THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

Mark C. Toner,Deputy Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
March 29, 2012
TRANSCRIPT:

12:57 p.m. EDT
MR. TONER: Good afternoon. Welcome to the State Department. Before we start, I do want to welcome our University of Pittsburgh folks who are in the back of the room. Welcome. I’m from the Philadelphia area, but I have a lot of relatives out in Western Pennsylvania, so a proud – (laughter) – what is your problem?
QUESTION: (Laughter.) You’re a Notre Dame fan.
MR. TONER: But I’m a proud Pennsylvanian. Anyway, welcome. We’re not going to get into a sports --
QUESTION: Flyers or Penguins?
MR. TONER: Flyers, of course.
QUESTION: Well, then don’t – (laughter).
MR. TONER: Thanks, Matt. (Laughter.) We’ve already taken another (inaudible). I also want to welcome the information officers, or outgoing information officers, who are watching us from an undisclosed location. (Laughter.) Anyway, that’s all I got.
QUESTION: I don’t really have any – the only – my only question is about if you’ve figured out how much aid you’ve suspended to Mali.
MR. TONER: We don’t have those figures for you yet, Matt. And, well, I do have a better understanding, though, of why it is so difficult for us to determine these figures.
QUESTION: Because every calculator and computer --
MR. TONER: No, it’s not that at all.
QUESTION: -- in the entire federal government hasn’t worked for four days?
MR. TONER: No, that’s not – (laughter).
QUESTION: Oh. Okay. Well, that --
MR. TONER: That’s a good guess. That’s a good guess, but it’s not the answer. No, I mean, I think Toria touched upon it yesterday, which is that these assistance programs, while we can give you a ballpark figure, obviously, of the total amount of assistance, and I can tell you unequivocally that our military cooperation has been suspended, but the rest of the assistance package that we give to the Malian Government, or to the Malian – to Mali, part of it is – goes to the Malian Government, there are funds within programs that go to the Malian Government, so we need to just de-conflict all of this before we can get you guys a very accurate figure. So it’s partly something we need to do in-house before we can give you a reliable figure on exactly how much of the assistance is affected.
QUESTION: How much – what does the suspension of military aid mean for the regional security initiatives which are so important, the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership and all of that, when you’ve got Mali sort of as part of a larger regional framework? How do you detach yourself from one element and keep the framework together?
MR. TONER: Well, that’s precisely – again, that’s another piece of this, if you will, and – that we’re looking at. What I’m talking about when I talk about specific military assistance that’s been cut off, I’m talking about FMF funding as well as security assistance. But we are trying to – as you correctly stated, Mali is part of the broader initiatives, counterterrorism initiatives, and we need to de-conflict that as well.
QUESTION: Okay. But that’s something you’re looking at --
MR. TONER: Yeah. Absolutely.
QUESTION: -- and that’s something that you’re studying on how to do.
MR. TONER: Absolutely.
QUESTION: And just again, on --
MR. TONER: And it is obviously of concern to us because we are concerned, clearly, about AQIM’s presence in the region, and these are valuable programs, so there’s a price to pay.
QUESTION: The ECOWAS mission, which you guys seem to think or hope it was going to get something done in Mali, was prevented from landing in Bamako by pro-junta protestors, what’s your assessment of that? And what’s your state of communication with the coup leadership?
MR. TONER: Well, we’re obviously very disappointed that this chiefs of mission delegation wasn’t able to land in Mali, in Bamako yesterday because, as you said, there were these demonstrations on the ground. We do know that the ECOWAS CHODs, or the chiefs of defense, met with Captain Sanogo in Bamako yesterday. They demanded a return to civilian rule. And we do know that – or we are in close contact, obviously, with ECOWAS as we move forward. But – and we support their efforts to achieve a swift return to civilian rule in Mali, but obviously this is a disappointment that they weren’t able to land and actually talk to the mutineers.
QUESTION: ECOWAS has suggested that part of their response could include a military dimension. Is that something that the United States would support?
MR. TONER: I think we’re still very much of the mindset that there can be a very – we hope very rapid diplomatic solution to this.
QUESTION: Different topic?
MR. TONER: Sure.
QUESTION: On Cuba, the Pope’s visit, I was wondering the assessment of the comments he made in Cuba. Specifically, he was quite critical of the U.S. embargo. I presume it’s a longstanding position of the Vatican, but he said that it imposes undue hardship on the people of Cuba. Is that – is there a reaction that you have to that, or is there --
MR. TONER: Not really. I mean, we’ve been quite clear why we have the embargo in place. We’ve long said as well that our Cuba policy is focused on improving relations between American people and the Cuban people, and we’ve taken steps to that end to improve that kind of communication and that kind of cooperation. But we obviously welcomed his visit to Cuba. It was a good opportunity for him to deliver a message of religious and human rights – religious freedom, rather, and human rights to the Cuban Government. And we believe that those messages were obviously conveyed in his conversations with Cuban leaders.
QUESTION: Do you know if he raised the case of Alan Gross?
MR. TONER: You know what? I haven’t been able to confirm that. We did, obviously – I think Toria mentioned yesterday that we did raise it. I believe he had just returned to Rome, and I don’t know that we’ve received any kind of readout --
QUESTION: Then how do you --
MR. TONER: -- of Vatican City.
QUESTION: Then how do you have reason to believe that he raised these issues?
MR. TONER: These issues about human rights and religious freedom?
QUESTION: If you haven’t had --
QUESTION: Alan Gross, specifically.
MR. TONER: Oh, Alan Gross.
QUESTION: Well, no. I’m – more broadly than Alan Gross. You said we understand, or something like that; we believe that he conveyed those messages.
MR. TONER: Yeah. Well --
QUESTION: Why do you think that, outside of what his – what he said publicly? Do you have any knowledge --
MR. TONER: Well, I am (inaudible) some of his public statements, and --
QUESTION: But do you have knowledge that the Pope did in fact, with Cuban authorities, raise cases of --
MR. TONER: I don’t have a specific --
QUESTION: -- Alan Gross or anyone else?
MR. TONER: -- readout of his actual meetings with the Cuban leaders, no.
Yeah. Go ahead, Lalit.
QUESTION: On the BRICS summit in Delhi, do you have anything to say on the outcome of the BRICS summit?
MR. TONER: Well, we’ve reviewed the leaders’ Delhi declaration and believe that their efforts to engage in global multilateral institutions productively can only strengthen the international system. We also welcome their commitment to Afghanistan’s future in supporting the global economic recovery.
QUESTION: And on Iran, do you feel that you have differences with the BRICS on Iran issue?
MR. TONER: No. Look, we’re engaged, obviously, with close consultations, as we’ve said many times, with governments on the requirements of our specific law. And in all our consultations, we’re making very clear the importance of reducing reliance on Iranian oil, and also unwinding countries’ business dealings with the Central Bank of Iran, and we’re going to continue those discussions.
QUESTION: But they are opposed to any military options in Iran. They want the diplomatic options to be continued?
MR. TONER: Look, well, the President’s said that no option has been taken off the table. He’s also been very clear that there’s still – we believe there’s still time for a diplomatic solution here.
QUESTION: They are also moving towards developing a joint developmental bank. Do you think this will be a duplicacy of the other multinational institutions that you already have?
MR. TONER: No. I think I spoke to that. I think that we believe that their engagement in multilateral institutions, global multilateral institutions, can only strengthen our international system as well as we appreciated their comments in support of the global economic recovery.
Yeah, go ahead.
QUESTION: Can I change the subject?
MR. TONER: Absolutely.
QUESTION: To Syria?
MR. TONER: Yep.
QUESTION: In advance of the conference, I was wondering if there – if – A, if there’s anything you can say about any additional money that Secretary Clinton might be bringing to the SNC. And could you talk about – when we were in Tunis, she announced 10 million for the Syrian people and everything. How much money has the U.S. to date given specifically directly to the opposition?

MR. TONER: Well, first off, I did want to note that the Secretary did have a very good meeting yesterday with Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, who’s the president – as you know, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. That was at the State Department here yesterday, and they did obviously discuss the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the ICRC’s work there. The ICRC, as you know, has been critical in providing much needed humanitarian assistance and protection to the Syrian people under incredibly difficult circumstances, and certainly the Secretary was very supportive of their work.

In answer to your question, in terms of new money, I’m certainly not going to get out in front of what the Secretary may or may not announce when she’s on the ground in Istanbul. In terms of the 10 million – I’m sorry – you were asking how much has actually been – has been disbursed?
QUESTION: Well, I know the U.S. has given, like, a – money to the Syrian people and to humanitarian issues. How much U.S. money has gone specifically to the SNC or directly to the coffers of other – just opposition at large?
MR. TONER: Oh, how much money has been disbursed to actual – to the actual Syrian opposition --
QUESTION: Exactly.
MR. TONER: -- versus through humanitarian assistance and –
QUESTION: Correct.
MR. TONER: Look, I don’t have an answer for you –
QUESTION: Can you check that, please?
MR. TONER: -- so I'll take the question. Yeah.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Also, maybe – just, like, can you take a question about whether any materiel has been provided to them, like phones or GPS things or –
MR. TONER: Well, I think we did – we have talked before about some nonlethal assistance.
QUESTION: Have you gone through exactly what it is that you’ve provided?
MR. TONER: We've not, obviously, delineated what that is, but there’s lots of very good reasons not to get into too much detail there.
QUESTION: Okay.
MR. TONER: So I’m limited in what I can say.
QUESTION: Would that be covered in this dollar figure that you’d be looking for?
MR. TONER: Sure. We can try to (inaudible).
QUESTION: There’s lots of very good reasons not to get into that?
MR. TONER: Sure.
QUESTION: Well, what would –
MR. TONER: For the protection –
QUESTION: -- three of those be?
MR. TONER: For the protection of these opposition leaders. Obviously, they are in-country --
QUESTION: Right.
MR. TONER: -- and whenever we're talking about our outreach – and you know this from your discussions with Ambassador Ford throughout this ongoing struggle in Syria – that we’ve been very tight-lipped for obvious reasons about our dealings with the SNC.
QUESTION: Yeah, that’s one reason.
MR. TONER: Okay. That’s the primary reason.
QUESTION: Assad said that –
MR. TONER: It’s an important reason.
QUESTION: -- that he welcomes the basic idea or premise of the Annan proposal, but something has to be done about, his word, “terrorists.” What’s this building’s reaction?
MR. TONER: Our reaction is that we’ve – now day three after the letter sent to Annan that they agreed with his proposal as a way forward, we’ve seen absolutely nothing on the ground that indicates that they’re adhering to its calls for Syrian artillery and heavy weaponry to go back to barracks and for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian assistance to be put in place. To date we’ve seen no steps in that direction. So it’s not surprising, but it’s discouraging and disappointing.
QUESTION: Does this increase the appetite among the U.S. and its allies for some sort of intervention?
MR. TONER: Look, we’ve been very clear where we stand on the prospect of a military intervention. We want to see, and support very much, the efforts of Kofi Annan and give him the time and diplomatic space that he needs to make this work. But again, we’re very clear that we want to see a ceasefire in place, we want to see an end to the violence as soon as possible, so that we can get humanitarian assistance into the beleaguered Syrian people.
QUESTION: But shouldn’t the threat of some sort of outside intervention be raised in order to force the Syrians to comply? I mean, agreements can be reached, nice things can be said, and people are still being attacked.
MR. TONER: Well, what we’ve been very clear about all along here is increasing international pressure on Assad, and you saw out of Baghdad a very strong show of support for Kofi Annan and his plan out of the Arab League summit. We’re going to increase that pressure on him both economically and politically. That’s why these countries are meeting in Istanbul on Sunday. They’re going to discuss new ways that we can apply pressure. But, fundamentally, we want to see an end to the violence, we want to see a political transition, and we want to see dialogue.
Yeah. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Russia?
MR. TONER: Did you have –
QUESTION: No. No. That was another –
QUESTION: What’s your reaction to the Arab summit in Baghdad? Are you satisfied with the declaration –
MR. TONER: Sorry. I’ll get to you. That’s okay, Scott.
QUESTION: Sorry, Scott.
MR. TONER: No. That’s okay. I guess it’s related, because I did mention the Arab League summit in my last –
QUESTION: You mentioned Baghdad.
MR. TONER: Look, it was obviously, from what we’ve seen, a success. As I said, they did talk about Syria and voiced their very strong support for Kofi Annan’s efforts. We certainly congratulate Iraq on its preparation and convening of the Arab summit. All indications are that it, as I said, had gone well, and Iraq should be proud of what it’s been able to accomplish in recent years, and we believe the hosting of this summit is indicative of its positive role in the region and among the community of nations.
Yeah. Go ahead.
QUESTION: On Saudi, I know that Toria yesterday went through some of the things that were going to be on the Secretary’s agenda as far as security and cooperation in the GCC, but I’m wondering: Is the Secretary going with any questions for the Saudis about oil prices, about how they’re going to respond to any potential release of emergency reserves? Is that on the agenda?
MR. TONER: Look, I mean, we’re going to talk – and I think Toria spoke to this at length yesterday about all of the regional issues, including Iran and our bilateral discussions, but I’m not going to get into any great detail from here.
QUESTION: So not even whether or not oil is even going to be a part of that discussion?
MR. TONER: I would say that they’ll talk about regional issues, including our concerns about Iran and our – and as we’ve talked to a number of allies and partners about our legislation pertaining to dealings with Iran over its oil. So –
QUESTION: New topic?
MR. TONER: Yeah. Sure.
QUESTION: DR Congo. European Union monitors came out with a report about the November elections saying it wasn’t credible, that there are serious allegations of fraud. Does the U.S. have a reaction to that, about how you see the election? And in light of this –
MR. TONER: Sean, I’ll have to see if we have an updated reaction. I know at the time we said that there were – we were concerned about many of the reports of fraud and problems, basically, involving polling. But let me check and see if there’s an update on that.
Yeah.
QUESTION: On Russia, please. Ambassador McFaul has a series of tweets suggesting that someone’s listening to his telephone calls and intercepting his email. Do you believe that your ambassador in Moscow is being spied on?
MR. TONER: Well, I read Mike’s tweets, and I believe he was simply asking a rhetorical question commenting on the fact that wherever he goes in Moscow, he’s finding a presence of – large media presence, some of it hostile, and he’s wondering how they’re getting word about his schedule, so I think it was simply a rhetorical question he was asking.
QUESTION: Was he suggesting that journalists themselves – or is he directing this at the media themselves for perhaps hacking or – his information? Or does he think that the government is giving the journalists this information?
MR. TONER: Well, I don’t think he’s directing it at the journalists or at the media itself. I think he’s asking the question about how details of his personal schedule are getting out to the media.
QUESTION: So --
QUESTION: Are you asking those questions?
QUESTION: So just to – so just – so, then, if he’s not directing it at the media, he must be directing it at the government.
MR. TONER: I’ll just say he was asking a rhetorical question.
Go ahead, Lalit.
QUESTION: On Afghanistan, Ambassador Grossman’s trip back home, did he get any commitment from the European countries on supporting the Afghan security forces post-2014? And that, I believe, was the main purpose of his trip.
MR. TONER: It was the main purpose – well, one of the main purposes of his trip was to talk about ongoing support for Afghanistan. I don’t, frankly, have a dollar figure for you. That – it’s really incumbent on these countries that he spoke with about to talk about their own support for Afghanistan transition and Afghan security forces moving forward past 2014. I can just say that they were constructive conversations that he had throughout his trip, and we’ve – we believe there’s broad support moving forward for Afghan security leadership.
QUESTION: I’m not asking about exact dollar figures --
MR. TONER: Okay.
QUESTION: -- but did he receive any commitment that Afghan security forces will be receiving money from – or any kind of financial assistance from these European countries after 2014, which they needed?
MR. TONER: Well, again, it’s – I mean, the – part of the intent of this trip was to talk about support for the Afghan Government as we move forward towards 2014. It was also – as we’ve said, it was also in preparation for the NATO Summit in Chicago where many of these issues will be discussed. And I’ll just say that he, throughout, had very constructive conversations.
QUESTION: Just to clarify, did he --
MR. TONER: Yeah.
QUESTION: -- seek support for Afghanistan post-2014? Post-2014, did he seek support for Afghanistan?
MR. TONER: Well, I think what we’re talking about is the post-2014 scenario and how we could all support Afghanistan as it moves into a security lead throughout the country. So, I mean, that’s certainly among the topics.
QUESTION: One more?
MR. TONER: Yeah.
QUESTION: On Maldives, actually --
MR. TONER: Okay.
QUESTION: -- the former President Nasheed, he’s in the U.S. He actually went on Letterman last night.
MR. TONER: I missed that. I didn’t stay up that late.
QUESTION: (Laughter.) But he was voicing disappointment with the position of the State Department regarding the events in February, saying that the U.S. should be more robust in pushing for new elections. Does the U.S. plan to meet him during his visit? And more broadly, what’s the U.S. position going forward on elections in Maldives?
MR. TONER: Well, look, in answer to your first question, I’m not sure. I’ll have to take the question on whether we have any meetings planned with him. I don’t have any update on our basic position towards Maldives. I mean, obviously, our Assistant Secretary Robert Blake’s been very engaged with the – with Maldivian officials, and we’ve been pressing for them to address the concerns about the transfer of power there.
QUESTION: Can I --
MR. TONER: Go ahead.
QUESTION: -- just return to the Russia question again?
MR. TONER: Yeah, sure.
QUESTION: I’m wondering – and I apologize because I’m not a big student of Twitter and I don’t follow it that seriously, but --
MR. TONER: You’re talking to somebody who’s also not a big student of Twitter, but --
QUESTION: Well, why is a U.S. ambassador tweeting rhetorical questions about something so sensitive as suggesting that he’s being spied on by his hosts? I mean, does that fall within the bounds of this Department’s official line on what our senior officials should be saying over something like Twitter?
MR. TONER: Well, many of our chiefs of mission have Twitter accounts, and they are allowed to express themselves. We have full confidence in their ability to express themselves on matters of U.S. policy. And also, as you know, Twitter’s also an informal way to communicate with many of these host country populations, whether it be Russia or anywhere else in the world. So we believe it’s an effective communications tool, and we encourage our chiefs of mission to use it.
QUESTION: Sorry, you said he was tweeting in Russian?
MR. TONER: No, I believe it was English.
QUESTION: No, he was tweeting in English. And exactly how many Russians does he think are going to get that message?
MR. TONER: Again, I don’t have a --
QUESTION: Are they all using Google Translator or something like that to translate it? No?
MR. TONER: Again, I don’t know what – whether he also – I believe the --
QUESTION: I mean, who is the rhetorical question intended for?
MR. TONER: I believe the mission also tweets out in Russian as well.
QUESTION: Right, but I guess the question would be: Who was his question – who is the rhetorical question addressed at? Would it be --
MR. TONER: And the rhetorical answer is to his followers on Twitter.
QUESTION: Well, okay, but why?
MR. TONER: Again, I mean, if you followed any – I don’t know if you follow Twitter, the Twittersphere, but it is a form of communication used by many people, whether they’re within the Department of State or outside the Department of State, as a way of informal communication. I don’t know how else to put it.
QUESTION: Well, who was he informally communicating with? Is he trying to send a message to the government that I know what you’re up to?
MR. TONER: I said it best before when he was asking a rhetorical question about --
QUESTION: But you said that it wasn’t --
MR. TONER: Yeah.
QUESTION: -- directed at the journalists who actually have --
MR. TONER: Precisely.
QUESTION: -- his schedule or his information or whatever. So it must be directed at someone else that he believes is getting that information.
MR. TONER: Sure, but I don’t know – I mean, you’re asking me, was it directed at the Russian Government, and I don’t know that.
QUESTION: You don’t? You don’t know that this was directed at the Russian Government?
MR. TONER: No.
QUESTION: Have you asked him?
MR. TONER: Again, I don’t think – he was asking a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question, in and of itself, is not directed at anyone.
QUESTION: But clearly, it’s becoming an issue, so is the State Department going to clarify with its emissary in Moscow --
MR. TONER: I have --
QUESTION: -- what he meant by this?
MR. TONER: I have spoken to him about it and that’s – and I’ve said it’s a rhetorical question.
QUESTION: Well, I mean, one of these apparently rhetorical tweets asks where are the laws regarding these things in Russia. So who is that directed at?
MR. TONER: Again, these are ways for chiefs of mission to raise issues for discussion. They’re directed at a broad number of followers to air these issues out, if you will. It’s an informal way to communicate. I mean, Matt’s trying to get me to say who his followers are. I can’t tell you off the top of my head who follows Ambassador McFaul in Russia. I would imagine it’s a broad cross-section of both Russian society as well as U.S. and other people – citizens.
QUESTION: Actually, I wasn’t asking you who his Twitter followers are. I can find that out by going on Twitter myself, as you can. Has the Embassy raised this with the Russian Government?
MR. TONER: We have not.
QUESTION: You have not. So this is 21st century diplomacy is now to go on Twitter and launch rhetorical questions into the Twitterverse --
MR. TONER: Let me clarify. Let me clarify. I am not aware that we have. I’m not aware that we have. I can ask if we’ve formally raised it.
QUESTION: I mean, is there a concern? Does the – is the Department concerned that Ambassador McFaul’s personal schedule is being leaked to Russian media outlets?
MR. TONER: Again, I’ve been very clear that he raised a rhetorical question asking about why his schedule was --
QUESTION: And the question is – I understand that. But I’m wondering if this is an issue of concern for the Department or if it’s just his own – if he doesn’t like being mobbed by paparazzi when he goes to The Bolshoi.
MR. TONER: These are not as – necessarily outings to The Bolshoi.
QUESTION: I don’t know. What --
MR. TONER: These are his meetings around town with --
QUESTION: Well, whatever. When he – okay, when he goes to meetings – when he goes to his meetings, I mean, is this a problem – is this a personal problem for him that he’s publicity shy, which I doubt, or is this a problem for the U.S. Government? I guess that’s the question. So if you could take that --
MR. TONER: Yeah, and I’ll take the question of whether we’ve raised it officially.
QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.
MR. TONER: Yeah.
QUESTION: You just said that he was going to meetings. Those are not private. That’s his public schedule. I’m a little confused now because it keeps rotating. Is he concerned about his own personal --
MR. TONER: Well, again, it wouldn’t necessarily – we don’t put out as we do here with the Secretary, necessarily. Again, I’d have to find out exactly, but it’s not incumbent on any mission anywhere in the world to publicize the ambassador’s schedule for that day, whether they be public meetings or not.
QUESTION: And do you think it’s very smart for an ambassador to be doing this kind of public tweeting when it’s being disrespectful or making some accusations to its host country --
MR. TONER: I wouldn’t characterize it as disrespectful. As I said, it is a new way of communication. It’s a very effective way to reach a broad audience, so – and we support chiefs of mission using Twitter.
QUESTION: Just to follow-up, apparently Ambassador McFaul asked the – there’s video of him on Russian television asking the journalists where they got their information from. And he asked them directly if they’d been reading his emails, Blackberrys, and saying it’s a violation of the Geneva Convention. So when you say it’s – when he says something is a violation of the Geneva Convention --
QUESTION: Geneva or Vienna?
QUESTION: Geneva. That’s what he said.
MR. TONER: I haven’t seen the tweets, so I can’t comment on it. Sorry.
QUESTION: So but does he feel that the host – he must have meant Vienna, but do you think that the Russians are in violation of their treaty obligations to protect the ambassador’s communications?
MR. TONER: Look, as I said to Matt, I will take the question as to whether we have raised our concerns about whether this is in violation of his personal rights or his Vienna Convention rights with the Russian Government.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Would you remind other governments that even though there’s nothing specifically mentioning the Twittersphere or social media in the Vienna conventions that there are norms and practices that the U.S. expects when it comes to the treatment of their diplomatic personnel?
MR. TONER: Ros, I’m not sure I follow the question. Would I --
QUESTION: Well, it’s just as it’s not good form to go snooping through somebody’s garbage can, don’t try to break into their email to find out what their schedule is.
MR. TONER: Well, that goes without saying, that email is, we believe, especially official email, would be protected, yes.
QUESTION: Really. Well, that didn’t stop you from laughing it up about President Assad’s stolen email the other day – other week.
MR. TONER: I don’t know that we laughed it up. I think we said it’s --
QUESTION: Well, yeah, it was pretty --
MR. TONER: I don’t think we laughed it up. I think it was a sad commentary on the --
QUESTION: So it’s okay to steal other people’s email unless it’s a U.S. official?
MR. TONER: Again, I don’t think we ever condoned that as well.
QUESTION: You didn’t, but you certainly had a lot to say about President Assad’s email. So did the White House. And yet that was stolen.
MR. TONER: I don’t know how they obtained that. You’re talking about The Guardian? You’ll have to ask The Guardian.
Yeah. Go ahead.
QUESTION: North Korea?
MR. TONER: Yeah.
QUESTION: It’s been reported that North Koreans and Americans will be meeting in Berlin this weekend. Are there any U.S. officials attending, and if so --
MR. TONER: I apologize. Just rewind a little bit. Who’s meeting with who?
QUESTION: North Koreans and Americans will be meeting in Berlin.
MR. TONER: Is this is a track two thing? Is this a --
QUESTION: That’s all I – a diplomat Lee --
MR. TONER: These aren’t American officials --
QUESTION: -- and American officials. Former State Department --
MR. TONER: Okay, former State Department. No, I’m not aware that we have any official Americans going to that meeting.
QUESTION: Okay.
QUESTION: There’s a story in India’s Telegraph newspaper that the confirmation of – nomination of India’s – U.S. Ambassador to India Powell is being held up in the Senate for more than two months now for some reasons in the Senate. Is that an issue of concern to you, because absence of an ambassador in India --
MR. TONER: Well, look, anytime we don’t have an ambassador at post, it’s always an issue of concern for us. We like to have our ambassadors – our nominees confirmed as quickly as possible and out to their missions, clearly. But we’re also confident that – or hopeful that Congress will move forward in as fast as a manner as possible to confirm all outstanding nominations.
QUESTION: And what is --
MR. TONER: And we’re going to consult with them as we move forward.
QUESTION: What is holding the nomination from being confirmed?
MR. TONER: You’ll have to ask Congress. I’m not – I don’t know.
QUESTION: Are you aware of how many nominees there are who have – or either – that have not – ambassadorial nominees who have not yet had hearings scheduled?
MR. TONER: I don’t. I’ll have to check the -- yeah.
QUESTION: I think it’s a rather large number, no? Something that prompted the Secretary to suggest at the chiefs of missions conference that people might want to think about – current ambassadors might want to think about extending their tours? Is it --
MR. TONER: Yeah. I’m not sure. I don’t have a figure for you, Matt. I’d have to take it.
QUESTION: Well, isn’t it – I know she said that in her kind of address. But isn’t it now a kind of regulation or edict in the Department that nobody will move into their onward post till their successor is confirmed?
MR. TONER: Again, I’d have to take the question, Elise. But as I said, it’s always – we always want to – while we have every confidence in our deputy chiefs of mission to act as charges in any mission, we want to see a quick turnover.
QUESTION: Speaking of ambassadors and charges, what’s the status of naming an ambassador to Burma? There’s – obviously, the --
MR. TONER: That’s a White House question.
Yeah.
QUESTION: Did the Secretary meet with the foreign minister from Tunisia on Tuesday, last Tuesday?
MR. TONER: He was here?
QUESTION: I don’t know if it’s the foreign minister or a senior official from the ministry of --
MR. TONER: I’ll take the question. I don’t believe she did meet with any --
QUESTION: Because he met with Under Secretary Hormats. It was on schedule.
MR. TONER: Yeah, I’m not sure who it was. I don’t think it was the foreign minister, but I’ll take the question.
QUESTION: And did she call the Tunisian foreign – prime minister?
MR. TONER: Did she call the Tunisian prime minister?
QUESTION: There’s reports on the wires that she --
MR. TONER: Well, you know we issued – she – we issued a statement earlier about --
QUESTION: Yeah. She might’ve just congratulated him on winning the lottery.
MR. TONER: -- assistance to Tunisia, but I don’t know that she actually spoke with him this week. But obviously she was recently in Tunisia, where they discussed ways that we can help Tunisia as it bridges a very difficult democratic transition as well as economically.
QUESTION: I think there’s a Tunisian media report saying that she spoke with him yesterday.
MR. TONER: Yeah. I’ll have to confirm. I didn’t get a readout of her latest calls.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR. TONER: That it? Thanks guys.

STATE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING BEFORE CONGRESS

The following excerpt is from a U.S. State Department e-mail:
Testimony Before the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform
Testimony Luis Cde Baca
Ambassador-at-Large, Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Washington, DC
March 27, 2012
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. It’s an honor to be here today. We are always eager to update members of Congress on the Administration’s efforts to combat modern slavery, because leaders on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of Capitol Hill have helped drive so much of the progress we’ve made in the last decade in the fight against trafficking in persons.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 continues to serve as the touchstone for all of our efforts to combat this crime both at home and around the world. That law and its subsequent reauthorizations have bridged administrations and Congresses of both parties, and modifications over the years have allowed us to keep pace with a criminals who are constantly adapting and changing the face of modern slavery.

One of the tools Congress has given us through the TVPA is the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. The Report has become an unparalleled resource for determining how well governments are responding to modern slavery. It plays a critical role in our diplomacy on this issue and serves as a guide for governments seeking to translate their political will to stop this crime into concrete results.

Focusing squarely on government action, as the TIP Report does, is essential, because governments bear the primary responsibility for fighting trafficking in persons. After all, trafficking in persons is a crime. Only governments can arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate traffickers. Only governments can provide legal recourse and status to survivors. We will continue to push governments to aggressively combat modern slavery using the 3P approach of prevention, prosecution, and protection.

But we’ve also come to understand that the role of government in fighting this crime need not be limited to law enforcement and the provision of victim services. We know that forced labor taints the supply chains of products we rely on every day. We know that labor recruiters are profiting through the use of unscrupulous and non-transparent practices that saddle workers with debts they will never be able to repay. We know that a global market for cheap goods and commercial sex fuels the demand that traffickers exploit. And we know that concerned consumers are pushing more and more companies to do something about modern slavery in their corporate policies.

As Secretary Clinton said earlier this month when she chaired the President’s Human Trafficking Task Force meeting, all of that knowledge becomes particularly important when you think of the buying power of governments. Governments conduct business on a global scale with a massive roster of suppliers and contractors. Policies that apply what we’ve learned about supply chain monitoring, responsible labor recruitment practices, and honorable conduct to government procurement and contracting would have ripple effects far and wide into the private sector.

Using governments’ reach as consumers as a tool to combat modern slavery isn’t just about what governments can do; it’s also about what they should do. Governments will remain the primary actors in this fight. Indeed, the growing din of the public outcry and the increased call from consumer activists on this issue does not mitigate government responsibility; rather, it should be heard as a mandate for governments to take aggressive action. When governments take up the cause of fighting modern slavery, their credibility can be undermined if their own policies, procurement, and personnel practices are inadvertently making the problem worse. At the Task Force Cabinet meeting, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough perhaps said it best when he framed the role the United States needs to play: “We recognize that across the government, there’s still an awful lot to do to improve on this in terms of procurement of goods and labor, and the President is demanding that we do more in exactly this area.”

We take the President’s call to action very seriously at the State Department. To demonstrate our commitment, we are putting in place new prohibitions on our contractors that will no longer allow them to charge recruitment fees to workers. You’ll soon hear from my colleague Cathy Read, in the Bureau of Administration, about the excellent work that is being done on these issues.

This is the sort of innovation that will be critical to the future of this struggle. And as in so many other aspects of this important work, we look forward to working with our partners in Congress to keep delivering on the promise of freedom.
Thank you, and I’m happy to take your questions.

VISA FEES WILL CHANGE ON APRIL 13, 2012

The following excerpt is from a U.S. State Department e-mail:
Visa Processing Fees to Change on April 13, 2012
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
March 29, 2012
Effective April 13, 2012, the Department of State will adjust visa processing fees. The fees for most nonimmigrant visa applications and Border Crossing Cards will increase, while all immigrant visa processing fees will decrease.
The Department is required to recover, as far as possible, the cost of processing visas through the collection of application fees. For a number of reasons, the current fees no longer cover the actual cost of processing nonimmigrant visas. The nonimmigrant visa fee increase will support the addition and expansion of overseas facilities, as well as additional staffing required to meet increased visa demand.

Although most categories of nonimmigrant visa processing fees will increase, the fee for E visas (treaty-traders and treaty-investors) and K visas (for fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens) will decrease.
Nonimmigrant Visa Processing Fees
Type of Visa Previous Fee New Fee
Tourist, Business, Transit, Crew Member, Student, Exchange Visitor, and Journalist visas $140 $160
Petition-Based visas (H, L, O, P, Q, and R) $150 $190
Treaty Investor and Trader visas (E) $390 $270
Fiancé(e) visas (K) $350 $240
Border Crossing Cards (age 15 and older) $140 $160
Border Crossing Cards (under age 15) $14 $15

Because of a reallocation of costs associated with immigrant visas, all categories of immigrant visa processing fees will decrease.
Immigrant Visa Processing Fees
Type of Visa Previous Fee New Fee
Immediate Relative and Family Preference Applications $330 $230
Employment-Based Applications $720 $405
Other Immigrant Visa Applications $305 $220
Diversity Visa Program Fee $440 $330
Determining Returning Resident Status $380 $275

SIX INDIVIDUALS CAUGHT UP IN CORPORATE BONUS SCHEME

The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Six Arraigned on Tax Conspiracy in a Corporate Bonus Scheme Based in Western New York
Six officials of an Upstate New York firm were arraigned yesterday before Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio.   On March 21, a federal grand jury in the Western District of New York indicted the six defendants, Philip R. DeLuca, Alfred R. LaGreca, Frank A. Fracassi, Michael A. Elia, Laurence A Elia and Richard A. Elia, on tax charges, including conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

According to the superseding indictment, between the late 1990s and at least April 2007, the defendants were officers of Sevenson Environmental Services Inc., a Subchapter S corporation (a corporation treated like a partnership for tax purposes) located in Niagara Falls, N.Y., that was involved in remediation of sites contaminated with hazardous waste.  During that time, the defendants allegedly conspired to defraud the IRS by developing and managing a scheme whereby they and other Sevenson employees received bonus compensation that was not reported to the IRS.

The superseding indictment also alleges that this compensation permitted certain Sevenson employees to obtain goods and services that were paid for by the corporation, but not reported to the IRS.  In order to facilitate Sevenson’s payment for these goods and services, it is alleged that the defendants caused documents to be fabricated, invoices to be falsified and false individual income tax returns to be filed.   From the late 1990s through at least April 2007, Sevenson awarded at least 23 employees a total of approximately $1 million in unreported, non-cash bonuses.

If convicted, each defendant faces a potential maximum of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the conspiracy charge.

An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Tax Division Trial Attorneys Shawn Noud, Robert Kennedy, and Erin Pulice.

CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF GENERAL DEMPSEY SAYS COLOMBIA HAS GOOD STRATEGY TO COMBAT FARC

The following excerpt is from an American Forces Press Service e-mail: 

Dempsey: Colombia Has Strategy to Take Down Terror Group

By Jim Garamone

BRASILIA, Brazil, March 29, 2012 - The Colombians have a good strategy to counter the main terrorist group in the country, and they will stick with it, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey spoke with reporters traveling with him from Colombia to Brazil. He spent two days in Colombia meeting with senior leaders and visiting Joint Task Force Vulcano – a new interagency force aimed at defeating the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC.

Dempsey said he was impressed by the senior leaders he met during his visit. "They had a remarkably coherent vision of where they are today to where they need to be," he said.

The strategy calls for Colombia to cut the FARC forces in half in two years. "They selected 2014 as a key moment for them," he said. "They want to accelerate their effects against the FARC."

The conversations he had with senior leaders dealt not only with equipment, but also intellectual capital, the chairman said. "We're getting ready to send some brigade commanders who have been in Iraq and Afghanistan down here to partner with their Joint Task Force commanders in a leader developmental function," the general said. "The challenges they face are not unlike the challenges we've faced in Iraq and Afghanistan."

These American officers will visit with joint task force commanders for two weeks and share insights into their fights overseas. Dempsey said he fully expects the American leaders to learn from their Colombian counterparts, too.

The Colombians began by speaking about their personnel, Dempsey said, and then went to ways to accelerate the effects they were trying to make on the ground. He said this includes border security; critical infrastructure protection; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; intelligence fusion; airlift; and remotely piloted vehicles. "It wasn't a shopping list," the chairman said. "It was more, 'We have the strategy. We've got the resources we need to do it, with a few exceptions, and we can work together to close those gaps."

The Colombians have made great progress and they want to take advantage of that, Dempsey said. They have found that as they introduce the army into the populace, people became fond of its presence, he added.

That works well, Dempsey said, until you want to move the units. "The army has become fixed to an extent, and part of the strategy is to reintroduce mobile forces," he explained. "They are forming a number of joint task forces, but also national police, and they are putting them in the places where the FARC has migrated to."

The Colombians are doubling their efforts and making sure they are integrating their efforts as a nation, the chairman said. "It really has to be the whole of government," he added. "It is really emphasizing what we called in Iraq 'clear, hold, build.'"

Colombia has been working closely with the U.S. government in the fight. Current Colombian military leaders all have received at least some American military training.

"There was a gravitas about them, and they have a grasp of what they are facing," Dempsey said. "There was a real appreciation of the task at had. The Colombians are winning. The FARC has had a few successes, but so have the military."

TROPICAL STORM PAKHAR ON MARCH 29, 2012

NASA's TRMM satellite measured rainfall rates in Tropical Storm Pakhar on March 29 at 1123 UTC (7:23 a.m. EDT).Light to moderate rainfall is depicted in blue and green, falling at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches (20 to 40 mm) per hour. Heavy rainfall is seen in red, and is falling at 2 inches/50 mm per hour.
Credit: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce

Pakhar (Western North Pacific Ocean)

03/29/2012 12:00 AM 

U.S. ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION CASH TRANSFER TO TUNISIAN GOVERNMENT

The following excerpt is from a U.S. State Department e-mail:
Assistance to Tunisia
Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Washington, DC
March 29, 2012
I am pleased to announce today that pending Congressional notification and review, the United States will provide a $100 million cash transfer to the Government of Tunisia for short-term fiscal relief. This will go directly to debt that Tunisia owes the World Bank and African Development Bank, allowing the Government of Tunisia to instead use this money for its priority programs, accelerating economic growth and job creation.

This support would be in addition to the sovereign loan guarantee agreement currently being negotiated between the United States and the Government of Tunisia, which will use $30 million from the United States to open up access to several hundred million dollars in new financing from international capital markets for the Tunisian government.

As Tunisia progresses into the next phase of its historic democratic transition, the United States is working to help accelerate economic growth that benefits all, ensure that democracy delivers for the Tunisian people, and to help Tunisian businesses -- large and small -- become engines of job creation. We call on other partners in the international community to join us in supporting Tunisia and ensuring economic opportunities for more Tunisian people.

GENERAL DEMPSEY PLEASED WITH U.S.-PAKISTANI MEETING OF MILITARY LEADERS

The following excerpt is from an American Forces Press Service e-mail:

Dempsey Pleased About U.S.-Pakistani Leaders Meeting

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, March 28, 2012 - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today he is pleased that U.S. and Pakistani military leaders have met to discuss mutual concerns.

Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, met with Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad.

It was the highest level-military meeting between the United States and Pakistan since a Nov. 26, 2011, incident that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the Afghan border. Following the incident, Pakistan closed the ground supply lines that ran from Karachi up into Afghanistan, forcing coalition forces to rely on a northern supply route.

Dempsey told reporters traveling with him from Colombia to Brazil that he has spoken with Kayani at least five times since the border incident. The Pakistanis, he said, want to reset the military-to-military relationship with the United States. "We want to rebuild the trust and confidence between our two militaries," the general said.

This includes working the border issues with the Pakistanis and reopening the ground supply lines through Pakistan to Afghanistan, Dempsey said. He added that he believes the two militaries can discuss what must be done in Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas to improve the situation in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Groups have taken root in the tribal areas that pose a threat to the national government and to neighboring Afghanistan, the chairman explained. Pakistan has sent troops into the region to take on these groups and to establish the government's control of its sovereign territory.

Many officials believe the Pakistani military is doing about as much as it can. Pakistani leaders regard India as a threat, and most of their armed forces are facing India in the east. Until more troops are made available, the situation in the tribal areas probably will remain as it is, and official said, with many areas under government control and others like the Wild West.

U.S. defense officials have been quick to point out that Pakistan has lost thousands of service members and thousands of citizens to the scourge of terrorism. "No one doubts the sacrifice or will of the Pakistanis -- just the means they have," one official said.

SHIP CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES TO PAY PENALTY FOR VIOLATIONS OF CLEAN AIR ACT

The following excerpt is from an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency e-mail: 
Shipbuilder and Ship Engine Manufacturer Agree to Pay Civil Penalty and Perform Environmental Project to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations
First enforcement action under marine diesel engine air rules
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Coltec Industries Inc., (Coltec) and National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) have agreed to pay a civil penalty of $280,000 and spend approximately $500,000 on an environmental project to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA’s marine diesel engine air rules. The project will significantly reduce nitrogen oxideemissions from a testing stack at Coltec’s Beloit, Wis., engine manufacturing facility, improving air quality for residents.Coltec and NASSCO also agreed to attach the required EPA engine labels to 40 ship engines that were previously unlabeled or improperly labeled.

“EPA is committed to enforcing the Clean Air Act’s standards for engines, including ship engines,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By ensuring that engines meet requirements and encouraging environmental projects that benefit nearby communities, we are making the air cleaner and healthier for the residents of southern Wisconsin.”

“This is the first time a settlement addresses Clean Air Act violations in the marine engine manufacturing and ship building industries. Under the settlement, Coltec and NASSCO will pay a just penalty and achieve compliance with the nation’s Clean Air Act and EPA’s emissions control regulations,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Compliance with the Clean Air Act by all industries is essential to preventing harmful pollutants from being released into the environment, whether on land or at sea.”

The CAA prohibits marine diesel engines from being sold in the U.S. unless the engines are covered by a certificate of conformity and have an EPA label indicating that the engine meets applicable emission standards. Engines that are not certified may be operating without proper emissions controls and emitting excess carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. These excess emissions can cause respiratory illnesses, aggravate asthma and contribute to the formation of ground level ozone or smog.

On Sep. 30, 2010, the United States filed a complaint which alleged that Coltec violated the CAA by manufacturing and selling 32 marine diesel engines that were not covered by an EPA-issued certificate of conformity and that NASSCO violated the CAA by installing those engines in ships that NASSCO built and sold to the U.S. Navy. The complaint also alleged that the 32 uncertified Coltec engines, plus eight more certified engines Coltec sold to NASSCO, had missing or improper emissions compliance labels required by EPA’s regulations. Finally, the complaint alleged that NASSCO further violated the CAA by manufacturing and selling ships containing an additional six uncertified engines.

The settlement also includes a supplemental environmental project in which Coltec and NASSCO will install a nitrogen oxide (NOx) control system to an engine test stand exhaust stack connected to Coltec’s Beloit, Wis., engine manufacturing facility. The engine test stand is used for testing large marine diesel engines that are manufactured and sold by Coltec for use in U.S. Navy ships. The NOx controls required by the settlement are estimated to reduce levels of NOx by at least 85 percent, from approximately 102 pounds emitted per hour to approximately 16 pounds per hour. The estimated cost to implement the project is $500,000 and will benefit the city of Beloit, Wis., by improving air quality near the facility, particularly in the adjacent Merrill neighborhood.

Coltec is a subsidiary of EnPro Industries Inc. and operates Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME), which supplies marine propulsion and ship service systems to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.

NASSCO is a subsidiary of General Dynamics. NASSCO designs and builds support ships, oil tankers, and dry cargo carriers for the U.S. Navy and commercial markets.

The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval.

U.S. ARMY GEN. DEMPSEY VISITS BRAZIL'S AMAZON MILITARY COMMAND HEADQUARTERS

 The following excerpt is from the American Forces Press Service

Chairman Visits Amazon Military Command in Brazil

By Jim Garamone
MANAUS, Brazil, March 28, 2012 - When arriving here, jets fly for three hours over the Amazon rain forest. This city is smack in the center of Amazonia, and it is a different world.

The Amazon is Brazil's treasure, and its riches are precious and must be protected.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Brazil's Amazon Military Command headquarters here today to get an idea of the range, capabilities and challenges facing the armed forces' effort in this remote land.

Gen. Eduardo Villas Boas of the Brazilian army hosted Dempsey for the short visit and discussed the full range of his command.

Boas commands the largest of seven military districts in Brazil. "His is by far the largest, and the area where we have the most common interests," Dempsey said.

Transnational organized crime is a problem. Drug traffickers, smugglers, financiers and the whole range of criminal networks operate in the region. Brazil is now the world's second largest consumer of cocaine in the world, after the United States.

Managing the borders with neighboring countries is another common interest, Dempsey said.

And protecting critical infrastructures – from dams and bridges to natural resources – is another common interest. "These are things where there is common ground for us to build a relationship," the chairman said.

Building the military-to-military relationship is important, the general said. One way of doing that, he noted, is training together. The command hosts a world-class jungle training center. In its 48-year history, only 25 Americans have graduated from the course, said Maj. Gen. Jose Luiz Jaborandy, chief of staff for the Amazon Military Command.

Dempsey toured the facility where small classes of officers and noncommissioned officers receive 12 weeks of training in survival, weapons and tactics for use in the jungle. In the Brazilian army, those leaders go back to their units to teach their soldiers. France has the most foreign graduates with 86, said Jaborandy, who was graduate number 1,261 in 1984.

Dempsey said he was impressed. As part of his emphasis on the profession of arms, he added, he wants American officers and NCOs to take advantage of these types of training opportunities.

"Introducing leaders into unfamiliar environments is always a good thing," the chairman said. "And the jungle is certainly that."

Dempsey said he believes the training would increase the cooperation between the two militaries. Past chairmen who have visited the area also wanted to increase U.S. participation in the Jungle School.

"I do think that I would be supportive of increasing our participation in jungle training with the Brazilians," Dempsey said. "That said, we have several layers of the relationship to work on. That tactical level is something we haven't lost. We just haven't had the time."

The reason more Americans haven't been through the training is because of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've been pretty busy," Dempsey said.

The chairman moves from the tactical and operational level to the strategic level tomorrow. He is scheduled to meet with Brazilian Defense Minister Antonio Celoso Amorim and Brazilian Chief of Defense Gen. Jose Carlos de Nardi.

MSHA SAYS MINE OPERATORS TIPPING OFF EMPLOYEES OF INSPECTORS ARRIVAL

The following excerpt is from the Department of Labor website:
MSHA: Advance notification of federal mine inspectors still a serious problem
ARLINGTON, Va. — Despite stepped-up enforcement efforts over the past two years by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, some mine operators continue to tip off their employees when federal inspectors arrive to carry out an inspection. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 specifically prohibits providing advance notice of inspections conducted by MSHA.

There have been several recent instances in which MSHA has been able to detect the occurrence of advance notice. For example, on March 22, agency inspectors responded to a hazard complaint call about conditions at Gateway Eagle Coal Co. LLC's Sugar Maple Mine in Boone County, W.Va. A truck driver with J&N Trucking reportedly alerted mine personnel by citizens band radio of the inspectors' arrival. The inspection turned up 14 violations for advance notification, accumulations of combustible material, and inadequate preshift and on-shift examinations, as well as a failure to comply with the current ventilation plan, maintain the lifeline, maintain permissibility of mobile equipment and maintain fire fighting equipment.

As a second example, during a Feb. 29 inspection at Rhino Eastern LLC's Eagle No. 2 Mine in Wyoming County, W.Va., a dispatcher's decision to shut down the belts prompted a call from the section foreman about his actions. The dispatcher responded that an MSHA inspector was at the mine. During this inspection, three citations were issued for failure to comply with the roof control and ventilation plans. In addition, a citation was issued to Applachian Security, a contractor, for providing advance notification of the MSHA inspection. Rhino Eastern's Eagle No. 1 Mine was placed on potential pattern of violations status in November 2010 and again in August 2011 after a miner was killed in a rib collapse, and the mine's compliance record deteriorated.

A third example is from Feb. 13, when the dispatcher for Metinvest B V's Affinity Mine in Raleigh County, W.Va., notified the belt foreman over the mine telephone that federal and state inspectors were headed underground. The mine operator was issued a citation and, to abate it, MSHA required that all certified foremen and dispatchers be trained in the requirements of the Mine Act regarding advance notification, and that a notice be conspicuously posted in the mine office to ensure future compliance with the Mine Act.
"Providing advance notice of an inspection is illegal," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "It can obscure actual mining conditions by giving mine employees the opportunity to alter working conditions, thereby inhibiting the effectiveness of MSHA inspections. Furthermore, it appears that current penalties are not sufficient to deter this type of conduct."

Upper Big Branch Mine superintendent Gary May recently entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, admitting to conspiracy to give advance notification of mine inspections, falsify examination of record books and alter the mine's ventilation system before federal inspectors were able to inspect underground. May testified that, through these unlawful practices, the mine operator was able to avoid detection of violations by federal and state inspectors.

"Despite the attention to the issue that has resulted from the Upper Big Branch investigation and recent testimony from Gary May, advance notice continues to occur too often in the coalfields," said Main. "Upper Big Branch is a tragic reminder that operators and miners alike need to understand advance notice can prevent inspectors from finding hazards that can claim miners' lives."

FORMER ADMINISTRATOR OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ABUSE FUNDS SENTENCED FOR STEALING

The following excerpt is from the U.S. Department of Justice website:
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Former Grant Administrator and Legal Assistant of American Samoa Non-profit Legal Aid Corporation Sentenced for Stealing Nearly $160,000 in Federal Grant Funds Funds Intended to Benefit Low-Income Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse

WASHINGTON – Julie Matau, 49, and her daughter, Andrea Matau, 28, each were sentenced yesterday in Oakland, Calif., for their participation in the theft of nearly $160,000 in federal grant funds from a now-defunct nonprofit American Samoa legal services corporation, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken for the Northern District of California sentenced Julie Matau to 12 months and one day in prison.  Julie Matau also was ordered to serve three years of supervised release, including eight hours a week of community service throughout the three-year term.  Judge Wilken sentenced Andrea Matau to serve 12 months of probation, including six months of home detention.  Andrea Matau also was ordered to provide eight hours a week of community service for the entire 12 months of probation.  Judge Wilken ordered Julie and Andrea Matau to pay $159,763 in restitution, to be paid jointly and severally.  In addition, Judge Wilken ordered that $31,292 of the $159,763 be paid jointly and severally with David Wagner, another individual who has pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme, if he is ordered to pay restitution in that amount.  Wagner’s sentencing is scheduled for April 2, 2012, in St. Louis before U.S. District Judge Carol E. Jackson for the Eastern District of Missouri.

On Dec. 21, 2011, Julie Matau pleaded guilty to wire fraud and Andrea Matau pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of federal funds.  A federal grand jury in the Northern District of California returned an indictment against Julie and Andrea Matau on Dec. 16, 2010.  Wagner pleaded guilty on March 11, 2010, in the Eastern District of Missouri for his role in the theft of federal funds.

The case arose from allegations of theft and fraud at a now-defunct nonprofit legal services corporation in American Samoa called the U’una’i Legal Services Corporation (ULSC).  According to court documents, between 1998 and 2007, ULSC was the only nonprofit organization in American Samoa that was dedicated to providing free legal services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual abuse.
Between August 2005 and September 2007, ULSC received more than $1.2 million in federal grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women and the Legal Services Corporation.

According to court documents, between May 2005 and September 2007, Wagner served as ULSC’s acting executive director and Julie Matau served as ULSC’s office manager and grant administrator.  Julie Matau, together with Wagner, was responsible for submitting applications for federal grant funding, managing ULSC’s federal funds and issuing employee payroll checks.  Wagner and Julie Matau exercised joint signatory authority over ULSC’s bank accounts.  Andrea Matau worked as one of ULSC’s legal assistants and reported directly to Julie Matau.

According to court documents, between September 2005 and September 2007, Julie Matau and Wagner arranged for themselves, Andrea Matau, and Julie and Andrea Matau’s relatives to receive unlawful payments from the federal grant funds.  According to court documents, Julie Matau unlawfully received $65,649 in federal grant funds; Andrea Matau unlawfully received $24,634 in federal grant funds; Wagner unlawfully received $31,292 in federal grant funds; and the Mataus’ relatives received $38,188 in federal grant funds.

In her guilty plea, Julie Matau admitted that she knew that they had no legal entitlement to receive these federal grant funds and that their receipt of the federal funds violated the terms and conditions of the grants.  Julie Matau also admitted that she had no intention of repaying the money to ULSC or the federal government, or of requiring others to repay the money.  In her guilty plea, Andrea Matau admitted that she participated in the theft by personally receiving $24,634 in unlawful payments and by permitting Julie Matau to deposit additional unlawful payments in Andrea Matau’s personal bank account and in their joint bank account.

In his guilty plea, Wagner admitted that, with Julie Matau’s assistance, he received a number of unlawful “salary advances.”  Wagner also admitted that he signed blank ULSC checks for Julie Matau’s use in exchange for the unlawful payments that she provided to him.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Edward J. Loya Jr. and Monique T. Abrishami of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.  Senior Trial Attorney Mary K. Butler and Trial Attorney Maria N. Lerner, also of the Public Integrity Section, participated in the investigation of this matter.  The case is being investigated by special agents of the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General and the Legal Services Corporation’s Office of Inspector General, with assistance from special agents of the FBI-Honolulu Division, American Samoa Resident Agency.

MAN WHO FILED OVER $5 BILLION IN FALSE LIENS GETS 41 MONTHS IN PRISON

The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:
Monday, March 26, 2012
Washington State Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Filing False Liens Against Government OfficialsClaimed That Each Official Owed Him More Than $5 Billion
Ronald James Davenport of Chewelah, Wash., was sentenced to 41 months in prison today for filing more than $20 billion in false liens against four federal government officials, the Justice Department and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) announced today.   In addition, Judge Garr M. King, U.S. District Judge for the District of Oregon, sitting by designation, ordered Davenport to serve three years of supervised release.

Davenport’s convictions date from last November when, following a two-day trial, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Washington returned guilty verdicts against Davenport on four counts of filing retaliatory liens against government officials.   According to the evidence presented at trial, in December 2009, Davenport filed false liens against the property interests of the U.S. Attorney and the Clerk of Court for the Eastern District of Washington, as well as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and an Internal Revenue Service Revenue officer.

The liens were filed in the county auditor records of Spokane and Whatcom Counties, Wash.  Each lien claimed that the victim owed Davenport $5,184,000,000.   It also purported to attach all of the victim’s real and personal property as security for this debt.   As proved at trial, the defendant chose these four victims because of their involvement in an effort to collect from Davenport more than $250,000 in back taxes.

The case was investigated by TIGTA and prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Tax Division. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the District Court for the Eastern District of Washington were recused from the case.

GULF OF MEXICO SPILLS AFFECT DEEP-WATER CORALS

The photo and following excerpt is from the National Science Foundation website:
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill's Effects on Deep-Water Corals
March 26, 2012
Scientists are reporting new evidence that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has affected marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, this time species that live in dark ocean depths--deepwater corals.

The research used a range of underwater vehicles, including the submarine Alvin, to investigate the corals. The findings are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The scientists used a method known as comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography to determine the source of the petroleum hydrocarbons found.
The lead author of the paper, chemist Helen White of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, is part of a team of researchers led by Charles Fisher of Penn State University (PSU).
The group includes Erik Cordes from Temple University, and Timothy Shank and Christopher German from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which operates the submersible Alvin.

Fisher, Cordes, Shank and German are co-authors of the paper, along with other scientists from WHOI, Penn State, Temple and the U.S. Geological Survey.
"The biological communities in the deep Gulf of Mexico are separated from human activity at the surface by 4,000 feet of water," says White.

"We would not expect deep-water corals to be affected by a typical oil spill. But the sheer magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill makes it very different from a tanker running aground and spilling its contents.

Because of the unprecedented nature of the spill, its effects are more far-reaching than those from smaller spills on the surface."

The study grew out of a research cruise in October 2010 that was part of a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration project.

Using the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) Jason II, the team initially looked at nine sites more than 20 kilometers from the Macondo well.

The researchers found deep-water coral communities unharmed there.
But when the ROV explored another area 11 kilometers to the southwest of the spill site, the team was surprised to find coral communities covered in a brown flocculent material and showing signs of tissue damage.

"We discovered the site during the last dive of the three-week cruise," says Fisher.
"As soon as the ROV got close enough to the community for the corals to come into clear view, it was obvious that something was wrong. There was too much white and brown, and not enough color on the corals and brittle stars."

Once the scientists were close enough to zoom in on a few coral colonies, "there was no doubt that this was something we had not seen anywhere else in the Gulf," says Fisher. "This is what we had been on the lookout for, but were hoping not to see."
The coral communities were at a depth of 4,300 feet in close proximity to the Macondo well, which had been capped three months earlier after spilling an estimated 160 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.

At the time the damaged corals were spotted, the effects could not be directly linked to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Then in December, 2010, the scientists set out on a second research cruise to the Gulf.
A National Science Foundation (NSF) RAPID grant funded their return. NSF RAPID awards allow scientists to respond quickly to issues such as natural disasters--in this case, the oil spill.

"Through the RAPID award," says Rodey Batiza of NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences, "the researchers were able to analyze the oil spill's effect on the area's deep-sea corals, and compare changes in the corals' condition over a relatively short time-period."
It's easy to see the effect of oil in surface waters, "but this was the first time we were diving to the seafloor to look at the effects on deep-sea ecosystems," says White.
The team used the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry to map and photograph the ocean floor, and the submersible Alvinto get a better look at the distressed corals.
Alvin holds a pilot and two passengers, and is equipped with viewports and cameras.
Alvin also has robotic arms that can manipulate instruments to collect samples. During six dives in Alvin, whose manipulator claws were modified with a cutting blade, the team collected sediments and samples of the corals and filtered material from the corals for analysis.

"Collecting samples from the deep ocean is incredibly challenging, and Alvin is crucial to this kind of work," says White.

"The primary aim of the research was to determine the composition of the brown flocculent material covering the corals, and the source of any petroleum hydrocarbons present," says White.

Because oil can naturally seep from cracks in the floor of the Gulf, pinpointing the source of petroleum hydrocarbons in Gulf samples can be challenging, especially since oil is made up of a complex mixture of chemical compounds.

However, there are slight differences in oils that can be used to trace their origin.
To identify the oil found in the coral communities, White worked with Christopher Reddy and Robert Nelson at WHOI using an advanced technique called comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography, pioneered by Reddy and Nelson for use in oil spill research.

The method, which separates oil compounds by molecular weight, allows scientists to "fingerprint" oil and determine its source.

This petroleum analysis, coupled with a review of 69 images from 43 corals at the site performed by Pen-Yuan Hsing of PSU, yielded evidence that the coral communities were affected by oil from the Macondo spill.

"These findings will have a significant effect on deep-water drilling, and on the monitoring of oil spills in the future," White says.

"Ongoing research in the Gulf will improve our understanding of the resilience of these isolated coral communities and the extent to which they are affected by human activity.
"Oil had a visible effect on the corals, and it's important to determine whether they can rebound."

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON MAKES COMMENTS IN ESTONIA

The following excerpt is from the Department of Defense American Forces Press Service:
Remarks With Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet After Their Meeting
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Treaty Room
Washington, DC
March 27, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the State Department and a very warm welcome to my friend and colleague, the foreign minister of Estonia. We have been able to work closely together during my tenure, and I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Tallinn several times. And I’m delighted to have you here so that we can continue the conversation that we started several years ago. And we have just finished a very comprehensive discussion.

Over the last 20 years, Estonia has grown from a newly independent democracy to an important and respected voice in the international community, and the friendship between our two countries has only grown stronger. We look to Estonia as an important ally, a leader in promoting stability across the Euro-Atlantic area, a partner we can count on from the battle space in Afghanistan to cyber space. We share a wide range of concerns that we stay in close touch with each other about.

First, we discussed our shared effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. This has been an important partnership. In addition to providing military personnel, Estonia has given critical support for civilian, humanitarian, and democratic programs, and we will continue to work closely with Estonia as we move toward the Chicago summit. We are both committed to a smooth security, economic, and development transition. So Chicago will be the next stop in this ongoing effort. Despite these challenging economic times, it’s more important than ever that NATO allies and partners come to Chicago with concrete commitments to support Afghan security forces beyond 2014.

Just as Estonia has been a strong NATO ally in Afghanistan, the United States takes our responsibilities to NATO very seriously, particularly our Article 5 obligation for collective defense. That’s why we strongly support the extension of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission on a continuing basis with periodic reviews. A mission such as this underscores the importance of what Secretary General Rasmussen calls smart defense, sharing resources to maximize each partner’s contributions.

I also expressed our support to Urmas about Estonia’s work in helping countries build effective, free market, and democratic institutions. Estonia has maintained a strong assistance and development program in Eastern partnership countries, particularly Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. And in addition, Estonia is increasingly active in the world of e-government, electronic government. From Eastern Europe to Africa to Haiti, governments look to Estonia for guidance on how technology can make them more efficient and effective.

And on that note, I am pleased to announce that the United States and Estonia have agreed to co-chair a new initiative in the Community of Democracies that will use technology to help strengthen democratic institutions. This program that we call LEND, L-E-N-D, the Network for Leaders Engaged in New Democracies, is an online platform that will connect leaders from emerging democracies with former presidents, prime ministers, and others who have helped lead democratic transitions in their own countries. We are particularly focused on working together in Tunisia. When the network is activated later this year, it will help accelerate the exchange of ideas among leaders who have the experience to share, and we’re very excited to be co-chairing this initiative with Estonia.

So again, Foreign Minister, thank you for the great work that you do on behalf of your country, and thanks to Estonia for the great partnership we have.

Foreign minister Paet: Well, thank you very much for the very positive and nice comments. And I also would like to start with thanking – thanking you personally, Hillary, and the United States for friendship and support and cooperation we have done between U.S. and Estonia. And of course, we will continue.

Also for us, when we speak about upcoming NATO summit, it is absolutely important to get clear decisions how to move forward with Afghanistan. Estonia’s clear position here is that what concerns military commitment then, of course we, together with our allies, and also going to make next possible steps together with our allies, and what concerns development, humanitarian cooperation, then we’re also ready to continue our activities and our support after 2014 together with our partners and allies in Afghanistan.
It’s also important to get strong, positive message to countries which want to get NATO membership in foreseeable future, countries like Georgia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. And of course, once more, to stress the strong security of transatlantic relations, but also strong security of Europe, including Article 5, it is also from our point of view absolutely important as one of the outcomes of Chicago summit.

We’re also very grateful for United States for their support to air police mission in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and also thank you for practical participation with your people and aircrafts. It’s also clear that step-by-step we should and we are ready to increase the host nation support and to make also for our partners it more convenient and positive to have concrete rotation periods in air policing in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
Cyber defense for us also important area where we see good chances to develop cooperation with the United States, but also with other NATO countries. In Estonia we have center for cyber defense accredited by NATO, and here we also see that this center can be – or can give more added value also to NATO cyber security issues and developments already in foreseeable future.

We are glad that also bilateral cooperation, what concerns development cooperation, for example, in Belarus. It works, and we’re looking forward to continue with bilateral development cooperation work in Tunisia, for example, and also I’m glad that U.S. participates in our center for eastern partnership in Estonia, supporting and sharing our experience to civil servants from Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, but also many other countries.

And with pleasure we join U.S. in organization called Leaders Engaged in New Democracies, or LEND. We see that there are many countries, including us, which are able and ready to share our experience to countries which want to change and which also want to share the values we are sharing.
So to sum up once more, thank you for friendship and cooperation and always glad to be also here in Washington and in the States. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much.

MS. NULAND: We’ll take three questions today. We’ll start with CNN, Elise Labott.

QUESTION: Thank you, Madam Secretary. On Syria, what hopes do you have that President Assad will make good on his commitments to implement the Kofi Annan plan? And looking ahead towards Istanbul on Sunday, what do you expect to come out of this conference? And in particular, what are you looking for for the opposition to strengthen their message of how they see a post-Assad Syria? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Elise. As you just referenced, the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan and the Syrian National Council both said this morning that it is an important initial step that the Assad regime has written the United Nations to accept the Annan plan. Let me just pause here to say, however, that given Assad’s history of over-promising and under-delivering, that commitment must now be matched by immediate actions. We will judge Assad’s sincerity and seriousness by what he does, not by what he says. If he is ready to bring this dark chapter in Syria’s history to a close, he can prove it by immediately ordering regime forces to stop firing and begin withdrawing from populated areas. He can also allow international aid workers unfettered access to those in need, and he can release political prisoners, permit peaceful political activity, allow the international news media unobstructed access, and begin a legitimate political process that leads to a democratic transition.

Now, as the regime takes steps, which we have yet to see, but assuming it does so, then Kofi Annan has pledged to work with the opposition to take steps of its own so that the bloodshed ends, that there won’t be violence coming from opposition forces, that humanitarian aid will be permitted to come into areas where the opposition has been holding, that the true political dialogue will begin, and that all Syrians will be welcomed to participate in an inclusive process. Now that’s a lot to look forward to seeing implemented, but given the response that we have had, we are going to be working very urgently between now and Istanbul to translate into concrete steps what we expect to see. And I’m hoping that by the time I get to Istanbul on Sunday we will be in a position to acknowledge steps that the Assad regime and the opposition have both taken. We’re certainly urging that those occur.

Specifically with respect to the opposition, they must come forward with a unified position, a vision if you will, of the kind of Syria that they are working to build. They must be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to including all Syrians and protecting the rights of all Syrians. And we are going to be pushing them very hard to present such a vision at Istanbul. So we have a lot of work to do between now and Sunday.
MS. NULAND: Next question, Neeme Raud, Estonian Public Broadcasting.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, thank you very much. My question is about our big neighbor, Russia. Today in the news, we hear news about conversation Mr. President had with Russian President Medvedev. Russia has accused you last year, Mr. Putin personally, intruding into their internal affairs. U.S. Ambassador McFaul was not received very warmly in Russia. At UN, when the talk is about Syria, there is a talk about new Cold War even with Russia. What is the U.S.-Russian relationship at this moment of transition in Russia? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that we believe that it is a complex relationship. We’ve seen some positive, concrete accomplishments coming from the so-called reset. We are also engaged in a substantive bilateral dialogue that is quite comprehensive with many levels of the Russian Government and society. So we are committed to engagement with Russia.
Regarding the President’s comments in Seoul, he spoke to those himself and made clear that the issues we are dealing with concerning Russia are difficult and complex ones. Technical discussions have been ongoing with Russia over missile defense. That’s not a surprise to anyone. We have been consistent, both bilaterally and through NATO, in our invitation to the Russians to participate with us in missile defense. But this is going to take time. And whether or not there can be a breakthrough sometime in the future is yet to be determined, but we certainly look at this as a long-term engagement.

When we negotiated the New START Treaty, we were engaging at the same time in consultations with Congress, of course with all elements of the United States Government, including the Defense Department, with our allies in NATO and elsewhere, because you can’t do something as serious as New START or missile defense without full buy-in from our government, bipartisan support in the Congress, and understanding and acceptance by our allies, particularly in NATO. So we will continue this effort. We may be somewhat surprising in our persistence and our perseverance in our engagement with Russia. It will continue with President-elect Putin, as it has with President Medvedev.
But let me hasten to say in the meantime we continue with the deployment of the Phased Adaptive Approach to missile defense that was agreed to at the Lisbon summit. We expect to announce further progress at the Chicago summit. And as the President made clear to President Medvedev in Seoul, we do not see this missile defense system as a threat to Russia; we do not see it as undermining Russia’s nuclear deterrent. The interceptors are for defensive uses only. They have no offense capability. They carry no explosive warheads, but they are part of our Article 5 collective defense obligation. That is a clear, unmistakable message that we have sent to our allies and that we continue to reiterate.
So yes, we want to cooperate with Russia on missile defense. We think it is in everyone’s interest to do so. But we will continue the work we are doing with NATO and we will be looking to complete that process in the years ahead.

MS. NULAND: Last question, Andy Quinn, Reuters.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, if I could turn to Sudan, please. You’ve seen the statement out of the White House today urging restraint, but I was hoping I could get your analysis of what’s really going on there, and specifically how dangerous you feel it is. Are we on the brink of a new civil war? And what is the United States doing now to prevent a possible humanitarian catastrophe in Southern Kordofan? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Andy, this is deeply distressing to us, because it was certainly our hope and expectation that with the independence of South Sudan, the newest nation in the world, there would be the opportunity to continue fulfilling the requirements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that included resolving border disputes, allocations of oil revenues and other contested matters between Sudan and South Sudan.
As you know, there has been almost continuing low-level violence in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, and it is our goal to end the violence and to convince the parties to return to the negotiating table. We believed we were making progress on two contested matters. In fact, there was a summit between President Bashir and President Kiir scheduled for next week to finalize understandings on borders and national citizenship. We want to see that summit held. And we want to see both sides work together to end the violence. We think that the weight of responsibility rests with Khartoum, because the use of heavy weaponry, bombing runs by planes and the like are certainly evidence of disproportionate force on the part of the government in Khartoum.

At the same time, we want to see South Sudan and their allies or their partners across into Sudan similarly participate in ending the violence and working to resolve the outstanding issues. It is becoming a very serious humanitarian crisis. We have been reaching out to the government in Khartoum through international aid organizations. We stand ready on behalf of the United States to provide assistance to people fleeing the violence. It is compounded by the fact that the violence is making it possible for people to get into their fields, and there’s already adverse conditions because of drought that are compounded by the unfortunate violence.

So the bottom line is that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom helped to broker in 2005 ended a conflict that had cost more than 5 million lives. We have seen the ongoing violence and displacement in Darfur, and now we are looking at an upsurge in violence in two other parts of Sudan. So it is incumbent upon the leaders of both countries to resume negotiations, and the United States stands ready to assist in working out the contested issues.

The final thing I would say – because I’ve been following this closely and it’s been a painful problem to see the deterioration into conflict again – there is a win-win outcome here. South Sudan has oil. Sudan has the infrastructure and the transportation networks to get the oil to market. Because of the feeling on the part of the South Sudan Government that they were being treated unfairly by Sudan, they shut down their oil wells and the pipelines. So the economic condition in both countries is deteriorating. So I would call upon the leaders to look for a way to resolve these very hard feelings. You don’t make peace with your friends. There are decades of grievances that have to be overcome in order to work through these very challenging issues. But it is incumbent upon the leaders of both countries to attempt to do so.
Thank you.

MS. NULAND: Thank you very much.

FOREIGN MINISTER PAET: Thank you very much. Welcome to Estonia.

AFGHAN FORCES ARE IMPROVING ACCORDING TO GENERAL ALLEN

The following excerpt is from a Department of Defense American Forces Press Service e-mail: 

Afghan Security Forces Improving Quickly, Allen Says

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2012 - Afghan forces are improving faster than coalition leaders or they themselves anticipated, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said here today.

"They really are better than we thought that they would be at this point; more critically, they are better than they thought that they would be at this point," Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen told reporters during a Pentagon news conference.

The transition to Afghan security responsibility -- now in the second of a planned five phases -- is the linchpin to mission success in Afghanistan, Allen said. Though his top priority on taking command in July was to keep pressure on the enemy, he added, the push to develop Afghan army and police capabilities was a "very close second."

The general, who testified last week before the House and Senate armed services committees, noted Afghan troops' abilities will form part of the equation he uses to recommend future U.S. troop levels after the remaining 23,000 American "surge" forces leave Afghanistan by the end of September.

Allen said he won't know what level of combat power is still required until the end of this year's spring and summer fighting season. Key indicators then, he explained, will be the state of the insurgency, the operational environment commanders anticipate in 2013, and the capabilities of the Afghan national security forces.

"It is not just a matter of what to do with the remaining 68,000 U.S. troops," the general noted. "I must also carefully consider the combination of forces in-theater. There will still be some 40,000 ISAF forces in the field, and increasingly capable and increasingly numerous Afghan security forces."

His recommendation will reflect a composite number of U.S., international and indigenous forces, not an American force as "a separate and distinct entity," he added.

Two Afghan security force members died and more than 60 were wounded while combating violent protests that occurred after last month's Quran burnings, he said.

"I could just as easily point to the literally thousands of operations, some large, some small, that they conduct alongside ISAF troops, and often in the lead, every month as we go forward," the general told reporters.

During the last two weeks, Afghan security forces arrested more than 50 insurgents and killed around six, including several who were planning to assassinate the governor of Balkh province, Allen said. They also captured several caches of explosives, weapons and bomb-making materials, he noted, while Afghan police members are contributing to security in cities and towns, most recently during the Nowruz new year celebrations.

"I know people will look at these and other examples and say they're anecdotal, that we still face real challenges in attrition and ethnic composition, even corruption in some of the ranks," Allen acknowledged. "I'm not saying things are perfect, and much work remains to be done."

The general said for every bribe accepted by an Afghan troop and for every instance of so-called "green on blue" attacks pitting an Afghan in uniform against a coalition member, "I can cite hundreds of other examples where they do perform their duties, where the partnership is strong, the confidence of the Afghan forces is building, and where the trust and confidence we have in them and that they have in themselves grows steadily."

Allen said critics never will convince him that Afghan soldiers and police don't have the will to fight for their government, for their country and for their fellow citizens.

"That willingness, I believe, is the thing most hopeful about the entire effort of transition," he said. "They want this responsibility, they want to lead, and we're going to help them to do that."

NASA'S FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM SELECTS 24 SPACE TECHNOLOGY PAYLOADS FOR FLIGHTS

The following excerpt is from the NASA website: 
WASHINGTON -- NASA's Flight Opportunities Program has selected 24
cutting-edge space technology payloads for flights on commercial
reusable launch vehicles, balloons and a commercial parabolic
aircraft.

Sixteen of the payloads will ride on parabolic aircraft flights, which
provide brief periods of weightlessness. Five will fly on suborbital
reusable launch vehicle test flights. Two will ride on high-altitude
balloons that fly above 65,000 feet. One payload will fly on the
suborbital launch vehicle and high-altitude balloon platforms. The
flights will take place in 2012 and 2013.

Flight platforms include the Zero-G parabolic airplane, Near Space
Corp. high altitude balloons and reusable launch vehicles from
Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems, UP Aerospace and Virgin
Galactic.

"NASA's Flight Opportunities Program leverages investment in
commercially available vehicles and platforms to enable new
technology discoveries," said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's
Space Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These
flights enable researchers to demonstrate the viability of their
technologies while taking advantage of American commercial access to
near-space."

Payloads selected for flight on a parabolic aircraft are:
-- "Microgravity Health Care," Scott Alexander Dulchavsky, Henry Ford
Health System, Detroit
-- "Activity Monitoring During Parabolic Flight," Peter Cavanagh,
University of Washington, Seattle
-- "Physics of Regolith Impacts in Microgravity Experiment," Josh
Colwell, University of Central Florida, Orlando
-- "UAH CubeSat Parabolic Flight Testing," Francis Wessling,
University of Alabama, Huntsville
-- "Fuel Mass Gauging Under Zero-G Environment Based on Electrical
Capacitance Volumatric Tomography Techniques," Manohar Deshpande,
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
-- "Microgravity Effects of Nanoscale Mixing on Diffusion Limited
Processes Using Electrochemical Electrodes," Carlos Cabrera,
University of Puerto Rico, San Juan
-- "Effects of Reduced Gravity on Flow Boiling and Condensation,"
Issam Mudawar, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
-- "OSIRIS-REx Low-Gravity Regolith Sampling Tests," Joseph Vellinga,
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver
-- "Parabolic Flight: Validation of Electro-Hydrodynamic Gas-Liquid
Phase Separation in Microgravity," Boris Khusid, New Jersey Institute
of Technology, Newark
-- "Non-Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring in Microgravity," Gregory
Kovacs, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
-- "Parabolic Flight Evaluation of a Hermetic Surgery System for
Reduced Gravity," George Pantalos, University of Louisville,
Louisville, Ky.
-- "Evaporative Heat Transfer Mechanisms within a Heat Melt Compactor
Experiment," Eric Golliher, NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
-- "Effects of Reduced and Hyper Gravity on Functional Near-Infrared
Spectroscopy Instrumentation," Greg Adamovsky, NASA Glenn
-- "Sintering of Composite Materials Under Reduced Gravity Conditions
("Cosmic" Project), Orazio Chiarenza, the Advanced Technical
Institute, Fuscaldo, Italy
-- "Boston University Student Proposal for Deployable Solar and
Antenna Array Microgravity Testing," Theodore Fritz, Boston
University
-- "Particle Dispersion System for Microgravity Environments," John
Marshall, SETI Institute, Mountain View, Calif.

Payloads selected for flight on a suborbital launch vehicle are:
-- "Near-Zero Gravity Cryogenic Line Chilldown Experiment in a
Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle," Jacob Chung, University of
Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
-- "Collection of Regolith Experiment on a Commercial Suborbital
Vehicle," and "Collisions Into Dust Experiment on a Commercial
Suborbital Vehicle, Josh Colwell, University of Central Florida,
Orlando
-- "Polar Mesospheric Cloud Imaging and Tomography Experiment," Jason
David Reimuller, Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
-- "Vision Navigation System Technology Demonstration," Douglas
Zimpfer, Draper Laboratory, Houston

Payloads selected for flight on a high altitude balloon are:
-- "Flight Demonstration of an Integrated Camera and Solid-State Fine
Steering System," Eliot Young, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder,
Colo.
-- "Initial Flight Testing of a UAT ADS-B Transmitter Prototype for
Commercial Space Transportation Using a High Altitude Balloon,"
Richard Stansbury, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona
Beach, Fla.

The "Structural Health Monitoring for Commercial Space Vehicles"
payload from Andrei Zagrai of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology in Socorro, will fly on a suborbital launch vehicle and a
high-altitude balloon.

NASA manages the Flight Opportunities Program manifest, matching
payloads with flights, and will pay for payload integration and the
flight costs for the selected payloads. No funds are provided for the
development of these payloads. Other suborbital flight vendors on
contract to NASA will provide flights after they have successfully
flown their qualifying vehicles.

The Flight Opportunities Program, part of NASA's Space Technology
Program, is managed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in
Edwards, Calif. NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif.
manages the payload activities for the program.

U.S. TREASURY ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS AGAINST IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD AFFILIATES

The following excerpt is from the Department of the Treasury website:
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today additional sanctions against two entities connected to the network of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and two individuals and two entities affiliated with Iran's national maritime carrier, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL). Today's actions further expose IRGC and IRISL continued involvement in illicit activities and deceptive behavior.

Pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382 – an authority aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters and thereby isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems – Treasury today designated the following entities and individuals.

• Iran Maritime Industrial Company SADRA (SADRA), an entity owned by the IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya
• Deep Offshore Technology PJS, a subsidiary of SADRA
• Malship Shipping Agency Ltd., an IRISL affiliate
• Modality Limited, an IRISL affiliate
• Seyed Alaeddin Sadat Rasool, an IRISL official
• Ali Ezati, an IRISL official

“By designating the individuals and entities today, Treasury is sending a clear signal to the international community that Iran’s attempts to evade international sanctions will not go unnoticed. We will continue to target the Iranian regime and specifically the IRGC as it attempts to continue its nefarious infiltration of the Iranian economy,” said Adam Szubin, Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The IRGC continues to be a primary focus of U.S. and international sanctions against Iran because of the central role the IRGC plays in Iran's missile and nuclear programs, its support for terrorism, and its involvement in serious human rights abuses. Similarly, IRISL has played a key role in Iran's efforts to advance its missile programs and transport other military cargoes. The IRGC has continued to expand its control over the Iranian economy – in particular in the defense production, construction, and oil and gas industries – subsuming increasing numbers of Iranian businesses and pressing them into service in support of the IRGC's illicit conduct.

IRGC Designations

SADRA which has offices in Iran and Venezuela is being designated for being owned or controlled by Khatam al-Anbiya. OFAC designated Khatam al-Anbiya in October 2007 under E.O. 13382 as an engineering arm of the IRGC that the IRGC uses to generate income and fund its operations. The U.S. Department of State designated the IRGC in October 2007 under E.O. 13382 Section (1)(a)(ii), for engaging, or attempting to engage, in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of WMD or their means of delivery.

Deep Offshore Technology PJS is being designated today under E.O. 13382 because it is wholly-owned by SADRA.

Treasury has also determined that SADRA and Deep Offshore Technology PJS are "agents or affiliates" of the IRGC for purposes of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA).  Accordingly, any foreign financial institution knowingly conducting significant transactions with or on behalf of SADRA or Deep Offshore Technology PJS faces potential loss of its correspondent account access to the United States. 

IRISL Designations

Treasury is also designating today two IRISL front companies based in Malta: Modality Limited and Malship Shipping Agency Ltd.  Both companies are owned by IRISL executive Mansour Eslami, who was designated in October 2010 for his role as director of an IRISL subsidiary, IRISL (Malta) Ltd., and for his co-management of several IRISL-affiliated holding companies.

Two IRISL employees were also designated today including a senior IRISL legal advisor, Seyed Alaeddin Sadat Rasool, and Ali Ezati, IRISL's Strategic Planning and Public Affairs Manager.

IRISL was designated by Treasury pursuant to E.O. 13382 in September 2008 for its provision of logistical services to Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the arm of the Iranian military that oversees its ballistic missile program.

Identifying Information

 1. EZATI, Ali (a.k.a. EZZATI, Ali); DOB 5 Jun 1963; Passport Z19579335 (Iran) (individual) [NPWMD]

 2. RASOOL, Seyed Alaeddin Sadat; DOB 23 Jul 1965 (individual) [NPWMD]

 3. DEEP OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY COMPANY PJS, 1st Floor, Sadra Building, No. 3, Shafagh Street, Shahid Dadman Boulevard, Paknejad Boulevard, 7th Phase, Shahrake-E-Quds, Tehran, Iran [IRGC] [NPWMD]

 4. IRAN MARINE INDUSTRIAL COMPANY, SADRA (a.k.a. IRAN MARINE INDUSTRIAL COMPANY SSA; a.k.a. IRAN SADRA; a.k.a. IRAN SHIP BUILDING CO.; a.k.a. SADRA; a.k.a. SHERKATE SANATI DARYAI IRAN), 3rd Floor Aftab Building, No. 3 Shafagh Street, Dadman Blvd, Phase 7, Shahrak Ghods, P.O. Box 14665-495, Tehran, Iran; Office E-43 Torre E- Piso 4, Centrao Commercial Lido Av., Francisco de Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela; Website www.sadra.ir [IRGC] [NPWMD]

 5. MALSHIP SHIPPING AGENCY LTD., 143/1 Tower Road, Sliema, Malta; Commercial Registry Number C43447 (Malta) [NPWMD]

 6. MODALITY LIMITED, 2, Liza, Fl. 5, Triq Il-Prekursur, Madliena, Swieqi, Malta; Commercial Registry Number C49549 (Malta) [NPWMD]