Monday, September 9, 2013
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS WITH QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Muhammad al-Atiyah
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Chief of Mission Residence
Paris, France
September 8, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for your patience. I want to start by thanking the Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby. And I particularly want to thank my friend, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Khalid al-Atiyah. And I want to thank all of the other Arab ministers who came to Paris and joined us today for the first follow-on discussions since the negotiations began of the formal follow-on committee for the peace initiative for the Arab League.
This is now our third meeting, actually, with respect to the peace process. And we had a meeting previously in the Middle East, we had a meeting not so long ago in Washington at which a very important statement was made by the Arab League with respect to the 1967 lines with swaps. And today, we had an opportunity to be able to dig further into the Middle East peace process.
I particularly want to thank the Government of France for hosting us here today and for making it possible for us to meet here in Paris. This, as I said, is the first meeting that we’ve been able to have since the peace negotiations began. I think there have been – I think, without getting into specific numbers, there have been a sequence of meetings that have taken place between the Palestinians and the Israelis. And this is my first opportunity today to update the Arab League committee on those negotiations.
As one member, one of the foreign ministers, said today, this meeting is almost as important as the negotiations themselves, because the Arab League and the Arab community’s support for a final status agreement is essential to the achievement of that agreement, and it is a critical component in creating momentum and energy and seriousness of purpose in these talks. Despite tough decisions that have to be made, and despite pressure that exists on both sides, where people act against the interests of the talks – because there are, obviously, those who are opposed – both the Palestinians and the Israelis have nevertheless remained steadfast and determined in their commitment to continue to talk. And they have remained steadfast in their commitment to the ultimate goal of two states for two peoples living side by side in peace and security. And throughout the process, both parties have continued to show that they believe that the formidable challenges that exist that everybody is familiar with are actually worth tackling.
I want to emphasize today – and I emphasized this to our friends – that both leaders, President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu, showed a seriousness of purpose in coming to these talks. Both of them took political risks, personal political risks. Both of them stood up to forces in their own countries that were willing to say no, not enough has been given here, or not enough has been given there. They found a reason to come, despite those who were arguing that there were reasons not to.
And so this meeting today was convened to emphasize to both leaders – President Abbas, whom I will meet later today, and Prime Minister Netanyahu I will meet shortly, as our schedules permit it – that both of them decided that this was worth taking risks for. The Prime Minister of Israel wrote an open letter to all the people of Israel and took a decision regarding prisoners that was obviously unpopular with many parts of his country. Likewise, President Abbas, despite many people opposing the idea, stood up and said even though some of the things they wanted as preconditions had not been satisfied, that he was going to move forward because he thought it was important to do so.
This meeting today here in Paris was convened, as I have promised to the Arab League, that we will meet regularly in order to keep them abreast of these negotiations. One of the reasons that people attribute to a past failure of talks was the fact that many of the countries that are supportive of the Palestinians were not sufficiently kept abreast or sufficiently invested in what was being done. And I think it is critical, obviously, to try to make certain that they are part of it.
In addition, we also talked today about the economic track and the security tracks which are a very essential component of changing life for the Palestinians and beginning to build the institutional capacity and the trust necessary to be able to reach final status agreements. We all of us agree that a final status agreement is important in enhancing regional security and stability throughout the Middle East. And I think it is a very significant statement that even though there is unrest and volatility in parts of the Middle East, obviously, with transition taking place in Egypt, with the civil strife taking place in Syria, with the challenges of Iran’s nuclear program, notwithstanding all of these things and more, all of the parties, all of the support group and the principals themselves are deeply committed to proceeding in order to try to change the dynamics of the Middle East and, despite the turmoil, make peace, the concept of peace, the most important goal of all.
The United States and the Arab League have long agreed that with respect to Syria, which we did discuss today, the end of this civil war is going to require a political solution. We have repeated – and I repeat every time I stand up and talk about it – there is no military solution. And what the United States is seeking, together with others – not alone, but with others, an increasing number – what we are seeking is to enforce the standard with respect to the use of chemical weapons. We are not seeking to become engaged in or party to or take over Syria’s civil war. But as we discussed today, all of us agreed – not one dissenter – that Assad’s deplorable use of chemical weapons, which we know killed hundreds of innocent people, including at least 426 children on this occasion, this one occasion, this crosses an international global redline. And we agreed that the regime’s blatant disregard for the institutional norms that the global community has abided by for nearly a century, it is critical that those be upheld.
So today we discussed the possible and necessary measures that the international community can take to deter Assad from ever crossing that line again. And a number of countries immediately signed on to the G-20 agreement that was reached by now 12 countries on the side of the G-20 meeting, and they will make their own announcements in the next 24 hours about that.
So let me again thank the Arab League Secretary General Elaraby. I want to thank Dr. Attiya and the ministers and the representatives who came here today from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE. And I thank them for their continued and critical engagement on the Middle East peace process and other issues, and I look forward to meeting regularly. We will have our next meeting at some point in October, probably after the middle of October, the latter part. And we’ve agreed upon that date for a follow-on meeting.
After His Excellency speaks, we’d be happy to take a couple of questions.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH: Thank you, John. I’ll do this in Arabic, if we may.
(Via interpreter) In the beginning, I would like to thank my friend, His Excellency John Kerry, and the American Government, and President Obama and the American Administration for the efforts it expends with regards to peace, or the peace process in the Middle East.
On a fair basis, we have discussed today in our meeting several issues, and we heard the different views of the parties to the negotiations, with the exception of the Israeli side. Of course we listened to the Palestinian side. And we – it’s no secret that we are concerned about some issues that we believe could be an obstacle to this process. However, they can be solved, and we are working with Mr. John Kerry and the Palestinian negotiator to make sure that we overcome these obstacles. But there are several obstacles to this process, including the continuous announcement by – and also – by Israel, and also the continued killings and the attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque. So we urge the Israeli side not to take unilateral actions if it truly has the intention to have peace.
Absence of this direction, we believe that there would be very serious obstacles. And even so, we support the efforts of our friend, Mr. John Kerry, who has moved the stagnant waters in the Middle East and – peace process, and he’s doing so in order to achieve results on a fair basis, as I mentioned, to resolve this problem.
This is what was reviewed today in the meeting. And of course, there is a statement that would be issued by the joint committee and the American side after the meeting.
With respect to Syria, we discussed the situation in Syria. Several parties believe that foreign intervention would take place today or tomorrow or anytime. The truth is war in Syria has started two and a half years ago. And foreign intervention in Syria is already present by several parties that support the Syrian regime. Therefore, we cannot really argue whether there’ll be foreign intervention or not. The Syrian people over more than three years has been demanding or asking the international community to intervene.
The killing has started more than two and a half years ago; it didn’t start on August 21st. But however, on August 21st, it developed into the use of weapons of mass destruction and the use of chemical weapons. Therefore, I don’t believe that the international community, if it really wanted to protect peace, international peace and security, can afford to stand still while an unarmed people is being attacked with these weapons. We in Qatar support the statement of the G-12 out of the G-20, and at the same time we call on all other countries to intervene to protect the Syrian people from what it’s being subjected to. This is our clear position concerning Syria. And once again, I reiterate that foreign intervention is already taking place in Egypt, and has been – in Syria, and has been for more than two and a half years. And if some friendly countries were to intervene, this would not be the beginning of such intervention.
MODERATOR: The Secretary and the Foreign Minister will take four questions. The first will be from Arshad Mohammed of Reuters.
QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, yesterday you – we understand that you urged the European Union foreign ministers to delay the implementation of their guidelines on Israel, particularly on aid to groups in the West Bank. Why is this such a big deal? My understanding is it’s not a lot of money. Why is this so important to the process? Do you think that it could actually derail the negotiations? Have the Israelis threatened to leave if this isn’t addressed?
And French President Hollande yesterday raised the possibility of going back to the Security Council to try to get authorization for action on or a strike on Syria. Do you have any openness to that possibility? In recent weeks you’ve been very clear about saying that you didn’t think anything was possible there.
And Mr. Foreign Minister, you talked about continued Israeli announcements. Did you mean announcements of additional Jewish settlements? Or perhaps I misunderstood. And what specifically is Qatar willing to do to support any U.S. or other strike on Syria? Qatar obviously took part in the Libya intervention with its own aircraft. Would you consider providing aircraft assets, bases, fuel, anything tangible and concrete to a U.S. or other action?
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH: (Via interpreter) Yes. In truth, yes. We are talking about settlements. What we noticed, that each time a round of negotiations is supposed to start, it’s preceded by a declaration of continued settlements or the announcement of the establishment of new settlements. And this is a source of concern for us, and directly affects the negotiations.
As for Syria and what Qatar is willing to provide, Qatar is currently studying with its friends and the United Nations what it could provide in order to protect the Syrian people.
SECRETARY KERRY: Arshad, yes, I did ask the European community if they would consider the suspension. And the reason is not at all that, no, the Israelis won’t depart from or view that as a breach of any condition of the talks. But I think it’s important that the Israeli people and the government see that coming to the talks, taking the risk of moving towards peace, is worthwhile, and that if – that there – and that even more benefit awaits a final resolution of the issues. But also, it sort of underscores that if there’s a failure to achieve a peace, bigger problems await at the same time, because there is discussion now of boycott of Israeli goods and other kinds of measures being taken because of the position held in the European community of the illegality of the settlements.
Now, because Prime Minister Netanyahu took the risk of coming to the talks, because he has paid some political price for making his decision that this was worth doing and that he would release prisoners and take steps to advance the peace process, because of that, I think it’s important for Europe to say in return, “See what this gets? This gets a change in our relationship, a change for the better. And good things await the outcome of peace.”
It’s not asking them to change the policy; it’s asking them to suspend or delay its implementation while these talks are taking place to prove that there is value to being engaged in this initiative. And I think – and this is not a one-way street. We have also taken very significant steps to say to the Palestinians, “If you engage in these talks, there are benefits that are there.” And that’s why, right now, as a result of being engaged in the talks, a major set of economic proposals are being implemented for the Palestinians unilaterally by the Israelis.
Specifically in Gaza, communications equipment for the Wataniya project are being released and moved in. Cement and building materials are now going to be moving into Gaza. The Allenby Bridge is now going to be open 24 hours a day, five days a week, and will greatly facilitate movement back and forth. Water, 8,000 cubic meters of water, are moving per day into the West Bank. Fifty-four wells, additional new wells, are going to be proceeded and authorized in the West Bank. So these are just some of the things that are being done.
So both sides – we want to have both sides see the benefit of engaging in this, because we believe that if you can arrive at a final status agreement, there’s a massive amount of benefit to both that will flow from that. The failure to arrive at it obviously carries its consequences, too.
One of the foreign ministers mentioned today that he thought that Israel should be aware that if, in fact, the Arab peace initiative is implemented so that peace is made with these 19 Arab countries, that Israel and the Arab world would benefit economically as never before, and would become far more economically powerful and wealthy as a consequence of those actions.
So I would like to even ask – I think it would be important to have His Excellency, the Foreign Minister, say a word about this economic potential and the upside of peace, because I think it’s an important part of this. But let me just answer quickly on the Hollande – President Hollande’s comments with respect to the UN.
The President and all of us are listening carefully to all of our friends. No decision has been made by the President. We will obviously take this under advisement, and I’m sure – and the President will make his decision at the appropriate period of time. But I would like His Excellency to maybe say a word about the upside of peace and the way the Arab world views that potential of the economic benefit.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH: (Via interpreter) Thank you, John. All Arab countries in reality, support the idea of developing the economy in Palestine, whether in the West Bank or Gaza. We in Qatar, for example, are currently supporting several development projects in Gaza, and we also have projects in the West Bank. And in spite of that, we are studying how to support economic packages in Palestine, to support the Palestinian brothers so that they can achieve sustainable development for their future projects. And I believe that if we manage to achieve fair solution to this problem, the sooner we will be able to move the economic conditions in Palestine.
MODERATOR: The next question will come from Elise Labott of CNN.
QUESTION: Thank you. This question is for the both of you. Do you – Secretary Kerry, you said that despite the turmoil in the region, the parties are committed, but do you think that the crisis in Egypt, the crisis in Syria can hurt efforts to make peace, distract the parties, or can it actually help? On that note, you met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister this morning. Did he give you any assurances that democracy would be restored, or is it inevitable there would be a cut in aid to Egypt?
And lastly, on Syria, you’ve been showing members of Congress these very disturbing videos about the situation on the ground after the chemical weapons attack. Now that’s on the Senate Intel Committee website. It doesn’t seem, though, that the issue is that people doubt that this took place, or even that the regime is responsible. There does seem to be a growing acceptance of that. It just seems that there’s a lack of will in the U.S. Congress. Certainly the American people are against it. It just seems that they don’t want to do anything, even though they know this happened. So what do you hope to achieve by these videos? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: I had a very good meeting with Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, and of course we discussed the road ahead for Egypt. He assured me and demonstrated a specific schedule by which Egypt is moving towards its democracy. They have succeeded in the first step with respect to the constitutional process, and they are now moving on a schedule with a larger committee with a deadline somewhere towards the end of the fall – I think it’s around November, December – where that committee will fully embrace and report its democratic – its constitutional process. And then an election will be called and announced – the date is pretty firm – and within a month of the parliament being chosen, there will be a presidential election. That is the roadmap that he laid out to me. And they assure us that they are on track and are determined to live up to that roadmap.
In addition, the Foreign Minister indicated they remain totally and wholly committed to the Middle East peace process. They are committed to the Sinai security issues and the ceasefire with respect to Gaza, and want to be a constructive force in helping provide for that peace process. So we had a very – we discussed, obviously, all of the issues with respect to the Brotherhood, the politics, the inclusivity, the need to reach out and have a political process. They are discussing that now, and he assured me that he is making the argument for moving forward in that direction, and obviously, the next days will be measured and will be important to that.
With respect to the videos and the Congress, as a veteran of the congressional process, I’d just say to you that all of these early prognostications about how tough it is, or defeat here or whatever, I think are just that. They’re early and they’re not completely accurate. The vast majority of members of Congress, House and Senate, are undecided. And that’s why the videos are being shown and why the briefings are taking place. That’s why I will go back tomorrow and join in a briefing of the entire branch on one side, and then on the next day, we will brief the other side, and I assume the President will also be communicating with the Congress and with the American people.
And the reason for this is to make sure everybody understands what is at stake. Those videos make it clear that this is not something abstract. This is not something just reported in the news which you can discard and say it doesn’t matter what’s happening over there. Those videos make it clear to people that these are real human beings, real children, parents being affected in ways that are unacceptable to anybody anywhere by any standards, and that it is the United States of America that has always stood with others to say we will not allow this; this is not our values, this is not who we are. And that is why this is important for people to see the connect to this.
Those weapons were outlawed in 1925 after Europe learned firsthand, in the horrors of World War I, how horrendous and completely against all sense of decency – and I know it’s hard to draw lines. People say, well, what about artillery and isn’t somebody dying from an artillery blast the same as dying from this? Well, the answer is the world decided no, because an artillery blast is aimed, and while it may have collateral damage, it is supposed to be aimed at enemy combatants. Gas is indiscriminate. It goes wherever the wind takes it, and the death that comes with it is a death that many people decided was too horrendous to describe.
Those videos are for people to measure for themselves, whether we want to unleash these weapons to be used by a dictator with impunity against his own people, but even worse, to potentially fall into the hands of terrible actors to potentially become used weapons on a daily basis by anybody anywhere because we didn’t stand up and stand for what we arrived at nearly a hundred years ago. And that’s what’s at stake here.
So I don’t think this case has yet been made enough to enough people, and that’s exactly why the videos are posted, and I’m glad that they are.
MODERATOR: The next question will come from Hussein – I think you can hear me – Hussein Fayad from Al Arabiya.
QUESTION: (Inaudible), what are the other countries which are ready today to back a military action, the potential military action, of the U.S. in Syria? And what kind of support they can provide you with?
A last question about your meeting with Prince Saud al-Faisal today: What was the result of this meeting regarding the Saudi Arabia position regarding the strike in Syria? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Saud al-Faisal and Saudi Arabia have signed on to the G-20 side agreement – the now G-12, actually more than – well, G-12 – and they have supported the strike and they support taking action. They believe that it’s very important to do that. We had a very good meeting. We discussed, obviously, the Middle East peace initiative, their role in that, and we also discussed other issues in the region.
I am not going to name the other countries simply because we agreed in the meeting that they would go back and make their own announcements, which they will do within the next 24 hours. So we need to leave people the freedom to consult, and also, some of the other countries that weren’t certain whether they could but might have wanted to, wanted to go home and consult with their leaders in order to get decisions. But everybody understood that the decisions need to be made within the next 24 hours.
MODERATOR: The final question will be from Harold Hyman of BFM-TV.
QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Mr. Secretary, a question in French. Yesterday, you talked about Munich. You wouldn’t feel like Chamberlain (inaudible) did, because somebody could say, well, there would be no Munich.
This is one thing, one question. Now, concern, action on strikes against Syria – is there a difference between symbolic strikes and strategic strikes against Syria?
SECRETARY KERRY: What Munich represented was a moment of misinterpretation, at best, about what happens if you take people’s word for something and there isn’t an enforceability or a true prevention of actions that people believe will happen under certain circumstances. It is clear that if we don’t take action, the message to Hezbollah, Iran, Assad will be that nobody cares that you broke this hundred-year-old – nearly hundred-year-old standard, and you’re using weapons that have been banned by 189 nations. If the world turns its back on a threat that is clear, which is the linkage to a Munich or other examples, then the action that comes afterwards will hold everybody culpable for having walked away from that.
President Bill Clinton, in great candor, has written and said many times that his greatest regret of his eight years of presidency was that he didn’t go into Rwanda and stop what happened in Rwanda. And I think we all know that there are these moments where if people don’t make the right decision, terrible things can happen. I have cited on several occasions a ship filled with Jewish refugees who were trying to escape what was happening in Europe in World War II came to the shores of the United States and that ship was turned away and it went back because it had nowhere else to go. And the people who were on that ship lost their lives in the war.
That’s what we’re talking about here. This is not fantasyland. This is not some sort of conjecture. Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons at least 11 times or so, according to our best judgments, with clarity now in this evidence we have presented to the world on August 21st. He has one of the largest stocks of chemical weapons in the world. And at the moment, he has no intention of really negotiating. So it is certain that if he’s threatened, he will use them again. I, as a leader, President Obama as the President of the United States, and Senator – not Senator – Secretary Chuck Hagel and all of us involved in this, my friend the Foreign Minister from Qatar and others, are unwilling to live with the conscious decision of saying we’re going to turn our backs on that, we’re not going to stop that from happening, we’re not going to do what’s necessary to make it clear to this dictator that he will be held accountable and cannot use those weapons with impunity. And the risks of not acting are, in our judgment, much greater than the risks of acting. And that’s why I say this moment is important.
Remarks With Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Muhammad al-Atiyah
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Chief of Mission Residence
Paris, France
September 8, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for your patience. I want to start by thanking the Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby. And I particularly want to thank my friend, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Khalid al-Atiyah. And I want to thank all of the other Arab ministers who came to Paris and joined us today for the first follow-on discussions since the negotiations began of the formal follow-on committee for the peace initiative for the Arab League.
This is now our third meeting, actually, with respect to the peace process. And we had a meeting previously in the Middle East, we had a meeting not so long ago in Washington at which a very important statement was made by the Arab League with respect to the 1967 lines with swaps. And today, we had an opportunity to be able to dig further into the Middle East peace process.
I particularly want to thank the Government of France for hosting us here today and for making it possible for us to meet here in Paris. This, as I said, is the first meeting that we’ve been able to have since the peace negotiations began. I think there have been – I think, without getting into specific numbers, there have been a sequence of meetings that have taken place between the Palestinians and the Israelis. And this is my first opportunity today to update the Arab League committee on those negotiations.
As one member, one of the foreign ministers, said today, this meeting is almost as important as the negotiations themselves, because the Arab League and the Arab community’s support for a final status agreement is essential to the achievement of that agreement, and it is a critical component in creating momentum and energy and seriousness of purpose in these talks. Despite tough decisions that have to be made, and despite pressure that exists on both sides, where people act against the interests of the talks – because there are, obviously, those who are opposed – both the Palestinians and the Israelis have nevertheless remained steadfast and determined in their commitment to continue to talk. And they have remained steadfast in their commitment to the ultimate goal of two states for two peoples living side by side in peace and security. And throughout the process, both parties have continued to show that they believe that the formidable challenges that exist that everybody is familiar with are actually worth tackling.
I want to emphasize today – and I emphasized this to our friends – that both leaders, President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu, showed a seriousness of purpose in coming to these talks. Both of them took political risks, personal political risks. Both of them stood up to forces in their own countries that were willing to say no, not enough has been given here, or not enough has been given there. They found a reason to come, despite those who were arguing that there were reasons not to.
And so this meeting today was convened to emphasize to both leaders – President Abbas, whom I will meet later today, and Prime Minister Netanyahu I will meet shortly, as our schedules permit it – that both of them decided that this was worth taking risks for. The Prime Minister of Israel wrote an open letter to all the people of Israel and took a decision regarding prisoners that was obviously unpopular with many parts of his country. Likewise, President Abbas, despite many people opposing the idea, stood up and said even though some of the things they wanted as preconditions had not been satisfied, that he was going to move forward because he thought it was important to do so.
This meeting today here in Paris was convened, as I have promised to the Arab League, that we will meet regularly in order to keep them abreast of these negotiations. One of the reasons that people attribute to a past failure of talks was the fact that many of the countries that are supportive of the Palestinians were not sufficiently kept abreast or sufficiently invested in what was being done. And I think it is critical, obviously, to try to make certain that they are part of it.
In addition, we also talked today about the economic track and the security tracks which are a very essential component of changing life for the Palestinians and beginning to build the institutional capacity and the trust necessary to be able to reach final status agreements. We all of us agree that a final status agreement is important in enhancing regional security and stability throughout the Middle East. And I think it is a very significant statement that even though there is unrest and volatility in parts of the Middle East, obviously, with transition taking place in Egypt, with the civil strife taking place in Syria, with the challenges of Iran’s nuclear program, notwithstanding all of these things and more, all of the parties, all of the support group and the principals themselves are deeply committed to proceeding in order to try to change the dynamics of the Middle East and, despite the turmoil, make peace, the concept of peace, the most important goal of all.
The United States and the Arab League have long agreed that with respect to Syria, which we did discuss today, the end of this civil war is going to require a political solution. We have repeated – and I repeat every time I stand up and talk about it – there is no military solution. And what the United States is seeking, together with others – not alone, but with others, an increasing number – what we are seeking is to enforce the standard with respect to the use of chemical weapons. We are not seeking to become engaged in or party to or take over Syria’s civil war. But as we discussed today, all of us agreed – not one dissenter – that Assad’s deplorable use of chemical weapons, which we know killed hundreds of innocent people, including at least 426 children on this occasion, this one occasion, this crosses an international global redline. And we agreed that the regime’s blatant disregard for the institutional norms that the global community has abided by for nearly a century, it is critical that those be upheld.
So today we discussed the possible and necessary measures that the international community can take to deter Assad from ever crossing that line again. And a number of countries immediately signed on to the G-20 agreement that was reached by now 12 countries on the side of the G-20 meeting, and they will make their own announcements in the next 24 hours about that.
So let me again thank the Arab League Secretary General Elaraby. I want to thank Dr. Attiya and the ministers and the representatives who came here today from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE. And I thank them for their continued and critical engagement on the Middle East peace process and other issues, and I look forward to meeting regularly. We will have our next meeting at some point in October, probably after the middle of October, the latter part. And we’ve agreed upon that date for a follow-on meeting.
After His Excellency speaks, we’d be happy to take a couple of questions.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH: Thank you, John. I’ll do this in Arabic, if we may.
(Via interpreter) In the beginning, I would like to thank my friend, His Excellency John Kerry, and the American Government, and President Obama and the American Administration for the efforts it expends with regards to peace, or the peace process in the Middle East.
On a fair basis, we have discussed today in our meeting several issues, and we heard the different views of the parties to the negotiations, with the exception of the Israeli side. Of course we listened to the Palestinian side. And we – it’s no secret that we are concerned about some issues that we believe could be an obstacle to this process. However, they can be solved, and we are working with Mr. John Kerry and the Palestinian negotiator to make sure that we overcome these obstacles. But there are several obstacles to this process, including the continuous announcement by – and also – by Israel, and also the continued killings and the attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque. So we urge the Israeli side not to take unilateral actions if it truly has the intention to have peace.
Absence of this direction, we believe that there would be very serious obstacles. And even so, we support the efforts of our friend, Mr. John Kerry, who has moved the stagnant waters in the Middle East and – peace process, and he’s doing so in order to achieve results on a fair basis, as I mentioned, to resolve this problem.
This is what was reviewed today in the meeting. And of course, there is a statement that would be issued by the joint committee and the American side after the meeting.
With respect to Syria, we discussed the situation in Syria. Several parties believe that foreign intervention would take place today or tomorrow or anytime. The truth is war in Syria has started two and a half years ago. And foreign intervention in Syria is already present by several parties that support the Syrian regime. Therefore, we cannot really argue whether there’ll be foreign intervention or not. The Syrian people over more than three years has been demanding or asking the international community to intervene.
The killing has started more than two and a half years ago; it didn’t start on August 21st. But however, on August 21st, it developed into the use of weapons of mass destruction and the use of chemical weapons. Therefore, I don’t believe that the international community, if it really wanted to protect peace, international peace and security, can afford to stand still while an unarmed people is being attacked with these weapons. We in Qatar support the statement of the G-12 out of the G-20, and at the same time we call on all other countries to intervene to protect the Syrian people from what it’s being subjected to. This is our clear position concerning Syria. And once again, I reiterate that foreign intervention is already taking place in Egypt, and has been – in Syria, and has been for more than two and a half years. And if some friendly countries were to intervene, this would not be the beginning of such intervention.
MODERATOR: The Secretary and the Foreign Minister will take four questions. The first will be from Arshad Mohammed of Reuters.
QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, yesterday you – we understand that you urged the European Union foreign ministers to delay the implementation of their guidelines on Israel, particularly on aid to groups in the West Bank. Why is this such a big deal? My understanding is it’s not a lot of money. Why is this so important to the process? Do you think that it could actually derail the negotiations? Have the Israelis threatened to leave if this isn’t addressed?
And French President Hollande yesterday raised the possibility of going back to the Security Council to try to get authorization for action on or a strike on Syria. Do you have any openness to that possibility? In recent weeks you’ve been very clear about saying that you didn’t think anything was possible there.
And Mr. Foreign Minister, you talked about continued Israeli announcements. Did you mean announcements of additional Jewish settlements? Or perhaps I misunderstood. And what specifically is Qatar willing to do to support any U.S. or other strike on Syria? Qatar obviously took part in the Libya intervention with its own aircraft. Would you consider providing aircraft assets, bases, fuel, anything tangible and concrete to a U.S. or other action?
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH: (Via interpreter) Yes. In truth, yes. We are talking about settlements. What we noticed, that each time a round of negotiations is supposed to start, it’s preceded by a declaration of continued settlements or the announcement of the establishment of new settlements. And this is a source of concern for us, and directly affects the negotiations.
As for Syria and what Qatar is willing to provide, Qatar is currently studying with its friends and the United Nations what it could provide in order to protect the Syrian people.
SECRETARY KERRY: Arshad, yes, I did ask the European community if they would consider the suspension. And the reason is not at all that, no, the Israelis won’t depart from or view that as a breach of any condition of the talks. But I think it’s important that the Israeli people and the government see that coming to the talks, taking the risk of moving towards peace, is worthwhile, and that if – that there – and that even more benefit awaits a final resolution of the issues. But also, it sort of underscores that if there’s a failure to achieve a peace, bigger problems await at the same time, because there is discussion now of boycott of Israeli goods and other kinds of measures being taken because of the position held in the European community of the illegality of the settlements.
Now, because Prime Minister Netanyahu took the risk of coming to the talks, because he has paid some political price for making his decision that this was worth doing and that he would release prisoners and take steps to advance the peace process, because of that, I think it’s important for Europe to say in return, “See what this gets? This gets a change in our relationship, a change for the better. And good things await the outcome of peace.”
It’s not asking them to change the policy; it’s asking them to suspend or delay its implementation while these talks are taking place to prove that there is value to being engaged in this initiative. And I think – and this is not a one-way street. We have also taken very significant steps to say to the Palestinians, “If you engage in these talks, there are benefits that are there.” And that’s why, right now, as a result of being engaged in the talks, a major set of economic proposals are being implemented for the Palestinians unilaterally by the Israelis.
Specifically in Gaza, communications equipment for the Wataniya project are being released and moved in. Cement and building materials are now going to be moving into Gaza. The Allenby Bridge is now going to be open 24 hours a day, five days a week, and will greatly facilitate movement back and forth. Water, 8,000 cubic meters of water, are moving per day into the West Bank. Fifty-four wells, additional new wells, are going to be proceeded and authorized in the West Bank. So these are just some of the things that are being done.
So both sides – we want to have both sides see the benefit of engaging in this, because we believe that if you can arrive at a final status agreement, there’s a massive amount of benefit to both that will flow from that. The failure to arrive at it obviously carries its consequences, too.
One of the foreign ministers mentioned today that he thought that Israel should be aware that if, in fact, the Arab peace initiative is implemented so that peace is made with these 19 Arab countries, that Israel and the Arab world would benefit economically as never before, and would become far more economically powerful and wealthy as a consequence of those actions.
So I would like to even ask – I think it would be important to have His Excellency, the Foreign Minister, say a word about this economic potential and the upside of peace, because I think it’s an important part of this. But let me just answer quickly on the Hollande – President Hollande’s comments with respect to the UN.
The President and all of us are listening carefully to all of our friends. No decision has been made by the President. We will obviously take this under advisement, and I’m sure – and the President will make his decision at the appropriate period of time. But I would like His Excellency to maybe say a word about the upside of peace and the way the Arab world views that potential of the economic benefit.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ATIYAH: (Via interpreter) Thank you, John. All Arab countries in reality, support the idea of developing the economy in Palestine, whether in the West Bank or Gaza. We in Qatar, for example, are currently supporting several development projects in Gaza, and we also have projects in the West Bank. And in spite of that, we are studying how to support economic packages in Palestine, to support the Palestinian brothers so that they can achieve sustainable development for their future projects. And I believe that if we manage to achieve fair solution to this problem, the sooner we will be able to move the economic conditions in Palestine.
MODERATOR: The next question will come from Elise Labott of CNN.
QUESTION: Thank you. This question is for the both of you. Do you – Secretary Kerry, you said that despite the turmoil in the region, the parties are committed, but do you think that the crisis in Egypt, the crisis in Syria can hurt efforts to make peace, distract the parties, or can it actually help? On that note, you met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister this morning. Did he give you any assurances that democracy would be restored, or is it inevitable there would be a cut in aid to Egypt?
And lastly, on Syria, you’ve been showing members of Congress these very disturbing videos about the situation on the ground after the chemical weapons attack. Now that’s on the Senate Intel Committee website. It doesn’t seem, though, that the issue is that people doubt that this took place, or even that the regime is responsible. There does seem to be a growing acceptance of that. It just seems that there’s a lack of will in the U.S. Congress. Certainly the American people are against it. It just seems that they don’t want to do anything, even though they know this happened. So what do you hope to achieve by these videos? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: I had a very good meeting with Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, and of course we discussed the road ahead for Egypt. He assured me and demonstrated a specific schedule by which Egypt is moving towards its democracy. They have succeeded in the first step with respect to the constitutional process, and they are now moving on a schedule with a larger committee with a deadline somewhere towards the end of the fall – I think it’s around November, December – where that committee will fully embrace and report its democratic – its constitutional process. And then an election will be called and announced – the date is pretty firm – and within a month of the parliament being chosen, there will be a presidential election. That is the roadmap that he laid out to me. And they assure us that they are on track and are determined to live up to that roadmap.
In addition, the Foreign Minister indicated they remain totally and wholly committed to the Middle East peace process. They are committed to the Sinai security issues and the ceasefire with respect to Gaza, and want to be a constructive force in helping provide for that peace process. So we had a very – we discussed, obviously, all of the issues with respect to the Brotherhood, the politics, the inclusivity, the need to reach out and have a political process. They are discussing that now, and he assured me that he is making the argument for moving forward in that direction, and obviously, the next days will be measured and will be important to that.
With respect to the videos and the Congress, as a veteran of the congressional process, I’d just say to you that all of these early prognostications about how tough it is, or defeat here or whatever, I think are just that. They’re early and they’re not completely accurate. The vast majority of members of Congress, House and Senate, are undecided. And that’s why the videos are being shown and why the briefings are taking place. That’s why I will go back tomorrow and join in a briefing of the entire branch on one side, and then on the next day, we will brief the other side, and I assume the President will also be communicating with the Congress and with the American people.
And the reason for this is to make sure everybody understands what is at stake. Those videos make it clear that this is not something abstract. This is not something just reported in the news which you can discard and say it doesn’t matter what’s happening over there. Those videos make it clear to people that these are real human beings, real children, parents being affected in ways that are unacceptable to anybody anywhere by any standards, and that it is the United States of America that has always stood with others to say we will not allow this; this is not our values, this is not who we are. And that is why this is important for people to see the connect to this.
Those weapons were outlawed in 1925 after Europe learned firsthand, in the horrors of World War I, how horrendous and completely against all sense of decency – and I know it’s hard to draw lines. People say, well, what about artillery and isn’t somebody dying from an artillery blast the same as dying from this? Well, the answer is the world decided no, because an artillery blast is aimed, and while it may have collateral damage, it is supposed to be aimed at enemy combatants. Gas is indiscriminate. It goes wherever the wind takes it, and the death that comes with it is a death that many people decided was too horrendous to describe.
Those videos are for people to measure for themselves, whether we want to unleash these weapons to be used by a dictator with impunity against his own people, but even worse, to potentially fall into the hands of terrible actors to potentially become used weapons on a daily basis by anybody anywhere because we didn’t stand up and stand for what we arrived at nearly a hundred years ago. And that’s what’s at stake here.
So I don’t think this case has yet been made enough to enough people, and that’s exactly why the videos are posted, and I’m glad that they are.
MODERATOR: The next question will come from Hussein – I think you can hear me – Hussein Fayad from Al Arabiya.
QUESTION: (Inaudible), what are the other countries which are ready today to back a military action, the potential military action, of the U.S. in Syria? And what kind of support they can provide you with?
A last question about your meeting with Prince Saud al-Faisal today: What was the result of this meeting regarding the Saudi Arabia position regarding the strike in Syria? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Saud al-Faisal and Saudi Arabia have signed on to the G-20 side agreement – the now G-12, actually more than – well, G-12 – and they have supported the strike and they support taking action. They believe that it’s very important to do that. We had a very good meeting. We discussed, obviously, the Middle East peace initiative, their role in that, and we also discussed other issues in the region.
I am not going to name the other countries simply because we agreed in the meeting that they would go back and make their own announcements, which they will do within the next 24 hours. So we need to leave people the freedom to consult, and also, some of the other countries that weren’t certain whether they could but might have wanted to, wanted to go home and consult with their leaders in order to get decisions. But everybody understood that the decisions need to be made within the next 24 hours.
MODERATOR: The final question will be from Harold Hyman of BFM-TV.
QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Mr. Secretary, a question in French. Yesterday, you talked about Munich. You wouldn’t feel like Chamberlain (inaudible) did, because somebody could say, well, there would be no Munich.
This is one thing, one question. Now, concern, action on strikes against Syria – is there a difference between symbolic strikes and strategic strikes against Syria?
SECRETARY KERRY: What Munich represented was a moment of misinterpretation, at best, about what happens if you take people’s word for something and there isn’t an enforceability or a true prevention of actions that people believe will happen under certain circumstances. It is clear that if we don’t take action, the message to Hezbollah, Iran, Assad will be that nobody cares that you broke this hundred-year-old – nearly hundred-year-old standard, and you’re using weapons that have been banned by 189 nations. If the world turns its back on a threat that is clear, which is the linkage to a Munich or other examples, then the action that comes afterwards will hold everybody culpable for having walked away from that.
President Bill Clinton, in great candor, has written and said many times that his greatest regret of his eight years of presidency was that he didn’t go into Rwanda and stop what happened in Rwanda. And I think we all know that there are these moments where if people don’t make the right decision, terrible things can happen. I have cited on several occasions a ship filled with Jewish refugees who were trying to escape what was happening in Europe in World War II came to the shores of the United States and that ship was turned away and it went back because it had nowhere else to go. And the people who were on that ship lost their lives in the war.
That’s what we’re talking about here. This is not fantasyland. This is not some sort of conjecture. Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons at least 11 times or so, according to our best judgments, with clarity now in this evidence we have presented to the world on August 21st. He has one of the largest stocks of chemical weapons in the world. And at the moment, he has no intention of really negotiating. So it is certain that if he’s threatened, he will use them again. I, as a leader, President Obama as the President of the United States, and Senator – not Senator – Secretary Chuck Hagel and all of us involved in this, my friend the Foreign Minister from Qatar and others, are unwilling to live with the conscious decision of saying we’re going to turn our backs on that, we’re not going to stop that from happening, we’re not going to do what’s necessary to make it clear to this dictator that he will be held accountable and cannot use those weapons with impunity. And the risks of not acting are, in our judgment, much greater than the risks of acting. And that’s why I say this moment is important.
FDA LOOKS AT HEALTH AFFECTS OF ARSENIC IN RICE
FROM: U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
FDA Explores Impact of Arsenic in Rice
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a major step towards learning whether levels of arsenic in rice and rice products pose a risk to public health.
The agency has collected a total of more than 1,300 samples of rice and rice products and has tested them for both total arsenic and inorganic arsenic, the more toxic form. FDA scientists have determined that the levels of inorganic arsenic found in the samples are too low to cause immediate health damage.
In the rice grains, the average levels of inorganic arsenic ranged from 2.6 to 7.2 micrograms per serving, with instant rice at the low end of the range and brown rice at the high end. In rice products, the average levels of inorganic arsenic ranged from 0.1 to 6.6 micrograms per serving, with infant formula at the low end of the range and rice pasta at the high end. (A microgram is one-millionth of a gram; serving sizes varied with the product types.)
But what about the long-term impact? After all, rice is a food that people eat over the course of a lifetime.
The next step for FDA will be to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment, explains Suzanne C. Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., the senior advisor for toxicology in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). This analysis of the health risk associated with eating rice and rice products will be the foundation of future FDA actions.
"These are the next steps. To look at exposure levels, to analyze the risk, and determine how to minimize that risk for the overall safety of consumers, including vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women," says Fitzpatrick.
"We must take one step at a time and stay true to our methodological approach," says Michael R. Taylor, J.D., deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine. "We can't get ahead of the science."
back to top
Why Rice?
"One of the things we need to emphasize is that arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant, and because it's in soil and water, it's going to get into food," says Fitzpatrick. "It's not something that we can just pull off the market."
Arsenic is a chemical element distributed in the Earth's crust. Human activities such as fuel burning, mining and the use of arsenic compounds in pesticides have also added arsenic to the environment. But Fitzpatrick says that even if you stripped all human contributions, there would still be arsenic in food.
And rice is particularly vulnerable. "Rice is grown in water and takes in arsenic. You're going to see greater levels in rice than in other foods," she says.
FDA has been monitoring arsenic levels in foods for more than 20 years, but Fitzpatrick says there have been advances in testing that allow FDA to get much more detailed information.
back to top
The Story So Far
FDA consumer safety officers collected samples from retail outlets across the country. In addition to rice itself, these samples cover most types of rice-based foods in the American diet, including cereals, cakes, beverages, snack bars and infant and toddler foods.
These samples were then analyzed in FDA labs, in addition to some labs contracted by the agency to do this work. Fitzpatrick says the laboratory workers were required to undergo training in new chemical testing called "speciation." This testing enables the labs to look beyond just organic vs. inorganic to all the different species of arsenic present in the samples.
"It's a very complicated process and it involves a lot of people," Fitzpatrick says. "We're working very hard to get the best possible scientific answers."
Meanwhile, FDA was studying arsenic in other ways. Researchers examined studies of populations exposed to high levels of arsenic in such countries as Chile, Taiwan and Bangladesh. They looked at rates of cancer and diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses.
The researchers had to consider how the data about these highly exposed cultures would apply to American consumers.
back to top
What's Next?
Next is the risk assessment. All of this information will now be considered by FDA risk managers, Fitzpatrick says. These experts will look at the hazards that arsenic presents in rice products and the degrees to which people are exposed.
The risk assessment teams will also consider if certain segments of the population are more vulnerable because of their lifestyle (such as ethnic groups that eat a lot of rice) or life stage (pregnant women and children).
They will then assess the public health risk from arsenic in rice.
The risk assessment will take a number of months to complete. After an expert review, the assessment will be available for public comment. "This is an important issue for us," say Fitzpatrick. "Consumers need the best information that we can get them."
FDA is working with federal partners—including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—as well as with industry scientists, consumer groups and others to further study the issue of arsenic in rice and evaluate ways to reduce exposure, such as through changes in growing or manufacturing practices.
And FDA is conducting additional sampling to broaden its data on the levels of arsenic in all infant and toddler products.
This article appears on FDA's Consumer Update page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.
Sept. 6, 2013
FDA Explores Impact of Arsenic in Rice
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a major step towards learning whether levels of arsenic in rice and rice products pose a risk to public health.
The agency has collected a total of more than 1,300 samples of rice and rice products and has tested them for both total arsenic and inorganic arsenic, the more toxic form. FDA scientists have determined that the levels of inorganic arsenic found in the samples are too low to cause immediate health damage.
In the rice grains, the average levels of inorganic arsenic ranged from 2.6 to 7.2 micrograms per serving, with instant rice at the low end of the range and brown rice at the high end. In rice products, the average levels of inorganic arsenic ranged from 0.1 to 6.6 micrograms per serving, with infant formula at the low end of the range and rice pasta at the high end. (A microgram is one-millionth of a gram; serving sizes varied with the product types.)
But what about the long-term impact? After all, rice is a food that people eat over the course of a lifetime.
The next step for FDA will be to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment, explains Suzanne C. Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., the senior advisor for toxicology in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). This analysis of the health risk associated with eating rice and rice products will be the foundation of future FDA actions.
"These are the next steps. To look at exposure levels, to analyze the risk, and determine how to minimize that risk for the overall safety of consumers, including vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women," says Fitzpatrick.
"We must take one step at a time and stay true to our methodological approach," says Michael R. Taylor, J.D., deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine. "We can't get ahead of the science."
back to top
Why Rice?
"One of the things we need to emphasize is that arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant, and because it's in soil and water, it's going to get into food," says Fitzpatrick. "It's not something that we can just pull off the market."
Arsenic is a chemical element distributed in the Earth's crust. Human activities such as fuel burning, mining and the use of arsenic compounds in pesticides have also added arsenic to the environment. But Fitzpatrick says that even if you stripped all human contributions, there would still be arsenic in food.
And rice is particularly vulnerable. "Rice is grown in water and takes in arsenic. You're going to see greater levels in rice than in other foods," she says.
FDA has been monitoring arsenic levels in foods for more than 20 years, but Fitzpatrick says there have been advances in testing that allow FDA to get much more detailed information.
back to top
The Story So Far
FDA consumer safety officers collected samples from retail outlets across the country. In addition to rice itself, these samples cover most types of rice-based foods in the American diet, including cereals, cakes, beverages, snack bars and infant and toddler foods.
These samples were then analyzed in FDA labs, in addition to some labs contracted by the agency to do this work. Fitzpatrick says the laboratory workers were required to undergo training in new chemical testing called "speciation." This testing enables the labs to look beyond just organic vs. inorganic to all the different species of arsenic present in the samples.
"It's a very complicated process and it involves a lot of people," Fitzpatrick says. "We're working very hard to get the best possible scientific answers."
Meanwhile, FDA was studying arsenic in other ways. Researchers examined studies of populations exposed to high levels of arsenic in such countries as Chile, Taiwan and Bangladesh. They looked at rates of cancer and diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses.
The researchers had to consider how the data about these highly exposed cultures would apply to American consumers.
back to top
What's Next?
Next is the risk assessment. All of this information will now be considered by FDA risk managers, Fitzpatrick says. These experts will look at the hazards that arsenic presents in rice products and the degrees to which people are exposed.
The risk assessment teams will also consider if certain segments of the population are more vulnerable because of their lifestyle (such as ethnic groups that eat a lot of rice) or life stage (pregnant women and children).
They will then assess the public health risk from arsenic in rice.
The risk assessment will take a number of months to complete. After an expert review, the assessment will be available for public comment. "This is an important issue for us," say Fitzpatrick. "Consumers need the best information that we can get them."
FDA is working with federal partners—including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—as well as with industry scientists, consumer groups and others to further study the issue of arsenic in rice and evaluate ways to reduce exposure, such as through changes in growing or manufacturing practices.
And FDA is conducting additional sampling to broaden its data on the levels of arsenic in all infant and toddler products.
This article appears on FDA's Consumer Update page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.
Sept. 6, 2013
SUPPORTING JUSTICE IN SOUTH SUDAN
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
INL Support to South Sudan's Justice Sector
Fact Sheet
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
September 4, 2013
INL has been committed to supporting justice in South Sudan since before its in-dependence. Working in close coordination with the donor community in South Sudan, INL’s focus is on effective community polic-ing and building the capac-ity of the criminal justice system through support and training to judges, prosecutors, and correc-tions officials.
Police: INL, in partnership with the Department of Jus-tice, provides training in Information Led Policing (ILP) in the state capitals of Bor, Wau, and Torit. ILP focuses on community outreach, tracking basic crime information, analysis, and deployment of resources. INL also partici-pates in the development of a Livestock Patrol Unit (LPU) in Jonglei State. The LPU, a specialized police unit, ad-dresses cattle raiding as a critical threat to stability. Fi-nally, INL’s Highway Patrol Unit (HPU) established the first police presence on the vital Juba-Nimule highway; eventually INL trained HPU will be in place on all national highways.
Rule of Law: INL, through implementer IDLO, provides institutional and training support to the Judiciary of South Sudan, South Sudanese lawyers, and the University of Juba School of Law. INL, in partnership with Norway, funds a UNDP project for construction of the Law School com-plex. An INL grant supports Pact, a non-governmental organization, in a project to provide rural access to justice in remote counties of Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and Jonglei states. The pro-gram encompasses the training of paralegals, local legal aid clinics, integration of traditional judges, and public education programs on legal rights directed at citizens historically outside the reach of the formal justice system. The INL Juvenile Justice program works to assure the protec-tion of the rights of juveniles in conflict with the law and encourage alternatives to incarceration when appropriate. INL also provides a Rule of Law Advisor in support of the nascent South Su-dan and South Sudan Women’s Bar Associations.
Corrections: The INL program focuses on improved management of prisons through support to the National Prison Services’ (NPS) Lologo Training Academy, including funding for construc-tion of dormitories, an administration complex, and provision of a planning specialist to assist the NPS in setting forth a long term plan for the Academy.
UN: INL provides police and corrections advisors in support of the UN in South Sudan. INL-provided advisors are stationed throughout South Sudan in places such as Juba, Wau, Bor, and Malakal. They mentor and train their South Sudanese counter-parts as well as serve in leadership positions in UNPOL. INL will add several new advisors in 2013, including additional assistance to the management of the Prison Academy.
U.S. Institute of Peace: INL funds USIP’s work with focus groups on conflict resolution in small communities and the creation of a policy institute for South Sudanese academics to evaluate critical issues for the National Assembly, Council of Ministers and others.
INL Support to South Sudan's Justice Sector
Fact Sheet
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
September 4, 2013
INL has been committed to supporting justice in South Sudan since before its in-dependence. Working in close coordination with the donor community in South Sudan, INL’s focus is on effective community polic-ing and building the capac-ity of the criminal justice system through support and training to judges, prosecutors, and correc-tions officials.
Police: INL, in partnership with the Department of Jus-tice, provides training in Information Led Policing (ILP) in the state capitals of Bor, Wau, and Torit. ILP focuses on community outreach, tracking basic crime information, analysis, and deployment of resources. INL also partici-pates in the development of a Livestock Patrol Unit (LPU) in Jonglei State. The LPU, a specialized police unit, ad-dresses cattle raiding as a critical threat to stability. Fi-nally, INL’s Highway Patrol Unit (HPU) established the first police presence on the vital Juba-Nimule highway; eventually INL trained HPU will be in place on all national highways.
Rule of Law: INL, through implementer IDLO, provides institutional and training support to the Judiciary of South Sudan, South Sudanese lawyers, and the University of Juba School of Law. INL, in partnership with Norway, funds a UNDP project for construction of the Law School com-plex. An INL grant supports Pact, a non-governmental organization, in a project to provide rural access to justice in remote counties of Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and Jonglei states. The pro-gram encompasses the training of paralegals, local legal aid clinics, integration of traditional judges, and public education programs on legal rights directed at citizens historically outside the reach of the formal justice system. The INL Juvenile Justice program works to assure the protec-tion of the rights of juveniles in conflict with the law and encourage alternatives to incarceration when appropriate. INL also provides a Rule of Law Advisor in support of the nascent South Su-dan and South Sudan Women’s Bar Associations.
Corrections: The INL program focuses on improved management of prisons through support to the National Prison Services’ (NPS) Lologo Training Academy, including funding for construc-tion of dormitories, an administration complex, and provision of a planning specialist to assist the NPS in setting forth a long term plan for the Academy.
UN: INL provides police and corrections advisors in support of the UN in South Sudan. INL-provided advisors are stationed throughout South Sudan in places such as Juba, Wau, Bor, and Malakal. They mentor and train their South Sudanese counter-parts as well as serve in leadership positions in UNPOL. INL will add several new advisors in 2013, including additional assistance to the management of the Prison Academy.
U.S. Institute of Peace: INL funds USIP’s work with focus groups on conflict resolution in small communities and the creation of a policy institute for South Sudanese academics to evaluate critical issues for the National Assembly, Council of Ministers and others.
CDC REPORTS E-CIGARETTE USE BY HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS MORE THAN DOUBLES
FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Press Release E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012
More than 75 percent of youth users smoke conventional cigarettes too
The percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who use electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show that the percentage of high school students who reported ever using an e-cigarette rose from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10.0 percent in 2012. In the same time period, high school students using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days rose from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent. Use also doubled among middle school students. Altogether, in 2012 more than 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide had tried e-cigarettes.
"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."
The study also found that 76.3 percent of middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days also smoked conventional cigarettes in the same period. In addition, 1 in 5 middle school students who reported ever using e-cigarettes say they have never tried conventional cigarettes. This raises concern that there may be young people for whom e-cigarettes could be an entry point to use of conventional tobacco products, including cigarettes.
“About 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking as teenagers,” said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. “We must keep our youth from experimenting or using any tobacco product. These dramatic increases suggest that developing strategies to prevent marketing, sales, and use of e-cigarettes among youth is critical.”
Press Release E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012
More than 75 percent of youth users smoke conventional cigarettes too
The percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who use electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show that the percentage of high school students who reported ever using an e-cigarette rose from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10.0 percent in 2012. In the same time period, high school students using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days rose from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent. Use also doubled among middle school students. Altogether, in 2012 more than 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide had tried e-cigarettes.
"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."
The study also found that 76.3 percent of middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days also smoked conventional cigarettes in the same period. In addition, 1 in 5 middle school students who reported ever using e-cigarettes say they have never tried conventional cigarettes. This raises concern that there may be young people for whom e-cigarettes could be an entry point to use of conventional tobacco products, including cigarettes.
“About 90 percent of all smokers begin smoking as teenagers,” said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. “We must keep our youth from experimenting or using any tobacco product. These dramatic increases suggest that developing strategies to prevent marketing, sales, and use of e-cigarettes among youth is critical.”
Sunday, September 8, 2013
NATO'S SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER FOR EUROPE URGES NATO TO LOOKED TO NCO CORPS
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Breedlove Urges NATO to Tap NCO Corps Capabilities
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 - As new challenges and budget realities loom, the officer who serves as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command has challenged those in his charge to tap the "vast reservoir of untapped potential" within the noncommissioned officer corps.
"NATO and our partner nations are standing atop a gold mine of capability," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove wrote today in his command blog. "We need to get better at mining it and refining it."
Breedlove shared his own experience as NCOs shared their tactical and technical skills and leadership abilities with him throughout his Air Force career. "As I've risen through the ranks as a leader and commander, I've benefitted from the support, trust and wise counsel of my NCOs," he said.
Now, he said, he continues to rely on the knowledge and insights of his command senior enlisted leaders at NATO and Eucom: Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Todd Small and Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Craig Adams.
"I believe our alliance abounds in NCOs like these two leaders," he said. "And I believe we must fully engage our NCOs' unique capabilities to strengthen NATO's collective defense and assist its transformation."
NATO has been made progress in better developing and engaging its NCOs, Breedlove noted. The alliance established command senior enlisted leader position across the NATO structure and published the alliance's first NCO strategy and guidelines.
In addition, the NATO School and Swiss Armed Forces Professional NCO School joined forces to design and teach NCO education courses, he said. Allied Command Operations and Eucom command senior enlisted leaders also partnered with the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies to organize the annual International Senior Enlisted Seminar.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and other allies established senior enlisted leadership positions, Breedlove reported. Other nations such as Slovenia and Croatia developed their own multinational NCO education and outreach programs.
"These efforts have proven beneficial by creating an NCO corps that is increasingly empowered and responsible for individual training, discipline and the health and welfare of their service members," Breedlove said.
"In this era of fiscal belt-tightening, we must look for opportunities to better develop and employ the assets we already have, in particularly our NCOs," he said. "When we sharpen our NCOs' capability through exercises, training, experience and professional education, we sharpen our nations' combat edge."
Breedlove Urges NATO to Tap NCO Corps Capabilities
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 - As new challenges and budget realities loom, the officer who serves as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command has challenged those in his charge to tap the "vast reservoir of untapped potential" within the noncommissioned officer corps.
"NATO and our partner nations are standing atop a gold mine of capability," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove wrote today in his command blog. "We need to get better at mining it and refining it."
Breedlove shared his own experience as NCOs shared their tactical and technical skills and leadership abilities with him throughout his Air Force career. "As I've risen through the ranks as a leader and commander, I've benefitted from the support, trust and wise counsel of my NCOs," he said.
Now, he said, he continues to rely on the knowledge and insights of his command senior enlisted leaders at NATO and Eucom: Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Todd Small and Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Craig Adams.
"I believe our alliance abounds in NCOs like these two leaders," he said. "And I believe we must fully engage our NCOs' unique capabilities to strengthen NATO's collective defense and assist its transformation."
NATO has been made progress in better developing and engaging its NCOs, Breedlove noted. The alliance established command senior enlisted leader position across the NATO structure and published the alliance's first NCO strategy and guidelines.
In addition, the NATO School and Swiss Armed Forces Professional NCO School joined forces to design and teach NCO education courses, he said. Allied Command Operations and Eucom command senior enlisted leaders also partnered with the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies to organize the annual International Senior Enlisted Seminar.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and other allies established senior enlisted leadership positions, Breedlove reported. Other nations such as Slovenia and Croatia developed their own multinational NCO education and outreach programs.
"These efforts have proven beneficial by creating an NCO corps that is increasingly empowered and responsible for individual training, discipline and the health and welfare of their service members," Breedlove said.
"In this era of fiscal belt-tightening, we must look for opportunities to better develop and employ the assets we already have, in particularly our NCOs," he said. "When we sharpen our NCOs' capability through exercises, training, experience and professional education, we sharpen our nations' combat edge."
HHS ARTICLE ON FISH OIL AND A HEALTHY HEART
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
A challenging math problem can stress you out. Researchers at Michigan Technological University had participants in a study do those challenging problems, measuring if and how stress levels were affected by fish oil supplements. Sixty-seven adults were examined, before and after eight weeks of taking fish oil supplements or a placebo, olive oil.
They measured heart rate and blood pressure, finding fish oil supplements helped protect the heart in stressful situations. Dr. Jason Carter led the study.
“We suggest individuals with high-stress lives might consider taking fish oil supplements or regularly consume fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least once or twice a week.”
The study in the American Journal of Physiology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
A challenging math problem can stress you out. Researchers at Michigan Technological University had participants in a study do those challenging problems, measuring if and how stress levels were affected by fish oil supplements. Sixty-seven adults were examined, before and after eight weeks of taking fish oil supplements or a placebo, olive oil.
They measured heart rate and blood pressure, finding fish oil supplements helped protect the heart in stressful situations. Dr. Jason Carter led the study.
“We suggest individuals with high-stress lives might consider taking fish oil supplements or regularly consume fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least once or twice a week.”
The study in the American Journal of Physiology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 31, 2013
FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 323,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 332,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 331,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 24, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 24 was 2,951,000, a decrease of 43,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,994,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,979,500, a decrease of 18,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,997,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 268,843 in the week ending August 31, a decrease of 9,781 from the previous week. There were 309,537 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending August 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,749,880, a decrease of 76,868 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,826,748. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,085,324.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 17 was 4,395,712, a decrease of 72,061 from the previous week. There were 5,470,041 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 17.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,249 in the week ending August 24, an increase of 145 from the prior week. There were 2,303 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 139 from the preceding week.
There were 20,831 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 252 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,754, a decrease of 24 from the prior week.
States reported 1,494,742 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 16,877 from the prior week. There were 2,263,614 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 24 were in Puerto Rico (4.5), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), Pennsylvania (3.2), California (3.1), New Mexico (3.1), Rhode Island (2.9), Virgin Islands (2.8), Illinois (2.7), Nevada (2.7), and New York (2.7).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 24 were in New York (+3,568), Georgia (+903), Connecticut (+604), Michigan (+546), and Nevada (+388), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,544), Missouri (-1,713), Kansas (-915), Texas (-754), and New Jersey (-658).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 323,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 332,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 331,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 24, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 24 was 2,951,000, a decrease of 43,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,994,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,979,500, a decrease of 18,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,997,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 268,843 in the week ending August 31, a decrease of 9,781 from the previous week. There were 309,537 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending August 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,749,880, a decrease of 76,868 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,826,748. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,085,324.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 17 was 4,395,712, a decrease of 72,061 from the previous week. There were 5,470,041 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 17.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,249 in the week ending August 24, an increase of 145 from the prior week. There were 2,303 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 139 from the preceding week.
There were 20,831 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 252 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,754, a decrease of 24 from the prior week.
States reported 1,494,742 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 16,877 from the prior week. There were 2,263,614 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 24 were in Puerto Rico (4.5), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), Pennsylvania (3.2), California (3.1), New Mexico (3.1), Rhode Island (2.9), Virgin Islands (2.8), Illinois (2.7), Nevada (2.7), and New York (2.7).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 24 were in New York (+3,568), Georgia (+903), Connecticut (+604), Michigan (+546), and Nevada (+388), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,544), Missouri (-1,713), Kansas (-915), Texas (-754), and New Jersey (-658).
THE LARGEST VOLCANO ON EARTH
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on Earth
The summer blockbuster movie Pacific Rim told a fanciful tale of giant monsters rising from the deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Now, scientists have confirmed that the northwest Pacific is home to a real-life giant of a different type: the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth.
Covering an area roughly equivalent to the British Isles or the State of New Mexico, Tamu Massif is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the solar system.
"This is an amazing discovery, and overturns previous conclusions that Earth cannot support the development of such giant volcanoes because it lacks a thick and rigid planetary lithosphere," says Jamie Allan, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"Much remains to be discovered about our planet," says Allan, "with scientific drilling offering a means of observation and discovery into otherwise inaccessible parts of the Earth."
Located about 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is the largest feature of Shatsky Rise, an underwater mountain range formed 145-130 million years ago by the eruption of several underwater volcanoes.
Until now, it was unclear whether Tamu Massif was a single volcano, or a composite of many eruption points.
By integrating several sources of evidence, including core samples and data collected on board the JOIDES Resolution, scientists have confirmed that the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif did indeed erupt from a single source near the center.
The results appear today in a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"Tamu Massif is the biggest single shield volcano ever discovered on Earth," says lead paper author Will Sager of the University of Houston.
"There may be larger volcanoes, because there are bigger igneous features out there such as the Ontong Java Plateau. But we don't know if these features are one volcano or complexes of volcanoes."
Tamu Massif stands out among underwater volcanoes not just for its size, but also its shape.
It is low and broad, meaning that the erupted lava flows must have traveled long distances compared to most other volcanoes on Earth.
The seafloor is dotted with thousands of underwater volcanoes, or seamounts, most of which are small and steep compared to the low, broad expanse of Tamu Massif.
"It's not high, but very wide, so the flank slopes are very gradual," Sager explains.
"In fact, if you were standing on its flank, you would have trouble telling which way is downhill.
"We know that it is a single immense volcano constructed from massive lava flows that emanated from the center of the volcano to form a broad, shield-like shape. Before now, we didn't know this because oceanic plateaus are huge features hidden beneath the sea. They have found a good place to hide."
Tamu Massif covers an area of about 120,000 square miles.
By comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa--the largest active volcano on Earth--is a mere 2,000 square miles, or less than 2 percent the size of Tamu Massif.
To find a worthy comparison, one must look skyward to the planet Mars, home to Olympus Mons. That giant volcano, which is visible on a clear night with a good backyard telescope, is only about 25 percent larger by volume than Tamu Massif.
The study relies on two distinct yet complementary sources of evidence: core samples collected on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 324, which tested plume and plate models of ocean plateau formation at Shatsky Rise in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2009, and seismic reflection data gathered on two separate expeditions of the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth in 2010 and 2012.
The core samples, drilled from several locations on Tamu Massif, showed that thick lava flows up to 75 feet thick characterize this volcano.
Seismic data from the Langseth cruises revealed the structure of the volcano, confirming that the lava flows emanated from its summit and flowed hundreds of miles downhill into the adjacent basins.
"This finding gives us new insights about oceanic volcanism, the way in which oceanic plateaus form, and the operation of the mantle-crust system," Sager explains.
"Volcanologists debate about the eruptive centers of what are called large igneous provinces. I think most would tell you that they probably come from multiple, distributed fissure eruptions.
"But apparently not at Tamu Massif."
-NSF-
Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on Earth
The summer blockbuster movie Pacific Rim told a fanciful tale of giant monsters rising from the deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Now, scientists have confirmed that the northwest Pacific is home to a real-life giant of a different type: the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth.
Covering an area roughly equivalent to the British Isles or the State of New Mexico, Tamu Massif is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the solar system.
"This is an amazing discovery, and overturns previous conclusions that Earth cannot support the development of such giant volcanoes because it lacks a thick and rigid planetary lithosphere," says Jamie Allan, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"Much remains to be discovered about our planet," says Allan, "with scientific drilling offering a means of observation and discovery into otherwise inaccessible parts of the Earth."
Located about 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is the largest feature of Shatsky Rise, an underwater mountain range formed 145-130 million years ago by the eruption of several underwater volcanoes.
Until now, it was unclear whether Tamu Massif was a single volcano, or a composite of many eruption points.
By integrating several sources of evidence, including core samples and data collected on board the JOIDES Resolution, scientists have confirmed that the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif did indeed erupt from a single source near the center.
The results appear today in a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"Tamu Massif is the biggest single shield volcano ever discovered on Earth," says lead paper author Will Sager of the University of Houston.
"There may be larger volcanoes, because there are bigger igneous features out there such as the Ontong Java Plateau. But we don't know if these features are one volcano or complexes of volcanoes."
Tamu Massif stands out among underwater volcanoes not just for its size, but also its shape.
It is low and broad, meaning that the erupted lava flows must have traveled long distances compared to most other volcanoes on Earth.
The seafloor is dotted with thousands of underwater volcanoes, or seamounts, most of which are small and steep compared to the low, broad expanse of Tamu Massif.
"It's not high, but very wide, so the flank slopes are very gradual," Sager explains.
"In fact, if you were standing on its flank, you would have trouble telling which way is downhill.
"We know that it is a single immense volcano constructed from massive lava flows that emanated from the center of the volcano to form a broad, shield-like shape. Before now, we didn't know this because oceanic plateaus are huge features hidden beneath the sea. They have found a good place to hide."
Tamu Massif covers an area of about 120,000 square miles.
By comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa--the largest active volcano on Earth--is a mere 2,000 square miles, or less than 2 percent the size of Tamu Massif.
To find a worthy comparison, one must look skyward to the planet Mars, home to Olympus Mons. That giant volcano, which is visible on a clear night with a good backyard telescope, is only about 25 percent larger by volume than Tamu Massif.
The study relies on two distinct yet complementary sources of evidence: core samples collected on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 324, which tested plume and plate models of ocean plateau formation at Shatsky Rise in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2009, and seismic reflection data gathered on two separate expeditions of the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth in 2010 and 2012.
The core samples, drilled from several locations on Tamu Massif, showed that thick lava flows up to 75 feet thick characterize this volcano.
Seismic data from the Langseth cruises revealed the structure of the volcano, confirming that the lava flows emanated from its summit and flowed hundreds of miles downhill into the adjacent basins.
"This finding gives us new insights about oceanic volcanism, the way in which oceanic plateaus form, and the operation of the mantle-crust system," Sager explains.
"Volcanologists debate about the eruptive centers of what are called large igneous provinces. I think most would tell you that they probably come from multiple, distributed fissure eruptions.
"But apparently not at Tamu Massif."
-NSF-
U.S. STATEMENT REGARDING PROGRAM TO ADDRESS CONCERNS OVER IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Regarding Significant Reductions of Iranian Crude Oil Purchases
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
September 6, 2013
The United States and the international community remain committed to maintaining pressure on the Iranian Government until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program. That is why today I am pleased to announce that, based on additional significant reductions in the volume of its crude oil purchases from Iran, Japan has again qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012.
Additionally, 10 European Union countries – Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom – have also qualified for a renewal of the NDAA exception because they have not purchased Iranian oil since July 1, 2012, pursuant to a decision made by the whole of the European Union in January 2012. As a result, I will report to the Congress that exceptions to sanctions pursuant to Section 1245 of the NDAA for certain transactions will apply to the financial institutions based in these countries for a potentially renewable period of 180 days.
Today’s determination is another example of the international community’s commitment to convince Iran to meet its international obligations. A total of 20 countries and economies have continued to significantly reduce the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran. We have brought significant pressure to bear on the Iranian Government, and we will continue to work with our partners to ratchet up the pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations.
Regarding Significant Reductions of Iranian Crude Oil Purchases
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
September 6, 2013
The United States and the international community remain committed to maintaining pressure on the Iranian Government until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program. That is why today I am pleased to announce that, based on additional significant reductions in the volume of its crude oil purchases from Iran, Japan has again qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012.
Additionally, 10 European Union countries – Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom – have also qualified for a renewal of the NDAA exception because they have not purchased Iranian oil since July 1, 2012, pursuant to a decision made by the whole of the European Union in January 2012. As a result, I will report to the Congress that exceptions to sanctions pursuant to Section 1245 of the NDAA for certain transactions will apply to the financial institutions based in these countries for a potentially renewable period of 180 days.
Today’s determination is another example of the international community’s commitment to convince Iran to meet its international obligations. A total of 20 countries and economies have continued to significantly reduce the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran. We have brought significant pressure to bear on the Iranian Government, and we will continue to work with our partners to ratchet up the pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations.
U.S. EXPORTS UP 41.7% SINCE 2009 ACCORDING TO EX-IM BANK
FROM: EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
U.S. Exports Reach $189.4 Billion in July
Exports Up 41.7 percent since 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States exported $189.4 billion in goods and services in July 2013, according to data released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Commerce Department. July’s exports came in just shy of June’s all-time record high of $190.5 billion.
“These numbers demonstrate that President Obama’s National Export Initiative continues to help American businesses thrive in international markets,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg. “Exports are a critical component of our nation’s economic success, and I look forward to seeing more ‘Made in the USA’ labels on shelves around the world.”
Exports of goods and services over the last twelve months totaled $2.2 trillion, which is 41.7 percent above the level of exports in 2009. Over the last twelve months, exports have been growing at an annualized rate of 10.2 percent when compared to 2009.
Over the last twelve months, among the major export markets, the countries with the largest annualized increase in U.S. goods purchases, when compared to 2009, occurred in Panama (28.6 percent), Russia (22.1 percent), United Arab Emirates (21.9 percent), Peru (21.3 percent), Chile (20.9 percent), Colombia (19.7 percent), Hong Kong (19.5 percent), Argentina (18.3 percent), Ecuador (18.0 percent), and South Africa (17.7 percent).
U.S. Exports Reach $189.4 Billion in July
Exports Up 41.7 percent since 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States exported $189.4 billion in goods and services in July 2013, according to data released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Commerce Department. July’s exports came in just shy of June’s all-time record high of $190.5 billion.
“These numbers demonstrate that President Obama’s National Export Initiative continues to help American businesses thrive in international markets,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg. “Exports are a critical component of our nation’s economic success, and I look forward to seeing more ‘Made in the USA’ labels on shelves around the world.”
Exports of goods and services over the last twelve months totaled $2.2 trillion, which is 41.7 percent above the level of exports in 2009. Over the last twelve months, exports have been growing at an annualized rate of 10.2 percent when compared to 2009.
Over the last twelve months, among the major export markets, the countries with the largest annualized increase in U.S. goods purchases, when compared to 2009, occurred in Panama (28.6 percent), Russia (22.1 percent), United Arab Emirates (21.9 percent), Peru (21.3 percent), Chile (20.9 percent), Colombia (19.7 percent), Hong Kong (19.5 percent), Argentina (18.3 percent), Ecuador (18.0 percent), and South Africa (17.7 percent).
DOE SECRETARY VISITS LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
DOE secretary stresses energy security during Los Alamos visit
Tours biology laboratory created in partnership with county, universities, LANL
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Sept. 3, 2013—U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz today during a visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory and the new biological laboratory built by the New Mexico Consortium (NMC) to explore alternative fuel sources from algae and other plants said that Los Alamos and all the DOE labs have a major role in addressing two key initiatives of the President.
“In view of the President's emphasis on nuclear security and climate change, the work at Los Alamos has never been more important," Secretary Moniz said.
Moniz also addressed Los Alamos employees and received briefings on the Laboratory’s nuclear weapons and intelligence work. It was the first visit by an Energy secretary to Los Alamos since 2009.
Moniz was accompanied by Rep. Ben Ray Luján and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology President Daniel Lopez.
The NMC is a non-profit formed by the three New Mexico research universities to engage universities and industry in scientific research in the nation's interest and to increase the role of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in science, education and economic development in the state.
The Biological Laboratory was built by the NMC in partnership with the County of Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Bank and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The County of Los Alamos played a critical role in the project, providing a $2.6 million toward construction of the building.
The NMC Biological Laboratory supports the LANL/NMC initiative in sustainable global energy and food security. This initiative pursues joint research on higher yielding biofuel production systems and more nutritious and higher yielding crops.
“Los Alamos National Laboratory has been forward thinking and innovative in pursuing new mechanisms to engage with universities and industry through the NMC. I am very excited about the future of this partnership. ” said NMC Executive Director Katharine Chartrand.
DOE secretary stresses energy security during Los Alamos visit
Tours biology laboratory created in partnership with county, universities, LANL
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Sept. 3, 2013—U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz today during a visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory and the new biological laboratory built by the New Mexico Consortium (NMC) to explore alternative fuel sources from algae and other plants said that Los Alamos and all the DOE labs have a major role in addressing two key initiatives of the President.
“In view of the President's emphasis on nuclear security and climate change, the work at Los Alamos has never been more important," Secretary Moniz said.
Moniz also addressed Los Alamos employees and received briefings on the Laboratory’s nuclear weapons and intelligence work. It was the first visit by an Energy secretary to Los Alamos since 2009.
Moniz was accompanied by Rep. Ben Ray Luján and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology President Daniel Lopez.
The NMC is a non-profit formed by the three New Mexico research universities to engage universities and industry in scientific research in the nation's interest and to increase the role of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in science, education and economic development in the state.
The Biological Laboratory was built by the NMC in partnership with the County of Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Bank and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The County of Los Alamos played a critical role in the project, providing a $2.6 million toward construction of the building.
The NMC Biological Laboratory supports the LANL/NMC initiative in sustainable global energy and food security. This initiative pursues joint research on higher yielding biofuel production systems and more nutritious and higher yielding crops.
“Los Alamos National Laboratory has been forward thinking and innovative in pursuing new mechanisms to engage with universities and industry through the NMC. I am very excited about the future of this partnership. ” said NMC Executive Director Katharine Chartrand.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
INVESTOR AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY FOR ROLE IN RIGGED BID FORECLOSURE FRAUD SCHEME
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, ANTITRUST
Investigations Have Yielded 36 Plea Agreements to Date
WASHINGTON — A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced.
Felony charges were filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco against Daniel Rosenbledt of Hillsborough, Calif. Rosenbledt is the 36th individual to plead guilty or agree to plead guilty as a result of the department’s ongoing antitrust investigations into bid rigging and fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.
According to court documents, Rosenbledt conspired with others not to bid against one another, but instead to designate a winning bidder to obtain selected properties at public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Mateo and San Francisco counties, Calif. Rosenbledt was also charged with conspiring to use the mail to carry out schemes to fraudulently acquire title to selected properties sold at public auctions, to make and receive payoffs, and to divert to co-conspirators money that would have otherwise gone to mortgage holders and others.
Court papers stated Rosenbledt conspired with others to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Mateo County beginning as early as April 2008 and continuing until about January 2011. Rosenbledt was also charged with similar conduct in San Francisco County beginning as early as November 2009 and continuing until about January 2011.
“The Antitrust Division remains committed to vigorously pursuing conspirators who collude at foreclosure auctions at the expense of lenders and distressed homeowners,” said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “A competitive process benefits those homeowners who are looking for the best possible outcome during a difficult situation.”
The filing stated that the primary purpose of the conspiracies was to suppress and restrain competition and to conceal payoffs in order to obtain selected real estate offered at San Mateo and San Francisco County public foreclosure auctions at non-competitive prices. When real estate properties are sold at these auctions, the proceeds are used to pay off the mortgage and other debt attached to the property, with remaining proceeds, if any, paid to the homeowner. According to court documents, these conspirators paid and received money that otherwise would have gone to pay off the mortgage and other holders of debt secured by the properties, and, in some cases, the defaulting homeowner.
“For those who engage in illegal anticompetitive practices at foreclosure actions, we will hold you accountable for your actions and bring you to justice,” said David J. Johnson, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Office. “The FBI and the Antitrust Division are committed to rooting out those who undermine the real estate market and take advantage of legitimate home buyers and sellers.”
A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals. The maximum fine for the Sherman Act charges may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims if either amount is greater than $1 million. A count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The government can also seek to forfeit the proceeds earned from participating in the conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
The charges today are the latest filed by the department in its ongoing investigation into bid rigging and fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, Calif. These investigations are being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office and the FBI’s San Francisco Office. Anyone with information concerning bid rigging or fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions should contact the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office at 415-436-6660, visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm or call the FBI tip line at 415-553-7400.
Today's charges were brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed nearly 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants.
Investigations Have Yielded 36 Plea Agreements to Date
WASHINGTON — A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced.
Felony charges were filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco against Daniel Rosenbledt of Hillsborough, Calif. Rosenbledt is the 36th individual to plead guilty or agree to plead guilty as a result of the department’s ongoing antitrust investigations into bid rigging and fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.
According to court documents, Rosenbledt conspired with others not to bid against one another, but instead to designate a winning bidder to obtain selected properties at public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Mateo and San Francisco counties, Calif. Rosenbledt was also charged with conspiring to use the mail to carry out schemes to fraudulently acquire title to selected properties sold at public auctions, to make and receive payoffs, and to divert to co-conspirators money that would have otherwise gone to mortgage holders and others.
Court papers stated Rosenbledt conspired with others to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Mateo County beginning as early as April 2008 and continuing until about January 2011. Rosenbledt was also charged with similar conduct in San Francisco County beginning as early as November 2009 and continuing until about January 2011.
“The Antitrust Division remains committed to vigorously pursuing conspirators who collude at foreclosure auctions at the expense of lenders and distressed homeowners,” said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “A competitive process benefits those homeowners who are looking for the best possible outcome during a difficult situation.”
The filing stated that the primary purpose of the conspiracies was to suppress and restrain competition and to conceal payoffs in order to obtain selected real estate offered at San Mateo and San Francisco County public foreclosure auctions at non-competitive prices. When real estate properties are sold at these auctions, the proceeds are used to pay off the mortgage and other debt attached to the property, with remaining proceeds, if any, paid to the homeowner. According to court documents, these conspirators paid and received money that otherwise would have gone to pay off the mortgage and other holders of debt secured by the properties, and, in some cases, the defaulting homeowner.
“For those who engage in illegal anticompetitive practices at foreclosure actions, we will hold you accountable for your actions and bring you to justice,” said David J. Johnson, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Office. “The FBI and the Antitrust Division are committed to rooting out those who undermine the real estate market and take advantage of legitimate home buyers and sellers.”
A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals. The maximum fine for the Sherman Act charges may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims if either amount is greater than $1 million. A count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The government can also seek to forfeit the proceeds earned from participating in the conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
The charges today are the latest filed by the department in its ongoing investigation into bid rigging and fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, Calif. These investigations are being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office and the FBI’s San Francisco Office. Anyone with information concerning bid rigging or fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions should contact the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office at 415-436-6660, visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm or call the FBI tip line at 415-553-7400.
Today's charges were brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed nearly 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants.
U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS ASIAN LEADERS ARE WELCOMING MILITARY REBALANCE
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Asian Leaders Welcome U.S. Rebalance, Official Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 - As leaders across Asia welcomed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during his recent trip there, they also welcomed the U.S. rebalance to Asia, the acting assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs told reporters here today.
In a meeting with reporters to discuss the trip, Peter R. Lavoy noted that the secretary visited Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines during his nine-day trip. He also participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers conference in Brunei. Joining the ASEAN ministers for a "plus" session were defense ministers from China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
"Each of his interlocutors was extremely positive about the rebalance," Lavoy said.
All of the nations appreciated the fact that the rebalance is a whole-of-government approach to the Asia-Pacific region that is not limited to the military sphere, Lavoy said, but focuses on trade, investment, diplomacy, political engagement and defense. "It's important that we have balance within the rebalance as well," he added.
Asian leaders also showed satisfaction in the way the United States is resourcing and operating the rebalance, Lavoy said.
President Barack Obama, Hagel and Secretary of State John F. Kerry all have spent significant time in the region. Hagel is returning to Asia next month, as is the president.
Hagel's trip also demonstrated U.S. global reach to the defense ministers, Lavoy said. As the secretary was in Asia, the Syria situation was heating up, he noted. The secretary held a full schedule of activities during the day with Asian leaders and also spent the nights dealing with interagency partners on Syria.
"He was doing Syria by night and Asia by day," Lavoy said. "It really impressed upon his interlocutors that the U.S. really brings incredible capacity wherever it goes. We're able to walk and chew gum at the same time."
In Malaysia, the secretary discussed the deepening defense relationship, including possible sales of F-18s to the nation. They also discussed competing claims over the South China Sea. Malaysia is leading an effort to create a code of conduct for the region that would include China. Lavoy said the United States strongly supports the effort.
In Indonesia, the secretary discussed the close military-to-military relationship between the two nations. The United States is selling AH-64 Apache helicopters to Indonesia, and one example of the closeness of the relationship is the creation of an alumni association for Indonesian and U.S. military personnel who attended each country's military schools, Lavoy told reporters. This includes the president, who graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
In the Philippines, Lavoy said, Hagel discussed progress in the framework agreement to provide U.S. forces the opportunity to operate on a rotational basis on Philippine territory. This, he explained, will allow U.S. and Philippine forces to train together.
"There have been two rounds of negotiations on the framework agreement, and we have two more rounds," he said. "Our expectation ... is we would try to get this done in the next few weeks."
Asian Leaders Welcome U.S. Rebalance, Official Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 - As leaders across Asia welcomed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during his recent trip there, they also welcomed the U.S. rebalance to Asia, the acting assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs told reporters here today.
In a meeting with reporters to discuss the trip, Peter R. Lavoy noted that the secretary visited Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines during his nine-day trip. He also participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers conference in Brunei. Joining the ASEAN ministers for a "plus" session were defense ministers from China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
"Each of his interlocutors was extremely positive about the rebalance," Lavoy said.
All of the nations appreciated the fact that the rebalance is a whole-of-government approach to the Asia-Pacific region that is not limited to the military sphere, Lavoy said, but focuses on trade, investment, diplomacy, political engagement and defense. "It's important that we have balance within the rebalance as well," he added.
Asian leaders also showed satisfaction in the way the United States is resourcing and operating the rebalance, Lavoy said.
President Barack Obama, Hagel and Secretary of State John F. Kerry all have spent significant time in the region. Hagel is returning to Asia next month, as is the president.
Hagel's trip also demonstrated U.S. global reach to the defense ministers, Lavoy said. As the secretary was in Asia, the Syria situation was heating up, he noted. The secretary held a full schedule of activities during the day with Asian leaders and also spent the nights dealing with interagency partners on Syria.
"He was doing Syria by night and Asia by day," Lavoy said. "It really impressed upon his interlocutors that the U.S. really brings incredible capacity wherever it goes. We're able to walk and chew gum at the same time."
In Malaysia, the secretary discussed the deepening defense relationship, including possible sales of F-18s to the nation. They also discussed competing claims over the South China Sea. Malaysia is leading an effort to create a code of conduct for the region that would include China. Lavoy said the United States strongly supports the effort.
In Indonesia, the secretary discussed the close military-to-military relationship between the two nations. The United States is selling AH-64 Apache helicopters to Indonesia, and one example of the closeness of the relationship is the creation of an alumni association for Indonesian and U.S. military personnel who attended each country's military schools, Lavoy told reporters. This includes the president, who graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
In the Philippines, Lavoy said, Hagel discussed progress in the framework agreement to provide U.S. forces the opportunity to operate on a rotational basis on Philippine territory. This, he explained, will allow U.S. and Philippine forces to train together.
"There have been two rounds of negotiations on the framework agreement, and we have two more rounds," he said. "Our expectation ... is we would try to get this done in the next few weeks."
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