PRESIDENT TALKS ISIL WITH MILITARY/CIVILIANS ON HIS NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

President Barack Obama addresses reporters at the Pentagon, July 6, 2015, after meeting with Defense Secretary Ash Carter, left. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the joint Chiefs of Staff, stands at right. DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett. 

Obama Discusses Anti-ISIL Strategy With National Security Team at Pentagon
By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2015 – President Barack Obama discussed the strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant with civilian and military leaders of his national security team at the Pentagon.

The president spoke to the press following the meeting. He stressed that the strategy will take time to work, and that there is no substitute to working through indigenous forces in the region.

The strategy harnesses all elements of American power including military, intelligence, diplomatic, economic development, “and perhaps most importantly the power of our values,” Obama said.

Long-Term Campaign

The strategy envisions a long-term campaign, he said.

“ISIL is opportunistic, and it is nimble,” the president said. “In many places in Syria and Iraq, including urban areas, it’s dug in among innocent civilian populations. It will take time to root them out.”

American and coalition partners will help out with training and air support, but it must be local fighters who take the fight to the terrorists, he said.

“As with any military effort, there will be periods of progress but there are also going to be some setbacks, as we’ve seen with ISIL’s gains in Ramadi in Iraq and in Central and Southern Syria,” Obama said.

There Has Been Progress

Still there has been progress, he noted, with more than 5,000 airstrikes that have taken out thousands of fighting positions, tanks, vehicles, bomb factories and training camps.

“We’ve eliminated thousands of fighters, including senior ISIL commanders,” the president said. “Over the past year we've seen that, when we have an effective partner on the ground, ISIL can be pushed back.”

ISIL lost the Mosul Dam, Mount Sinjar and Tikrit.

“Altogether, ISIL has lost more than a quarter of the populated areas that it had seized in Iraq,” he said. “In Syria, ISIL lost at Kobani. It's recently endured losses across Northern Syria, including the key city of Tal Abyad, denying ISIL a vital supply route to Raqqa, its base of operations in Syria.”

The terror group is vulnerable and with help local forces can push back the extremists, Obama said.

Intensifying Efforts

“ISIL’s recent losses in both Syria and Iraq prove that ISIL can and will be defeated,” he said. “Indeed, we're intensifying our efforts against ISIL’s base in Syria. Our airstrikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations.”

The coalition – including many local nations – will continue to go after ISIL’s leadership and infrastructure in Syria, he said.

“Partnering with other countries, sharing more information, strengthening laws and border security allows us to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Syria as well as Iraq and to stem, obviously, the flow of those fighters back into our own countries,” the president said. “This continues to be a challenge. And working together, all nations are going to need to do more. But we’re starting to see some progress.”

Ramping Up Training

The United States is ramping up training and support of local forces, he said. “As I’ve said before, this aspect of our strategy was moving too slowly, but the fall of Ramadi has galvanized the Iraqi government,” Obama said.

In Anbar province, Iraq, more Sunni fighters are coming forward and they are being supplied. The president told his team to do more to train and equip anti-ISIL forces in Syria, too.

Again, the president called for a broader political effort in the region.

“Now all this said, our strategy recognizes that no amount of military force will end the terror that is ISIL unless it’s matched by a broader effort, political and economic, that addresses the underlying conditions that have allowed ISIL to gain traction,” he said.

“So as Iraqi cities and towns are liberated from ISIL, we’re working with Iraq and the United Nations to help communities rebuild the security, services and governance that they need, and we continue to support the efforts of Prime Minister (Haydar) Abadi to forge an inclusive and effective Iraqi government that unites all the people of Iraq, Shia, Sunni, Kurds and all minority communities,” the president said.

In Syria, Obama called for the Syrian people to unite against ISIL and begin the “political transition to a new government without Bashar al-Assad, a government that serves all Syrians.”

Security Team Members

The national security team met in Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s conference room. Meeting with Obama and Carter were: Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work; Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Navy Adm. James Winnefeld, the vice chairman; Marcel Lettre, the acting undersecretary of defense for intelligence; Gen. Ray Odierno, Army chief of staff; Gen. Joseph Dunford, Commandant of the Marine Corps; Army Gen. Frank Grass, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander of U.S. Central Command; Army Gen. David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. Africa Command; Army Gen. Joe Votel, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command; Adm. Michelle Howard, the vice chief of naval operations; Gen. Larry Spencer, the Air Force vice chief of staff.

Also included were U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, CIA Director John Brennan, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism.

READOUT: CALL BETWEEN PRESIDENT OBAMA AND PRESIDENT PUTIN

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE  
Readout of the President’s Call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation called President Obama today.  They discussed the necessity of countering ISIL and developments in the Middle East, as well as the situation in Ukraine.  President Obama reiterated the need for Russia to fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements, including the removal of all Russian troops and equipment from Ukrainian territory.  The leaders discussed the increasingly dangerous situation in Syria, and underscored the importance of continued P5+1 unity in ongoing negotiations to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS TELLS TROOPS 'MILITARY MUST BE FORWARD-DEPLOYED'

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Dempsey to Naples-based Troops: Military Must be Forward-Deployed
By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

NAPLES, Italy, June 11, 2015 – The United States military needs to be forward-deployed because America does not want to “play a home game,” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said in an all-hands call at the naval air facility here.

During the event, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke to service members, DoD civilians and local nationals, answering questions about the extremist threat, Russia and cyber security.

Dempsey said that when the budget gets tight, there is an inclination for many to think the best way to save is by bringing troops back from overseas postings and doing everything from the continental United States. “The truth is, in our line of work, the very last thing we want to do is play a home game,” he said.

Shaping Conflict

“We really want to play an away game and we need teammates to do it. We need to be forward. You need to be forward," he continued. "We need to be closely partnered with NATO allies and other partners who share our values. And we need to be sure that as conflict approaches -- and conflict will approach -- we have a shot at shaping it before we’re in it.”

Dempsey quoted Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, saying “The side that understands when to fight and when not to fight will take away the victory.”

The American military expends great effort training for the fight, the chairman said, but equal thought is placed on when and when not to fight. “We need to make sure that we have friends and partners in a web, a network of allies so that we bear this burden together,” he said.

This security network -- tended by service members around the world -- is what sets America apart from other large powers, Dempsey said. They do not have these allies and partners, the chairman said, and this worries them. “We’ve got to preserve that system of alliances and we’ve got to play away games,” he said.

ISIL's Threat

Dempsey took questions from service members, and many wanted to know if the United States is doing enough to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The extremist group is the latest manifestation of extremist ideology and is operating in the Middle East, North Africa and West Africa.

The chairman said part of the campaign against such extremists is military, and part of it is building regional partners so they “don’t get sucked into this crucible.”

He said the United States is providing capabilities and ensuring regional partners provide the capabilities that they should provide, but asked, "Will it continue to be enough?”

Dempsey detailed the recent decision to open a new training base in Anbar province to train Iraqi forces and reach out to Sunni tribes. It is one of a number of bases in the country to train and supply Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

"If we get to the point where we have to protect our interests, our people [and] our facilities and to guarantee the success, then we’ll have to do that," he said. "But in the meantime, the strategy is to enable them to do it, to have them develop the strategy and we enable it.”

The United States military can do a lot, but it’s up to the Iraqis, Saudis, Israelis and Turks to create an environment where these groups don’t keep appearing, the chairman said. “I’m not portraying for you that I think this will be easy or quick,” he said. “I think we’ve got the right outcome identified and now we have to navigate toward it.”

Addressing Cyber, Budget Issues

On cyber, Dempsey told the service members that there is a healthy debate going on in America over privacy versus security. He said some modest progress has been made. “We do need cyber standards, we do need information sharing agreements between the government and the private sector,” he said. “As to the future, I think like most things we will figure it out. I just hope it doesn’t take a crisis to get us there.”

The DoD budget continues to concern service members. Dempsey explained the situation in Washington and said that the service chiefs are united in telling Congress that American defense is endangered.

“Since we testified to that, we’ve had the following issues manifest themselves: We’ve had an emerging threat from Russia as it becomes aggressive in Eastern Europe, we’ve had ISIL increase its capabilities, we had a deployment because of Ebola, [and] Libya and the Chinese reclamation project in the South China Sea,” the chairman said.

On Russia, Dempsey said the need is to harden allies in Eastern Europe. NATO has to maintain a technological advantage, and the United States must ensure the trans-Atlantic link cannot be severed.

“All of which makes it clear to the Russian Federation that may have had success in eastern Europe with countries that are not NATO allies, that it won’t work on countries that are NATO allies,” he said.

PRESIDENT'S REMARKS WITH KING WILLEM-ALEXANDER OF THE NETHERLANDS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
June 01, 2015
Remarks by President Obama and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands After Meeting
Oval Office
11:37 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, it is a great honor to welcome His and Her Majesties, Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.  They have been wonderful friends to myself and Michelle and the girls, personally.  I want to thank once and again the people of the Netherlands for the incredible hospitality they had shown us in the past, including most recently during the Nuclear Security Summit that took place in Amsterdam and The Hague.

We have 400 years of history between our two countries.  In Europe, that doesn’t mean a lot, but in the United States that is as old as it gets.  And so the Dutch are some of our oldest and more precious allies.  That continues to this day.

We’ve had the opportunity to discuss the shared work that we do through NATO in making sure that the transatlantic relationship stays strong.  We discussed the continuing challenges in Ukraine and the importance of making sure that the Minsk agreement moves forward.  And I continue to make the solemn commitment to support the Dutch in the investigation of the Malaysia Airlines tragedy, and to make sure that not only is the truth brought forward, but there’s accountability for what took place.

We discussed our shared concerns in other parts of the world, including in the Middle East, where Dutch troops work alongside U.S. and other coalition members to help defeat ISIL and to stabilize Iraq.

We talked about the excellent work that the United States partnered with the Dutch when it comes to Ebola, and the work that still remains to be done around establishing the kind of health infrastructure that’s going to be so important to preventing diseases in the future.

I was particularly impressed with the outstanding work that Her Majesty the Queen is doing with the United Nations around inclusive financing.  One of the things that we know is that all around the world there is enormous human potential that so often is locked up because of the difficulty of accessing capital.  And the creative work that Her Majesty is doing in providing micro-loans and new mechanisms for credit, again, is making an enormous difference, particularly, I should add, when it is provided equally to women, who so often are even facing greater challenges in accessing capital.

And we discussed the ongoing work that we’ll be doing to build on the progress that’s been made over the last several years through the Nuclear Security Summit and the importance of non-proliferation.

So whether it’s in Afghanistan, whether it’s in public health issues, whether it’s in Europe and the need for us to maintain solidarity and uphold the principles that have been central to building a unified and peaceful Europe, the Netherlands has consistently been one of our greatest allies.  And I think for His Majesty the King and Queen to have gone to Arlington and to honor not only the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but to meet some of that Greatest Generation who helped to liberate Europe and the Netherlands and to usher in this era of peace and prosperity is extraordinarily significant.

So many of our World War II veterans during the 70-year anniversary are at the twilight of their lives, and for them to hear directly from such important people how much of a difference they made and to get that recognition is truly significant.  So I’m grateful, Your Majesty, for that, and even more grateful for the continuing friendship that the Dutch people have shown the United States of America.

KING WILLEM-ALEXANDER:  Well, thank you very much, Mr. President, for your warm words of welcome here.  On behalf of my wife and myself, we’re very thankful to be back at the White House.  Great to see you again since last year at the Nuclear Security Summit.

First of all, I’d like to express my sympathy to the people in Texas and Oklahoma for their suffering in such severe weather conditions right now.  The floodings are terrible.  The victims and families are going through a rough time.  And if we can help as the Netherlands, of course we are willing to help.

Second of all, my heartfelt condolences for Vice President Biden for a second big tragedy in his life, now losing a son while he is serving as best he can as Vice President here in the United States.

The main reason for our visit obviously was to thank the United States for what you’d done for us 70 years ago. Especially the 82nd and 101 Airborne have played a major role in liberating our country, taking away the Nazi oppression and giving us back justice and rule of law and freedom.  And ever since that moment, we are grateful.  And as long as the Netherlands exist, we will be grateful for the United States for giving that to us.

This morning, at Arlington, the wreath-laying ceremony, we honored those people that gave their utmost, their life, for our country.  And speaking with the veterans and the Rosies was very impressive for us -- veterans that have liberated my country; the Rosies that took the place in the industry here and that kept this country running so that the men could fight on the other side of the ocean.  Very, very impressive, I must say.  And once again, USA, thank you very much for liberating us.

Those values that you stood for at the time and that were not available to us and we regained, we now stand shoulder by shoulder fighting ISIL -- “shoulder by shoulder,” meaning a small shoulder and a big shoulder.  But still, we stand next to each other and we have the same values we want to defend facing ISIL.

So having said that, the next part of our visit will be also looking back at the Dutch history.  First, Hudson of 1609, and then the first salutes to the American flag from the Island of Statia in November, 1776.  When the Andrew Doria sailed there, the Dutch saluted the flag.  And ever since, we’ve had a great bond with your country.  Four and a half million Americans are from Dutch descent.  You are the largest investor in our country; we are the third largest in your country.  So this is really worthwhile to continue our relationship, and that’s what we are working on these days.

We’re going off to Michigan, to Holland, Michigan, to Grand Rapids, to see a lot of these descendants, and we’re going to Chicago, where we hope to have a party -- your hometown, obviously.  But also the origin of House -- the House of Orange is hoping to see some good music there at Millennium Park and also look at some serious topics as healthy aging, urban farming, solar, and there a lot of things that we can learn from each other.

But once again, Mr. President, thank you very much for receiving my wife and myself here.  It is great to see you again.  All the best of luck for the United States.

END

U.S.-GREECE DISCUSS DEFENSE ISSUES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Christine E. Wormuth welcomes Greece's Minister of Defense Panos Kammenos to the Pentagon May 20, 2015. During their meeting, Wormuth and Kammenos discussed security and defense issues of mutual concern, including trans-Mediterranean migration, terrorism, the Balkans, Libya, the Middle East, and Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine. DoD photo. 

Leaders Discuss U.S.-Greece Security, Defense Issues

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2015 – Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Christine E. Wormuth met yesterday with Greece's Minister of Defense Panos Kammenos at the Pentagon to discuss security and defense issues of mutual concern, according to a DoD news release.

Those issues included trans-Mediterranean migration, terrorism, Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine, the Balkans, Libya, and the Middle East, the release said. Wormuth thanked Greece for hosting U.S. forces at Souda Bay, Crete, and for its participation in operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, according to the release.

Greece's Support in Opposing ISIL

Wormuth also noted the important support Greece is providing the coalition in opposing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the release added. She and Kammenos agreed that the security situation along NATO's southern flank is a growing concern and called for NATO to develop a southern strategy.

She also conveyed that Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is looking forward to working with Kammenos at the NATO Ministerial next month, the release said.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH PORTUGUESE MINISTER OF STATE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS RUI MACHETE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Rui Machete
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
April 21, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. Bom dia. It’s my pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Machete here back to Washington, and I’m delighted to be able to have a chance to talk with him about important issues between our countries.

Portugal, as everybody knows, is an old and firm ally of the United States, a NATO ally. And we’re particularly grateful for Portugal’s many efforts of global responsibility, not the least of which now are their support in the coalition against ISIL, their commitment to counterterrorism, their support for sanctions with respect to the Russian activities in Ukraine and our efforts to try to implement the Minsk agreement, which we all believe will help to quiet things down and stabilize the region and be good for everybody. We also are grateful for their support for our efforts in Iraq. And there is a very significant effort by Portugal to exercise responsibility towards the environment, towards the oceans, particularly the Gulf of Guinea.

So we appreciate it – that leadership – very much. And I know recently Portugal, like other countries in Europe, has been making difficult economic choices. And I want to congratulate Portugal on the fact that it is growing. We want to see that continue. We have high hopes, but we welcome you here. So thank you very much. We’re happy to have you here.

FOREIGN MINISTER MACHETE: Thank you very much. For me, it’s a great pleasure to come back to Washington and to see John Kerry again. We will have to talk about important international issues such as terrorism, Iran and the nuclear negotiations, and to congratulate John Kerry by the results and the negotiable – strong-willed stand in which – with which he led the negotiations, with of course the problems of the Middle East and terrorism.

And we have to talk about the bilateral problems we have on agenda. We have some difficulties to settle, but they are not – this is natural among allies. So we expect to have a good conversation. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Welcome. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH TURKISH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
April 21, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good afternoon, everybody. And I’m delighted to welcome this afternoon to Washington my friend and my colleague, Mevlut Cavusoglu. We run into each other in a lot of different places. Probably this is the longest gap we’ve had in the last few months. But I’m very, very delighted to welcome him here to Washington in the full bloom of springtime.

We are about to begin a meeting with a very typical U.S.-Turkey agenda which covers a vast range of security, political, and economic issues.

We’re going to talk, for example, about the Iran nuclear negotiation, including both the progress that was made at Lausanne and the urgency of working out the final details for a comprehensive plan and clarity about the road forward if we do that with respect to the security interests of the region, which everybody shares concerns about.

Neither the United States nor Turkey believe that it would be acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, just as we are also united in our concern about Tehran’s support for activities in the region which can be disruptive and destabilizing, and particularly any kind of support for terrorism or other kinds of destabilizing activities.

Counterterrorism in general will be high on our list of discussion today. Mevlut and I met just three months ago at the Counter-ISIL Ministerial in London. And since then, ISIL – or Daesh as many people know it – has suffered numerous setbacks. But much remains to be done, and we’re aware of that and we are committed to doing it. We’re committed to doing everything necessary to push Daesh out of Iraq and ultimately out of Syria or any other place where it seeks a foothold for terror.

Now, much will be done over the course of these next months, and we will be discussing that. But it is obvious that Daesh’s forces are under increasing strain, its leadership has been degraded, its finances have been squeezed, and its hateful ideology has been discredited. Now Turkey – Turkey has been – excuse me – has been and remains a very essential partner in all of these efforts and it is co-chair of the Coalition’s Working Group on Foreign Terrorist Fighters. And that convened just earlier this month in Ankara.

As Daesh has weakened, it has become more dependent on new recruits, which means that we have to redouble our efforts to persuade – and if necessary to prevent – young people from making the fatal mistake of signing up and then traveling to and trying to cross the border into Syria. Turkey is stepping up its efforts by improving screening procedures, expanding and implementing a “no entry list,” detaining suspected terrorists. In February, the Turkish Government also agreed to host a U.S.-led train and equip mission for the members of the vetted Syrian opposition.

On the humanitarian front, our ally is also hosting nearly two million refugees now, creating a huge economic burden and a social burden also on Turkey. The United States is grateful for Turkey’s generosity and is urging international donors to help address the refugee needs, including access to health care, education, and employment. In the past four years, the United States has contributed more than $3.7 billion in order to provide aid to the region, including more than a quarter of a billion to support relief efforts in Turkey specifically.

Now meanwhile, I am personally looking forward to my visit next month to Turkey for the NATO ministerial in Antalya, which is a city with a booming economy and a fascinating history, with mountains on one side, the Mediterranean on the other, and Turkish hospitality everywhere. It’s sure to provide a very inspiring setting for our review of NATO priorities. And one of those priorities is Russian aggression against Ukraine in the east, and the threat that is posed by violent extremists to NATO’s south, where Turkey’s contributions are especially important.

Now, I want to emphasize this afternoon the importance of the ties between the United States and Turkey, and particularly the security relationship at this particular moment. Turkey is playing a very important role in Afghanistan as part of Operation Resolute Support. It is protecting NATO’s southern flank with its patrols in the Black Sea, and it’s been making important contributions in Iraq.

I will resume my conversations this afternoon with the foreign minister on such issues as the failed leadership of Assad in Syria, the conflict in Yemen, and the ongoing problems in Libya, including the tragic death this week of hundreds of migrants at sea. The foreign minister and I will also be talking about energy security, which is critical to the geostrategic interests of the entire region.

Last month a consortium of partners broke ground on the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, the longest segment of the planned southern corridor that would bring gas from the Caspian through Turkey and into Europe. My government thinks it is absolutely essential to complete the southern corridor and also the transatlantic pipeline – the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, which will connect to Greece, Albania, and Italy, and strengthen energy diversity in Europe, including with possible lines up to a place like Bulgaria or elsewhere.

Cyprus is also on our agenda here today. The United States and Turkey both support the UN-led negotiations to reunify the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. Now, this is a problem that just has gone on for far too long, and it is begging for international efforts to try to help bring about a resolution, a lasting settlement. We hope together – and I talked with Mevlut’s predecessor, Ahmet Davutoglu, at great length about this, now the prime minister – we believe that the parties can make real and lasting progress in the year 2015. And that would be very positive for the region, and obviously a terrific boost in opportunity for a better life for all Cypriots.

As I’ve often said, foreign policy and economic policy are absolutely inseparable, and this is reflected in the U.S.-Turkey relationship. This coming November, leaders from around the world will assemble in Antalya for the annual summit of the G-20. And Turkey is currently serving as president of that meeting. In the past decade, the U.S.-Turkey trade has doubled, and I’m confident that we can and we will do a lot more in the future in order to strengthen our commercial ties.

Let me just say that the United States and Turkey are at our best when we are working to strengthen our democracies, including the fundamental rights and responsibilities that are enshrined in both of our nation’s constitutions, such as free speech and an independent press and judiciary. So as always, when representatives of the United States and Turkey get together, we are obviously going to have a very full plate of issues to discuss this afternoon.

And I’m pleased now to yield the floor to my friend and my colleague, the foreign minister of Turkey, Mevlut.

FOREIGN MINISTER CAVUSOGLU: Thank you so much, John. Ladies and gentlemen, I have the pleasure to be in Washington, D.C. and the State Department upon the kind invitation of Secretary and my dear friend John Kerry. And we are at a critical time for our region – our region in Middle East and also in Ukraine, and also around the Black Sea. And Turkish-American strategic relations are more indispensable today than ever.

As my dear friend John Kerry mentioned, during our bilateral meeting we will extensively discuss a number of important issues on our common agenda. Besides the bilateral issues – trade and economic cooperation and the political – to further deepening and strengthening our political affairs and cooperation, we will take up the situation in Yemen and Syria, Iraq, and the threat posed by (inaudible) terrorist organization Daesh. And we will focus on concrete steps for taking our operational cooperation on these issues even further. And the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and Crimea and Cyprus are also on our plates.

And we want to reach a last solution in Cyprus in this year. And as special advisor of United Nations, Secretary General Eide, mentioned the talks can restart or resume after the elections in Turkish Cyprus. And we are hoping to reach a solution within 2015, and we have the political will. Turkey and Turkish Cypriots have the political will for a solution, and they are – we are waiting at the negotiating table. Here, United States role – active role and involvement is very important. And we see this will in the United States and in the State Department and as well as in White House. And thanks to the efforts and the support of United States, we can finally reach a last and fair solution in Cyprus.

Of course, energy security and fight against terrorism is also on our agenda. And regarding the fight against terrorism, first we need to eradicate and we need to fight Daesh and other terrorist organizations on the ground, particularly in Syria and Iraq. And we need to also stop foreign terrorist fighters flow, and Turkey is one of the transit country for foreign fighters. We have been doing our best to stop them, and we have included more than 12,800 people into the no-entry list and we caught and deported 1,300 foreign fighters. But the source countries should also do their best to spot and to stop the foreign fighters before they leave those source countries.

And we need better cooperation. We need timely information sharing and also intelligence. And our cooperation regarding the foreign fighters with United States I can say excellent, and we can further improve, of course, this cooperation. And I appreciate the determination of the United States on our fight with foreign fighters and foreign fighter flows to Syria.

And Turkey and the United States are the two countries with important comparative advantages. This is what makes our partnership unique and valuable. In the past, we have proved that by working together on any common vision, our two countries can overcome any challenges. That is why I am confident that we can continue our significant contributions to the international peace and security by working together in close cooperation and coordination. Our meeting today will give us the opportunity to confirm our mutual determination and deepen our cooperation on all these issues through concrete steps.

Iran nuclear deal is also on the agenda, and first of all Turkey welcomes the tentative deal with Iran. And I appreciate Secretary Kerry for his tireless efforts and personal contribution to these achievements. And Turkey always for a political solution and we will be supporting the process. And we hope that by the end of June there will be a comprehensive deal, and I’m sure my dear friend Secretary Kerry will continue playing his important role to make that deal with Iran. We know that it is not easy, but we shouldn’t underestimate the achievements that are made, but we have to also be realistic that we have to do a lot more for the comprehensive settlement.

And I would like to also personally thank John Kerry for informing me. He kept me informed during all this process. He often called me and he updated me about the developments regarding this Iran nuclear deal. Turkey is against nuclear weapons. Turkey had never intention to have nuclear weapons, and Turkey is against that Iran might have – or Iran’s intention to have nuclear weapon, or Turkey is against nuclear weapons in our neighborhood. Therefore, we will continue giving our full support to this process.

Well, we have many issues to discuss in the room (inaudible), and once again, I would like to thank John Kerry for the kind invitation. I’m looking forward to hosting him in three weeks’ time in Antalya, my hometown. I brought some nice weather from Antalya today to Washington, D.C., but in three weeks’ time, we will have – we will also enjoy the beauty of Antalya as you described, John. Thank you very much once again. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you all very much.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANK-WALTER STEINMETER

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Lubeck, Germany
April 15, 2015

FOREIGN MINISTER STEINMEIER: A very special welcome to our friend, John Kerry, who came a long way after his hearings in the Congress yesterday evening. It’s sunny weather in Lubeck, but that shouldn’t irritate us because the weather in international politics is quite stormy. The conflict in the eastern Ukraine is only two hours away from here, and we are discussing the situation in Ukraine, the Ukrainian conflict later on. And we are starting today with the stand on our negotiations with Iran. We have to discuss the situation in the Middle East with ISIS, about Iraq and Syria, and new reporting nearly every day about the changing situation in Yemen. We are quite satisfied that the United Nations Security Council yesterday decided about the resolution against arms delivery to the Houthis in Yemen. This is a little bit progress, but we are far away from a situation in which we are able to calm the situation to de-escalate or to find a political solution. We will discuss about the consequences of climate change for foreign policy and the stability of states and international relations, and we will discuss about maritime security here in a city in which we have a great tradition in which the Hanseatic League was founded and in which there is a (inaudible) experience on a regular base international order, and how to deal with situation in which this order is broken by somebody.

So I think it’s a splendid environment for our discussions today. And again, not only a good morning, but welcome here in Lubeck.

Some words?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, we’re – first of all, let me say what a tremendous pleasure it is to be here in this world heritage city of Lubeck, which, as Frank Steinmeier just said, was the heart of the Hanseatic League and an important precursor to the rule of law. And we’re very, very privileged to be here with the G7, which has a critical voice right now on the major challenges that we face – ISIS, Yemen, the Middle East, Syria, Ukraine, Libya. The voices of every single country here are critical to the resolution of each of these conflicts. And I’m particularly grateful – and I think the other ministers join me in saying a profound thank you to Germany – for Germany’s great leadership. And Germany, together with France, have been absolutely critical to working through the challenge of Ukraine. We look to their leadership, and they’ve provided it.

So we have a lot to talk about today. And of course, looming large is the challenge of finishing the negotiation with Iran over the course of the next two and a half months. Yesterday, there was a compromise reached in Washington regarding congressional input. We are confident about our ability for the President to negotiate an agreement, and to do so with the ability to make the world safer. And again, every partner here has been absolutely critical to our ability to be able to get where we are today. So I’m grateful to be here to be part of this discussion for the period of time I can be, and I’m really grateful to each and every colleague here for the incredible partnership that is represented by the G7 at this point in time. And it’s wonderful particularly to be here in this historic city. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH MOROCCAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEZOUAR

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 9, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning, everybody. I’m very pleased to welcome my friend, the Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, and his delegation for the third session of the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and Morocco.

A year ago, the foreign minister hosted me and my delegation in Morocco, in Rabat, and we had a wonderful, wonderful visit there. As everybody knows, Moroccans have an extraordinarily rich culture that is shown in many ways, and I’m happy to say one of the ways is in treating guests to a delicious meal that is actually seven or eight meals disguised as one. Their hospitality is truly spectacular. And I very, very much hope to work with our superb representative in Rabat, Ambassador Dwight Bush, in order to see if I can have a chance to visit again, which we have talked about, and which I very much hope to do.

The U.S.-Moroccan Dialogue is grounded in a very longstanding friendship, and it’s real. It extends back to 1777, when Morocco recognized the independence of the United States. And we have initiated this particular dialogue because we feel that our leaders want to make certain that people understand that we have to do much more than just celebrate our history, we have to build the future. And that’s what we’re working on doing. By working together, we can help shape a future in which our citizens will be safer, they’ll be more prosperous, and where builders, not destroyers, will be strengthened and be the people who really define and write the history and meet the expectations of our people.

There can be no question that our meeting today is timely. The amount of time that we have to talk literally flew by, and we scratched the surface of many of the challenges that we face. And I thank my friend, Salaheddine, for his wisdom, for the breadth of his vision that he brings to the table in the challenges – in meeting the challenges that we face together.

Events in Africa and in the Middle East have presented all of us with a new mix of challenge. It’s different than it has been. It’s fast moving. There’s more sectarianism than any of us want, many times disguised in religion – not representing real religion but disguised in ways that are calculated to affect the minds of people and, unfortunately, set them on a course of violence and destruction.

Our delegations really look forward to reviewing today all of the aspects of this regional situation that we face together. There’s no one country that’s going to solve this. It’s going to take all of us working effectively together and it’s also going to take time. But we know that we have a very firm foundation on which to build.

Morocco is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and is the only country in Africa with which we have a free trade agreement, for example. It has successfully completed a productive compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation and it recently hosted a well-attended Global Entrepreneurial Summit. And in July, it will serve as a venue for an important international meeting on climate change.

So Morocco is doing more than its fair share of contributing to the global dialogue on the issues of the day. And today our working groups are going to focus on four areas, including security cooperation. And here, my government commends Morocco for serving as co-chair of the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s campaign to prevent the recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters. Morocco is also a member of the anti-Daesh coalition. And since that coalition came together, it is a fact that Daesh has been pushed back significantly, and the result of that is that it is becoming increasingly dependent on its ability to be able to attract foreign fighters. And that means that we have to redouble our own efforts to persuade – and if necessary, prevent – young people from making the fatal mistake of signing up. And Morocco is a leader in our efforts to do that.

Also this year, Morocco will host African Lion, which is an annual military exercise that will continue next month. It includes several of our European and African partners. And in this era, it is essential that our armed forces experience working together, so that if a humanitarian or any other kind of emergency arises, we will be able to respond effectively before it is too late. Interoperability is a critical concept in the context of today’s challenges.

Other security-related topics that we’ll be covering today include the unrest in Libya, where we spent a fair amount of time talking a few minutes ago, where Morocco has supported and hosted UN negotiations and is undertaking a major leadership role in helping to find a path forward. And I was encouraged today in the comments of the foreign minister about the approach that is unfolding over the course of these next weeks.

Morocco is also taking steps to reform its justice sector, to professionalize its police force, to promote the rule of law, and strengthen its border security and its counterterrorist capabilities. The United States strongly backs all of these initiatives, and we will do everything that we can to be helpful as Morocco pursues success in each of those sectors.

A second area of discussion today concerns our growing economic and energy ties. Our free trade agreement is now almost a decade old, and it has already yielded very positive results for both sides. But we want to do better; we want to do more. We know we can. And so we’re going to talk this morning about how to ensure that the free trade agreement benefits grow in a balanced and more expansive way.

We’ll also talk about increasing our business-to-business contacts, intensifying two-way investment, and Morocco’s plan to generate at least 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources of energy.

In Morocco, as elsewhere, young people are the key to the future. The average age in Morocco is increasing now, but unemployment rates for those people who are 15 to 24 years old and not in school still remain high. It’s a challenge. It’s a challenge everywhere, by the way. And we hope that the government’s efforts to grow the economy, coupled with a $38 million agreement through USAID, will provide the nation’s youth with the confidence and the skills that they need to make the critical leap from school to paycheck, to a good job for the long-term future.

A third focus of our dialogue concerns the value of education and people-to-people contacts. Morocco has embarked on a program of comprehensive education reforms, designed to lift the standards and provide greater opportunity to young people, to women and girls particularly. And here again, the United States is helping through a $25 million USAID grant to improve achievement at the primary school level. We’re also excited about the J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative that was launched by the United States and Moroccan students this spring.

Our fourth area for discussion will highlight public institutions and civil society. The international turbulence of recent years shows how absolutely vital it is to be able to provide a peaceful outlet for political expression and to maintain governing structures that are sustained by the full support of their national populations. Morocco has the potential to be a model – the model, if you will.

But as we know from our own experience in the United States, building resilient and robust democratic institutions is a long-term job. We’re still working at it. We have our own challenges, and we know that. And so we talk with appropriate humility about any other country’s challenge, but we’re all in this together and we all have to draw from each other’s experiences and work together. Accordingly, we welcome Morocco’s effort to strengthen political parties and to give space to civil society in advance of the national elections.

We also respect His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s spiritual authority as a faith leader and his consistent and vocal opposition to any use of religion to justify violence against innocent persons.

In closing, let me just say that the foreign minister and I and our teams have a lot to discuss, as you can tell. And I very much look forward to having this discussion over the course of the day in the warmth and friendship that really does define this relationship. So I’m very pleased to yield my – the floor to my colleague and my friend, Foreign Minister Mezouar. Thank you. (Applause.)

FOREIGN MINISTER MEZOUAR: (Via interpreter.) Thank you, John, and dear friend. First of all, I would like to thank you for your kind words, for your hospitality, and for making your teams available. They worked hard. I would like to congratulate them.

And as you said, dear friend, we are two friendly countries and we have been longstanding friends, and this friendship in our context today is a fundamental basis to move ahead. It’s the fundamental basis that will allow us to face the transformations of today’s worlds with all of its complexities. And I think that our meeting of today as part of the strategic dialogue is the best message that we could convey together to say there aren’t just problems, but there’s also some progress being made. Humanity advances via crises, but also thanks to ability to ensure that progress may also be made.

I applaud – I salute the excellent relationship that we share, and this relationship that allows us doing meetings such as this one, but also doing very brief meetings that this relationship allows us to deal very quickly on the various topics, because you have the same assessments, the same analyses, but above all, we are members of the same bloc, the bloc of freedom, the camp of peace, that of democracy – the bloc of universal values, the bloc that defends the most disenfranchised, and also the bloc of solidarity. I think that these are the values that we share, and they allow us to always work with great peace of mind, to work together on the fundamental topics.

We met a year ago in Morocco, and of course, we were delighted to host you. Yes indeed, we shared some good meals, but we shared other meals, and namely our shared vision of what we wanted to be, of what we wanted to do. Morocco is a country, as you observed – is a country which is moving ahead. It’s a country which has built its model – its model of development, which is based on values, on institutions which are solid and strong. This is a country which has a history, and this history makes it stronger. This history helps us also via the reforms process that are continuing. Reforms never stop and they can never stop, because the world is moving. Societies are moving, are changing. And since the world and societies are moving and changing, well, reforms must also continue to move and change just like a society must continue to move and advance.

So Morocco does indeed appear to be this harbor of peace in a disrupted, disturbed, and ailing region of the world. We share our experiences with others, we provide our contribution, we engaged in the fight against ignorance, against extremism, because there is no war of religions, there’s no war of civilizations, but there’s a fight against ignorance. And that means that what we are engaged in together has meaning, because it’s the world as we see it, it’s societies as we perceive them, which are the engines of our actions, which are the engines of our relationships.

So I’m happy that today, once again, of the opportunity of this third strategic dialogue, that we’re able to notice that our relationship is vivacious. The advantages of these meetings that allows us to be constantly creative. They allow us to be constantly – say to yourselves we must ensure that this exceptional relationship, that this quality of relationship, it has to be supplied, it has to be complete – constantly fed, supplied; otherwise it will stagnate and it will regress.

So we are engaged in a virtuous, positive logic between our two countries. And here I would like to pay greater tribute to Ambassador Bush, who is doing a wonderful job. And also I would like to pay tribute to your teams at the State Department, who are also doing wonderful work to bring people together, to come up with imaginative things to create. I wish – would be remiss if I failed to pay tribute to our own ambassador, who is also working hard to ensure that constantly this exceptional relationship be preserved, sustained.

We talked about problems in our region. Here I would like to say two or three messages. The first message about Libya: Libya, as you know, the dialogue is taking place in Morocco, in serenity, in a state – atmosphere of responsibility. The Libyan people want peace; they want stability. The various components of the dialogue have been determined. There is a real awareness. The Libyans are capable of making peace. The Libyans are capable of getting along and the Libyans are capable of building a future within a framework of stability, as part of a modern society, an open society, with institutions that will allow them to deploy their wonderful energy. They do have that energy that will allow them to move ahead in the construction of their country, but also in the construction of the region.

Libyans need to be supported. We are engaged in a phase where the fundamental principles of the agreement have been accepted. Today, we must give this momentum and we must say and affirm that they are capable of making peace. They are capable of moving towards a political solution that will help them to overcome the difficulties that they have today.

So this is an opportunity to applaud the efforts of Bernardino Leon, who is working with great tact, with great engagement, but also applaud the various factions, the various protagonists who are engaged in the dialogue. And I am convinced that next week’s meeting will make it possible to move towards a definitive solution.

And why – I would also like to mention Yemen. We must, above all, understand that it is no longer possible to allow that in countries affected by this type of instability that legitimacy be swept aside by anyone. We must bring order back and respect. There was a dialogue and this dialogue was supposed to lead to the organization of a national unity government that would lead to new elections and representation. When units or factions start believing that, given they have a few militaries or some assets, they can destabilize states, the message that has to be retained is that – that has to be conveyed that this is fundamental. It has to be firm. It is no longer allowed that any minority, that any faction, should be able to destabilize the foundations of a state, because destabilizing the foundations of a state will bring us back to situations of insecurity, instability, always difficult to solve and which generally profit – benefit to those who know but we never think about.

So Morocco is determined, vis-a-vis values and principles. Morocco is engaged in the fight against extremism but also engaged in the fight against any type of destabilization which would lead to anarchy. So Morocco is engaged in the commission and it’s also engaged in this coalition for Yemen on the basis of values but also based on a value – on a vision of the dynamic to which the Middle East region must join, generally speaking.

I would also wish to emphasize the fact that the fight against extremism and the determination with which the coalition is acting is starting to produce results. These results are encouraging. This also encourages the Government of Iraq, which is responsible – its officials and its army – to come up with a solution that will make it possible to eradicate all forms of extremism and to fight against terrorism. So these are all – as many actions of the international community. And thanks to your leadership, dear friend, and we are all determined towards this action.

But I would also bring your attention to another aspect that should not be overlooked, that should not be forgotten. I would like to applaud your tenacity on the Israeli-Palestinian issue and on peace in this region. With determination, you led difficult negotiations. I think that this process is not over. With – this process must continue. The statement of Mr. Netanyahu is placing the international community in front of its real responsibilities, but we must never forget that peace in the Middle East will never take place as long as peace and stability in that region of the world, and especially as part of Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not been achieved.

His Majesty, the King is engaged via the committee accords to constantly provide this indispensable support to the Palestinians and particularly to the holy sites. These sites have to be protected. This is part of the heritage of humanity. They have to be protected for mankind. And Morocco, which is also engaged in this process of resumption of the dialogue, of discussion with the Quartet that had been designed by the Arab League, which had its meeting last Monday, in order to explain that we need a resumption of the process and the dialogue on the basis of engagements of the international community on behalf of the solution of two states, as it was defined – namely, the process that you have conducted yourself. Morocco will host the Summit of the Arab League next year in Morocco, and some very important topics will be on the agenda. And of course, Morocco is engaged in peace and in the rapprochement and the dialogue. This is fundamental because this period, this timeframe that we’re experiencing is sensitive, it’s explosive, and Morocco, thanks to the momentum, His Majesty, the King, is assuming the role of leadership, which is its own.

Morocco is also progressing on some various issues. You talked about them. There are two topics about which we have made some real progress – the issue of women, first of all, which was a struggle, a momentum. And thanks to His Majesty, there was this momentum. And this liberation that was conducted created for this amazing energy and skills in Morocco, and also the issue of youth. And this is an issue, of course, that we have not been working just since today. Morocco has always integrated – as part of its vision of development of society and of economic and social development, we integrate the training and the education of the youth as part of a strategy of development which is our own, and this is yielding good results, but we must continue to work even harder.

And this was part of the Global Entrepreneurial Summit that we were – had the pleasure of hosting, and you had the – gave us the honor of attending this. And this was a wonderful opportunity to show the amazing pool of talent that Morocco has in terms of creativity, of unyielding all of this power, and these means that will allow the youth to take its role and play its responsibility in the development of society. And of course, Morocco remains available to provide this expertise, this experience, as part of the upcoming summit which will take place in Nairobi, I believe, in July.

So Morocco is advancing with great serenity. Reforms are important, but in greater serenity they are done, the better it is. And it is acknowledged, appropriated by society. It is acknowledged by the political forces and the components of society. Morocco is advancing. We know we have to conduct reforms. We are conducting reforms and we’re expanding the field of liberation and of energies, and that makes the strength of our country. The strength of our country comes on the fact that we are liberating energies, and we have a leadership, because this leadership is modern. This leadership is progressive. This leadership is democratic. This leadership believes in human values.

His Majesty plays this role of leadership, but also, given the fact that we were able to build for more than a half century a momentum of political diversity and of political dialogue and of political representation, which this all allows us, indeed, to manage our differences with political alternative, with a democracy, with serenity and responsibility – and all of these things are things that we share with you, because the world also needs examples. Our relationship is an example because it is serene, it is responsible, because it looks to the future. And we all – Morocco is also an example that we share with other countries. And the stability of the region is fundamental. Previously, we mentioned the issue of the Sahara – Moroccan Sahara, and we emphasized on the fact that Morocco is a country that always looks to the future to build the future. Morocco provided concrete responses and concrete solutions via the autonomy proposal. This proposal is a proposal which moves towards integration but also towards the facilitation of the construction of the Maghreb space, and this on behalf of the populations, on behalf of the various countries.

So Morocco is a player that always looks at things positively. We have turned the page of the 25th century – we’re on the 21st century, and the 21st century has its own logic, and this logic says we must always be in a positive momentum, provide positive contributions, seek solutions, overcome the static systems of history which disrupt populations, which disrupt relations between countries. So Morocco wants to move ahead.

And we would like to thank you for the role that you play, the – your engagement on behalf of this virtuous dynamic that we want to move towards in this region with respect to the resolution of a problem which has been invented for 40 years, and which affects our territorial integrity. So these always many subjects which are important that we share, but I – once again, I would like to say I do know that you have a plane to catch. I would like to thank you for your friendship, for your availability towards Morocco. We’ll have – we have opportunities to meet once in a while in always various different locations, but these are very special moments, and we wanted to share them intensely with you on behalf of our relationship, on behalf of the friendship which unites our people here. I would like to pay tribute to the entire team which is here today, the three groups which are working, which are – the four groups, pardon me – four groups which are moving ahead with determination to provide content and to strengthen the economic component that is a momentum that has its own progression.

I would just like to conclude with one point which is important to us and that we share with you – Africa. Africa is the continent that we have to invest in. Morocco is engaging, it’s providing its experience, its expertise. We are providing our investments. We are providing human development. Morocco is providing this dimension of religious moderation which is fundamental today as part of the relationship and the stability and the stabilization of societies. We are engaged and will continue to be engaged.

When His Majesty, the King met President Obama, decided that this would be a thrust of the partnership between our countries, will provide it with more and more contact by engaging ourselves. We do know that the issue of energy is important, therefore our shared expertise should help towards, move in this dimension the issue of food security and the stabilization of populations, human development – really just development, but also investments. Morocco is the first investor, African investor in west – in Central Africa. So we are the largest African investor, which means that Morocco is engaged in this dynamic of development stabilization of Africa, which is a wonderful continent, which is a continent which has huge potential, and also needs to know that it has friends and friends that are – have wanted well, and since – we have good wishes for this continent and we’ll continue to work towards that.

Thank you once again, dear John. Thank you to all of you. (Applause.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much, Salaheddine, very eloquent comments. And I want the record to show that even when he was being serious, he was talking about (inaudible). (Laughter.) Thank you. (Applause.)

FOREIGN MINISTER MEZOUAR: Thank you. (Applause.)

QUESTION: Can we get (inaudible)? Will Cuba be removed from the state sponsors of terror list?

SECRETARY KERRY: I can’t, I’m sorry. I can’t. I’ve got to run now.

SEC CHARGES COMPANY WITH VIOLATING FCPA BY OFFERING TRAVEL, GIFTS TO FOREIGN OFFICIALS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
04/08/2015 11:05 AM EDT

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Oregon-based FLIR Systems Inc. with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by financing what an employee termed a “world tour” of personal travel for government officials in the Middle East who played key roles in decisions to purchase FLIR products.  FLIR earned more than $7 million in profits from sales influenced by the improper travel and gifts.

FLIR, which develops infrared technology for use in binoculars and other sensing products and systems, agreed to settle the SEC’s charges by paying more than $9.5 million and reporting its FCPA compliance efforts to the agency for the next two years.  The SEC previously charged two FLIR employees in the case.

“FLIR’s deficient financial controls failed to identify and stop the activities of employees who served as de facto travel agents for influential foreign officials to travel around the world on the company’s dime,” said Kara Brockmeyer, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s FCPA Unit.

According to the SEC’s order instituting a settled administrative proceeding against FLIR, the company had few internal controls over gifts and travel out of its foreign sales offices.  Two employees in its Dubai office provided expensive watches to government officials with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior in 2009, and they arranged for the company to pay for a 20-night excursion by Saudi officials that included stops in Casablanca, Paris, Dubai, Beirut, and New York City.  The value of the gifts and the extent and nature of the travel were falsely recorded in FLIR’s books and records as legitimate business expenses, and the company’s internal controls failed to catch the improper payments despite documentation suggesting that extravagant gifts and travel were being provided.  

The SEC’s order finds that from 2008 to 2010, FLIR paid approximately $40,000 for additional travel by Saudi government officials, including multiple New Year’s Eve trips to Dubai with airfare, hotel, and expensive dinners and drinks.  FLIR also accepted cursory invoices from a FLIR company partner without any supporting documentation to pay extended travel of Egyptian officials in mid-2011.

The SEC’s order finds that FLIR violated the anti-bribery provisions of Section 30A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the internal controls and books-and-records provisions of Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act.  FLIR self-reported the misconduct to the SEC and cooperated with the SEC’s investigation.  FLIR consented to the order without admitting or denying the findings and agreed to pay disgorgement of $7,534,000, prejudgment interest of $970,584 and a penalty of $1 million for a total of $9,504,584.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by FCPA Unit members Cameron P. Hoffman and Tracy L. Davis in the San Francisco office.  The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United Arab Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority.

READOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CALLS WITH MIDDLE EAST LEADERS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
April 03, 2015
Readout of the President’s Calls with King Hamad al Khalifa of Bahrain, Amir Sabah al Sabah of Kuwait, Amir Tamim al Thani of Qatar, and Crown Prince Mohammed al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates

The President today spoke with King Hamad al Khalifa of Bahrain, Amir Sabah al Sabah of Kuwait, Amir Tamim al Thani of Qatar, and Crown Prince Mohammed al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates. With each the President shared details of the political framework reached between the P5+1, the EU, and Iran on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding Iran’s nuclear program. He highlighted that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and the months ahead will be used to finalize the technical details for a lasting, comprehensive solution that verifiably ensures the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. He also reiterated the United States’ enduring commitment to work with partners to address Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region. The President invited the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to join him at Camp David this spring to further these consultations.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG SAYS ALLIANCE WILL "ADAPT TO NEW THREATS"

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
NATO Prepares for Challenges From East, South
By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2015 – NATO commanders are putting in place the infrastructure that will allow the alliance to adapt to new threats, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the press yesterday at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium.

Stoltenberg spoke alongside Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander, after NATO commanders briefed the secretary general on progress toward meeting the goals of the Wales Summit.

Both men noted the security environment in Europe has grown complicated and that the alliance must change to deal with these new threats. While the alliance continues the train, advise and equip mission in Afghanistan and the peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, it is changing to confront new issues.

Threats From East, South

“We see threats both from the East with the more aggressive actions of Russia in Ukraine, [and] also from the South with violence and turmoil spreading to the Middle East and North Africa,” Stoltenberg said.

The answer to both challengers is a boost to collective security, he added.
The alliance is more than doubling the size of the NATO Response Force from 13,000 to 30,000 troops.

“We are setting up a new 5,000-strong quick reaction Spearhead Force, with some units ready to move within as little as 48 hours,” Stoltenberg said. “And we are also creating six command-and-control centers in the Baltic states and three other eastern allied states.”

‘Deliberative and Unified’ Changes

Breedlove said those moves are on track. “We’re in full swing moving forward with our assurance and our adaptation measures and these will make our alliance even more ready and responsive in the future,” the general said.

“The United States is sending 3,000 troops and equipment to the Baltic region for training,” Stoltenberg said. “And in the south, we are preparing to hold this autumn our biggest exercise for many years, expected to include over 25,000 troops in this exercise.” NATO also has ships exercising in the Black and Baltic seas, he added.

The measures are defensive, proportionate and in line with international commitments, the secretary general said.

Changing the alliance posture is tough, involved work, Breedlove said. “We are tackling these changes in a deliberative and unified fashion,” he said. “I’ve spent many years serving among our European allies and I’m pleased to say that I’ve never seen a greater degree of cohesion, resolve and determination to ensure that NATO is ready to meet our future challenges, and I’m confident this will continue as we secure our future together.”

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT GOLDMAN SACHS LUNCHEON FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at a Luncheon in Honor of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women-U.S. Department of State Entrepreneurship Program for Women in the Middle East
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Ben Franklin Room
Washington, DC
March 9, 2015

Hanan, thank you for those wonderful comments.  More importantly, thank you for your extraordinary personal example.  You’re a role model to so many people, and I think everybody here joins me in expressing such great respect for what you do.  It’s wonderful.  Thank you.


And Hanan actually is not just successful and she doesn’t just understand that entrepreneurship is not just about making money.  As you heard, she’s founded two companies: importing affordable oncology medications to Egypt, and then another one that she runs with her daughters where they manufacture textiles, which you heard about a moment ago, and they support artisans in the local community.  So it is really a pleasure for me to be able to welcome Hanan here and the others who have traveled here from more than a dozen different countries in the Middle East, and we welcome all of you.  Thank you for being here.

As I was looking around the audience, a lot of friends here.  And you’ll forgive me if I don’t single all of you out and run through everybody’s names here, but we’re deeply appreciative for all of you being here.  And there are many leaders from the State Department who are at the tables spread around here, who have worked together with Goldman Sachs in order to make this event happen.  And I thank every single one of you.  I particularly want to thank Evan Ryan, who you heard from a moment ago.  She’s a star and doing a spectacular job.  (Applause.)  As you all know, she’s been with me almost from the beginning.  From the beginning here means something different because of the new nominating process.  (Laughter.)  It takes a while.  But from the moment we were able to get her confirmed, she’s been here as my assistant secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs.  And somehow, somebody she’s related to named Tony Blinken managed to sneak in later, and we welcome him, obviously, also.

Evan is a huge believer, as I am, in people-to-people diplomacy, and she played a really key role in launching the State Department Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women partnership, which we’re very proud of and which is growing in its capacity thanks to many of you who are sitting here right now.  It’s no coincidence that one of her first trips as assistant secretary, she journeyed to Rwanda to meet with women tech entrepreneurs.

And I also want to pay a special tribute to Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs for his partnership, for his leadership.  There are a number of folks here who are part of that partnership.  The success of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women program is really proof positive, which many of you have come to understand through your lifetime commitment to this kind of endeavor, that empowering women pays huge dividends – not just for some countries, but for all countries, for all societies.  And to date, the program has reached – the program itself has reached across 43 countries, so it’s growing in its impact and in its capacity.  And Lloyd, I just want to thank you for your vision, for your leadership, your commitment to this.  It is a very important initiative, and it would not have been possible without the commitment of Goldman Sachs and the leadership of it.  I also want to thank, particularly, World Bank President Dr. Jim Kim – (applause) – and in unity with him my old friend, crossing paths in many different places but now most importantly at Harvard, David Gergen.  Thank you so much for your engagement and involvement in this.  (Applause.)

Last year, Goldman Sachs and the World Bank created the first global fund of its type for women, opening doors of opportunity for women around the world.  And the State Department is very, very proud to join with the combination of Goldman and Harvard and the World Bank in order to promote women’s entrepreneurship and access to capital through the new program that we are announcing today.  I’m particularly proud that we are launching this important public-private partnership on the first day of Global Partnership Week.  And the principle really could not be more direct.  It’s very simple:  If women are able to thrive, societies thrive.  And nowhere is that more true than in the Middle East and in North Africa.  Everybody here knows we are facing a moment of some enormous challenges in all of these places.  But it’s also a part of the world that is richly blessed with unbelievable untapped opportunities.  People think I’m a little obsessed by the notion that the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere is sitting on this goldmine of possibility; there’s no question in my mind.  The foreign minister of the Emirates recently, they did a big, deep dive economic analysis, and it proved that if we can move forward, if we can empower people, if we can get those economies moving, it will become an enormous center of finance and of new energy possibilities, new agriculture possibilities, and a crosspollination between all of this, and ultimately with tourism, will make it an economic powerhouse globally.

There are – so there’s no better example, really, of when you go micro from this sort of macro-vision that I was just expressing, of the potential for innovation and of ingenuity of its women than the examples that they set themselves.  And we’ve seen an increasing income share that is controlled by women as they begin to get this foothold economically, and that benefits all the way down the economic and societal food chain.

Time and again, we see that countries with the greatest representation of women in management positions deliver a higher return to shareholders than those who push women out.  And time and again, we’ve seen that gender equality and health, education, political, and economic participation means more jobs and greater economic competitiveness.  So the facts tell this story, not the desires of a Secretary of State or a State Department or a good corporate citizen who want to make this happen.  The facts tell this story.

And remember that behind each example, there are real people trying to make a living, trying to put food on the table for their families, trying to explore the boundaries of their talents and their capabilities.  And each of us has an ability to help tear down those barriers that deny women a fair chance to start their businesses, to obtain credit, to take advantage of modern technology, to pursue a successful career.  Now many of our participants here today are doing exactly those things, and the work that they are doing truly is inspirational.

Hassiba Sayah consults with Algeria’s ministry of environment and runs a company that helps Algerian women create and develop their own businesses, and she is an inspiration. And Talan Aouny, who operates one of Iraq’s largest companies and has made the recruitment of women a top priority, is an inspiration.

When I was in Afghanistan the week, regrettably, when we lost a young woman who was going out to – shortly thereafter to take books to students in school, she organized my whole trip.  And she put together 10 remarkable Afghan women that I met, each of whom had started their own businesses.  Imagine – in Afghanistan, that’s hard.  One of them had become the owner of a company that was the biggest employer with respect to trucks and movement of people between the ’Stans and Afghanistan.  Absolutely amazing.  And all of them, despite the difficulties, expressed their energy, their enthusiasm, their belief in the possibilities of what they could do to help change their country, and what they were doing.

So the bottom line is really very, very simple:  No country can get ahead if it leaves half its people behind.  No team can win.  (Applause.)  And no economy can thrive if women are denied a seat at the table.  That is also a fact.  And I want to be clear:  We’re not talking about a largesse that somehow just gives something to women and girls.  We’re talking about getting out of the way, breaking down the barriers so that women and girls can make full use of their energy, their talent, and their brains to do what they want to do and can do.  That’s called empowerment, and that’s exactly what this is about.  Governments don’t grant rights to women or to anyone else in that sense.  Women, like men, are born with those rights, and we need to make certain that this country – President Obama, I know, believes this very deeply – is taking the lead in helping to push that notion out into everybody’s political ether.

Our obligation is to allow for the free exercise of rights by everyone without discrimination, without exploitation, and without abuse, and without violence.  There are a lot of ways to do it, folks.  And first, we need to ensure that women are basically empowered in the ways we’ve described, remove the barriers to opportunity.   No barrier in the Middle East is more readily measurable, frankly, than discrimination against women.  Women participate in the workplace in the region at only half the rate found in other parts of the world.  In some MENA countries, the unemployment percentage for women is three to eight times as high as that for men.  And the result is an immense loss of productivity for the region.  Because when women are able to join the workforce, guess what?  Again and again and again, it is proven the GDP goes up and it goes up fast.

Now, there are many creative ways to eliminate discrimination without coming into conflict with cultural and religious norms.  And that’s important.  I emphasize, we’re not going to find those ways if you don’t seek them.  I find it heartening, for example, that Saudi Arabia is committed to doubling the number of women in its workforce over the next few years.  Second, we need to ensure that women have access to quality education and professional training that will enable them to succeed and lead in the workforce.  And the Middle East has a lot of fine colleges and universities.  But there’s a troubling disconnect between the skills that schools teach and the expertise that the job market demands.  And that leaves many educated women still – and men, I might add – unemployed.

And that’s why the State Department is already working closely with a group of locally run nonprofits who are focused on precisely the challenge of matching jobs to skills, and is why we’re working on new ways to do even more than that.  Each year, education for employment reaches thousands of young people across the Middle East and North Africa by helping, for example, a young Egyptian woman to learn English so that she could pursue the career of a journalist, or teaching a woman raised in the Moroccan desert the basics of computer science so that she could become the manager of a technology firm in Casablanca.  And you can tell I’m talking about real people for whom this has happened.

We need to help young women in the Middle East find jobs, but we also need to help them create jobs.  And that means we need to equip women with the tools that they need to be successful entrepreneurs.  And we’re looking to the business community to help point the way in developing tomorrow’s engines of growth.

And that’s why at this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Marrakesh, we brought together nearly 4,000 entrepreneurs and business and government leaders from all across the Middle East and North Africa.  And for the first time, the summit had a day dedicated to the specific challenges and opportunities relevant to women and young entrepreneurs.  That’s why the State Department is continuing to invest in TechWomen, which supports our foreign policy goals in technology, increases the trade capacity of our partners, and helps women reach their full potential in the tech industry.  That’s why we’ve launched Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership, which connects America’s senior women business executives with emerging women leaders from around the world.

So our responsibility is clear: to invest in women and to level the playing field so women have access to the opportunities and rights that they deserve.  And that is the story that I want to leave you with today.

On one of my first trips to Kabul as Secretary of State – I’ll just tell you about these women for one minute quickly – there was a woman called Hassina.  And I mentioned this trucking company that she started – she started it with 500 bucks, folks.  Of her 650 employees today, 300 are women who not so long ago couldn’t even think of joining into the workforce.  She told me that when she was growing up, she always knew she wanted to be a businesswoman.  And I asked why, and she said simply:  “Because then I’ll get to be my own boss.”  And that’s not just an Afghan trait.  That’s a pretty universal aspiration.

The Egyptian poet Hafez Ibrahim summed it up best when he said, “When you educate a woman, you create a nation.”  Friends, women like Hassina and all of our participants who are here today are a living testament to those words.  They know that the benefits of investing in women and girls is not limited to one village, it’s not limited to one province or one country; they ripple out across borders.  You all heard that extraordinary speech of President Obama’s in Selma on how you create change.  And he mentioned Robert Kennedy’s famous speech in South Africa about ripples.  Well, ripples are what they are, and they tear down the barriers of oppression and resistance.  They make things happen.

I am convinced that those same kinds of ripples will build a current that will lift up and inspire citizens across the globe to understand that they’re really missing something when they do not include women to be fully empowered in their society.  And let no one doubt we know this is still a journey we have to complete in our own country, as we continue to break the glass ceiling and deal with questions of equal pay and so forth.  We’re still on that journey.  But we know the difference that it makes, and that’s the promise of this partnership that we are celebrating here today.

And it’s my pleasure to turn the podium over to the man who is helping to make this possible, Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs.  (Applause.)

SECRETARY KERRY, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER FABIUS MAKE REMARKS IN PARIS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Quai d'Orsay
Paris, France
March 7, 2015

FOREIGN MINISTER FABIUS: (In French.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Laurent, thank you very, very much. Thank you for hosting us here today. I really appreciate the welcome, as always. It’s always wonderful to be in Paris, though obviously only for a few hours today.

I want to begin by expressing President Obama’s and my deepest condolences to the families of the French, Belgian, and Malian victims of this appalling shooting in Bamako this morning. As Foreign Minister Fabius made clear just now in his comments, this is an act of cowardice. And these horrific and cowardly attacks, these acts of terrorism, which Paris experienced too much of most recently, but an act of opening fire in a restaurant filled with innocent civilians – in the end, that only strengthens our resolve to fight terrorism in all of its forms wherever it exists. And we are pleased that together with France we have a present-day manifestation of an old relationship as we join together to express our revulsion at this kind of act, and our unity, our partnership, and our alliance in standing up to it and continuing to fight.

So rather than intimidate us, it has the exact opposite effect. It strengthens our partnership and it strengthens our commitment to see this moment, this generational challenge, through. And we will.

Today, we talked at some length – in a short span of time, obviously, but we talked about Daesh. We talked about the challenge in Syria, in Iraq, and the need to continue, and ways in which we can strengthen what we’re doing. We talked also about the need for transition in Syria and the increased efforts with respect to the Assad regime and the need to leverage him to a negotiation. We talked about Libya – the threat, obviously, of Daesh and other extremist groups taking advantage of the lack of adequate governance and the adequate resolution politically of the challenges there. And we committed to redouble our efforts together in order to focus on that.

As many of you know, I’ve spent the past week traveling in Europe and in the Middle East discussing a number of important issues. But obviously, my primary focus for this week has really been the Iran nuclear talks. And after a couple of days of very intense negotiations with the Iranians in Switzerland, I traveled to Saudi Arabia, where I updated our allies and our partners in Riyadh and throughout the Gulf. And here in Paris today, I appreciate Foreign Minister Fabius bringing people together and hosting us for our opportunity to be able to have a discussion about what is a partnership. This is not a bilateral negotiation; this is a multilateral P5+1 negotiation. And all of our partners are consistently exchanging and sharing information, sharing ideas, working together, meeting, and helping to try to drive this to the good conclusion that we want.

As Foreign Minister Fabius said a moment ago, we want an agreement that’s solid. We want an agreement that will guarantee that we are holding any kind of program that continues in Iran accountable to the highest standards so that we know that it is, in fact, a peaceful program. All of us in the P5+1 are deeply committed to ensuring that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. And we continue to believe that a comprehensive deal that includes intrusive access and verification measures, and blocks each of the pathways to securing fissile material for a bomb and then to try and make a bomb itself, that the best way to achieve the goal is to shut off those pathways.

Now, I agree with Laurent. We have exactly the same assessment. We have made progress, but there remain gaps – divergences, as he said. And we need to close those gaps. And that is our goal over the course of the next days. We have a critical couple of weeks ahead of us. We’re all mindful that the days are ticking by. But we’re not feeling a sense of urgency that we have to get any deal. We have to get the right deal. And it is frankly up to Iran – that wants this program, that wants a peaceful program, that asserts that they have a peaceful program – to show the world that it is indeed exactly what they say. That’s the measure here. And we planned a return to the talks. Starting next Sunday, different folks will be having different conversations, and we look forward to trying to drive this thing to an appropriate conclusion. And we will find out whether or not Iran is prepared to take the steps to answer the questions that the world has a right to get answers to.

I’d be happy to take any questions. Laurent, you --

FOREIGN MINISTER FABIUS: (In French.)

Hello. Madam (inaudible).

QUESTION: Thank you. Mr. Foreign Minister, you said yesterday the deal doesn’t go far enough in the extent and duration of Iran’s commitments. What are your primary areas of concern? Is it enrichment capacity, breakout time, how long Iran will accept constraints on its enrichment activities, what happens when the agreement expires? Did you make specific suggestions to Mr. Kerry today on how the agreement can be improved?

And Mr. Secretary, also relating to the Foreign Minister’s comments yesterday, do you agree the deal does not go far enough in terms of the extent and duration of commitments? What will you say to your partners today to reassure them about the progress of the talks? Also, Iran’s nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said today Iran has put forward technical proposals to the U.S. to overcome their concerns. He said the impasse over technical issues is over. Do you share this assessment? Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER FABIUS: (In French.)

Under no circumstances Iran will never seek nor possess any nuclear weapon.

(In French.)

SECRETARY KERRY: I agree completely with the comments of Foreign Minister Fabius, particularly with respect to the picture that he just drew of what happens if you don’t have a good, solid agreement. All of us have an interest in making certain that the countries in the region feel sufficiently convinced that this agreement is meaningful – that it will hold, that it’s real, and that they’re secure – so that they don’t in fact make matters worse by all engaging in the development of a program because they feel threatened.

So our obligation is, as Laurent just said, not to each other, not just to those of us in the talks. It’s to a much broader community – in fact, to the world. Because we are also deeply involved in trying to denuclearize North Korea, and there are any number of other players in the world who might at some point think that they would be advantaged by proceeding down this road. So this – the stakes here are higher than just this P5+1-plus-Iran negotiation.

I also agree – and I said at the beginning of my comments, we are on the same page. If we didn’t think that there was further to go, as Laurent said, we’d have had an agreement already. The reason we don’t have an agreement is we believe there are gaps that have to be closed. There are things that have to be done to further strengthen this. We know this. And we have not resolved – now, like Laurent, I’m not going to stand here now and negotiate with you in public and give you a whole bunch of differentials. That’s what we’re going to go do, all of us together.

But the bottom line is that everybody knows what matters here: the length of this – the length and duration, the levels of visibility, the control, as Laurent said, the issue of verification and knowledge. All of these are key. This is an arms control agreement. They have been negotiated for a long period of time, particularly before between the Western world and the former Soviet Union. So we know something about these. We have a track record of standards. We have a track record of IAEA requirements. We have a track record of mistakes and we understand what we need to do.

So the proof will be in an agreement if it is reached. And none of us are going to, I think, publicly start to lay out numbers and equations here. We know what we’re chasing after, and we’re chasing after the same thing, all of us in the P5+1. That’s what’s important.

FOREIGN MINISTER FABIUS: (In French.)

QUESTION: (Inaudible), Al Arabiya (inaudible). Secretary Kerry, you have said on Thursday that Iran is still supporting terrorism, while General Dempsey was telling senators that Iran’s role in Iraq might be positive. Does that mean that according to the United States, Iran is fighting terrorism in Iraq and supporting it in Syria and in Yemen? Would you clarify this divergence between the two statements?

(In French.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me answer that very directly. The advance on Tikrit is an Iraqi-designed and an Iraqi-controlled advance. And Prime Minister Abadi himself went out to the front several days beforehand. He briefed our people and others on what their plans were. There are Sunni tribes involved in this effort. There are Iraqi armed forces involved. And yes, there are some militias involved, and yes, some of those militias are receiving direction from General Soleimani and from Iran. That’s a fact.

But we’re not coordinating with them. We’re not discussing this with them. I think what General Dempsey said is a matter of pure common sense and fact. If Iran kills a bunch of ISIL/Daesh on the ground, and it serves the interests of Iraq and the rest of us, that might wind up helping, but it doesn’t mean that we accept in any way their behavior with respect to other things they’re doing in Yemen, in Beirut, in Damascus, elsewhere.

So yes, they have been engaged in these other activities. That’s why they are a designated country. And the truth is that’s not on the table in this discussion. Our goal is ultimately to change the behavior and ultimately try to affect these other places. But for the moment, the key is to prevent them from having a nuclear weapon. Because if this country that is engaged in these other activities has a nuclear weapon, you got a whole different ballgame.

So let’s keep our eye on the priority. Priority number one is to not have a pathway to a nuclear weapon and guarantee that this program is peaceful. And as I have said to our friends in the region and elsewhere, the next day, if we get an agreement, we continue to have disagreements over these other kinds of activities. And that will be the next layer of effort, is to try to work at changing the whole dynamic. But that’s not what’s on the table here right now. And I think General Dempsey was simply speaking to a kind of common sense judgment about one moment, but only a moment in this unfolding process.

FOREIGN MINISTER FABIUS: (In French.)