WHITE HOUSE MARKS 1,000th DAY OF CAPTIVITY FOR AUSTIN TICE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
May 12, 2015
Statement by National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on Austin Tice

This week, it is with a heavy heart that we mark American journalist Austin Tice’s 1,000th day in captivity.  Austin was abducted in August 2012 while reporting from a suburb of Damascus in Syria.  An award-winning journalist and Marine Corps veteran, Austin entered Syria in May 2012 with a desire to report on the impact of the war on ordinary Syrians and an eagerness to help others – values that were instilled in him by his loving family and close friends.

The United States government will continue to work tirelessly to bring Austin home to his parents, Debra and Marc, and his brothers and sisters, who have endured anguish and suffering since Austin’s abduction.  We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Czech government, which acts as the U.S. protecting power in Syria, on behalf of our citizens, including Austin.

We strongly urge Austin’s captors to release him so that he can be safely reunited with his family.  We call on all those who may have information about Austin’s whereabouts – governments and individuals – to work cooperatively with us to help bring him home.

NSC STATEMENT ON MURDERS IN LIBYA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
April 19, 2015
Statement by National Security Council Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on Murders in Libya

The United States condemns in the strongest terms the brutal mass murder purportedly of Ethiopian Christians by ISIL-affiliated terrorists in Libya.  We express our condolences to the families of the victims and our support to the Ethiopian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens.  That these terrorists killed these men solely because of their faith lays bare the terrorists’ vicious, senseless brutality.  This atrocity once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya to empower a unified Libyan rejection of terrorist groups.

Even as terrorists attempt through their unconscionable acts to sow discord among religious communities, we recall that people of various faiths have coexisted as neighbors for centuries in the Middle East and Africa.  With the force of this shared history behind them, people across all faiths will remain united in the face of the terrorists’ barbarity.  The United States stands with them.  While these dehumanizing acts of terror aim to test the world's resolve – as groups throughout history have – none have the power to vanquish the powerful core of moral decency which binds humanity and which will ultimately prove the terrorists' undoing.

U.S. EXPRESSES CONCERN REGARDING SOUTH SUDAN CONFLICT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
U.S. ‘Deeply Concerned’ About South Sudan Situation

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1, 2014 – The United States “remains deeply concerned” about the situation in South Sudan and calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities there to stabilize the situation and permit full humanitarian access to civilians who remain in dire need of assistance, according to a statement issued yesterday by National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden.
The U.S. also welcomes slated upcoming meetings in Ethiopia, where representatives from South Sudan have agreed to conduct mediated discussions, the statement said.

The text of Hayden’s statement reads as follows:

“The United States remains deeply concerned by the fragile situation in South Sudan. We continue to urge President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar to take immediate steps to end the current conflict, and we welcome their agreement to send representatives to Addis Ababa for talks mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in the coming days. We continue to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities to stabilize the situation and permit full humanitarian access to civilian populations, which remain in dire need of assistance. The United States will deny support and work to apply international pressure to any elements that use force to seize power. At the same time, we will hold leaders responsible for the conduct of their forces and work to ensure accountability for atrocities and war crimes.

“We also strongly support the vital work of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). We are working closely with the UN and other partners to help further strengthen the mission and its efforts to protect civilians, and we call on all parties to the current conflict to allow UNMISS to carry out its mandate without obstruction.

“Finally, the United States is deeply concerned by the continuing reports of serious human rights abuses being committed in various regions of South Sudan, allegedly by government forces and militias that have taken up arms against the government. Human rights abuses against the civilian population are unacceptable under any circumstances, and every new human rights abuse makes South Sudan’s path toward reconciliation more difficult. It is vital that all South Sudanese reject these acts of violence -- and that all South Sudanese leaders call upon their forces to protect civilians -- and that there be accountability for those who fail to heed these calls.”