U.S. PRESS STATEMENT CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT GHANI AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ABDULALLAH OF AFGHANISTAN ON INAUGURATION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

United States Congratulates President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

September 29, 2014

Today we congratulate President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah on this historic inauguration. I have known both of them for many years, and they are both patriots committed to the success of their country. Never has that been more evident than in the spirit of cooperation and partnership that united them in establishing a government of national unity to fulfill Afghan aspirations for peace, prosperity and stability.

Afghans have taken a moment of challenge and turned it into a moment of real opportunity.

I also want to recognize President Karzai's contributions to the cause of democracy, development and security. It's no secret that our relationship with President Karzai has been punctuated by disagreements. But always, always, the world has recognized that he is a nationalist, a patriot, and an important figure who stepped forward when his country needed him, and helped profoundly shape one of the most challenging periods in Afghan history that has seen remarkable progress.

No one should forget for a minute what's been accomplished in Afghanistan. Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of so many from around the world, in addition to the strides it has made in consolidating its democratic system, Afghanistan has made unprecedented gains in the life expectancy, health, and education of its people– particularly women and girls.

If I learned anything from my recent visits to Kabul, it's that the Afghan people are determined to choose unity over division and ensure that the first peaceful democratic transition in the history of their country will not be its last.

This is a beginning not an ending, and with all beginnings the toughest decisions are still ahead. As Afghanistan enters this new chapter in its history, the United States looks forward to deepening its enduring partnership with a sovereign, unified and democratic Afghanistan.

SECRETARY KERRY SAYS SOUTH SUDAN FACES WIDESPREAD STARVATION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT  

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

July 25, 2014

South Sudan now faces the worst food security crisis in the world. Violence has forced over 1.5 million people from their homes since mid-December, while more than 50,000 children under the age of five are at risk of dying from malnutrition this year. This is not a crisis caused by drought or flood: it is a calamity created by conflict. Unless the fighting ends and a peace agreement is concluded, the number of those at risk of starvation -- now as many as 3.9 million people, fully one-third of the population – will reach even more catastrophic levels.

South Sudan's leaders need to make choices and they need to make them now if they're going to pull their country back from the brink of famine. In the last months, I've traveled to Juba and Ethiopia to press on the cease-fire. I've had call after call with both leaders in South Sudan, pressing them to work closely with regional partners in support of mediation efforts. The United States has spoken out against ongoing fighting, obstruction of humanitarian access and failures to resolve the conflict.

But in the end, the leaders have to make decisions. President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar share responsibility for triggering this man-made crisis and they share responsibility for ending it. I call on them to end the fighting immediately and negotiate in good faith under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

The Government of South Sudan and the opposition must put the safety and wellbeing of the South Sudanese people first by immediately implementing the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, ensuring the security of humanitarian workers and goods, and dismantling unofficial checkpoints that impede the delivery of aid. International and South Sudanese humanitarian workers have saved lives at great personal risk. They must be able to do their jobs without the threat of violence, informal “taxation” or other arbitrary impediments.

The United States remains committed to the people of South Sudan and has provided more than $456 million in humanitarian aid this year alone. We call on fellow donor countries to make additional contributions. The people of South Sudan deserve the opportunity to begin rebuilding their country, and to develop the national and local institutions they need to put South Sudan on a path towards stability.

SECRETARY KERRY'S RECENT REMARKS TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL ON SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks at the United Nations Security Council
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
New York City
September 27, 2013

Thank you very much, and thank you, Mr. Secretary General, distinguished minister members of the Security Council.

Five weeks ago, the world saw rows upon rows of murdered children lying on a hospital floor alone or beside slain parents, all wrapped in un-bloodied burial shrouds. And the world’s conscience was shocked, but our collective resolved hardened. Tonight, with a strong, enforceable, precedent-setting resolution requiring Syria to give up its chemical weapons, the United Nations Security Council has demonstrated that diplomacy can be so powerful, it can peacefully defuse the worst weapons of war.

So tonight, we are declaring together, for the first time, that the use of chemical weapons, which the world long ago determined beyond the bounds of acceptable human behavior, are also a threat to international peace and security anywhere they might be used, anytime they might be used, under any circumstances. As a community of nations, we reaffirm our responsibility to defend the defenseless, those whose lives remain at risk every day that anyone believes they can use weapons of mass destruction with impunity. Together, the world, with a single voice for the first time, is imposing binding obligations on the Assad regime requiring it to get rid of weapons that have been used to devastating effect as tools of terror. This important resolution reflects what President Obama and President Putin and colleagues around the world set out to do.

I want to thank Foreign Minister Lavrov for his personal efforts and cooperation, beginning before Geneva and continuing through this week, so that we could find common ground. I also want to thank my good friends and counterparts, Foreign Secretary Hague and Foreign Minister Fabius, who have been partners every step of the way.

Our original objective was to degrade and deter Syria’s chemical weapons capability, and the option of military force that President Obama has kept on the table could have achieved that. But tonight’s resolution, in fact, accomplishes even more. Through peaceful means, it will for, the first time, seek to eliminate entirely a nation’s chemical weapons capability, and in this case specifically Syria’s. On-site inspections of the places that these weapons are stored will begin by November, and under the terms of this agreement, those weapons will be removed and destroyed by the middle of next year.

Our aim was also to hold the Assad regime publicly accountable for its horrific use of chemical weapons against its own people on August 21st. And this resolution makes clear that those responsible for this heinous act must be held accountable.

In this resolution, the Council has, importantly, endorsed the Geneva Communique, which calls for a transfer of power to a transitional governing body, paving the way for democratic elections and a government that can be chosen by the people of Syria to represent the people of Syria.

We sought a legally binding resolution, and that is what the Security Council has adopted. For the first time since Syria’s civil war began, the Security Council is spelling out in detail what Syria must do to comply with its legal obligations. Syria cannot select or reject the inspectors. Syria must give those inspectors unfettered access to any and all sites and to any and all people.

We also wanted a resolution that would be enforced. And again, that is what the Security Council has adopted. We are here because actions have consequences. And now, should the regime fail to act, there will be consequences. Progress will be reported back to the Security Council frequently, and in the event of noncompliance, the Council will impose measures under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.

Just two weeks ago, when the Syrian regime would not even acknowledge the vast supply of chemical weapons and say that they existed, this outcome, frankly, would have been utterly unimaginable. But thanks to the cooperation within the P-5 of the United Nations, and thanks to our friends and partners around the world, many of whom are here in this room, the Security Council has shown that when we put aside politics for the common good, we are still capable of doing big things. Provided this resolution is fully implemented, we will have eliminated one of the largest chemical weapons programs on earth from one of the most volatile places on earth.

The Assad regime carries the burden of meeting the terms of this agreement. And when it comes to those who murder their own citizens, the world’s patience needs to be short. But make no mistake: The rest of the world still carries the burden of doing what we must do to end mass killing by other means. We must work together with the same determination and the same cooperation that has brought us here tonight in order to end the conflict that continues to tear Syria apart even this very day. We must continue to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid. And neither Assad nor anyone else should stand between that aid and the people who need it. Only when we do these things will we have fulfilled our responsibility to the Syrian people and to ourselves. Only then will we have advanced our own interests and our own security and that of our allies in the region. Only then will we have shown that the UN Security Council is meeting its responsibility to enforce international peace and security.

So we are here united tonight in support of our belief that international institutions do matter, that international norms matter. We say with one voice that atrocities carried out with the world’s most heinous weapons will not be tolerated. And when institutions like the Security Council stand up to defend the principles and values that we all share, when we put violent regimes on notice that the world will unite against them, it will lead not only to a safer Syria, but it will lead to a safer world.

Thank you.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARK'S AFTER P-5+1 MINISTERIAL ON IRAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks After the P-5+1 Ministerial on Iran
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
New York City
September 26, 2013

SECRETARY KERRY: First of all, I think you’ve heard some of the other ministers. We had a constructive meeting, and I think all of us were pleased that Foreign Minister Zarif came and made a presentation to us, which was very different in tone and very different in the vision that he held out with respect to possibilities of the future.

I have just met with him now on a side meeting, which we took a moment to explore a little further the possibilities of how to proceed based on what President Obama laid out in his speech to the General Assembly earlier this week. And so we’ve agreed to try to continue a process that we’ll try to make concrete, to find a way to answer the questions that people have about Iran’s nuclear program.

Needless to say, one meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn’t answer those questions yet, and there’s a lot of work to be done. So we will engage in that work, obviously, and we hope very, very much – all of us – that we can get concrete results that will answer the outstanding questions regarding the program. But I think all of us were pleased that the Foreign Minister came today, that he did put some possibilities on the table. Now it’s up to people to do the hard work of trying to fill out what those possibilities could do.

Finally, let me just say that prior to this meeting, I was pleased to have a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and we did reach agreement with respect to the resolution. We’re now doing the final work of pulling that language together, but it’s our hope that that process between the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations and its resolution can now move forward and give life, hopefully, to the removal and destruction of chemical weapons from Syria.

Thank you all very, very much.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S PRESS STATEMENT ON SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UN CENTRE ON COUNTERTERRORISM

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Saudi Arabia's Contribution to the UN Centre on Counterterrorism
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 8, 2013

We welcome and applaud today’s $100 million donation by His Majesty King Abdullah, on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to the UN Centre on Counterterrorism (UNCCT).

His Majesty’s generous donation, on the occasion of Eid al Fitr, demonstrates once again the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting multilateral institutions and strengthening international cooperation on counterterrorism.

With these funds, we hope that the UN Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force (UNCTITF), of which the Centre is a critical component, can intensify its work to provide countries with the long-term capacity building support they need to implement the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy.

REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY AND JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER JUDEH

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Remarks With Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh
Remarks John Kerry
Secretary of State
Villa Taverna
Rome, Italy
May 9, 2013


SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. It’s my pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh here to Villa Taverna. Thank you very much, Nasser, for taking time to be here. We are, I would say, old and good friends. We’ve spent a lot of time together in the last few years before I became Secretary of State. And we are enormously appreciative for the incredible assistance that the Foreign Minister and King Abdullah have given to the peace process and to the relationship with the United States.

Foreign Minister Judeh was particularly helpful in helping to bring the Arab League together and in helping to lead the Arab League to a new engagement for the peace process, which I believe is very significant. King Abdullah in Jordan remains enormous committed to the possibilities of peace, and the Foreign Minister has graciously adjusted his schedule so that we could meet here in Rome as both of us travel in different directions, but recognizing the importance of this moment, particularly important because each day that goes by in the Middle East always brings the ability for someone somehow to create events that always threaten the ability of the process to continue smoothly.

And the Foreign Minister has agreed that it is absolutely critical for all of us to try to move speedily and with focus to try to get to a place where everybody understands we are engaged in a serious process to reopen negotiations. Jordan will play a key role in that. Jordan is an essential partner to peace. It borders Israel, has already engaged in many activities regarding security, regarding trade and relations, and we’re very, very grateful to King Abdullah and the Jordanians for their commitments in that regard.

But Jordan is also suffering a very significant impact of the events in Syria, and Jordan is a big stakeholder in the course of events in Syria. The Foreign Minister will work with us, as they have, to try to bring all the parties to the table so that we can effect a transition government by mutual consent on both sides, which clearly means that, in our judgment, President Assad will not be a component of that transitional government. The fourth largest city in Jordan today is a tent city, a refugee city. So Jordan feels the impact of what is happening more than any other country. And with that in mind today, President Obama has asked me to and authorized an additional $100 million in aid for humanitarian purposes, 43 million of which will be designated directly to Jordan in order to assist to relieve the burden that they are currently feeling.

And finally, I’d just say, Nasser, as we talk today about the peace process and things that could be done going forward, I just want to thank you for the longstanding commitment of Jordan to this kind of effort. King Hussein himself, in the year before he died, talked about the urgency of dignity for the Palestinian people, for Arabs living in the neighborhood. He talked about the urgency of their having the ability to share freedom of expression and peace and stability. And he talked greatly about the need for stability in the region.

King Abdullah and you remain committed to helping to make that happen, so I’m very grateful to you for sharing your thoughts here today, and more importantly, for putting yourself on the frontlines of peace, which is always difficult, and we thank you for that.

FOREIGN MINISTER JUDEH: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary, dear friend. Thank you for receiving me here today. And I am here today meeting again with my good friend and Jordan’s friend, His Majesty’s friend, Secretary John Kerry, to build on the extremely successful visit and very productive discussions that His Majesty The King had in Washington recently with the President and the Vice President, with your good self, and many officials in the Administration, and on Capitol Hill.

If there is one thing that characterizes the relationship between Jordan and the United States, it’s that we always say it’s not just a friendship; it’s a true partnership, and it’s across the board. And this is something that we cherish and something that we believe is a strategic relationship, and we’re extremely pleased and gratified by the successful visit by President Obama to Jordan a few weeks ago. And again, the fact that we meet regularly and remain in constant touch is a reflection of that special relationship that spans more than six decades, which again, we remind has stood the test of time and many challenges, but gets stronger by the day.

So, John, I’m extremely happy to have this opportunity to discuss all that interests us and all that poses a set of challenges for both our countries. No doubt that the meeting that we had in Washington, D.C., both bilaterally and with the Arab League Peace Initiative committee representatives, will be a launching pad for a productive and overarching conversation today on your efforts, your admirable efforts, the President’s commitment and your leadership of this effort to try and bridge the gap between Palestinians and Israelis, to – and to try and end and resolve this decades of conflict, one of the longest conflicts of our contemporary times.

I mentioned just when I arrived what a challenging day yesterday was with the developments in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem being something that is very, very important not just to Arabs and Muslims around the world, but to Jordan and His Majesty and – His Majesty, the King, in particular, with the custodianship of the holy sites in Jerusalem. And we need to avoid that as much as we can. Jerusalem has to be the symbol of peace, and I think Jerusalem is a very, very important component of all the final status discussions that will take place.

So we salute the efforts that the Secretary is conducting. He’s seen everybody. He’s seen the Palestinian leadership, he’s seen the Israeli leadership frequently since he took over as Secretary of State. And I have had the pleasure of seeing him frequently as well and being in constant touch with him, and he has spoken to His Majesty, the King, and met with him several times as well. It is all an indication of what a commitment he has to see this fight through. There have been many initiatives in the past. There have been many failed attempts, false starts, and there were attempts that resulted in limited success, perhaps, and we should build on all that. And this is why it’s important to look at the history and share our thoughts and our ideas and our approaches with each other so that we can try and bring the parties back to the negotiating table, perhaps in a different way and more effective way this time. So I look forward to our discussion on them.

A key challenge, as Secretary Kerry pointed out, remains Syria today – the bloodshed, the violence, and no political solution in sight. And we are extremely encouraged by the results of the Secretary’s meetings in Moscow with the President and with the Foreign Minister and salute your achievements in that regard by identifying a path forward, I believe, and I look forward to hearing the details as I go to Moscow myself today to meet with our colleague, Sergey Lavrov. So it will be important to share with you, sir, and to hear from you and to get your insight on where we go forward. Our position in Jordan has and continues to be very clear that it has to be a transitional period that results in a political solution that includes all the segments of Syrian society, no exclusion whatsoever, all inclusive, that – one that preserves Syria’s territorial integrity and unity, and one that guarantees that pluralism and opportunity for everybody exists.

So as the Secretary pointed out, we are at the receiving end of the humanitarian spillover of that crisis with more than 525,000 Syrian refugees on Jordanian soil today, and continuing at an average rate of 2,000 a day. We have 10 percent of our population today in the form of Syrian refugees. It is expected to rise to about 20 to 25 percent given the current rates by the end of this year, and possibly to about 40 percent by the middle of 2014.

No country can cope with numbers as huge as the numbers I just described, and therefore, we appreciate the help that is coming from the international community, and particularly from the United States of America. And I’m extremely grateful for the announcement that the Secretary has just made with 42 million additional assistance to Jordan. And the more that comes, the better, but the United States has provided not just 200 million earlier, but another 42 million, and we’re extremely grateful to that – for that.

I hope that we can support each other in the weeks and months to come in that regard. We recently sent a letter to the Security Council to express the gravity of the situation when it comes to the refugees, and we thank our friends for the support that we’re getting there. We’re hoping that the United Nations will continue to shoulder its responsibility when it comes to assisting Jordan, to continue carrying this burden on behalf of the international community.

Sir, I look forward to our discussion again today, and I thank you for this opportunity, I thank you for your friendship, and may the friendship between our two countries continue forever.

SECRETARY KERRY: Inshallah. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER JUDEH: Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: I’ll just mention to everybody that I asked Ambassador Robert Ford to continue on from Moscow to Istanbul, which he has done, and he has already been engaged in talks with the Syrian opposition, and they’ve been very productive. And the Secretary General of the United Nations has been in touch with me with respect to the way forward for this conference. So we are going to forge ahead very, very directly to work with all of the parties to bring that conference together. I spoke yesterday with the foreign ministers of most of the countries involved, and there’s a very positive response and a very strong desire to move to this conference and to try to find, at least exhaust the possibilities of finding a political way forward.

And so we’re going to keep the focus on that, and obviously, in conjunction with our discussions about the Middle East peace process, we will also have some discussion about Syria. So thank you all very much, appreciate it.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY REMEMBERS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EMBASSY BOMBING IN BEIRUT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
30th Anniversary of the Embassy Beirut Bombing
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 17, 2013

Today, on the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, the United States celebrates close cooperation with the people of Lebanon that proves the enemies of democracy failed.

On April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle laden with 2,000 pounds of explosives in front of Embassy Beirut, in what was then the single largest attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility.

This act of terrorism killed 52 American diplomats, military personnel, and Lebanese Embassy colleagues. It also wounded more than 100 Americans and Lebanese.

As we reflect on that day, we also remember another terrorist attack later that year against the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, as well as a third attack on the Beirut Embassy a year later.

All the Americans lost in these acts of terror had come in peace. They and our cherished Lebanese colleagues made the ultimate sacrifice through their service.

Hizballah and other terrorist organizations like it hoped through these violent attacks to deter the United States from maintaining our strong relationship with the Lebanese people, and from working with all elements of Lebanese society to insure the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon.

Yet the last 30 years of close cooperation between the United States and Lebanon - especially at the people-to-people level - proves the terrorists' goals were not achieved.

They underestimated the resolve of the United States to fight terrorism and to bring terrorists to justice wherever they may lurk, resolve renewed this week following the cowardly bombings in my hometown of Boston.

The recent loss of State Department colleagues in Zabul, Ankara, and Benghazi remind us of the sacrifices made by our colleagues around the world who work at U.S. diplomatic missions to promote and protect democracy, enhance freedom and justice, and facilitate development.

Just as we did 30 years ago, the United States today steadfastly supports the Lebanese people and their continued advance toward a sovereign, stable, independent, and prosperous nation.

SECRETARY OF STATE AND ISRAELI PRESIDENT PERES MAKE REMARKS BEFORE MEETING

Map:  Israel.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks With Israeli President Shimon Peres Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
President's Residence
Jerusalem
April 8, 2013

Well, Mr. President, thank you very, very much for an extraordinarily generous and warm welcome. It’s really such an honor to be here today to share in Yom HaShoah and to be there at Yad Vashem to lay a wreath on behalf of the American people, but most importantly to simply share in the uniqueness of that expression of sorrow and honor for this remarkable moment in history that we marked.

I was standing there listening to the siren wail and thinking of the stories people have told me of everybody in Israel stopping. If you’re in a car, you get out and you stand at attention. The whole country freezes. And I know it’s one of only two moments when that happens, for Yom HaShoah and for the fallen in battle in struggles. So that wailing had a profound impact on me. It was impressive. And I think the lesson of today is underscored in your comments about the possibilities for peace, the possibilities for people to live together without hatred, and finding the common ground. I believe in that, and I know you believe in that.

You are correct; we have known each other, I think, more than 30 years now. And I’ve had the privilege of watching you lead as a statesman. I’ve had the privilege of working with you in the different hats you have worn in government. And it’s a great privilege for me to be able to be here now representing President Obama and the American people in this effort to try to get us across the line.

We all know it’s not easy. But as you said yourself, it can be done. And it has been expressed by your leaders and others through years that people believe in the possibility of a two-state solution. I am convinced there is a road forward, and I look forward to the discussions with your leaders and yourself regarding how that road could be sort of reignited, if you will, once again setting out on that path.

I would say to everybody I have no illusions about difficulties. We’ve seen them. But you have to believe in the possibilities to be able to get there, and you and I believe in them, and I am convinced that there is a road ahead.

With respect to Iran and other threats, I am very pleased to confirm to you what I know you know, and what I hope the people of Israel know after the historic visit of President Obama here: You have a friend in President Obama. You have friends in this Administration, in the Congress, and in America. We understand the nature of the threat of Iran. And as the President has said many times – he doesn’t bluff; he is serious – we will stand with Israel against this threat and with the rest of the world, who have underscored that all we are looking for is Iran to live up to its international obligations.

No option is off the table. No option will be taken off the table. And I confirm to you, Mr. President, that we will continue to seek a diplomatic solution. But our eyes are open, and we understand that the clock is moving. And no one will allow the diplomatic process to stand in the way of whatever choices need to be made to protect the world from yet another nuclear weapon in the wrong hands.

So I look forward to our conversation, and I’ll look forward to my subsequent conversations while I’m here. And I’m confident, Mr. President, that we will be working together and seeing more of each other over the course of these next months. And thank you again for a very, very generous welcome.

REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY AND PHILIPPINE FOREIGN SECRETARY ROSARIO

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
April 2, 2013
　

SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I’m really pleased to welcome Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario, the Foreign Secretary of the Philippines, a country that I’ve had a great deal to do with when I was – in my years in the Senate, very involved in the democracy transition that took place with Cory Aquino, President Aquino, and now with her son, President Aquino. And it’s wonderful to welcome the Foreign Secretary here.

The Philippines is one of our five Asia-Pacific allies, and a very, very important relationship at this point in time when there are tensions over the South China Sea, where we support a code of conduct, and we are deeply concerned some of those tensions and would like to see it worked out through a process of arbitration.

In addition, the Foreign Secretary and I will talk about the important trade relationship, and particularly the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP, which we both have interest in. And I look forward to having a very good conversation with him about that.

So we’re happy to welcome him. We couldn’t have a stronger relationship than at this moment in time, and we look forward to discussing the ways in which we can even strengthen that and work towards the ASEAN meeting and our common interests.

So thank you for visiting.

FOREIGN SECRETARY DEL ROSARIO: Thank you. Good morning. I want to thank the Secretary for his kind invitation. At the very outset, I’d like to express how much we value the Secretary’s extensive experience in foreign relations, his understanding of Asia, and as he mentioned, his personal stake in terms of having our democracy restored for us in 1986 when he was there as a member of the international election monitoring team.

The Secretary has spoken of the various challenges, and I know that he’s been following developments closely. And as he looks at the Philippines, I know that he will appreciate the many good things that’s happening there. And as well as he has said, we do have many emerging challenges in the region, which should be addressed.

I think that said, I’d like to say – I’d like to add further that the Secretary and I are committed to working together in order to be able to strengthen our treaty alliance and to be able to enhance our strategic partnership. So thank you very much.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. You’re welcome. Glad to have you here.

I should have mentioned that he spent a lot of time in New York at school, so he knows us well. Thank you.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY CONGRATUALTES PEOPLE OF NORTHERN IRELAND ON GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT ANNIVERSARY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Fifteenth Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 28, 2013
　

The United States congratulates the people of Northern Ireland as we approach the fifteenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The courage, conviction, and hard work of leaders and communities over the past 15 years in implementing the Agreement and securing subsequent agreements have led to a more peaceful and vibrant Northern Ireland.

The progress that has been made is significant and inspiring, but the promise envisioned by the Agreement is incomplete. The fifteenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement is a call to action to consolidate the gains of the last 15 years. This is an appropriate moment for all parties to rededicate themselves to achieving a shared future and to healing the divisions of the past. A spirit of cooperation and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law are essential to achieving these goals and a necessary condition for unlocking the full economic potential of Northern Ireland.

The United States remains committed to working with all parties to secure a stable, peaceful, and prosperous future for all the people of Northern Ireland.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY MEETS WITH KABUL EMBASSY STAFF AND FAMILIES

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Meeting With Staff and Families at U.S. Embassy Kabul
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Embassy Kabul
Kabul, Afghanistan
March 26, 2013

AMBASSADOR CUNNINGHAM: Well, Secretary Kerry, welcome to the atrium at the U.S. Embassy. You spoke to us here a couple weeks ago on a big screen that was right here, and you said then that you’d be here in person soon to see us, and we’re glad that you are, so very welcomed.

This is your team, 15 U.S. Government agencies and Afghans, working for the same bright future for this country that we’ve been discussing the last few days with our Afghan hosts. So without further ado, please.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. Thank you very much. Thank you. Wow, how much cord have I got here? (Laughter.) Great, all right. I’ll get out from the back of that crazy thing here.

Hello, Embassy Kabul. How are you? Everybody good? (Applause.) I want you to know, and I just want to remind you of this, that for the days preceding my getting here, it was rainy and it was cold, it was horrible. I got here yesterday – sunny, warm, incredible, warm and sunny today. (Applause.) And even better, President Karzai and I stood up and it was like the sun had been shining forever between us. (Laughter.) It was wonderful.

We had a great visit, a great visit, and the President was unbelievably generous and welcoming. And I think we accomplished a lot and have gotten some things sort of laid out going forward. But I just want to, in person, have a chance to be able to talk to you all and particularly say thank you, but also just chat a little bit about where we are. First of all, I did have a chance to talk to you when you were all standing here graciously when we were doing the video. And I must say, from the video shot, it looked like it was cavernous, just waiting forever. (Laughter.) Now, I get to see you in person and see your faces and have a chance to really talk to you, and I appreciate that.

First of all, I want to begin by saying a huge thank you to the Ambassador and to Leslie. They have, together, carved out an extraordinary diplomatic career. He’s been in so many places – Rome and Brussels and Washington and New York and, of course, Hong Kong and Israel, which is where I got to meet him and get to know him, where he was in a challenging place and he decided it wasn’t challenging enough, so he came here. (Laughter.) What can I say? But I think you’ll all agree with me that they’re a great team and they’re doing a great job and we’re grateful to both of them for everything they’re doing. (Applause.) And I want to thank his teammate in that effort, Tina Kaidanow. Thank you very much for your leadership also in a tough spot here for all of you. We appreciate the hard work every single one of you are doing here. This is one of those posts where you don’t get to go out to restaurants at night and party and do a whole bunch of – I know you party a little bit, I’ve been told. (Laughter.) But it’s kind of confined and there are obviously risks and challenges. So we are particularly grateful to you for what you’re trying to achieve here.

I have to tell you, I met this morning with 10 extraordinary women who are so courageous and inspirational that it really tells the story of all of you and of everything else we’re trying to do here. I told President Karzai there is nothing we want more – we don’t have grand designs. We don’t want permanent bases. We’re not here to play in some modern-day 21st century great game between India and Pakistan and the ‘Stans and Russia. That’s not what it’s about. This is about the people of Afghanistan having the ability to make their choice about their future without oppression and without violence and coercion, and choose their leadership and define their future.

And every single one of you here are in one of the most exciting places in the whole world. There’s no greater diplomatic challenge than trying to fight through a cultural historical barrier that is standing in the way of the 21st century and of modernity. Those young women I talked to today, one of whom said, "I’ve always dreamed since I was a young girl of being a businesswoman," but she couldn’t even begin to think about doing that until 2002, 2003, ’04 – young women who are in schools and being educated.

When this process started back in 2002, there were almost no women in school. You had to hide to learn. And there were some boys. Now, you all know the figures. You know the numbers. Nearly 10 million, not yet there, and almost evenly divided between men and women. It’s an extraordinary story. Not to mention that there is a government that was elected, and there’s going to be another election. That’s the target. It’s not the end. It’s not the end goal. It’s a big way station on the way to the rest of these dreams being realized. But it’s a very important way station, and we need to do everything in our power to stay focused on it, to work with the Government of Afghanistan, to work with President Karzai, who I think is in the position to be a statesman and have a great legacy as he turns over leadership through a duly elected process to a new president, and we transition.

We have a bigger – a big milestone in a couple of months, and you marked a huge milestone just yesterday with the transfer of the detention facility. So you are succeeding, and no matter what you do here, whether you are a Foreign Service officer or a civil servant, a contractor, one of the other agencies that Jim mentioned, the many agencies that converge here to be operating together, or whether you’re a political appointee temporarily in some position, or temporarily duty assigned from somewhere else, or, most importantly, whether you’re one of those 1,000 Afghans locally hired and working here, we couldn’t do this without you. We really couldn’t do this without you. (Applause.)

So I just wanted to take a couple of minutes – I want to shake a few hands and say hello to everybody – but this is a great journey you all are on. And I’ve been here to Afghanistan quite a few times now. I have one – some of you may remember, I had one very eventful time. I was here with Vice President Biden, then a senator, and Secretary of Defense Hagel, then a senator, and myself. And we were up in Kunar, and we were flying back from Kunar and we got caught in a snow squall, a snowstorm up in the mountains near Bagram back, and the pilot literally couldn’t see a thing. And we made a forced landing up in the mountains, and it was winter and there were a lot of snow around and everything, and as we were going down in this forced landing and everybody’s kind of holding on, wondering what’s going on, the general just continues to talk away and brief us as if nothing’s happening. And we look at each other and we figure, "Well, maybe if one of us gives a speech, we can keep the aircraft up in the air flying, keep going." (Laughter.)

So we land on the ground and we’re looking out there and we see a couple of lonely figures in a couple of mountain over or something, wandering around. We wonder if they’re Taliban. We figure we’ll fight them with snowballs. (Laughter.) But eventually, the guys out of Bagram had to come up in through the mountains up the road in humvees, and a bunch of people came and rescued us and drove us back down, and the helicopters stayed up there until they were able to fly up. So I’ve had some fun here. I’ve had some really good adventures. That’s just the beginning. I won’t go into all of them.

What I want to say to you, from your country and those of you who are Afghans, from the United States of America, your friends, we want to say thank you to you for the enormously important work that you are invested in here. It’s an example to people all over the world. And just to listen to those women this morning and hear about how possibilities have changed for them, how proud they are of what they’re doing, most importantly, how their individual person is now fully blossoming and respected, and they’re not somebody’s property or not shut away and hidden from life, that’s a brilliant transformation to be engaged in. Not easy, but it’s really important.

So I think you should be very, very proud of what you’re doing here. Obviously, we’re in a period of transition. And as we transition, the duties of the embassy, the size of the embassy, what everybody’s involved in also changes with it. And don’t be frightened about that. It’s a good thing. It’s what we want to have happen, and it’s how, in the end, we’re going to measure our success here.

So from the President of the United States and the Administration and from the American people, I come here to thank you for the work that you are doing, a year-long duty for a lot you here without families under difficult circumstances. I know what you’re going through, because I was the son of a Foreign Service officer and I spent some time packing up bags and leaving school and moving and leaving some of your family and so on and so forth. So in all my past visits, I came here as a Senator. This time, I get to come here as one of you. And just like you have our backs every single day in what you’re doing here, I promise you I will have your back with the Congress and in Washington in our effort to make sure you have the tools you need.

So, thank you, and God bless you all. (Applause.)

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S MESSAGE TO IRANIAN PEOPLE ON NOWRUZ

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Message to the Iranian People on Nowruz
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 20, 2013

It’s a privilege to join President Obama in sending warm wishes for health and prosperity to the people of Iran and all those who celebrate Nowruz around the world.

As you gather with your loved ones around the Sofreh Haft-Seen, we are proud to note that many Americans will join you in celebrating Nowruz. This year, we are once again reminded of the outstanding contributions of Iranian-Americans and Iranian students here in the United States, which reflect the rich history of your culture. I am proud of the Iranian-Americans in my own family, and grateful for how they have enriched my life.

Despite the difficult history of the last decades between the United States and Iran, there is an opportunity to work diplomatically to reduce tensions and address the mistrust between our two countries, to the mutual benefit of both of our people. As President Obama has said, we are strongly committed to resolving the differences between Iran and the United States, and continuing to work toward a new day in our relationship. We sincerely hope Iran’s leaders choose to fulfill their obligations to not only the international community but also to their people so that Iran can begin to take its proper place in the community of nations, and the Iranian people can have access to the same opportunities and freedoms enjoyed by others around the world.

Just last month, Americans and Iranians came together to demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship and camaraderie on the wrestling mats in Tehran. On this Nowruz, we would like to reaffirm our desire to continue building strong people-to-people ties to promote greater understanding, peace, and progress.

May this New Year be filled with a renewed sense of hope and a new commitment to peace and fundamental freedoms. On behalf of the United States, we extend our best wishes for a joyous and prosperous New Year. Nowruzetoon Mobarak!

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY MAKES REMARKS WITH IRISH FOREIGN MINISTER EAMON GILMORE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, U.S.
Remarks With Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
March 18, 2013


SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. What a pleasure for me to welcome the Tánaiste here, our good Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore. Thank you very, very much. He was kind enough to come all the way to Shannon Airport the other day to meet me when I was coming back from the Middle East. And we had a wonderful – I can’t even remember, it was early morning or late afternoon, it was such a mix. But we had a great visit.

It’s my pleasure now to welcome him here. He’s come in to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and we’re very happy to wish all the people of Ireland a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. You know what Ireland means to America, and particularly to those of us from Boston. So it’s great to welcome you here. We are so appreciative for the partnership for the EU presidency and the agenda of Ireland right now as the EU president. And in addition to that, the trade initiatives, the economic initiatives, their leadership on human rights and other issues, and the process that continues to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

We’re very, very appreciative, so welcome.

FOREIGN MINISTER GILMORE: Thank you very much, indeed, Secretary Kerry. And it’s a great pleasure to meet you again, and in particular, to meet you on – we no longer say St. Patrick’s Day. It’s kind of more St. Patrick’s week now, but – (laughter) – we’re here for St. Patrick’s week.

And I want to, first of all, emphasize again the very close cooperation that exists between Ireland and the United States. We’re hugely appreciative of the support that the United States and successive administrations have given to the efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland and to maintain the peace in Ireland. We have a particular relationship now because Ireland holds the presidency of the European Union at this critical time when we are beginning the process of developing a trade and investment partnership between the United States and the European Union, which I believe will be to the mutual benefit of both the U.S. and Europe, and particularly Ireland because of the large amount of direct investment that we got from the United States.

And of course, we work in cooperation in a number of areas internationally. We – our aid programs, for example, we work together in Africa, the Thousand Days Initiative, the Scaling Up Nutrition addressing world hunger. And we are now both members of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, where we give high priority to a range of human rights issues.

So it’s a great pleasure to meet you here again. I’m glad to meet you on home turf. And again, I remember very fondly the discussions that we had in Shannon. I can’t promise that I’ll meet you every time that you pass through Shannon. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Promise me my Guinness? (Laughter.) I had a wonderful half-pint.

FOREIGN MINISTER GILMORE: Very moderate.

SECRETARY KERRY: Very moderate.

FOREIGN MINISTER GILMORE: Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Great to see you. Thank you. Thank you all very much.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY SPEAKS AT ROSS SEA CONSERVATION RECEPTION IN WASHINGTON, DC

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks at the Ross Sea Conservation Reception
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
National Geographic
Washington, DC
March 19, 2013

Well, it’s my pleasure to follow the comedian from New Zealand. (Laughter.) I’m happy to follow two guys who speak kind of funny. (Laughter.)

What a pleasure to be here with Ambassador Mike Moore, former prime minister, who is a great person and a terrific leader. And I am so grateful to him for the leadership of New Zealand, a country I’ve had a chance to visit several times beginning way back when I was in the United States Navy; and also my friend Bob Carr, and thank you, Mr. Minister, for being here with us. I told him today I have not yet been lucky enough to get down under, but I am sure to get there very, very soon and I look forward to it.

Really privileged to have these two gentlemen supporting this endeavor, and I’m particularly grateful to the Pew Charitable Trust and to National Geographic. Terry, thank you so much for making this available tonight. Everybody’s favorite magazine; I think we all grew up with it and it just stays extraordinary. And tonight you’ll share in a film which will really underscore the importance of everything that that magazine tries to impart to all of us and has stood for all of these years.

I am a child of the ocean in many ways. From the first moment when I was a kid up at Cape Cod dipping my toes into Buzzards Bay looking for clams, literally a three or four year-old being shown the wonders of the ocean, shrimping and other things, to a time when we used to gather mussels in the evening and an hour later cook them and enjoy an incredible meal. Today, very difficult to find mussels anywhere in that area.

So I’ve watched the transition. I’ve seen it. As a senator I was privileged to bring efforts before the United Nations with Ted Stevens to end driftnet fishing, and also to try to work hard to preserve through a number of fisheries bills – I think I rewrote the Magnuson Fisheries Act at least three or four times – as we tried to get the balance right and protect our fisheries.

I’ve seen the struggle with respect to invasive species and I have seen this fragile ecosystem change before our very eyes, whether it’s a problem of acidification, a problem of pollution and development, a problem of ice melt and potential ecosystem collapse, to the rise of the sea levels, which is happening in various parts of the world more so than elsewhere, to the overfishing that takes place in almost every single fishery on the face of the planet.

We call this beautiful planet that we are privileged to inhabit for a short period of time, we call it Earth, but it could well have been called Ocean because three-quarters of it is ocean. And the oceans are responsible in many ways for life because of the cycle of rain and humidity and all of the protein and life that comes from the ocean. So we can’t be casual about it. We can’t be casual about it. And it is clear that we have an enormous challenge ahead of us as we face the extraordinary excess that we see with respect to each of those issues that I talked about: energy policy that results in acidification, the bleaching of coral, the destruction of species, the change in the Arctic because of the ice melt, and the change in the krill, the population of whales. The entire system is interdependent, and we toy with that at our peril.

So it is vital that we’ve come to this moment where we begin to see that this is not just an environmental issue. This is a security issue. It’s an economic security issue. It’s a national security issue. And it is in many ways a challenge with respect to energy security and our approach to energy policy, and ultimately it is a challenge to our commitment to science and facts and ultimately our basic sense of faith and what we believe in and our responsibility as human beings on this planet.

So climate change is coming back in a sense as a serious international issue because people are experiencing it firsthand. The science is screaming at us, literally, demanding that people in positions of public responsibility at least exercise the so-called "precautionary principle" to balance the equities and not knowing completely the outcomes at least understand what is happening and take steps to prevent potential disaster. I’ve often said to people, "What is the worst that could happen to you if you make a decision to put good energy policy in place and respond to what the science and the facts are telling us?" Well, the worst that can happen to you if you would employ a lot of people in alternative and renewable and clean energy; you would have less hospitalizations, cleaner air, more children with less asthma; and you would create an enormous number of jobs by moving to those new energy possibilities and policies and infrastructure. That’s the worst that can happen to you.

What if the other people are wrong and we are right; what’s the worst that can happen? The destruction of the ecosystem as we live with it today. So that’s really what’s on the line, and I’m here to tell you that, proudly, President Obama has put this agenda back on the front burner where it belongs, that he has in his Inauguration Address and in his State of the Union Address and in the policies he’s working on now said we are going to try to exercise leadership because of its imperatives.

So I want to thank the Pew Foundation and National Geographic for joining in this imperative. We need to try to pass the Law of the Sea. We attempted to do that earlier and we will continue to try to press for that. But most important when it comes to the Ross Sea and Antarctica, we’re not going to wait for a crisis before we take action. I think we’re making a smart choice now. We’re proud to join with New Zealand and Australia, two countries that have an extraordinary understanding of the sea and commitment to protecting it and who have been great stewards.

The Ross Sea, as we heard from Karen earlier, is a natural laboratory. And we disrespect it at our peril, as we do the rest of the ocean. The environment there is so extreme, as we know, that it’s difficult to live as a penguin or a killer whale or a seal, but they’ve adapted. And in their adaptation, we’ve learned what a remarkably diverse and productive ecosystem it is. We’ve learned from the scientists who go down there at McMurdo Station and spend those critical months trying to research it and understand it.

Now, you’ve probably never asked a waiter – any of you – for a nice Antarctic tooth fish, I suspect. You’re probably more used to ordering it as a Chilean sea bass. But American researchers working in the Ross Sea have actually discovered that the tooth fish produces a special antifreeze protein, and whenever ice crystals form in the fish’s cells, these proteins latch onto them and actually ferry the ice out of the body. That discovery has launched a whole new scientific field of structural biology, and it’s helping us to think now about other adaptations to extreme environment in new ways. It also has commercial applications. Think about perhaps fluffier bread or ice cream that stays frozen without ice crystals in it. These are real possibilities.

Another group of researchers from my home state of Massachusetts have done remarkable work studying the physiology of seals as they dive in the Ross Sea. And they’ve actually learned – they’ve helped unlock our understanding of hypoxia, which is a condition that develops when the body is deprived of oxygen. As a result of that, they have actually developed a treatment that has dealt with hypoxic newborns and saved more than 10,000 babies a year. That’s what we can learn, as well as many, many other things that we could talk about.

So imagine the possibilities of these discoveries that await us if we can encourage our innovators and our inventors to put our shoulder to the wheel and have the maximum preservation of the opportunity of that laboratory.

That’s why it is so important for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to approve our proposals to establish this Marine Protected Area – and you’ve heard all the comparisons from Ambassador Mike Moore about roughly the size of this, that, several Californias, Alaska. It’s extraordinary. It will be quite simply the largest protected area in the world.

Now, I know the value of that, and the reason I know the value of that is I was the author in the Senate of the Marine Sanctuary called Stellwagen Bank off our cape. And we have seen what that preservation has been able to do. Imagine what this would do as a baseline study for what happens to the species that assemble in that area as we preserve a component of it as a managed fishery and the rest of it as a baseline laboratory for all of this research.

We also support the important proposal of Australia, the EU, and France that they have developed for protection of East Antarctica.

So my friends, I’d just summarize by saying this to you: Antarctica is a collection of superlatives. It is the highest, the coldest, the windiest, the driest, the most pristine, and the most remote place on Earth. And it has beguiled humankind for centuries as people have sought to understand it. Starting in the 1700s, explorers struggled to chart its contours and to cross its desolation without any guarantee ever of a safe return. And still today, curiosity and sheer doggedness are what draw people from all around the world to explore its southernmost shore.

So we signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. For those who doubt the benefit of treaties, go look at what we have achieved there, not to mention so many others. The world has shown that we can work together to ensure that Antarctica remains a place devoted to peace and devoted to expanding the human understanding of this fragile planet that we live on. This is one of the last places we could do this, and I think we owe it to ourselves to make it happen.

So I thank you for coming here tonight. I noticed coming in here there were a number of empty wine glasses on the tables, so I know you didn’t waste your time completely before I got here. (Laughter.) But I hope this movie will inspire you. I hope the support of our wonderful friends who understand the ocean as well as any people on this planet and who have worked to preserve it, I hope that will inspire all of you to connect to the rest of America and the rest of the world to apply our human responsibility during this time of stewardship that we have on this fragile planet.

Thank you for being here tonight. Thank you most of all for what you’re going to do. I’d just remind you, in the 1970s there wasn’t really an environment movement in America. We didn’t have an EPA. Just think of that. We had no EPA. And it wasn’t until Rachel Carson wrote her Silent Spring and inspired people to become activists that people became aware of Love Canal and Woburn dump and places which give people cancer and kill citizens.

And all of a sudden, people decided we don’t want to live next to these places, we think there’s a different choice. And 20 million people came out of their homes on one single day. They targeted the 12 worst votes in the United States Congress, labeled them the Dirty Dozen, and kicked seven of them out of Congress in the 1972 election. You know what happened? It unleashed a torrent of activity so that we passed the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and even created the EPA, which Richard Nixon, whose idea it was not, signed it into law. (Laughter and applause.)

So folks, that’s what being here is all about. That’s what tonight’s inspiration is all about. We can change everybody’s attitude about this because it matters to all of us. Thank you and God bless. (Applause.)

REMARKS WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE KERRYQATARI PRIME MINISTER, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER

Qatar.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook. 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks With Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani After Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Wajbah Palace Prime Minister's Quarters
Doha, Qatar
March 5, 2013

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: (Via interpreter) In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate, first of all, we’d like to welcome our friend Mr. John Kerry, the Secretary of State of the United States of America, on his visit to Qatar. This is not his first visit, but this is his first as Secretary of State.

(In English) Is it working?

SECRETARY KERRY: No, I didn’t – I didn’t get any of that.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: Can you hear anything now? I speak in English.

INTERPRETER: Can you hear me now?

SECRETARY KERRY: Yes.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: Okay.

INTERPRETER: Okay. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: (Via interpreter) Is my Arabic up to standard?

SECRETARY KERRY: There’s a magic man somewhere. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: (Via interpreter) I started by saying that our friend, Mr. John Kerry, you are welcome to Qatar. This is not your first visit, but it’s your first as the Secretary of State. We know you very well. We know your abilities to fulfill the demands of this position, and you will be representing your country in the best way. We congratulate you again for assuming the responsibilities of Secretary of State.

As for our meeting, we discussed some very important topics. We alluded to Syria. We discussed the latest developments of what is known now as the Arab Spring. We talked about what’s going on in our area. We talked about the peace process, which is at a standstill now, or maybe even dead, for all intents and purposes. We hope that there will be some real movement by the main sponsor, and that is the United States of America.

Once again, we welcome you. Please, if you want to have your say, go ahead, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. It’s a great privilege for me to be here back in Qatar. As the Prime Minister said, I have had the privilege of being here previously, and I thank him and I thank the Amir, who I will be meeting with shortly, as well as I will be meeting with the Heir Apparent, Sheikh Tamim, in a short while. But I thank Qatar and the Prime Minister for their generous welcome always.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Thank you, Your Excellency. Hamed Habjee from Al Arab newspaper.

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh, wait. Can I say a little more? I thought we were going to do a translation. I would just like to say a couple more things.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: Please.

SECRETARY KERRY: Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you for the excellent partnership that we have, especially during this very challenging time of change in this part of the world. We intend to continue to work very, very closely with you in the days and months and years ahead. We had a great discussion, a frank discussion, about the critical issues that we’re facing. And on Syria, Qatar and the United States have worked very hard to strengthen international sanctions against the Assad regime, and to help the opposition build the unity and the effectiveness that they need in order to try to change President Assad’s calculation on the ground.

As we work to change that calculation, we need to ensure that our support strengthens the moderate opposition. And the Syrian people have suffered a long time now under President Assad, and we’ve seen a level of brutality that shocks anybody’s conscience – the Scuds shot against children, young students taking an exam, women and children – and we are proud to stand up with you against a man who has lost legitimacy in the leadership of his country and who clearly has decided he’s willing to destroy that country simply to hold onto power.

We also are standing against the Iranians who are helping him and Hezbollah and al-Qaida affiliates. Our goal is the same goal that the Syrian people share, and that is a free, democratic Syria where everyone is protected, and when we say everyone, we mean the Christians, the Alawi, the Shias, the Druze, the Kurds, the Sunni, the men and the women of Syria.

In Afghanistan, Qatar has been enormously helpful, and we are grateful. The United States supports the Qatari Government’s willingness to allow Taliban representation to come to Doha for the potential, potential negotiations with the High Peace Council. And we all hope that this step could ensure peace and security, ultimately, in Afghanistan. As we’ve said in the past, an Afghan-led peace, reconciliation is the surest way to be able to end the violence and to ensure peace and security for the long run.

And finally, with respect to the Middle East peace process, Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim is committed to try to help move that process forward, and I appreciate, and President Obama appreciates, Qatar’s leadership and willingness to be part of that initiative. We all share the same vision, and that is a vision for two states living side by side and in peace. So as the United States and Qatar face these future challenges, I know that we’re going to be able to do so together in a special partnership. And I thank the Prime Minister for his candor, for his friendship, and look forward to taking any questions you may have.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: (Via interpreter) Thank you.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Your Excellency, you mentioned that the peace process is dead. How can we revive it? Secondly, there was a press conference held lately in Tehran between – by the Walid al-Muallem, the Syrian Foreign Minister, where he called for pressure on Qatar and America. And maybe another question if I may, please, for his Excellency the Secretary of State. The U.S. Administration did take some clear positions at the outset of the Arab revolution in defense of Arab peoples, why are you so hesitant towards Syria now?

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: Since you are the guest, you start.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much for your question. Let me make clear that President Obama and America are not hesitant at all. We are deeply committed to the freedom of the people of Syria, and from the beginning President Obama has moved in a clear way. He began with helping to put the sanctions in place so that we can prevent the money that fuels Assad’s war machine.

Secondly, he has worked very hard, as did Secretary Clinton, to try to identify the Syrian opposition that we were helping and to try to unify them, bring them together, so that they spoke with a unified force and that they had coordination between the Supreme Military Council and the Syrian Opposition Coalition. That is now happening with a clarity that was not there before.

Third, President Obama directed me to go to Rome to meet with the foreign ministers in Rome, which we did in a very successful meeting where there was unanimity, all parties agreeing that we have to change President Assad’s calculation about what is happening and what is going to happen. We have now, for the first time, under the President’s directive, directed assistance straight to the military council and straight to the Syrian opposition. That is not something we’ve done before.

Now, other countries have chosen to do other things. We support that. That is – I think you have to look at the approach to Syria as a whole, not as individual pieces. What we have made clear is that Bashar al-Assad has lost legitimacy in the governing of his people, and there is no way he will restore that. It is only through the Geneva communique where you bring a transitional government with full executive power with all parties agreeing to it – the opposition and the Assad government – and then you give the Syrian people the opportunity to choose the future. That’s what we’re committed to, and we will continue down this road in close consultations so that we continue to put the pressure on. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: (Via interpreter) As for the two-tier question, first of all, the peace process undoubtedly has gone through a long period of trouble since the Madrid peace conference 20 years ago. On occasions, the feelings that (inaudible) something can happen, on other occasions we saw some time wasting. Now the peace process is just a process. It’s not a solution or a final solution for this crisis.

We felt optimistic when President Obama first came to power and his – when he insisted on the two-state solution and when he insisted on Palestine having full membership of the UN. This is something we both appreciate first, but we wait for it to be activated. But the problem is when Israel has a strong government they say it’s a strong government with popular support, we cannot do anything to (inaudible); a weak government comes to power, they say it’s a weak government, we can’t do anything about it, because they can’t do anything about it if there is any killing happening, you say we cannot do anything because some party is firing missiles into the other, either the Palestinians or the Israelis.

There is no agreement on a fixed timeline or timetable to put an end to this crisis. I think there will be problems, and we’ll lose hope. We felt really optimistic and you know me: I am frank in my views and blunt in my views. I think what Your Excellency has just said is very reasonable and rational, and we hope this dossier will be a priority now for the U.S. Administration and Your Excellency will take personal importance in this. And I know your capabilities and we know we are sure that you can do something. And on our part, as Qatar and Arab countries and as Arab community, we’ll do our best to help you to reach a just and durable solution for the Palestinian question.

As for what Walid Muallem, the Syrian Foreign Secretary, has said in Tehran, I don’t have any response to it except for one thing maybe. It reminds me of the kind of a friend who jokes with you, who says, "Mr. Walid is like a rug trader," and I don’t have any other answer to him but that. (Laughter.)

MODERATOR: Nicolas Revise from AFP.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. This is a question on Bahrain. Could you tell us what you did say to your Bahraini counterpart regarding the human rights situation in this country? The last Human Rights Report from the Department of State in 2012 pointed out, I quote, "egregious human rights problems in 2011 in Bahrain, including the inability of citizens to peacefully change their government." Thank you very much.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. I appreciate it. We had a very good, constructive conversation about all of the issues of the region as well as the internal issues of Bahrain. And I expressed the concern of all people for the protection of the rights of everybody. And we talked about the dialogue. The Foreign Minister made it clear to me that they remain committed to the dialogue, that they are engaged right now in advancing it, they’re at some important stages within it, progress is being made. And what I did was encourage him to continue that dialogue and to reach a resolution with respect to some of these difficult issues.

He assured me that they are going to continue in good faith, and obviously, all of us encourage that and look forward to some positive results.

MODERATOR: (Inaudible) from Al-Jazeera, Arabic Channel.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Your Excellency, I have a question regarding the Syrian crisis. Is there full agreement with the American position vis-a-vis the Syrian question, or there’s still differences, especially when it regards the question of arming the rebels in Syria?

The question for Mr. Kerry is, first of all, yesterday, you called for guarantees before providing any weapons to the Syrian – moderate Syrian opposition. You didn’t specify what kind of guarantees. Can you please elaborate?

And also, Iran said that Assad should remain until 2014. This is a challenge to all the efforts of all parts who consider Assad as some president who lost legitimacy. Also, it’s not just that the United States is not doing much apart from saying much maybe, you just said President Obama considers Assad as someone who lost legitimacy. Away from rhetoric, what kind of practical steps is the administration and President Obama likely to take and in what timeline, please?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me begin by saying I’m not sure what guarantees you’re referring to. I never asked for or suggested any particular guarantees. What I did say is there are greater guarantees now that the weapons are being transferred to moderate and to – directly to Syrian opposition. There’s never a full guarantee, and I think I also said that when I was speaking.

But in addition, what I said – and I have no – I honestly have never suggested that Iran – that there’s a date associated with Iran’s support in 2014. So let me make it clear --

QUESTION: No, the Iranians, they said that --

QUESTION: No, no. The Iranians, they said that President Bashar Assad would remain in 2014.

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh, then the translation – we lost something in the translation, and I apologize. Thank you very much. That’s helpful.

In that case, that may be the Iranian position, but I don’t believe it is the position of the people of Syria. And I think ultimately the people of Syria will speak on this. The Syrian opposition clearly is promising a future for all of the people of Syria. Bashar al-Assad is not, and what the Syrian opposition has said is that all people will be protected: Alawi, Druze, Shias, Sunni, Christian. All of the different people will be part of choosing the future of their government. Bashar al-Assad has made it clear that he is unwilling to sit down and provide the negotiation that was called for in Geneva last year. Instead he has responded with Scud missiles, with assassinations, with releasing his army, his air force dropping bombs, and trying to subjugate people much in the way that his father did years ago.

So we are clear and have been clear. There is a framework for a peaceful resolution. The Iranians can support it, the Russians can support it, and Bashar al-Assad can support it. And that formula is set out in the Geneva communique, which provides for a transition government with full executive authority chosen by mutual consent. That means President Assad can choose who will represent him, and the Syrian opposition can choose who will represent them, and then the Syrian people will choose who will represent them as a country. Now, that is a reasonable way to end the violence, a reasonable way to allow the people of the country to determine their future. And that’s what we are supporting.

Now, the Iranians can support that, and so can the Russians. And I believe in my conversations with Sergey Lavrov that he does support that, and he’s prepared to try to help make that happen. So this is really up to Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian opposition to determine if it will be a peaceful outcome or whether or not the Syrian opposition will continue to put the pressure on to try to bring him to the negotiating table. And that’s where we are.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: (Via interpreter) As for the Syrian crisis, I think Mr. John Kerry has answered part of the question when he talked about arming the opposition. As you know, there is a change in the international position and the American position in this regard. They’re talking about weapons. We hope that this happened sometime ago before, because this would have maybe lessened the death and destruction that took place in Syria. But now everybody has reached a conclusion and a conviction that Assad has chosen his own way of ending this crisis. This is something that – which cannot be accepted by the international community when he rains Scud missiles on cities and towns in a manner reminiscent of World War II.

After the Rome meeting, I expressed optimism that the international community has started or maybe more than just started. It’s actually working in a way which we think will achieve victory for the Syrian people in a much quicker way, and we will minimize the time and the losses, because with each day that passes, more people are getting killed. We think this problem could have been solved much quicker, but Bashar al-Assad chose his own particular solution as we said.

As for the Geneva declaration, I was part of the committee which formulated that declaration, and the question was clear. We talked about authority should be transferred into a government with full powers to run the country and army. But after the meeting, I think it’s Article 9 in the Geneva declaration, there was differences over how to interpret that and especially on the power transfer question in particular. The understanding was that we talked about a transition period and any discussion will need to be confined to a certain timeline, because the Syrian regime has a way with any initiative; they never say no, but they take time, then they – to accept it, then they take time to interpret it, then time to deal with it, then to turn it into a failure.

And we remember initiative after initiative, this is a tactic to prolong the crisis until another crisis happens somewhere else, which will lessen the pressure on them or some change will happen or victory achieved on the ground. I’m sure none of the three things will happen for simple reason, because it’s not our demands and it’s not us who are fighting. These are the demands of the Syrian people, maybe the vast majority of the Syrian people.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Last question maybe.

Michael Gordon from New York Times.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you mentioned at the Rome conference on Syria and again here today that when people try to assess what’s being done to help the Syrian Opposition Coalition that it’s important to look at the totality of the international effort, that different countries, different nations are helping in different ways. Has the United States reached an understanding with Saudi Arabia, with the U.A.E., and other states about what sort of weapons should be provided to the opposition and whom specifically, which groups they should be provided to? Or do you have concerns that states like Qatar are providing weapons to groups that you’re not entirely comfortable with?

And lastly, on the way over here, we heard that North Korea is threatening to abrogate the armistice. I wonder if you have any thoughts on that.

And to the Prime Minister, you mentioned that the international community seems to be more receptive to the question of arming the Syrian opposition. Have you had productive discussions with the Americans on who specifically in the opposition should be equipped with arms and what they should be equipped with? Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, with respect to the arms and the transfer, we did discuss. We had a discussion about the types of weapons that are being transferred and by whom. We are aware of what people are doing. I don’t think the United States is engaged in a specific allotment process or designated process, but obviously we are aware. And it is that awareness that informs the President’s decision about what is needed and what the United States is prepared to do at this point in time. In addition, we did discuss the question of the ability to try to guarantee that it’s going to the right people and to the moderate Syrian Opposition Coalition. And I think it’s really in the last months that that has developed as a capacity that we have greater confidence in.

I think I said yesterday you can’t guarantee that one weapon or another may not fall, in that kind of a situation, into hands that you don’t want it in. But in terms of the fundamental balance of battlefield tactics and of effort, I think it’s pretty clear that the Prime Minister shares the belief in trying to do what we need to do rapidly, and to try to effect this most effectively through the Syrian Opposition Coalition, and that’s what we’re trying to do.

With respect to North Korea – and let me say one other thing on the thing – and partly in answer to the question before, too. The President’s purpose here, and I think everybody’s purpose, is to try to minimize the killing, is to try to end the killing, end the violence. And it’s the President’s judgment for the moment that we would like to see whether or not President Assad shares that view, and would like to, in fact, save this country and proceed through the Geneva communique to a peaceful process. There are lots of options that remain if, in days or weeks or whatever, that that opportunity is not taken advantage of.

So I think when you look at the whole of those countries that are engaged, the numbers of nations that have come to the table to stand for the Syrian people, there was a very significant amount of support for the Syrian coalition at this point in time.

With respect to North Korea, I think President Obama and the American people and the world would like to see the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, take responsible actions for peace and for responsible activity within the region, and rather than threaten to abrogate and threaten to move in some new direction, the world would be better served if he would direct his people and make the decision himself to engage in a legitimate dialogue, in legitimate negotiations in order to resolve not just American concerns, but the concerns of the Japanese, of the South Koreans, of the Russians, the Chinese, and South Korea – I think I said South Koreans – everybody in the region.

And so that’s our hope, and we will continue to do what is necessary to defend our nation and the region together with our allies. But our preference is not to brandish threats at each other; it is to get to the table and negotiate a peaceful resolution to that crisis also.

PRIME MINISTER HAMAD: I will speak in Arabic, so if you want to use your headphone. First of all, thanks God that North Korea is far away from here. (Laughter.) So you cannot blame us also for that.

(Via interpreter) As for the question of providing weapons, this kind of fame or reputation about Qatar came from the Libyan crisis when Qadhafi started killing people left, right, and center, and the international community was rushing in to providing weapons to the people who were resisting Qadhafi’s regime. Qatar was amongst the first countries to support the rebels with some equipment, and at that time and in that chaos, maybe some mistakes may have been committed.

But let’s look from a practical point of view to this question. Even if there is any party which is providing weapons and there are other parties which fell into the same problem, but they were not mentioned – only Qatar was mentioned because of a political difference and not a practical difference, the political difference between the brotherly countries of this area, who is helping who. They think we are supporting a certain party in Egypt, and of course, everybody’s right to choose who they support. And they have their right to, but who has more right to support is the peoples, whether the Egyptian, Libyan, or others.

The problem started here. Maybe something happened, but not at the magnitude that was portrayed, especially to Western countries, because Western countries, once people talk about terrorism, they pay attention, and I don’t blame them for that. Now, any western government or the United States will be – if people want to attract your attention, they talk about terrorism. We tried that in the past with our friends in the West.

As for Syria, I said in the beginning that if all worked with more diligence and seriousness, this regime would have gone by now. But everything which was provided by countries with the knowledge of other countries was provided through a certain regime, and everybody was keen that such help and support would go for self-defense and nothing more than self-defense or other than self-defense.

But the longer the crisis goes on, other parties will get involved. We don’t want that. We want the moderate parties to prevail and we want our support to go to the moderate factions. And therefore, it’s very important that this issue is not used by the Syrian regime because they know the West gets alarmed when they hear these stories, and maybe this was manipulated by some brotherly states in this region. And therefore, this thing was blown out of proportion and exaggerated.

And I’m not an expert on arms, but if there is some rocket-propelled grenades or RPGs or anything provided, this will not threaten the world order. And of course, we are against that approach anyway, but it is dangerous somewhat when there is a regime which shoots down civilian aircraft and what – the bombing of a nightclub in Germany, and what Qadhafi’s regime did to bring down the TWA aircraft or the French aircraft. You know how these regimes provided weapons to some extremist groups and factions. We want regimes to have a legal outlook. They respect their countries, they develop their countries, they fulfill the needs of their people, and not the kind of regimes to create chaos and destruction to gain their importance.

We are a small country who wants stability and peace with our neighbors, but we cannot tolerate injustices committed in the manner that is inflicted upon the Syrian people. So therefore, to say that terrorism, any terrorist now is Bashar. Bashar is the terrorist who started all of this. He is killing his own people.

Thank you very much. I thank you once again. I thank my friend, His Excellency, the Secretary of State. Thank you.

SEC. OF STATE KERRY AND SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER AL-FAISAL MAKE REMARKS AFTER MEETING

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks With Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal After Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
March 4, 2013

FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD: (In Arabic.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness. Assalamu alaikum. I am very honored to be here and very, very grateful for His Royal Highness, Prince Saud Al-Faisal’s very generous welcome here. We had a superb dinner and meeting last night, and a meeting before that for some period of time with His Royal Highness the Foreign Minister, where we discussed all of the broad issues of the region and of importance to our countries.

This morning I had the privilege of having another meeting with the Crown Prince, with Minister of Defense Salman bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud and we discussed again the extraordinary cooperation that takes place. And I said to both the Foreign Minister and to the Defense Minister that on almost every key issue of security and of mutual importance in the region, from Syria to the peace process, to the concerns we share about transitioning the economy of Egypt, to Yemen, to this region, we are working cooperatively in important ways. And the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is critical to both of our countries.

So we’re working side by side to combat violent extremism, to promote more robust trade, and to strengthen the ties between the American and the Saudi people. And His Royal Highness just mentioned the 70,000 students who are studying in America. I come here today to affirm the strength of this relationship and the importance of it going forward. We are committed to maintaining our strong economic relationship and to creating more jobs. On the drive over here, His Royal Highness talked to me about the numbers of young people and the need to provide jobs for them and the work that His Majesty the King and others are all doing in order to provide for a more diverse economy here in the region. We need to do this in both of our countries. We are also working to do that in America.

During this time of great political transition and uncertainty, we’re working together to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world. Across the Arab world, men and women have spoken out demanding their universal rights and greater opportunity. Some governments have responded with willingness to reform. Others, as in Syria, have responded with violence. So I want to recognize the Saudi Government for appointing 30 women to the Shura Council and promoting greater economic opportunity for women. Again, we talked about the number of women entering the workforce and the transition that is taking place in the Kingdom. We encourage further inclusive reforms to ensure that all citizens of the Kingdom ultimately enjoy their basic rights and their freedoms.

We discussed, as His Royal Highness has said, the importance of peace in the Middle East, and I pointed out that President Obama will be traveling shortly to Israel, to the region, and listening, opening up the opportunity and working to try to determine the way forward. We agree on the importance of that progress.

The Foreign Minister and I also discussed our shared determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And we both prefer – and this is important for Iranians to hear and to understand – we both prefer diplomacy as the first choice, as the preferred choice. But the window for a diplomatic solution simply cannot, by definition, remain open indefinitely. There is time to resolve this issue, providing that Iranians are prepared to engage seriously on the P-5+1’s most recent proposal.

We also discussed the urgent need to bring an end to the bloody civil war in Syria and to promote peaceful, inclusive transition, and provide the Syrian people with the safety, security, justice, and freedom that they deserve. The Foreign Minister could not have been more clear about the importance of this issue, the importance of this opportunity, and I make clear today that the United States will continue to work with our friends as we did in Rome to empower the Syrian opposition to be able to hopefully bring about a peaceful resolution, but if not, to continue to put pressure on Bashar Assad.

Finally, the Foreign Minister and I talked about our collaboration to support successful democratic transitions in Yemen, Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, and to curb violent extremism and to discredit the false and dangerous message that al-Qaida is spreading. So I look forward to continuing to work with His Royal Highness. I can look forward, as President Obama does, to a continued strong relationship with the Kingdom, and we look forward and are grateful to the Kingdom for its important contribution to this relationship now.

MS. NULAND: Thank you. We’ll start today with Anne Gearan from The Washington Post, please.

QUESTION: Thank you. Mr. Foreign Minister, is U.S. agreement last week in Rome to begin providing food and medicine to the Syrian fighters anything close to enough to speed an end to the war? You mentioned in your opening statement the Saudi view that the rebels should be – or the Syrian people should be able to defend themselves. Is this going to be enough to help them do that?

And for Secretary Kerry, are the arms that Saudi Arabia is already providing to the Syrian rebels at risk of falling into the wrong hands and basically being part of the problem that you have identified?

FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD: As to providing enough aid and security for the Syrians, Saudi Arabia will do everything within its capabilities to help in this. We do believe that what is happening in Syria is a slaughter, a slaughter of innocent people, and we just can’t bring ourselves to remain quiet in front of this carnage. Morally, we have a duty to protect them. I have never heard or seen in history or in our present time, it is the only time in a great while that a regime would use a strategic missile towards his people and he too is killing innocent children, innocent women and old men. He is hitting his cities diabolically at a time when we are concentrating either to get food or medication, he is choosing a time when there is more citizens in the area of bombardment than any other time. This cannot go on. He has lost all authority in that country. He does not have a role to play anymore. Nobody who has done that to his citizens can claim a right to lead a country.

SECRETARY KERRY: I think His Royal Highness has spoken very eloquently about the situation in Syria. And I would simply add there is no guarantee that one weapon or another might not at some point in time fall into the wrong hands. But I will tell you this, that there is a very clear ability now in the Syrian opposition to make certain that what goes to the moderate, legitimate opposition is, in fact, getting to them, and the indication is that they are increasing their pressure as a result of that. Believe me, the bad actors, regrettably, have no shortage of their ability to get weapons from Iran, from Hezbollah, from Russia, unfortunately, and that’s happening. So I think His Royal Highness has made the status of this challenge absolutely crystal clear. Bashar Assad is destroying his country and his people in the process to hold onto power that is not his anymore. The people have made it clear he’s lost his legitimacy.

QUESTION: Your Highness, our guests, welcome to Riyadh. (Inaudible) newspaper. My question will be about the negotiations between the group of 5+1 and Iran. Are the negotiations are limited, or are you planning to negotiate another phase? As you mentioned a few minutes before that there is al-Qaida in Iraq, also (inaudible). Iran is involved with the issue in Syria and also in Bahrain. So are you going to negotiate another issues plus the Iranian (inaudible) – excuse me – nuclear file?

SECRETARY KERRY: No. The focus for the moment, the first focus, is the most urgent focus, which remains the challenge of the nuclear program. That is a threat that extends all throughout the region, and in fact globally because of the issue of nonproliferation. So the initial focus is on that issue, and the answer to your first part of the question is it is absolutely not unlimited. Talks will not go on for the sake of talks, and talks cannot become an instrument for delay that in the end make the situation more dangerous. So there is a finite amount of time. Thank you.

MS. NULAND: Next one, Catherine Chomiak, NBC, please.

QUESTION: Thank you. Mr. Foreign Minister, the P-5+1 talks in Almaty were mentioned, and they concluded with a promise of more talks. Are you concerned that the international community and the Americans are simply being strung along and the Iranians are playing for more time?

And Mr. Secretary, what’s your argument to those in this region for why they shouldn’t be developing their own nuclear capabilities to counter this threat growing in their backyard? And also, you’re meeting with Palestinian President Abbas. What’s on your agenda for that meeting? Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD: Basically, any negotiation should have a time limit. We can’t be like philosophers who keep talking about how many angels a pinhead can hold. We have to talk seriously, we have to talk honestly, and we have to put our commitment clearly on the table. That’s what negotiation is. Negotiation is not to get somebody that negotiates to trick you into a position along with the negotiation because it still is not told. A negotiation must be serious. It must – the negotiation must show intent. A negotiation must show his motive is really settlement.

(Inaudible) they have not proved to anybody that they are sincere in their negotiation. They have continued to these negotiation to ask for to add to more negotiation in the future. They reach common understanding only on issues that require further negotiation, and so this is what (inaudible). They continue to negotiate and all it comes down to building an atomic weapon continues unabated in an area where it is already dangerous with the availability of atomic weapons. So we have to insist on Iran showing the motivation and a clear understanding that they are there to negotiate for a period of time and then come to terms with the conditions of IAEA and NPT.

SECRETARY KERRY: Catherine, there are really five principal reasons, I think, for why people in this region should not develop their own nuclear capacity, and I think you asked the question, "What would I say to people why you shouldn’t do it?" Reason number one: Because President Obama has made it clear that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon, and therefore there is no need to develop that security.

Reason number two: It’s very difficult to imagine circumstances under which a country would actually use it without, in fact, making the world far more dangerous.

Reason number three: There is a huge danger of proliferation. And the reason we are pushing so hard against in Iran is not anti-Iranian; it’s because we are moving towards a world to have less nuclear weapons, not more, and because every time a country engages in the enrichment process and manufacture of nuclear weapons, you run the risk with respect to security that someone else will get a hold of that enriched material – an extremist – and potentially use it. So the threat is not just the threat of a nuclear bomb. The threat is also the threat of a dirty bomb or of nuclear material being used by terrorists.

The fourth reason is that it makes the entire region less stable. If one nation does it, another nation does it, another nation does it; you haven’t increased the stability or the peaceful prospects of a nation, and what you’ve done is you’ve diverted your resources from the young people who need jobs, from the investments you need into business, into something that we learned with the Soviet Union and the United States leads to a place where you ultimately want to figure out how do you get rid of them. Remember President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachev meeting to say we’re going to go from 50,000 nuclear warheads and reduce down. Now we have moving towards 1,500, and President Obama wants to move to less. So we do not want a movement – the road to a world with less nuclear weapons does not pass through a nuclear Tehran, and that’s another reason why we don’t want to do it.

And yet another reason why we don’t want to do it is that important people who have been part of global affairs for a long time – Secretary Henry Kissinger, Secretary Bill Perry, Secretary of Defense Jim Schlesinger, every former Secretary of State of the United States with one exception – have all said, people like Secretary George Schultz, Secretary Colin Powel, have all said we should move to a world hopefully, ultimately without nuclear weapons when we learn how to resolve our problems and deal with conflict differently.

Again, you cannot have a more peaceful Middle East, you cannot have a more peaceful world when a country that exports terror and is involved in the internal affairs of other countries and breaking its own agreements with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and not living up to the standards of the IAEA is moving in the direction it has been. We are asking nothing more of Iran than its full compliance with the nuclear – with the Nonproliferation Treaty, the NPT, and full compliance with the IAEA. And to have any other country begin to move in another direction would undermine our ability to be able to achieve that and have a more stable and peaceful and prosperous region.

Those are the powerful reasons that I think it is so important that other countries not move. It is also the powerful reasons for why we want Iran to comply with the rest of the world. Countries can have peaceful nuclear power. Nobody says no to that. But you have to live by a certain standard, and it is the international community – not Saudi Arabia, not the United States – that has set that standard. It’s the international community, and that’s what we’re asking for compliance with, the international community’s standards.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) Abbas?

FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD: Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: I beg your pardon?

QUESTION: (Inaudible) Abbas?

SECRETARY KERRY: Yes, I am.

QUESTION: And what would you hope to discuss with him?

SECRETARY KERRY: What do you think I might discuss with him? (Laughter.) I’m going to have a meeting with him. I look forward to the meeting, and it’s part of the process of moving through this region. Prime Minister Netanyahu is aware that I’m meeting with him, and we will talk about all of the obvious issues. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD: Thank you very much.