FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged a father and son in Lexington, S.C., with operating a fraudulent investment program designed to illegally profit from the deaths of terminally ill individuals.
The SEC alleges that Benjamin S. Staples and his son Benjamin O. Staples deceived brokerage firms and bond issuers and made at least $6.5 million in profits by lying about the ownership interest in bonds they purchased in joint brokerage accounts opened with people facing imminent death who were concerned about affording the high costs of a funeral. The Stapleses recruited the terminally ill individuals into their program by offering to pay their funeral expenses if they agreed to open the joint accounts and sign documents that relinquished their ownership rights to the accounts or any assets in them.
According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Columbia, S.C., once a joint account was opened and they had sole control, the Stapleses purchased discounted corporate bonds containing a “survivor’s option” that allowed them to redeem the bonds for the full principal amount prior to maturity if a joint owner of the bond dies. Following the death of one of their terminally ill participants, the Stapleses redeemed the bonds early by citing the survivor’s option to the brokerage firm and misrepresenting that the deceased individual had ownership rights to the bond. Their illicit profit was the difference between the discounted price of the bonds they purchased and the full principal amount they obtained when redeeming the bonds early.
“The Stapleses exploited the tragic circumstances surrounding a terminally ill diagnosis and turned the misfortune of others into a profit-making enterprise for themselves,” said Kenneth Israel, Director of the SEC’s Salt Lake Regional Office that investigated the case. “The Stapleses deceived brokerage firms and bond issuers by casting themselves as survivors of a joint ownership situation when the deceased had no legal ties to the bonds at all.”
According to the SEC’s complaint, the Stapleses operated what they called the Estate Assistance Program from early 2008 to mid-2012. They recruited at least 44 individuals into the program and purchased approximately $26.5 million in bonds from at least 35 issuers. The Stapleses required the terminally ill individuals to sign three documents: an application to open a joint brokerage account with them, an estate assistance agreement, and a participant letter. The latter two documents required the terminally ill participant to relinquish any ownership interest in the assets in the joint account, including the bonds that the Stapleses later purchased.
The SEC alleges that after a terminally ill participant died, the Stapleses wrote a letter to the brokerage firm where the joint account was held and asked that the bonds be redeemed under the survivor’s option. In their redemption request letters, the Stapleses falsely represented that the deceased participant was an “owner” of the bonds. The Stapleses did not inform the brokerage firms or bond issuers that the deceased program participants had signed the estate assistance agreements and participant letters relinquishing all ownership interest in the bonds.
The SEC’s complaint charges Ben S. Staples and Ben O. Staples with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC is seeking disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, financial penalties, and permanent injunctions. The SEC’s complaint names a different son of Ben S. Staples – Brian Staples also of Lexington, S.C. – as a relief defendant for the purposes of recovering $400,000 in illicit profits that were transferred into his possession. Brian Staples had no active role in the scheme.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Tanya Beard, Justin Sutherland, and Matthew Himes of the Salt Lake Regional Office. The SEC’s litigation will be led by Thomas Melton.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
ROBOT PERCEPTION
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Teaching a computer to perceive the world without human input
Researcher's work could lead to assistive technology for the visually impaired, traffic modeling, and improved navigation and surveillance in robots
Humans can see an object--a chair, for example--and understand what they are seeing, even when something about it changes, such as its position. A computer, on the other hand, can't do that. It can learn to recognize a chair, but can't necessarily identify a different chair, or even the same chair if its angle changes.
"If I show a kid a chair, he will know it's a chair, and if I show him a different chair, he can still figure out that it's a chair," says Ming-Hsuan Yang, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Merced. "If I change the angle of the chair 45 degrees, the appearance will be different, but the kid will still be able to recognize it. But teaching a computer to see things is very difficult. They are very good at processing numbers, but not good at generalizing things."
Yang's goal is to change this. He is developing computer algorithms that he hopes will give computers, using a single camera, the ability to detect, track and recognize objects, including scenarios where the items drift, disappear, reappear or when other objects obscure them. The goal is to simulate human cognition without human input.
Most humans effortlessly can locate moving objects in a wide range of environments, since they are continually gathering information about the things they see, but it is a challenge for computers. Yang hopes the algorithms he's developing will enable computers to do the same thing, that is, continually amass information about the objects they are tracking.
"While it is not possible to enumerate all possible appearance variation of objects, it is possible to teach computers to interpolate from a wide range of training samples, thereby enabling machines to perceive the world," he says.
Currently, "for a computer, an image is composed of a long string of numbers," Yang says. "If the chair moves, the numbers for those two images will be very different. What we want to do is generalize all the examples from a large amount of data, so the computer will still be able to recognize it, even when it changes. How do we know when we have enough data? We cannot encompass all the possibilities, so we are trying to define ‘chair' in terms of its functionalities."
Potentially, computers that can "see" and track moving objects could improve assistive technology for the visually impaired, and also could have applications in medicine, such as locating and following cells; in tracking insect and animal motion; in traffic modeling for "smart" buildings, and improved navigation and surveillance in robots.
"For the visually impaired, the most important things are depth and obstacles," Yang says. "This could help them see the world around them. They don't need to see very far away, just to see whether there are obstacles near them, two or three feet away. The computer program, for example, could be in a cane. The camera would be able to create a 3-D world and give them feedback. The computer can tell them that the surface is uneven, so they will know, or sense a human or a car in front of them."
Yang is conducting his research under a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which he received in 2012. The award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education, and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving $473,797 over five years.
Yang's project also includes developing a code library of tracking algorithms and a large data set, which will become publicly available. The grant also provides for an educational component that will involve both undergraduate and graduate students, with an emphasis on encouraging underrepresented minority groups from California's Central Valley to study computer sciences and related fields. The goal is to integrate computer vision material in undergraduate courses so that students will want to continue studying in the field.
Additionally, Yang is helping several undergraduate students design vision applications for mobile phones, and trying to write programs that will enable computers to infer depth and distance, as well as to interpret the images it "sees."
"It is not clear exactly how human vision works, but one way to explain visual perception of depth is based on people's two eyes and trigonometry," he says. "By figuring out the geometry of the points, we can figure out depth. We do it all the time, without thinking. But for computers, it's still very difficult to do that.
"The Holy Grail of computer vision is to tell a story using an image or video, and have the computer understand on some level what it is seeing," he adds. "If you give an image to a kid, and ask the kid to tell a story, the kid can do it. But if you ask a computer program to do it, now it can only do a few primitive things. A kid already has the cognitive knowledge to tell a story based on the image, but the computer just sees things as is, but doesn't have any background information. We hope to give the computer some interpretation, but we aren't there yet."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Investigators
Ming-Hsuan Yang
Related Institutions/Organizations
University of California - Merced
Teaching a computer to perceive the world without human input
Researcher's work could lead to assistive technology for the visually impaired, traffic modeling, and improved navigation and surveillance in robots
Humans can see an object--a chair, for example--and understand what they are seeing, even when something about it changes, such as its position. A computer, on the other hand, can't do that. It can learn to recognize a chair, but can't necessarily identify a different chair, or even the same chair if its angle changes.
"If I show a kid a chair, he will know it's a chair, and if I show him a different chair, he can still figure out that it's a chair," says Ming-Hsuan Yang, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Merced. "If I change the angle of the chair 45 degrees, the appearance will be different, but the kid will still be able to recognize it. But teaching a computer to see things is very difficult. They are very good at processing numbers, but not good at generalizing things."
Yang's goal is to change this. He is developing computer algorithms that he hopes will give computers, using a single camera, the ability to detect, track and recognize objects, including scenarios where the items drift, disappear, reappear or when other objects obscure them. The goal is to simulate human cognition without human input.
Most humans effortlessly can locate moving objects in a wide range of environments, since they are continually gathering information about the things they see, but it is a challenge for computers. Yang hopes the algorithms he's developing will enable computers to do the same thing, that is, continually amass information about the objects they are tracking.
"While it is not possible to enumerate all possible appearance variation of objects, it is possible to teach computers to interpolate from a wide range of training samples, thereby enabling machines to perceive the world," he says.
Currently, "for a computer, an image is composed of a long string of numbers," Yang says. "If the chair moves, the numbers for those two images will be very different. What we want to do is generalize all the examples from a large amount of data, so the computer will still be able to recognize it, even when it changes. How do we know when we have enough data? We cannot encompass all the possibilities, so we are trying to define ‘chair' in terms of its functionalities."
Potentially, computers that can "see" and track moving objects could improve assistive technology for the visually impaired, and also could have applications in medicine, such as locating and following cells; in tracking insect and animal motion; in traffic modeling for "smart" buildings, and improved navigation and surveillance in robots.
"For the visually impaired, the most important things are depth and obstacles," Yang says. "This could help them see the world around them. They don't need to see very far away, just to see whether there are obstacles near them, two or three feet away. The computer program, for example, could be in a cane. The camera would be able to create a 3-D world and give them feedback. The computer can tell them that the surface is uneven, so they will know, or sense a human or a car in front of them."
Yang is conducting his research under a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which he received in 2012. The award supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education, and research within the context of the mission of their organization. He is receiving $473,797 over five years.
Yang's project also includes developing a code library of tracking algorithms and a large data set, which will become publicly available. The grant also provides for an educational component that will involve both undergraduate and graduate students, with an emphasis on encouraging underrepresented minority groups from California's Central Valley to study computer sciences and related fields. The goal is to integrate computer vision material in undergraduate courses so that students will want to continue studying in the field.
Additionally, Yang is helping several undergraduate students design vision applications for mobile phones, and trying to write programs that will enable computers to infer depth and distance, as well as to interpret the images it "sees."
"It is not clear exactly how human vision works, but one way to explain visual perception of depth is based on people's two eyes and trigonometry," he says. "By figuring out the geometry of the points, we can figure out depth. We do it all the time, without thinking. But for computers, it's still very difficult to do that.
"The Holy Grail of computer vision is to tell a story using an image or video, and have the computer understand on some level what it is seeing," he adds. "If you give an image to a kid, and ask the kid to tell a story, the kid can do it. But if you ask a computer program to do it, now it can only do a few primitive things. A kid already has the cognitive knowledge to tell a story based on the image, but the computer just sees things as is, but doesn't have any background information. We hope to give the computer some interpretation, but we aren't there yet."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Investigators
Ming-Hsuan Yang
Related Institutions/Organizations
University of California - Merced
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS AT ARMS TRADE TREATY SIGNING
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at the Arms Trade Treaty Signing Ceremony
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Secretary of State
United Nations
New York City
September 25, 2013
Good morning, everybody. Good morning, all – Mr. Under Secretary-General and Mr. Legal Counsel, I believe. And thank you very much for the privilege of being here.
On behalf of President Obama and the United States of America, I am very pleased to have signed this treaty here today. I signed it because President Obama knows that from decades of efforts that at any time that we work with – cooperatively to address the illicit trade in conventional weapons, we make the world a safer place. And this treaty is a significant step in that effort.
I want to be clear both about what this treaty is, but I also want to be clear about what it isn’t. This is about keeping weapons out of the hands of terrorists and rogue actors. This is about reducing the risk of international transfers of conventional arms that will be used to carry out the world’s worst crimes. This is about keeping Americans safe and keeping America strong. And this is about promoting international peace and global security. And this is about advancing important humanitarian goals.
I also want to be clear about what this treaty is not about. This treaty will not diminish anyone’s freedom. In fact, the treaty recognizes the freedom of both individuals and states to obtain, possess, and use arms for legitimate purposes. Make no mistake, we would never think about supporting a treaty that is inconsistent with the rights of Americans, the rights of American citizens, to be able to exercise their guaranteed rights under our constitution. This treaty reaffirms the sovereign right of each country to decide for itself, consistent with its own constitutional and legal requirements, how to deal with the conventional arms that are exclusively used within its borders.
What this treaty does is simple: It helps lift other countries up to the highest standards. It requires other countries to create and enforce the kind of strict national export controls that the United States already has in place. And I emphasize here we are talking about the kind of export controls that for decades have not diminished one iota our ability in the United States as Americans to exercise our rights under the constitution – not one iota of restriction in the last decades as we have applied our standards.
So here’s the bottom line: This treaty strengthens our security, builds global security without undermining the legitimate international trade in conventional arms which allows each country to provide for its own defense. I want to congratulate everyone who has worked hard in order to help bring this agreement into fruition, including our international partners and the civil society organizations’ commitment was absolutely vital to winning support for this treaty. The United States is proud to have worked with our international partners in order to achieve this important step towards a more peaceful – and a more peaceful world, but a world that also lives by international standards and rules.
And we believe this brings us closer to the possibilities of peace as well as a security, a higher level of a security, and the promotion and protection of human rights. That, frankly, is a trifecta for America, and that’s why we’re proud to sign this treaty today.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
On behalf of President Obama and the United States of America, I am very pleased to have signed this treaty here today. I signed it because President Obama knows that from decades of efforts that at any time that we work with – cooperatively to address the illicit trade in conventional weapons, we make the world a safer place. And this treaty is a significant step in that effort.
I want to be clear both about what this treaty is, but I also want to be clear about what it isn’t. This is about keeping weapons out of the hands of terrorists and rogue actors. This is about reducing the risk of international transfers of conventional arms that will be used to carry out the world’s worst crimes. This is about keeping Americans safe and keeping America strong. And this is about promoting international peace and global security. And this is about advancing important humanitarian goals.
I also want to be clear about what this treaty is not about. This treaty will not diminish anyone’s freedom. In fact, the treaty recognizes the freedom of both individuals and states to obtain, possess, and use arms for legitimate purposes. Make no mistake, we would never think about supporting a treaty that is inconsistent with the rights of Americans, the rights of American citizens, to be able to exercise their guaranteed rights under our constitution. This treaty reaffirms the sovereign right of each country to decide for itself, consistent with its own constitutional and legal requirements, how to deal with the conventional arms that are exclusively used within its borders.
What this treaty does is simple: It helps lift other countries up to the highest standards. It requires other countries to create and enforce the kind of strict national export controls that the United States already has in place. And I emphasize here we are talking about the kind of export controls that for decades have not diminished one iota our ability in the United States as Americans to exercise our rights under the constitution – not one iota of restriction in the last decades as we have applied our standards.
So here’s the bottom line: This treaty strengthens our security, builds global security without undermining the legitimate international trade in conventional arms which allows each country to provide for its own defense. I want to congratulate everyone who has worked hard in order to help bring this agreement into fruition, including our international partners and the civil society organizations’ commitment was absolutely vital to winning support for this treaty. The United States is proud to have worked with our international partners in order to achieve this important step towards a more peaceful – and a more peaceful world, but a world that also lives by international standards and rules.
And we believe this brings us closer to the possibilities of peace as well as a security, a higher level of a security, and the promotion and protection of human rights. That, frankly, is a trifecta for America, and that’s why we’re proud to sign this treaty today.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AWARDS $14 MILLION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education Awards $14 Million to Special Education Parent Technical Assistance Centers
The U.S. Department of Education announced today more than $14 million in five-year grants to operate eight special education parent technical assistance centers that work to assist families of children with disability. The eight centers set to receive funding include one Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR); six Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers (RPTACs); and one Native American Parent Technical Assistance Center (NAPTAC).
The centers will use the funding to improve the information they provide parents on laws, policies, and evidence-based education practices affecting children with disabilities. The centers will also use the funding to explore how data can be used to inform instruction; how to interpret results from evaluations and assessments; and ways to effectively engage in school reform activities, including how to interpret and use the data that informs those activities.
"Parents will always be their children's first and most important teachers, and can have tremendous impact on their kids’ readiness to learn at every stage of the education pipeline,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “These grants will help special education parent technical assistance centers enhance the important services they provide to families across the country."
The 98 parent center grants currently funded by the Department of Education promote the effective education of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities by strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families of such children have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home.
The CPIR will focus on developing and disseminating resources to parent centers to use with families and youth, helping parent centers use those resources, and supporting parent centers in collecting data annually about their services.
Each Regional PTAC will provide technical assistance that is targeted directly to the parent centers in their regions in order to meet those centers’ unique needs. They will focus on increasing parent centers’ capacity to manage their work effectively, reach more parents and youth, and help parents improve outcomes for their children.
The Native American PTAC will focus on helping parent centers provide effective and culturally appropriate services to Native American parents of children with disabilities and Native American youth with disabilities.
The following is a list of the grants the Department announced and the states within each region they will serve, including the contact information for the project directors and the amount of each 5-year award:
Center for Parent Information and Resources:
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Debra Jennings, debra.jennings@sannj.org, $2,950,000.
Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers:
Region 1: CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT – Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Diana Autin, diana.autin@sannj.org $1,618,972.
Region 2: DE, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, DC, and WV – Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center, Connie Hawkins, chawkins@ecacmail.org $1,618,972.
Region 3: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, OK, Puerto Rico, TX, and U.S. Virgin Islands – Parent to Parent of Georgia,Stephanie Moss, stephanie@p2pga.org $1,618,972.
Region 4: IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, OH, and WI – Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training, and Support, Janis Serak, jserak@wifacets.org $1,618,972.
Region 5: AZ, CO, KS, MT, NE, ND, NM, SD, UT, and WY – PEAK Parent Center, Barbara Buswell, bbuswell@peakparent.org $1,618,972.
Region 6: AK, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA, the outlying areas of the Pacific Basin, and the Freely Associated States – Matrix, A Parent Network and Resource Center, Nora Thompson, norat@matrixparents.org $1,618,972.
Native American Parent Technical Assistance Center:
Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs, Alvino Sandoval, asandoval@epicsnm.org $1,618,972.
U.S. Department of Education Awards $14 Million to Special Education Parent Technical Assistance Centers
The U.S. Department of Education announced today more than $14 million in five-year grants to operate eight special education parent technical assistance centers that work to assist families of children with disability. The eight centers set to receive funding include one Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR); six Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers (RPTACs); and one Native American Parent Technical Assistance Center (NAPTAC).
The centers will use the funding to improve the information they provide parents on laws, policies, and evidence-based education practices affecting children with disabilities. The centers will also use the funding to explore how data can be used to inform instruction; how to interpret results from evaluations and assessments; and ways to effectively engage in school reform activities, including how to interpret and use the data that informs those activities.
"Parents will always be their children's first and most important teachers, and can have tremendous impact on their kids’ readiness to learn at every stage of the education pipeline,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “These grants will help special education parent technical assistance centers enhance the important services they provide to families across the country."
The 98 parent center grants currently funded by the Department of Education promote the effective education of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities by strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families of such children have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home.
The CPIR will focus on developing and disseminating resources to parent centers to use with families and youth, helping parent centers use those resources, and supporting parent centers in collecting data annually about their services.
Each Regional PTAC will provide technical assistance that is targeted directly to the parent centers in their regions in order to meet those centers’ unique needs. They will focus on increasing parent centers’ capacity to manage their work effectively, reach more parents and youth, and help parents improve outcomes for their children.
The Native American PTAC will focus on helping parent centers provide effective and culturally appropriate services to Native American parents of children with disabilities and Native American youth with disabilities.
The following is a list of the grants the Department announced and the states within each region they will serve, including the contact information for the project directors and the amount of each 5-year award:
Center for Parent Information and Resources:
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Debra Jennings, debra.jennings@sannj.org, $2,950,000.
Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers:
Region 1: CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT – Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Diana Autin, diana.autin@sannj.org $1,618,972.
Region 2: DE, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, DC, and WV – Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center, Connie Hawkins, chawkins@ecacmail.org $1,618,972.
Region 3: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, OK, Puerto Rico, TX, and U.S. Virgin Islands – Parent to Parent of Georgia,Stephanie Moss, stephanie@p2pga.org $1,618,972.
Region 4: IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, OH, and WI – Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training, and Support, Janis Serak, jserak@wifacets.org $1,618,972.
Region 5: AZ, CO, KS, MT, NE, ND, NM, SD, UT, and WY – PEAK Parent Center, Barbara Buswell, bbuswell@peakparent.org $1,618,972.
Region 6: AK, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA, the outlying areas of the Pacific Basin, and the Freely Associated States – Matrix, A Parent Network and Resource Center, Nora Thompson, norat@matrixparents.org $1,618,972.
Native American Parent Technical Assistance Center:
Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs, Alvino Sandoval, asandoval@epicsnm.org $1,618,972.
PRESIDENT OBAMA ASKS UN TO CONFRONT SYRIAN PROBLEMS
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Obama Urges UN to Confront Syrian Violence, Chemical Weapons
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 - While the world has made strides toward stability, the situation in Syria illustrates the dangers of current trends to the Middle East and the rest of the globe, President Barack Obama told world leaders at the United Nations today.
Obama spoke to the General Assembly meeting in New York this morning giving a synopsis of the situation in Syria and how the United Nations must work to end the violence that has killed more than 100,000 people.
The Syrian civil war has escalated with the government using chemical weapons on its own people. "The international community recognized the stakes early on, but our response has not matched the scale of the challenge," the president said. "Aid cannot keep pace with the suffering of the wounded and displaced. A peace process is stillborn."
The crisis in Syria goes to the heart of broader challenges the international community must confront, Obama said. From North Africa to Central Asia, there is turmoil and getting these nations through this time peacefully is the challenge.
With respect to Syria, the international community "must enforce the ban on chemical weapons," the president said.
"The evidence is overwhelming that the Assad regime used such weapons on August 21st," Obama said. "U.N. inspectors gave a clear accounting that advanced rockets fired large quantities of sarin gas at civilians. These rockets were fired from a regime-controlled neighborhood, and landed in opposition neighborhoods. It's an insult to human reason -- and to the legitimacy of this institution -- to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack."
Obama initially considered launching a limited U.S. military strike against Syrian regime targets, but the United States now is testing a diplomatic solution.
"In the past several weeks, the United States, Russia and our allies have reached an agreement to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control, and then to destroy them," Obama said.
The Syrian government has now begun accounting for its stockpiles.
"Now there must be a strong Security Council resolution to verify that the Assad regime is keeping its commitments, and there must be consequences if they fail to do so," Obama said. "If we cannot agree even on this, then it will show that the United Nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws.
"On the other hand, if we succeed," he continued, "it will send a powerful message that the use of chemical weapons has no place in the 21st century, and that this body means what it says."
If diplomacy works, it could energize a larger diplomatic effort to reach a political settlement within Syria.
"I do not believe that military action -- by those within Syria, or by external powers -- can achieve a lasting peace," Obama said. "Nor do I believe that America or any nation should determine who will lead Syria; that is for the Syrian people to decide. Nevertheless, a leader who slaughtered his citizens and gassed children to death cannot regain the legitimacy to lead a badly fractured country. The notion that Syria can somehow return to a pre-war status quo is a fantasy."
Obama stated that Russia and Iran must realize that insisting on Bashir al-Assad's continued rule in Syria will lead directly to the outcome that they fear: an increasingly violent space for extremists to operate.
"In turn, those of us who continue to support the moderate opposition must persuade them that the Syrian people cannot afford a collapse of state institutions, and that a political settlement cannot be reached without addressing the legitimate fears and concerns of Alawites and other minorities," he said.
The United States is committed to working the diplomatic track, the president said, and he urged all nations to help bring about a peaceful resolution of Syria's civil war.
He asked U.N. members to step forward to help alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. The United States has committed more than $1 billion to this effort, and he announced the United States will donate a further $340 million.
"No aid can take the place of a political resolution that gives the Syrian people the chance to rebuild their country, but it can help desperate people to survive," he said.
Obama Urges UN to Confront Syrian Violence, Chemical Weapons
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 - While the world has made strides toward stability, the situation in Syria illustrates the dangers of current trends to the Middle East and the rest of the globe, President Barack Obama told world leaders at the United Nations today.
Obama spoke to the General Assembly meeting in New York this morning giving a synopsis of the situation in Syria and how the United Nations must work to end the violence that has killed more than 100,000 people.
The Syrian civil war has escalated with the government using chemical weapons on its own people. "The international community recognized the stakes early on, but our response has not matched the scale of the challenge," the president said. "Aid cannot keep pace with the suffering of the wounded and displaced. A peace process is stillborn."
The crisis in Syria goes to the heart of broader challenges the international community must confront, Obama said. From North Africa to Central Asia, there is turmoil and getting these nations through this time peacefully is the challenge.
With respect to Syria, the international community "must enforce the ban on chemical weapons," the president said.
"The evidence is overwhelming that the Assad regime used such weapons on August 21st," Obama said. "U.N. inspectors gave a clear accounting that advanced rockets fired large quantities of sarin gas at civilians. These rockets were fired from a regime-controlled neighborhood, and landed in opposition neighborhoods. It's an insult to human reason -- and to the legitimacy of this institution -- to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack."
Obama initially considered launching a limited U.S. military strike against Syrian regime targets, but the United States now is testing a diplomatic solution.
"In the past several weeks, the United States, Russia and our allies have reached an agreement to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control, and then to destroy them," Obama said.
The Syrian government has now begun accounting for its stockpiles.
"Now there must be a strong Security Council resolution to verify that the Assad regime is keeping its commitments, and there must be consequences if they fail to do so," Obama said. "If we cannot agree even on this, then it will show that the United Nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws.
"On the other hand, if we succeed," he continued, "it will send a powerful message that the use of chemical weapons has no place in the 21st century, and that this body means what it says."
If diplomacy works, it could energize a larger diplomatic effort to reach a political settlement within Syria.
"I do not believe that military action -- by those within Syria, or by external powers -- can achieve a lasting peace," Obama said. "Nor do I believe that America or any nation should determine who will lead Syria; that is for the Syrian people to decide. Nevertheless, a leader who slaughtered his citizens and gassed children to death cannot regain the legitimacy to lead a badly fractured country. The notion that Syria can somehow return to a pre-war status quo is a fantasy."
Obama stated that Russia and Iran must realize that insisting on Bashir al-Assad's continued rule in Syria will lead directly to the outcome that they fear: an increasingly violent space for extremists to operate.
"In turn, those of us who continue to support the moderate opposition must persuade them that the Syrian people cannot afford a collapse of state institutions, and that a political settlement cannot be reached without addressing the legitimate fears and concerns of Alawites and other minorities," he said.
The United States is committed to working the diplomatic track, the president said, and he urged all nations to help bring about a peaceful resolution of Syria's civil war.
He asked U.N. members to step forward to help alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. The United States has committed more than $1 billion to this effort, and he announced the United States will donate a further $340 million.
"No aid can take the place of a political resolution that gives the Syrian people the chance to rebuild their country, but it can help desperate people to survive," he said.
U.S.-MONGOLIA SIGN AGREEMENT ON TRANSPARENCY IN MATTERS RELATED TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
United States and Mongolia Sign Bilateral Transparency Agreement
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 24, 2013
The United States of America and Mongolia signed an Agreement on Transparency in Matters Related to International Trade and Investment today in New York, New York. The agreement, signed by United States Trade Representative Michael Froman and Mongolian Foreign Minister Luvsanvandan Bold, marks an important step in developing and broadening the economic relationship between Mongolia and the United States. The U.S.-Mongolia relationship has seen impressive growth over the past two decades. This bilateral Transparency Agreement adds to the continuing positive momentum in relations and benefits both countries by creating a more transparent and predictable environment for doing business.
The goal of the Transparency Agreement is to make it easier for American and Mongolian firms to do business. The agreement covers transparency in the formation of trade-related laws and regulations, the conduct of fair administrative proceedings, and measures to address bribery and corruption. In addition, it provides for commercial laws and regulations to be published in English, making it easier for international investors to operate in Mongolia.
The goal of the Transparency Agreement is to make it easier for American and Mongolian firms to do business. The agreement covers transparency in the formation of trade-related laws and regulations, the conduct of fair administrative proceedings, and measures to address bribery and corruption. In addition, it provides for commercial laws and regulations to be published in English, making it easier for international investors to operate in Mongolia.
PRESIDENT OBAMA TALKS ABOUT MIDDLE EAST IN UNITED NATIONS SPEECH
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Obama Describes Core US Interests in the Middle East
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 - In a speech at the United Nations today, President Barack Obama described key United States' interests in North Africa and the Middle East and made clear America is prepared to use force to back them up.
"The United States of America is prepared to use all elements of our power, including military force, to secure our core interests in the region," Obama told the General Assembly in New York.
The nation, he said, will confront external aggression against allies and partners in the region.
"We will ensure the free flow of energy from the region to the world," Obama said. While the United States is reducing its oil imports, the world still depends on Middle Eastern oil and gas. A severe disruption could destabilize the global economy.
"We will dismantle terrorist networks that threaten our people," the president said. "Wherever possible, we will build the capacity of our partners, respect the sovereignty of nations, and work to address the root causes of terror. But when it is necessary to defend the United States against terrorist attack, we will take direct action."
And, the United States will not tolerate the development or use of weapons of mass destruction. "Just as we consider the use of chemical weapons in Syria to be a threat to our own national security, we reject the development of nuclear weapons that could trigger a nuclear arms race in the region, and undermine the global nonproliferation regime," Obama said.
It is in U.S. interests to see a peaceful, prosperous, stable and democratic Middle East, Obama said, but the United States cannot force this.
"We can rarely achieve these objectives through unilateral American action, particularly through military action," he said. "Iraq shows us that democracy cannot simply be imposed by force. Rather, these objectives are best achieved when we partner with the international community and with the countries and peoples of the region."
The president illustrated the U.S. position using Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the Arab-Israeli conflict as examples.
"While these issues are not the cause of all the region's problems, they have been a major source of instability for far too long, and resolving them can help serve as a foundation for a broader peace," Obama said.
The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979. Mistrust between the two nations has developed over the years.
"This mistrust has deep roots," the president said. "Iranians have long complained of a history of U.S. interference in their affairs and of America's role in overthrowing an Iranian government during the Cold War. On the other hand, Americans see an Iranian government that has declared the United States an enemy and directly -- or through proxies -- taken American hostages, killed U.S. troops and civilians, and threatened our ally Israel with destruction."
Resolving the issue of Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons could go a long way toward an improved relationship between the two countries, Obama said.
The United States is resolved to not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. "We are not seeking regime change and we respect the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy," the president said. "Instead, we insist that the Iranian government meet its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and U.N. Security Council resolutions."
On the Iranian side, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons, and new Iranian President Hasan Rouhani has just recently reiterated that the Islamic Republic will never develop a nuclear weapon.
"These statements made by our respective governments should offer the basis for a meaningful agreement," Obama said. "We should be able to achieve a resolution that respects the rights of the Iranian people, while giving the world confidence that the Iranian program is peaceful. But to succeed, conciliatory words will have to be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable. After all, it's the Iranian government's choices that have led to the comprehensive sanctions that are currently in place. And this is not simply an issue between the United States and Iran."
The president has directed Secretary of State John Kerry to pursue this effort with the Iranian government in close cooperation with the European Union, Russia and China.
The conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is also a flashpoint that needs to be dampened, the president said. "I've made it clear that the United States will never compromise our commitment to Israel's security, nor our support for its existence as a Jewish state," he said.
The United States also remains committed to the belief that the Palestinian people have a right to live with security and dignity in their own sovereign state, he said.
Now is the time for the entire international community to get behind the pursuit of peace in the area, Obama said. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are meeting. Current talks are focused on final status issues of borders and security, refugees and Jerusalem.
"So now the rest of us must be willing to take risks as well," the president said. "Friends of Israel, including the United States, must recognize that Israel's security as a Jewish and democratic state depends upon the realization of a Palestinian state, and we should say so clearly. Arab states, and those who supported the Palestinians, must recognize that stability will only be served through a two-state solution and a secure Israel."
The nations of the world must recognize that peace will be a powerful tool to defeat extremists throughout the region, and embolden those who are prepared to build a better future, Obama said.
Real breakthroughs on the Iranian nuclear program and Palestinian-Israeli peace would have a profound and positive impact on the entire Middle East and North Africa, the president said.
"But the current convulsions arising out of the Arab Spring remind us that a just and lasting peace cannot be measured only by agreements between nations," he said. "It must also be measured by our ability to resolve conflict and promote justice within nations. And by that measure, it's clear that all of us have a lot more work to do."
Obama Describes Core US Interests in the Middle East
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 - In a speech at the United Nations today, President Barack Obama described key United States' interests in North Africa and the Middle East and made clear America is prepared to use force to back them up.
"The United States of America is prepared to use all elements of our power, including military force, to secure our core interests in the region," Obama told the General Assembly in New York.
The nation, he said, will confront external aggression against allies and partners in the region.
"We will ensure the free flow of energy from the region to the world," Obama said. While the United States is reducing its oil imports, the world still depends on Middle Eastern oil and gas. A severe disruption could destabilize the global economy.
"We will dismantle terrorist networks that threaten our people," the president said. "Wherever possible, we will build the capacity of our partners, respect the sovereignty of nations, and work to address the root causes of terror. But when it is necessary to defend the United States against terrorist attack, we will take direct action."
And, the United States will not tolerate the development or use of weapons of mass destruction. "Just as we consider the use of chemical weapons in Syria to be a threat to our own national security, we reject the development of nuclear weapons that could trigger a nuclear arms race in the region, and undermine the global nonproliferation regime," Obama said.
It is in U.S. interests to see a peaceful, prosperous, stable and democratic Middle East, Obama said, but the United States cannot force this.
"We can rarely achieve these objectives through unilateral American action, particularly through military action," he said. "Iraq shows us that democracy cannot simply be imposed by force. Rather, these objectives are best achieved when we partner with the international community and with the countries and peoples of the region."
The president illustrated the U.S. position using Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the Arab-Israeli conflict as examples.
"While these issues are not the cause of all the region's problems, they have been a major source of instability for far too long, and resolving them can help serve as a foundation for a broader peace," Obama said.
The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979. Mistrust between the two nations has developed over the years.
"This mistrust has deep roots," the president said. "Iranians have long complained of a history of U.S. interference in their affairs and of America's role in overthrowing an Iranian government during the Cold War. On the other hand, Americans see an Iranian government that has declared the United States an enemy and directly -- or through proxies -- taken American hostages, killed U.S. troops and civilians, and threatened our ally Israel with destruction."
Resolving the issue of Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons could go a long way toward an improved relationship between the two countries, Obama said.
The United States is resolved to not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. "We are not seeking regime change and we respect the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy," the president said. "Instead, we insist that the Iranian government meet its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and U.N. Security Council resolutions."
On the Iranian side, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons, and new Iranian President Hasan Rouhani has just recently reiterated that the Islamic Republic will never develop a nuclear weapon.
"These statements made by our respective governments should offer the basis for a meaningful agreement," Obama said. "We should be able to achieve a resolution that respects the rights of the Iranian people, while giving the world confidence that the Iranian program is peaceful. But to succeed, conciliatory words will have to be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable. After all, it's the Iranian government's choices that have led to the comprehensive sanctions that are currently in place. And this is not simply an issue between the United States and Iran."
The president has directed Secretary of State John Kerry to pursue this effort with the Iranian government in close cooperation with the European Union, Russia and China.
The conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is also a flashpoint that needs to be dampened, the president said. "I've made it clear that the United States will never compromise our commitment to Israel's security, nor our support for its existence as a Jewish state," he said.
The United States also remains committed to the belief that the Palestinian people have a right to live with security and dignity in their own sovereign state, he said.
Now is the time for the entire international community to get behind the pursuit of peace in the area, Obama said. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are meeting. Current talks are focused on final status issues of borders and security, refugees and Jerusalem.
"So now the rest of us must be willing to take risks as well," the president said. "Friends of Israel, including the United States, must recognize that Israel's security as a Jewish and democratic state depends upon the realization of a Palestinian state, and we should say so clearly. Arab states, and those who supported the Palestinians, must recognize that stability will only be served through a two-state solution and a secure Israel."
The nations of the world must recognize that peace will be a powerful tool to defeat extremists throughout the region, and embolden those who are prepared to build a better future, Obama said.
Real breakthroughs on the Iranian nuclear program and Palestinian-Israeli peace would have a profound and positive impact on the entire Middle East and North Africa, the president said.
"But the current convulsions arising out of the Arab Spring remind us that a just and lasting peace cannot be measured only by agreements between nations," he said. "It must also be measured by our ability to resolve conflict and promote justice within nations. And by that measure, it's clear that all of us have a lot more work to do."
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