on our side, in addition to the Secretary, Acting Assistant Secretary Beth Jones, Special Envoy David Hale, (inaudible) the Policy Planning Chief, Jake Sullivan, on our side. And on their side it was the Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, the King’s Chief of Staff Imad Fakhoury, and their Ambassador to Washington Alia Bouran.

As you know, the relationship between Jordan and the United States is one of – it’s very, very close, and between the King and the Secretary and our leadership similarly one very close. So this was a good opportunity to compare notes about developments across the region that we and the King are both focused on.

I’d say that it really boiled down to three topics. One was Middle East peace and the Israeli-Palestinian set of issues. The second related to Syria, which of course is a major challenge for Jordan. And third, the internal reform agenda of the King and the people of Jordan.

On Middle East peace, the King has been a leader on this from the beginning. Most recently in January, he devoted a lot of time and energy and effort and showed great leadership and skill in bringing the parties together at a level below that of the leaders for a set of talks. He has been someone, along with the Foreign Minister, who has been in very close coordination with us on the way forward. We talked a bit about that, and certainly we understood that we can count on Jordan and his leadership when we need to, and we often do, to try to overcome the obstacles that are blocking the parties right now.

On Syria, I think that there was very lengthy discussion about the terrible situation there and the options to try to reverse that and change it. The humanitarian situation, which weighs very heavily on Jordan, was also a major theme – the refugee flows and the danger that there will be more to come into Jordan and the challenges and burdens that that poses on that country with its limited resources. The Secretary talked about what we could do to help the Jordanians bear that burden and to work with the international community and the UN and others to make sure that the resources were available for them to do that.

There was also a discussion, obviously, of the political situation there and how we would work together and work – and try to encourage the Syrian opposition to work together on a unity plan. And there was an agreement that we would be working and talking more about this on Friday when there is a Friends of the Syrian Opposition Ad Hoc meeting. So this is something that we’re both very much focused on. And of course, the Secretary made very clear our position on President Assad and the fact that he must go.

On the set of reform issues, the King was very upbeat and very optimistic about the direction things are going in and the pace at which they’re going in. Secretary Clinton welcomed the progress that has been made so far to broaden and deepen participation in the political process for all Jordanians, by all Jordanians, and expressed our support for pursuing that in the way that he described. That, in a nutshell, was the discussion with the Jordanians, so I move onto the Palestinians.

We had a meeting there with – at his hotel at the Grand Hyatt – that lasted for about half an hour, and then they had another 10 minutes or so one-on-one. In the larger meeting, participation on our side was Ambassador Susan Rice, Under Secretary of State Sherman, Michael Ratney, our Consul General in Jerusalem who came here for the meeting, Acting Assistant Secretary Beth Jones from the Near East Bureau, Special Envoy David Hale, and Policy Planning Director Jake Sullivan. On the Palestinian side the participants were their lead negotiator Saeb Erekat and key advisors to the President, Akram Haniyeh, Nabil Aburudainah, and their representative – the PLO representative in Washington, Maen Areikat.

The discussion also, as always I think with Abu Mazen, covered a whole range of issues. He is watching the region very closely and he has been a leader of the Palestinian people for a very long time, and his insights and observations are of great interest to us, and he shared them. They compared notes on really everything you could think of – Syria certainly, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, and all the changes going on around the Palestinians. And certainly, we recognize that these events reflect on the Palestinians and the choices that they have as they look at the future.


The Secretary also asked him about the situation in the West Bank and expressed her concern for what we’ve seen in terms of the financial and economic pressures and challenges that the Palestinian people are enduring and the Palestinian Authority trying to address. He went on at some length about that and about the difficulties.

We indicated that we are looking at every means we can to help the Palestinian Authority meet these financial challenges. There was a major event that we hold twice a year earlier this week. The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee met, chaired by the Norwegians and co-chaired by the United States and the EU, in which all the donors involved with the Palestinians came together and talked about ways in which they could help make a difference.


The Secretary also talked about our own assistance and the status of that as we work with our Congress to – the assistance package is now with the Hill, and her efforts to work with Congress so we could get that money to the Palestinian Authority, including a crucial $200 million in budget – direct budget support. And we also talked about what could be done on the ground, in the here and now, as Prime Minister Fayyad often calls it, to help overcome the difficulties.

We also, of course, turned to the Middle East peace process and the efforts that we’ve been working on to try to overcome the differences separating the parties, exchanged ideas on how to do that. And we certainly plan to continue our intensive work in that direction.

I think I’ll stop there, unless, [Moderator], you want me to cover any other topics.



PHOTO:  THE DEAD SEA.  CREDIT:  CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 

MODERATOR:
No, I think that’s good.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: But those are the main themes that we discussed this evening.

MODERATOR: Questions? Michel.

QUESTION: Will there be a meeting between President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu, since both of them are in the (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. They are both going to be here tomorrow, but I don’t know of any plans. You, of course, would have to ask them, but I’m not aware of any between them.

QUESTION: But are you trying to (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No. We’re not anticipating a meeting like that now. We do want to – of course, have a long-term objective of resuming direct talks, but at this stage, I don’t anticipate any encounter like that.

MODERATOR: Jo.

QUESTION: Is there a Quartet (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: The Quartet envoys met earlier this week on Monday. Tony Blair joined us. The Quartet principals, as we call them, will not be meeting this week. They’ve met twice this year already. I have every expectation there’ll be another meeting at some stage down the road. We’re in complete coordination. The envoys are – talk all the time. We’ve had, by last count, eight meetings or conference calls since the beginning of the summer. So we have a work plan, we’re working on it, and there’s really no urgent need to meet right now.

MODERATOR: Anybody else? Michel.

QUESTION: President Abbas will have a speech tomorrow, and he will ask the General Assembly to recognize the state of Palestine. Have you discussed this issue with him, and do you encourage him to ask the General Assembly recognizing the state of Palestine?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, we have had conversations with President Abbas on this topic, including this evening. I think that obviously we’ll have to wait and see what the President does tomorrow. I think that he’s been talking about this initiative for quite some time, so it’s not news that he has this ambition.

We’ve made clear all along our position on this to him publicly, privately, in every way, so there are no surprises on our part. And I don’t know that there’ll be – certainly, we have made very clear that our goal is to resume direct talks and that the idea of going to the UN is not the road that takes us there. So, as I said though, we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

MODERATOR:

Anything else? All right. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA PLEDGES HELP TO JORDAN FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Pledges Help to Jordan for Syrian RefugeesBy Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today pledged to explore ways to continue U.S. help in providing humanitarian aid to those affected by violence in Syria.

A meeting between Panetta and King Abdullah in Amman, Jordan, focused on regional security challenges, most notably Syria and recent refugee flows into Jordan, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

"They talked not only about how to deal with the current crisis that is being fueled by the intolerable acts of the Assad regime," Little said in a written statement, "but also the prospects for political transition in a post-Assad Syria."

Panetta and King Abdullah agreed that strong international pressure must be sustained to make it clear that Syrian leader Bashar Assad must go, and that the Syrian people deserve to determine their own future, the press secretary said.

Panetta also reiterated the U.S. commitment to its strategic relationship with Jordan and to the strong defense relationship between the two countries, Little added.

STATE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT SEC. RICHARD'S REPORT REGARDING DISPLACEMENT AND MIGRATION

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Assistant Secretary Richard meets with the Iraqi Minister of Displacement and Migration at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
My Recent Trip to Geneva, Iraq, and Jordan
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
June 6, 2012
Dear colleagues and friends,
I write to share with you a description of my first trip as Assistant Secretary. First stop was Geneva to participate in an international conference on Afghan refugees and to meet senior leaders of the organizations that PRM supports – UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the International Organization for Migration. Next stop was the Middle East to focus on Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), Palestinian refugees, and Syrians fleeing violence in their country. In both Iraq and Jordan, I met an interesting cross-section of their societies – from poor families to senior Government officials to a member of the royal family in Jordan. I was accompanied throughout by PRM staff assistant Lauren Diekman and DAS Kelly Clements joined us for the Middle East portion of the trip.

Geneva: In Geneva, government participants (including government ministers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran) in the UNHCR-organized conference endorsed a regional, multi-year strategy to help refugees from Afghanistan. Delegates from more than 40 countries pledged to support voluntary repatriation of refugees, efforts to reintegrate returnees into Afghan society and assistance to host countries. The conference concluded with the adoption of a Communiqué that welcomes and supports the strategy. I delivered remarks – pledging the United States to “remain committed to assisting refugees, refugee returnees, and contributing to Afghanistan’s inclusive national development plan.”

Baghdad: The visit to Iraq focused on encouraging the Government of Iraq to lead in providing help to its displaced citizens. Support for female-headed households is a priority of our programs. I met with a small group of women – nearly all widows – who were displaced from their homes and now live in a squatter settlement on the outskirts of Baghdad. They expressed appreciation for the assistance they had received from UNHCR, but still face extreme poverty. They have very little income and do not get all the benefits to which they are entitled because the government does not recognize them as lawful residents of their neighborhood. Only local officials can register them so that they qualify for help.

Their concerns were front and center in subsequent meetings, and I raised their need for registration with both the Minister for Displacement and Migration and Iraq’s National Coordinator for Displacement. I also welcomed increased Government of Iraq support for aid to returning Iraqis and for allowing the displaced to integrate into the communities where they currently reside.

I also appreciated the challenges American colleagues at the Embassy face daily. While security is improving, these diplomats spend most of their time on the Embassy compound and from time to time duck into bomb shelters to protect themselves from incoming explosives launched by insurgents. All of us want to see Iraq become a stable, peaceful, functioning democracy and the U.S. Embassy is at the forefront of American efforts to help the Iraqis achieve that goal.

Jordan: We traveled north to the border and spoke with refugees who had fled unrest and violence in Syria. Thanks to Jordan’s humanitarian spirit, the border remains open, but Syrian forces have attacked people trying to flee to safety along footpaths that lead out of the country. One man I met had survived being shot in the leg. Several families told me of leaving relatives behind. Others were concerned about getting medical care for ill spouses or children, and had made the dangerous crossing for that purpose. They had fled, one said, with only the clothes on their backs. When I asked where they came from, several said the city of Homs and one boy wore a shirt with the insignia of the local soccer team there. With PRM support, UN Agencies and local humanitarian partners are providing food, medical care, supplies and other basics in cooperation with the government of Jordan.

Amman: In Amman, I visited a busy Ministry of Health clinic, which benefits from PRM funding to ensure access to health care for Iraqi refugees. While touring the hospital, we also spoke to patients who had arrived recently from Syria. At another stop in Amman, we saw a facility that helps Iraqi refugees find employment and cope with myriad other problems that come from living as a refugee.

In several meetings with senior Government officials, we discussed issues related to the Syria crisis, support for Iraqi refugees, and international support for Palestinian refugees and the UN agency providing essential services to them – the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In every meeting I expressed gratitude for the generosity of the Jordanian people and acknowledged the burden and expense of hosting so many refugees. We also discussed our hopes for peace in Syria so that the tide of those fleeing violence could reverse.

Later we highlighted the humanitarian commitment of the U.S. Government by briefing reporters from both the international wire services and local media during a lively press roundtable. In telling them about the trip, we used the opportunity to discuss the $40 million in aid (as of mid-May) that the US Government was providing to displaced Syrians, including those in Jordan. Subsequently, that amount was increased to just over $52 million this fiscal year.

Refugee Admissions to the US: In both Iraq and Jordan, I carved out time to visit the resettlement support centers (RSCs) PRM funds as part of the program to admit refugees to the United States. In Baghdad, PRM’s unique in-country resettlement program for Iraqis is impressive. Over 8,200 of the nearly 65,500 Iraqi refugees admitted for U.S. resettlement from the region since 2007 were processed through this operation, which PRM runs in close cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. In Jordan, PRM’s RSC has assisted in the resettlement to the U.S. of over 16,700 refugees, primarily Iraqis, since FY 2007. In both locations, I was pleased to see that cultural orientation programs were helping families get ready to travel to the United States. While we have experienced unfortunate delays in the processing of Iraqi refugees for admission to the United States, in the coming months we expect to see increased numbers arriving.

This trip was more than just an opportunity to meet with policy-makers and senior officials in the region. As I advocate on behalf of our programs and priorities, it helps to have seen these powerful examples. Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria will continue to remain high priorities as we strive to make sure our assistance and admissions programs are as effective and responsive as possible.
I look forward to continuing to press these issues and will make sure to keep you apprised of our progress.
Best regards,
Anne C. Richard
Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

U.S. AMBASSADOR RICE REMARKS ON THE MIDDLE EAST

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U. S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, At a Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East
Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
U.S. Mission to the United Nations New York, NYApril 23, 2012
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Under Secretary-General Pascoe, for your briefing.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Clinton hosted the most recent Quartet meeting in Washington, at which the Quartet principals welcomed plans for dialogue between the parties and discussed ways to support them. We have worked closely with our international partners, including the Quartet, to support the parties as they take steps to re-engage and rebuild communications. We should all support that effort, help to create a conducive climate, and avoid any initiatives that distract from the pursuit of peace.
On April 17, we saw the beginning of a dialogue, when senior Palestinian officials delivered the first letter in an exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. In a joint statement issued following the meeting, the parties said, and I quote, “Both sides hope the exchange of letters will help find a way to advance peace." The United States shares that hope and views the exchange as a positive step that builds on the Jordanian-hosted talks and the statements by the Quartet since last September.

In its most recent meeting, the Quartet also focused on the importance of fostering continued international support for the Palestinian Authority’s important institution-building efforts. In order to realize a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own, we must vigorously support the difficult steps needed to build the institutions and capacities of a future Palestinian state.

We welcome the actions taken by the parties to resolve the outstanding issues related to tax and revenue collection, and urge their prompt conclusion. While the parties address these difficult issues, the international community must continue to play a vital role in support of their efforts. The United States echoes the Quartet's call for continued international support for institution-building by the Palestinian Authority, including for contributions toward the $1.1 billion required to meet the Palestinian Authority’s 2012 recurrent financing requirements. This funding is essential to preserve and build on the Palestinian Authority’s institutional gains and to expand economic opportunities for the Palestinian people.

As we look to improve the financial situation on one side, we must do our utmost to promote an atmosphere of cooperation on both sides. International partners should urge the parties to refrain from provocative and unhelpful actions, including in Jerusalem, that undermine trust, cause delay, or threaten to derail prospects for a negotiated settlement. Lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians requires both parties to take meaningful steps.

Provocative actions, including rocket fire from Gaza, should be unanimously condemned. Such attacks are unacceptable and serve as a constant reminder of the serious threat posed to civilians by the illegal trafficking of weapons to Gaza.

The Palestinians must continue efforts on security cooperation, strengthening public institutions, and ending incitement. Any Palestinian government must accept the principles established by the Quartet that are the building blocks of an independent Palestinian state: renouncing violence, recognizing Israel, and accepting previous agreements.

We likewise urge Israel to continue and to step up its efforts to deter, confront, and prosecute anti-Palestinian violence and extremist hate crimes. Let me also reiterate that we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity. We continue to oppose any effort to legalize outposts. The fate of existing settlements must be dealt with by the parties, along with the other permanent-status issues.
I will now turn to the situation in Syria, where the threat to international peace and security is both urgent and grave.

The scale of the Assad regime’s murderous campaign is shocking. Ten thousand Syrians killed; tens of thousands injured and imprisoned; widespread torture; and an ever worsening crisis of displaced persons and refugees. The conflict is also destabilizing Syria’s neighbors. In Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, there are already tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. Turkey and Lebanon have recently seen deadly violence spill across their borders. The United States continues to support the international humanitarian response to the crisis in Syria, providing more than $33 million in assistance, much of it channeled through UN agencies and programs We will continue to support those in greatest need.

Two days ago, this Council authorized a UN supervision mission in Syria, charged with monitoring compliance with the full set of commitments and obligations laid out in Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s Six-Point Plan. We welcome the positive statements from various Syrian opposition figures and groups about this new mission, understanding how desperate the Syrian people are for assistance and, ultimately, for political change. Syrians have said they hope this mission can help restrain the regime’s brutality and that it will help them uphold their rights to express themselves freely. But we are all sober in our expectations. The regime’s long track record is one of dependable deceit and deception. Thus, this UN mission is unusually risky and dangerous. The Syrian regime should make no mistake: we will be watching its actions day and night. We will work to ensure there will be consequences should the Syrian regime continue to ignore this Council’s decisions, press ahead with its murderous rampage, and flout the will of the international community.

Let me conclude by reiterating the United States’ appreciation to the United Nations personnel—both military and civilian—who will comprise this new mission. The United States urges the Government of Syria to seize this chance for a peaceful political solution to the crisis – before it’s too late.

Thank you.

U.S. RELATIONS WITH JORDAN, GEN. DEMPSEY PAYS A CALL

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey introduces himself to Jordanian National Security leaders in Amman, Jordan, Apr. 21, 2012. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen

Dempsey Visits Jordan to Reaffirm Partnership
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
AMMAN, Jordan, April 21, 2012 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff arrived here today to visit his Jordanian counterpart and to meet with officials at the U.S. Embassy.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey kicked off his first visit to Jordan as chairman with private meetings with U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Stuart E. Jones and members of the embassy's staff, followed by a Jordanian-hosted dinner. Tomorrow, he'll meet with Jordan's chief of defense, Lt. Gen. Mashal al-Zaben.

The chairman took time after his embassy meetings to mix and mingle informally with service members stationed here.

"This is a counterpart visit and a chance to thank the Jordanians for their critical support in Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as to discuss regional security issues," said Marine Corps Col. David Lapan, Dempsey's spokesman. "We remain firmly committed to our partnership with Jordan's armed forces and greatly appreciate their contributions in support of coalition operations."

Jordan is one of the most vital U.S. allies in the region, Lapan said. "We are fully committed to our partnership during this time of dynamic change," he added.
The world is closely watching developments in Syria, Lapan said, and the United States shares Jordanian concerns regarding the deteriorating situation there.

"The Jordanian military continues to display exceptional leadership throughout the region," Lapan said. For example, he said, the United States and Jordan will conduct Exercise Eager Lion 12 from May 7 to May 28.

The exercise will bring together more than 8,000 participants from more than 15 countries over five continents. Its focus is to strengthen military-to-military relationships of participating partner nations through a joint, whole-of-government, multinational approach, the chairman's spokesman said.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT DAILY BRIEFING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
04/10/2012 03:57 PM EDT
Victoria Nuland
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
April 10, 2012
TRANSCRIPT:

12:55 p.m. EDT
MS. NULAND: Happy Tuesday, everyone. I have nothing at the top. Let’s go to what’s on your minds.
QUESTION: I guess we could start with Syria. You have seen the report of Kofi Annan or the letter that he has sent to the Security Council and the report of his aide. So I’m wondering what you make of it, and are you okay with him sticking to this timeline, with the regime not withdrawing its forces as best you can tell, but staying with the timeline? In other words, another 48 hours until there’s a ceasefire? Is that okay with you guys?
MS. NULAND: Well, we’ve seen the letter that Joint Envoy Kofi Annan has submitted to the council. I think you know that the council is still in session as we speak asking questions of his deputy, talking about the letter and thinking about next steps. My understanding is that, in her capacity as president of the council this month, Ambassador Rice will have some comments to the press after that session breaks. So I don’t think I will comment from here ahead of the council finishing its consultations.
QUESTION: Okay. So you’re basically deferring to Susan Rice.
MS. NULAND: I am.
QUESTION: Victoria –
QUESTION: There was – sorry. There was talks that this deadline is extended till April 12th. Are you – what is this all about?
MS. NULAND: Again, I think I’m not going to speak to the contents of the report by the special envoy. The – as you remember, the initial – the proposal in the six-point plan was that the Syrian regime would begin or complete, depending upon how you interpret their pull-back, by April 10th, and then the opposition would complete its ceasefire by April 12th. That’s why you have a little bit of confusion here about this delta. So –
QUESTION: So you are comfortable with the 48 hours? Apparently the Syrians had asked for 48 hours to complete the pullout. Is that correct?
MS. NULAND: Again, I’m not going to comment on the substance of any of this until the council finishes deliberating and Susan has a chance to – Ambassador Rice has a chance to speak for the council and us.
QUESTION: Just to quickly follow up, the Syrians are asking for some sort of guarantees or – that the opposition will cease its attacks and so on. And they’re also saying that there is an increased flow of arms into the opposition, apparently by countries such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, which at the time of the conference, apparently the Secretary of State said it’s okay for others to go ahead and give aid. Now, are the Syrians principally correct in demanding that arms stop flowing to the opposition and they cease whatever attacks they’re conducting against government sources?
MS. NULAND: Well, starting with where I started before, which is, I’m not going to wade into any of this while the council is deliberating. I’m going to let Ambassador Rice come out and speak for the council as a whole and then speak for the United States in her national capacity. We know who bears the brunt of the responsibility for the violence in Syria. We also know, as we discussed yesterday, that there has been no evidence at all that the Assad regime is complying with the six-point plan, and in fact, the violence has gotten worse as we discussed at some length yesterday.
QUESTION: Yeah. But forgive me; principally, does the Syrian regime have the right or is it within its right to request that the flow of arms stop going to the opposition?
MS. NULAND: I’m not going to speak to any of these issues until we have a chance to hear from Ambassador Rice.
Yeah.
QUESTION: Toria, you just pointed out that there has been no action by the regime so far. So isn’t it time, if you stand back and look at this, to say that the whole UN approach, Kofi Annan’s plan, really isn’t working? Nothing has indicated that that regime is going to anything.
MS. NULAND: Again, Jill, I don’t think it’s appropriate in the middle of a council deliberation for me to be opining on what’s going on in the council.
QUESTION: Would you respond to a statement from Senators McCain and Lieberman who were in the region today that said, “Diplomacy with Assad has failed”?
MS. NULAND: Well, obviously we have two senators in the region. Our understanding is that they are touring the refugee camps in Turkey today, and they are obviously speaking to what they are seeing. But I don’t think I’m going to comment on any of this while the council is deliberating.
Please.
QUESTION: Will you intensify your efforts to find a solution for Syria in UN Security Council? I mean, is there any –
MS. NULAND: Again, I think I’m going to speak to next steps after the council has finished hearing the report.
QUESTION: Do you believe that Annan carries the last chance for President Assad?
MS. NULAND: I’m not going to put time tables on any of this at the moment.
QUESTION: But you keep asking him to step down. I mean, we’ve been hearing this for so long. I mean, are you asking him to step down now? Is this – the time has come? Or is it you’re talking about giving him more chances? Or when he’s going to step down?
MS. NULAND: Well, our view is that he has lost his legitimacy. The Syrian people appear to be saying the same thing.
Please.
QUESTION: Victoria, do you think that the Russians are sending conflicting signals regarding Syria? On the one hand receiving Muallem and on the other saying that the Syrians should have acted quicker?
MS. NULAND: Well, again, the Russians joined us in supporting the Annan plan, in making clear that it was time for the violence to stop, that the Assad regime had to lead the way in that, and our expectation and understanding is that they used the opportunity of Foreign Minister Muallem’s visit to make those same points.
Please. In the back.
QUESTION: Change of subject?
MS. NULAND: Yeah. Please.
QUESTION: No. One –
MS. NULAND: You can keep trying, but I think we’re not going to do a lot of Syria today.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) on the Russian part.
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: So would you – do you perceive any type of movement perhaps then on the part of the Russians?
MS. NULAND: Well, again, the Russians are represented in the Security Council. They’re receiving the report. We’re having a chance to talk to them there today. As you know, we have the G-8 foreign ministers in town starting tomorrow. So the Secretary will have a chance to consult with Foreign Minister Lavrov tomorrow and Thursday. So we’ll have a chance to compare notes then.
Yeah. Please.
QUESTION: Syria?
MS. NULAND: Yeah. Still Syria.
QUESTION: It seems that the safe-zone option along the Turkish border is (inaudible). So – and according to news report, Turkey has hinted that it will go along if it get the support of U.S. If Kofi Annan plan fail, are you ready to consider that kind of support?
MS. NULAND: You’re taking me into all kinds of hypotheticals. We talked about this a little bit yesterday. We talked about the several Turkish statements to the effect that they were studying this. We obviously haven’t had the results of their study.
Please.
QUESTION: The Indian Embassy this morning received a bomb threat call. Do you have any information on that and who were behind this?
MS. NULAND: I can confirm that there was a bomb threat at the Indian Embassy in Washington earlier today. Appropriate law enforcement personnel responded immediately. All three of the Indian official locations in Washington have now been cleared – the chancery, the ambassador’s residence, and the visa office, and no device was located.
QUESTION: When you say “cleared,” you mean evacuated? Or “cleared,” you mean checked?
MS. NULAND: Both evacuated and checked for bombs.
QUESTION: And now people have come back to them?
MS. NULAND: I don’t know if they’ve gone back to work, but security officials have declared them clear.
QUESTION: So do you think at this point that it’s probably a hoax, then?
MS. NULAND: I think there’ll be an investigation, obviously, and we’ll see what that leads to.
QUESTION: And where was this call from? Have you been able to trace the call back?
MS. NULAND: I don’t have any information as to who called. I would guess that that’ll be part of the investigative steps that go on.
QUESTION: Does this lead to any kind of increase in security or --
MS. NULAND: Say again?
QUESTION: Does this lead to any kind of increase in security presence outside the Indian embassies or the ambassador’s residence?
MS. NULAND: I would guess that part of our evaluation going forward in terms of what happened will be to determine whether the security posture is adequate.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Sorry. Can I just clarify one thing? You guys – someone called here to tell you that there was a bomb at the Indian Embassy?
MS. NULAND: Frankly, I don’t know whether the Indian Embassy was notified that there might be a threat and then they notified law enforcement and us, or whether we were notified and --
QUESTION: Can we move --
MS. NULAND: I don’t know. Yeah. Please.
QUESTION: Move on?
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: North Korea.
MS. NULAND: Yes.
QUESTION: I realize that you said probably as much as you’re going to say yesterday, but I’m going to try again.
MS. NULAND: It’s one of those kind of days. Yeah.
QUESTION: Weeks, maybe.
MS. NULAND: Weeks. I’m sorry, sir. Although we were up here for an hour and 10 minutes yesterday.
QUESTION: Well, let me try and go to it at a different angle. The White House yesterday seemed to take alert when you mentioned something about reporting from North Korea yesterday. And I asked you about it, and you seemed to suggest that there wasn’t any problem. But then, now there are White House officials coming out on the record telling news organizations not to be sucked in by this North Korea propaganda campaign. Is this the – does the State Department share those concerns?
MS. NULAND: I haven’t actually seen what White House colleagues have said. Was that something that --
QUESTION: Tommy Vietor.
MS. NULAND: -- that Tommy said? Well, look, I mean, obviously freedom of the press – you all will cover this as you see fit. Our concern obviously would be that the North Koreans would use this for propaganda purposes and that news organizations that cover it extensively might be playing into that. But it’s obviously your call how to cover this story.
QUESTION: You don’t think that North Korea would be using it for propaganda purposes without any – I mean, in the absence of inviting people in to cover it?
MS. NULAND: Well, it obviously has propaganda value. But the more that it is covered and spread and the more stories about it, it just keeps them on the front page in a way that does not enhance peace and security. But you’ll obviously all make your own decisions.
QUESTION: Understood. But I’m just curious about that, because I mean, it’s going to be on the front page whether there are news – Western news organizations there or not. Right? It’s a matter of concern. It’s a newsworthy event if they launch a missile, is it not?
MS. NULAND: It’s obviously a newsworthy event. I think that --
QUESTION: So what’s the concern?
MS. NULAND: If – again, having not seen what Tommy had to say, I would guess that the sentiment expressed was simply that if you have lots of nightly news coverage and long pieces climbing up and down the rocket and all that stuff, it just is free publicity for this --
QUESTION: But doesn’t that illustrate the problem?
MS. NULAND: Well --
QUESTION: And shouldn’t that make people – I mean, increase the concern? I mean, it seems to me that this is a problem for – the idea of the launch is a problem, correct? Yes.
MS. NULAND: We’ve been clear about that.
QUESTION: So the more attention that’s paid to that, the greater understanding there is of this problem, no?
MS. NULAND: I don’t think that it is a matter of the issue going unreported. It’s simply, I would guess, the sense that the more coverage of this, the more long pieces about North Korea, all this kind of stuff, they get exactly what they want. They get lots of attention from all of you about their situation.
QUESTION: Okay.
MS. NULAND: And frankly, this is publicity that --
QUESTION: But here’s the thing. They’re going to get all this attention from you regardless, right? So I don’t get – what difference does it make?
MS. NULAND: Well, I’ll refer you to the White House on what they were thinking. Thanks.
QUESTION: A follow-up on a question about the U.S. team that was sent to Pakistan to help in the avalanche. Are they still in Islamabad?
MS. NULAND: That is my understanding, Cami, that they are still in Islamabad.
QUESTION: Any word on when they might move? Are they going to move? Are they just going to sit in Islamabad?
MS. NULAND: Well, obviously we responded to the request for help. They went to Islamabad to coordinate with Pakistani officials. I really can’t speak to either what the conditions on the mountain are, whether there are issues having to do with getting in, or whether, several days having gone by, there is sort of rethinking about whether the international teams can and should be deployed. I’m just going to send you to the Pakistanis on that. But we are making them available so that they can help in whatever way the Pakistanis might find helpful.
Please.
QUESTION: Can I just go back to North Korea?
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: I mean, the White House at its press gaggle in Palm Beach and the comments just said that it would be, quote, “hard to imagine” that the food aid would still be delivered if this launch goes ahead. Is that a statement of policy now that if this launch goes ahead, the food aid will be retracted?
MS. NULAND: We’ve been clear about where we are on this for weeks and weeks, and I think the White House statement reflected that, obviously.
Yeah.
QUESTION: Can we go back to Syria just for a minute?
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: Just to follow up on Nadia’s question on the issue of stepping down, Bashar al-Assad to step down, would that be a requirement that he must do immediately, or are you willing to consider – not you but the international community – giving him like maybe a two-year period until the next election? I mean, what is the deal here? What is the demand?
MS. NULAND: You’re getting me into negotiations with Assad now?
QUESTION: I mean, what is your principle position? That he must immediately step down?
MS. NULAND: Our view is that Syria cannot move forward with Assad in power. The President has been clear about that for months and months and months. We had supported the Arab League plan, which gives a detailed roadmap for how this could proceed, looks similar to some of the other situations we’ve seen in the region. Again, this is an issue for the Syrian people to settle. We want to see the fighting stop so we can get to that conversation about how a transition should go forward.
QUESTION: Okay. So your support for the Arab League plan has not changed at all?
MS. NULAND: Correct.
QUESTION: Speaking of roadmaps, I understand the Quartet envoys are meeting today to try and come up with some kind of statement that suggests that there is progress being made when, in fact, there isn’t. Is that correct? And what can you do to – tell us to preview tomorrow’s Quartet meeting, principals meeting?
MS. NULAND: The Quartet envoys are meeting later this afternoon to prepare the meeting at the level of ministers and principals tomorrow. They – so tomorrow the Quartet will meet at the level of principals, which is Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, EU High Representative Ashton, UN Secretary General Ban, and obviously Secretary Clinton. Quartet Representative Tony Blair will also join that meeting.
We do anticipate that there will be a Quartet statement at the conclusion of that meeting tomorrow about midday. The envoys are working on it today, and it’ll be concluded by principals tomorrow.
The focus of the Quartet meetings tomorrow won’t surprise you, will continue to be trying to support the parties and move them closer to dialogue and creating the context for dialogue between them. They will also be looking at how they can build on the work that was done by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee when it met in Brussels last week, emphasizing the need for robust international support for the Palestinian Authority and institution building. But obviously, we have to see to what the results of the meeting are tomorrow.
QUESTION: Are you still pushing for the Jordan – the Jordanian-sponsored talks to resume? Or is that now a dead duck?
MS. NULAND: Well, we obviously think that the talks that were conducted in Jordan were very useful in January, that they began a process that we would be prepared to see built on. But there are other ways for the parties to reengage with each other, and we would be supportive of any means of reengagement that would be helpful.
QUESTION: So you moved beyond the Jordan --
MS. NULAND: Again, if the parties are ready to go back to Jordan, we continue to support that process. But we also would support other ways that reengagement can happen.
QUESTION: There’s no participation --
QUESTION: They are meeting in the Blair House?
MS. NULAND: Blair House tomorrow. Yeah.
QUESTION: Okay. And just a quick follow-up. There’s also a meeting tomorrow between Fayyad and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding a letter that the Palestinian Authority has submitted. Will that statement in any way reflect what is in the letter or what is being discussed or what comes out of that meeting between Fayyad and Netanyahu?
MS. NULAND: I can’t speak to Fayyad, Netanyahu meeting tomorrow. We’ll have to see if, in fact, the meeting is tomorrow, and if, in fact, there is a letter. I think our goals are obviously all the same, which is how we can get these parties to continue to work together and work on stability and security in the Palestinian territories.
QUESTION: And finally, you keep insisting that the proper venue is the resumption of the talks. Now, on the other hand, the Palestinian Authority is planning some sort of a campaign to reach out to the Israeli public, like YouTube and messages and advertisements and all these things. Is that a good thing or is that in contradiction with what you want them to do?
MS. NULAND: Well, I think all of the parties engaged in this, whether they’re Quartet parties or whether they’re the Israelis and Palestinians, engage in public diplomacy in any way that they deem appropriate. What’s most important is that we all be seeking a negotiated solution.
QUESTION: There is no representation of either the Palestinians or the Israelis in tomorrow’s meeting. Is that correct?
MS. NULAND: Correct. Correct.
QUESTION: Is that normal for them not to be represented?
MS. NULAND: Actually, usually when the Quartet meets, they meet on their own, and then the envoys go off and see the parties. That’s generally the way it happens, yeah.
QUESTION: Just to stay on this --
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: -- with Israel just for one second. And that is – and I realize this is a White House thing, so you’re probably going to send me there, but the Pollard case. Do you – did you at all – are you aware of a letter that was sent by the Israeli president to President Obama asking for Pollard’s release?
MS. NULAND: I understand that the White House has now received the Pollard letter. I will refer you to them.
QUESTION: Okay. Because that’s more than Jay Carney said earlier this morning. They have gotten it?
MS. NULAND: I understand. They have now received it, yep. And that the President obviously appreciates hearing the views, but I’m going to send you to the White House for more on that.
QUESTION: Does the State Department take any position in this?
MS. NULAND: I think the entire Administration’s position on the Pollard case has not changed.
Please.
QUESTION: Can we switch to China?
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: There are reports that – there’s a report, excuse me, singular, on Xinhua that Bo Xilai’s wife is under suspicion of having murdered the British businessman, Neil Heywood. I realize this is a Chinese investigation regarding the murder or death of a British citizen, but does it strike you as a step forward that the Chinese at least appear to be investigating the circumstances of his death, which I think were originally attributed to excessive alcohol consumption?
MS. NULAND: We’re aware of these reports. I think we are going to decline to comment on them one way or the other.
Jill.
QUESTION: Do you have any comment on the investigators in Russia dropping the charges against a nurse who was implicated in the death of Sergei Magnitsky?
MS. NULAND: We were waiting for you yesterday, Jill.
QUESTION: I know. I wasn’t here. But I saved it up.
MS. NULAND: Look, you know our view, that the investigation into the circumstances of Magnitsky’s death has been inadequate and has failed to produce justice. We continue to call on Russian authorities to conduct a genuine investigation, to prosecute and punish those responsible for Magnitsky’s death. So obviously we’re not moving in that direction.
Please, Cami.
QUESTION: On Libya, the apparent attack today on the head of the UN mission there. Someone apparently threw an explosive device at the convoy. Just wondering how concerned you are about the continuing violence there and the prospects for Libya making some sort of economic recovery if these sorts of attacks are going to go on against Western or international targets.
MS. NULAND: Well, we strongly condemn today’s attack on the UN convoy travelling through Benghazi. We call for a full investigation, the Libyans cooperating with UN authorities on that. We are, again, taking this opportunity to call on all armed groups in Libya to exercise restraint, to refrain from violence, to work through their issues through dialogue. But I have to tell you, Cami, we don’t have a lot of information as to who was responsible, or what the circumstances of this were. But it’s absolutely unacceptable. We are just thankful that nobody was hurt.
All right?
QUESTION: Yeah. I have one more.
MS. NULAND: Please, Matt?
QUESTION: Two more, actually.
MS. NULAND: Yep.
QUESTION: Bahrain. Yesterday, you said that there were going to be more calls made about this hunger striker? Were those calls made?
MS. NULAND: Our ambassador in Bahrain, Ambassador Krajeski had a number of calls yesterday and today with Bahraini officials making clear our concern about this case.
QUESTION: No one else?
MS. NULAND: No.
QUESTION: And you’re aware of the latest today on this case? I mean, there was – again, the other day, there was the Bahrainis refusing to release them and now that – is it the Danish or the Norwegian, I can’t --
MS. NULAND: Danish.
QUESTION: Danish. The Danish have reupped their – resubmitted their appeal for his release, and apparently it’s been rejected again. So we can be clear: Your – the Administration’s position on this is that he should be allowed to go to Denmark, or what is it that these calls are being made to --
MS. NULAND: We are not – yeah. We are not dictating any particular solution. We are just asking for a humanitarian resolution of this case.
Please.
QUESTION: Toria, have you raised concern about the deteriorating health of Al-Khawaja in prison?
MS. NULAND: This is the case – this is the – yeah. This is case that we talked about it yesterday, and I’ve just responded.
QUESTION: Do you have anything about his daughter? Yesterday, all you said was that you were aware of her arrest.
MS. NULAND: I don’t have anything new on his daughter. I understood that she was arrested – she was detained temporarily and that she’s been released. But if that’s not accurate, we’ll get back to you.
QUESTION: Okay.
MS. NULAND: Yeah. Please, Nadia. Nadia, and then --
QUESTION: Do you have any position on whether former regime – former Mubarak regime’s official should stand in election – presidential election or not? Because there is a committee in the parliament now approved the banning of Omar Suleiman from nominating himself for the presidential election.
MS. NULAND: Yeah. I think we’re not going to comment on these individual issues inside of Egypt other than to say we want to see the election procedures followed. We want to see a transparent, open process with clear rules of the road.
Please.
QUESTION: Afghanistan? Afghanistan interior ministers are here in town. Are they having any meetings in this building?
MS. NULAND: I don’t believe so. I don’t believe so. Okay? Thanks, everybody.

STATE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES FUNDING NGO PROGRAMS BENEFITING DISPLACED SYRIANS IN JORDAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting displaced Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon
Democracy, Human Rights, Refugees: FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting displaced Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon
Funding Opportunity Announcement
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
April 9, 2012

Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-ANE-12-CA-001-NEA-040912-Syrians.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number:
19.519 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Near East and South Asia
Announcement issuance date: April 9, 2012

Proposal submission deadline: April 23, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) EDT. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

ADVISORY: PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address any difficulties that may arise.

Proposed Program Start Dates: Proposed new projects may begin between June 1, 2012 and June 15, 2012.

Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months. In funding a project one year, PRM makes no representations that it will continue to fund the project in successive years and encourages applicants to seek a wide array of donors to ensure long-term funding possibilities.

Current Funding Priorities for Displaced Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon: PRM will prioritize funding for proposed NGO activities that fall within the UN Regional Response Plan and meet the Bureau’s priorities for displaced Syrians as identified below.

NGOs submitting proposals in response to this funding announcement must be a part of the UN Regional Response Plan and be registered to operate in each of the countries of the proposed activities by the program start date. Within the body of the proposal, NGOs should clearly state their role within the UN Regional Response Plan and their ability to operate in the proposed areas and include documentation providing verification of their registration status as an attachment.

(a) Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees and conflict victims, PRM will only consider funding projects that include a direct beneficiary base of at least 50 percent displaced Syrians. PRM will consider proposals for activities in a single country as well as programs operating in both Jordan and Lebanon.

(b) Proposals for programs should focus on health, psychosocial support, protection, and/or education. Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with and referral mechanisms to both local and international organizations.

Programs must focus on one or more of the following sectors (not listed by priority):
· Health care, including health education and preventative health care, reproductive health services, with a focus on capacity building for local service providers, mainstreaming into local health care infrastructure, and clinical management of rape and other forms of gender-based violence. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence, including men, boys, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals, are incorporated into the project.

· Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual as well as family/group counseling and/or therapy. Proposals should adhere to the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings and articulate how beneficiaries are identified; previous coordination with other mental health providers, including training; efforts to improve local capacity to provide adequate mental healthcare; the extent to which the NGO is able to utilize local organizations/resources to meet the mental healthcare needs of its beneficiaries; and an overview of the most prevalent mental health needs among the displaced Syrian population that the NGO intends to address. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project and should adhere to the IASC Guidelines on Gender-Based Violence.

· Humanitarian assistance and protection, including: non-food items; gender-based violence prevention and response programs, including services for both female and male survivors; programs aimed at addressing the interrelated assistance and protection needs of vulnerable beneficiaries by providing services and referral networks; and other emergency assistance to extremely vulnerable individuals. Proposals should indicate how this assistance is filling an identified gap, including how the gap and the beneficiaries were identified.

· Education, including remedial education and non-formal education programs, with special attention to adolescents, particularly those at risk of losing educational opportunities due to their interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Syria. Proposals should address how the educational assistance will assist with integration into local educational structures. Education programs should adhere to the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) minimum Standards.

(c) All program design should take into account the following guidance:
· Programs are encouraged to prioritize the needs of women and girls in a way that strengthens their roles in families and in the broader community. Programs should also target the needs of the most vulnerable groups among the Syrian refugee population (e.g., female-headed households; disabled or isolated refugees; GBV survivors; LGBTI individuals; separated or unaccompanied children; the elderly, etc.). Younger single men are also considered a vulnerable group for which PRM would consider targeted programming. Programs are encouraged to demonstrate how they will train their staff to meet the specific protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively. Programs should be accessible to physically disabled persons.

· NGOs should demonstrate the application of lessons learned in previous programming and changes necessitated by the dynamic social and economic situation of Syrians and Iraqis in the region. NGOs should assess the continuing effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance they currently provide, highlighting best practices developed and any programmatic adjustments that should be made in follow-on activities.
· Proposals should include a realistic and detailed assessment of the sustainability of the project after PRM funding ends.

· As all NGOs will be operating within the UN Regional Response Plan, they will participate in UNHCR-designed and -managed refugee assistance information systems.
(d) PRM will accept proposals only from NGOs included in the UN Regional Response Plan and will give priority to proposals that demonstrate the capability to be operational immediately using PRM funding as well as:
· A proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location;
· A concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, time-bound and trackable (SMART), have established baselines, and include at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective; objectives should be clearly linked to the sectors in the RFP;
· Projects, if feasible, must include strong transition plans in their proposals that detail specific benchmarks and/or a timeline for turning over the project to local organizations, governmental authorities, or development organizations;
· A budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-U.S. government sources;
· Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.

International Organizations
International Organizations (IOs) that are engaged in programs relevant to the assistance addressed by this PRM funding announcement should ensure that these programs are made known to PRM on or before the closing date of this funding announcement so that PRM can evaluate all IO and NGO programs for funding consideration.

Funding Limits:
PRM will consider project proposals up to $1.5 million. Project proposals with solid and compelling budget justifications will be considered. Budgets based on a realistic and well-articulated assessment of needs and expenses will be noted favorably.
Budgets for regional projects should be broken down by country. As much as possible, all budgets should be broken down by objective, as per the revised budget template.
As stated in the General NGO Guidelines, PRM looks favorably on cost-sharing efforts and seeks to support projects with a diverse donor base and/or resources from the submitting organization.

Proposal Submission Requirements:
See “How to Apply” (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements, and note the following highlights:
· Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should register well in advance of the deadline as it can take up to two weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers). To register with Grants.gov, organizations must first receive a DUNS number and register with the Central Contract Registry (CCR) which can take weeks and sometimes months. See “Applicant FAQs” section on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/help/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) for complete details on registering.

· If you encounter technical difficulties with Grants.gov please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at support@grants.gov or by calling 1-800-518-4726. Applicants who are unable to submit applications via Grants.gov due to Grants.gov technical difficulties and who have reported the problem(s) to the Grants.gov help desk and received a case number and had a service request opened to research the problem(s), should contact PRM Program Officer Jennifer Williams at (202) 453-9202 or WilliamsJL4@state.gov to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate.
· Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application on Grants.gov. Applicants who have done so in the past and experienced technical difficulties were not able to meet the deadline.

PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to avoid submission delays. We recommend that organizations submit applications via Grants.gov as soon as possible to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered.
· Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) at the applicant organization. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.

· Pursuant to U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001, stated on OMB Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Department of State is authorized to consolidate the certifications and assurances required by Federal law or regulations for its federal assistance programs. The list of certifications and assurances can be found at: http://fa.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=161&menu_id=68 )
Proposal Content, Formatting and Template:
Please refer to the “Proposal Submission and Review Process” section in PRM’s General NGO Guidelines. PRM strongly encourages organizations applying for PRM funding to use the PRM recommended proposal and budget templates. Templates can be requested by sending an email to PRM's NGO Coordinator. You must type “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line to receive an automated reply containing the template.

PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE PRM’s NGO GUIDELINES:
This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, which contain additional administrative information and explain in detail PRM’s NGO funding strategy and priorities. Please use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure that the proposed activities are in line with PRM’s priorities and that your proposal submission is in full compliance with PRM requirements. Proposal submissions that do not meet all of the requirements outlined in these guidelines will not be considered. PRM recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available upon email request from PRM's NGO Coordinator. Please send an email, with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line, to PRM's NGO Coordinator.
· Proposals should outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. If an organization believes that publicly acknowledging the receipt of USG funding for a particular PRM-funded project could potentially endanger the lives of the beneficiaries and/or the organization staff, invite suspicion about the organization's motives, or alienate the organization from the population it is trying to help, it must provide a brief explanation in its proposal as to why it should be exempted from this requirement.
· Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one outcome or impact indicator. Wherever possible, baselines should be established before the start of the project.

· To increase PRM’s ability to track the impact of PRM funding, include specific information on locations of projects and beneficiaries. Any project involving the building or maintenance of physical infrastructure must include coordinates of site locations (place name, P-Code, latitude and longitude coordinates).
· Budget must include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization. PRM strongly encourages multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs.

Reports and Reporting Requirements:
Program reporting: PRM requires quarterly and final program reports describing and analyzing the results of activities undertaken during the validity period of the agreement. It is highly suggested that NGOs receiving PRM funding use the PRM recommended program report template. To request this template, send an email with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line to PRM's NGO Coordinator.

Financial Reports: Financial reports are required within thirty (30) days following the end of each calendar year quarter during the validity period of the agreement; a final financial report covering the entire period of the agreement is required within ninety (90) days after the expiration date of the agreement.
For more details regarding reporting requirements please see PRM’s General NGO Guidelines.

Proposal Review Process:

PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel will evaluate submissions based on the above-referenced proposal evaluation criteria and PRM priorities in the context of available funding.
PRM may request revised proposals and/or budgets based on feedback from the panel. PRM will provide formal notifications to NGOs of final decisions taken by Bureau management.
PRM Points of Contact:
Should NGOs have technical questions related to this announcement, they should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to proposal submission. (Note: Responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.)
PRM Program Officer Jennifer Williams (WilliamsJL4@state.gov, 202-453-9202), Washington, D.C.
Regional Refugee Assistance Coordinator Rebecca Fong (FongRA2@state.gov), U.S. Embassy, Amman, Jordan.