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Daily Press Briefing

John Kirby
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
July 11, 2016

Index for Today's Briefing

SOUTH SUDAN
PAKISTAN
SECRETARY'S TRAVEL
SOUTH SUDAN
SYRIA/REGION
IRAQ
IRAN
JAPAN
NORTH KOREA
CHINA/PHILIPPINES/REGION
NORTH KOREA
CHINA/REGION
JAPAN
SYRIA/REGION
IRAQ
SYRIA/TURKEY
TURKEY
SOUTH AFRICA
UNITED KINGDOM
INDIA
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
SECRETARY'S TRAVEL
DEPARTMENT

 

TRANSCRIPT:

2:11 p.m. EDT

MR KIRBY: Good afternoon, everybody.

QUESTION: Hello.

MR KIRBY: Okay, a couple of things at the top. On South Sudan. In response to the sudden and serious decline in the security situation in South Sudan, we released statements on the 9th and the 10th of July condemning the latest outbreak of violence and calling on President Kiir and first president – I'm sorry, First Vice President Machar and their political allies to immediately restrain their forces from fighting.

Our ambassador, Ambassador Phee, has spoken repeatedly with senior officials on both sides, and today we welcome the presidential decree declaring a unilateral ceasefire to take effect at 6 o'clock. We also welcome the commitment conveyed by First Vice President Machar to reciprocate with the unilateral ceasefire for opposition forces.

The United Nations Security Council, the African Union, and regional partners have been actively engaged in calling on the leaders in South Sudan to commit to the full and immediate implementation of the peace agreement, including the permanent ceasefire.

We strongly urge that the two leaders do everything in their power to ensure these decrees will be fully respected and unfettered humanitarian assistance will be provided to those affected by the violence. And I also want to add our condolences, thoughts, and prayers to all those who have been affected by the violence, the families of those killed, and of course those who have been wounded and hurt.

The Secretary remains, for his part, very engaged. He spoke yesterday with Prime Minister Hailemariam and President Kenyatta regarding a coordinated regional response to the unrest. The UN Security Council yesterday discussed as well how to enhance the UN mission in South Sudan – otherwise known as UNMIS; I think you guys are familiar with that acronym – to better enable the mission to prevent and respond to violence. We are in active communication with partners on appropriate next steps.

In addition, we are moving out on all fronts to reduce the number of staff by implementing an ordered departure from our post. That is our focus right now – an ordered departure. We are adjusting – are simply adjusting our footprint in response to the deterioration in the security situation. We are also in constant communication with U.S. citizens in Juba, and we released a Travel Warning yesterday evening protecting American citizens and ending the fighting are our – remain our top priorities in South Sudan, and we are working closely with senior leaders, the African Union, and regional partners to do so.

A note on Pakistan. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi on the 8th of July – one of the world's great humanitarians. Edhi's compassion, dignity, and humility serve as an example to us all. He led a life dedicated to serving others regardless of religion, class, nationality, or ethnicity. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife and his children, the millions that he personally touched, and of course to the people of Pakistan on this sad occasion.

Finally, a programming note. Secretary Kerry will travel this week – starting this week. He'll travel to Paris at the invitation of President Hollande to attend Bastille Day celebrations. He will – the travel starts Wednesday. The Bastille Day celebrations are obviously on the 14th. Later that evening on the 14th, he'll travel to Moscow where he will begin a series of meetings with senior Russian officials to discuss Syria, Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, among other issues. He'll then travel to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, on the 15th of July, where he will meet with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn to discuss a range of bilateral issues, the transatlantic relationship, and a variety of other issues of mutual interest to us both.

The Secretary will then travel to Brussels from July 17th to the 18th where he will meet with EU member-state foreign ministers and EU High Representative Federica Mogherini ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council, and there to discuss of course key foreign policy priorities across the continent.

Next, the Secretary will travel to London on the 18th and the 19th, where he will attend multilateral meetings on Yemen and on Syria.

So with that, Dave, do you want to kick us off?

QUESTION: Yes. Let's start with the South Sudan since you did. Can you – what's the situation now in terms of the departure of the Americans from your mission?

MR KIRBY: Well, we don't – for security purposes, we don't detail specific numbers, but the ordered departure is in place. It's not an evacuation, it's an ordered departure. And we're working through effecting that even today, but I just don't have and I won't have on a daily basis any kind of an update.

QUESTION: Is the end state to have zero staff in country?

MR KIRBY: I beg your pardon?

QUESTION: Is the end state everybody gone?

MR KIRBY: No. It's an ordered departure, a steady ordered departure of staff. So, again, I just don't have an update for you.

QUESTION: Okay. And is – are all U.S. personnel that you're aware of accounted for and safe?

MR KIRBY: All chief of mission under people – people under the authority of the chief of mission have all been accounted for. We obviously are in touch with – as best we can with other American citizens who are in Juba. It's, as you know, difficult for us to say with 100 percent certainty that we know of every American citizen that is there, but we are trying to stay in communication with them as best we can.

QUESTION: And are you able to remain in communication with the two camps, with the president and vice president of --

MR KIRBY: We have. We have. Our ambassador has, yes.

QUESTION: Okay. Well, I have some on Syria as well, but if anyone wants to continue on Sudan --

MR KIRBY: Anything more on South Sudan?

QUESTION: I just want to make sure I understand. When you are through with – when this ordered departure comes to an end, there will be staff of some number at the embassy; is that correct?

MR KIRBY: It's an ordered departure adjusting the footprint in response to the deterioration. I'm not going to be able to say with great specificity what the end state of that's going to be in terms of presence there. As I said to Dave, we're not talking about evacuating the embassy. It's an ordered departure. Okay? Go ahead, Dave.

QUESTION: So Syria. The Syrian army has renewed a 72-hour ceasefire that they themselves declared. Obviously, last week when we were traveling, Secretary Kerry welcomed in principle the 72-hour Eid holiday ceasefire.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: Obviously, the United States would rather there was a nationwide permanent cessation, but that was what was on the table. However, it seems to have been breached, and today we have reports that there's a rebel offensive underway to try and break the siege of Aleppo. So do you regard the Syrian ceasefire as being in place, or is that gone now? And how – what's the state of the cessation that has obviously been partially honored up to now?

MR KIRBY: Well, as you rightly said, the regime extended it for an additional 72 hours which was ending today. But even as recently as yesterday, Syrian regime forces continue to conduct ground and aerial operations in Aleppo in violation of both the nationwide cessation of hostilities, which was called for in the UN Security Council resolution, but also the Eid period of calm which they themselves announced. We've also seen disturbing reports of regime advances in Daraya, which is a suburb of Damascus.

That said, the cessation has largely held in other parts of the country, and we continue to urge all parties for complete compliance with the nationwide cessation of hostilities. The regime needs to do – and we've said this before, Dave – they need to do what it committed to do, which is to end the indiscriminate use of weapons, including the targeting of civilians and civilian authorities, and including medical ones. And we look to the Russians to make a greater use of the influence that we know that they have to make that happen.

QUESTION: You know whether the Russians were involved in the prolongation of 72 hours, or was that a Syrian --

MR KIRBY: I don't know. I honestly don't know the degree to which they influenced the extension, but clearly there is not enough influence being applied, or that influence is being ignored, because we continue to see violations even shortly after they announced an extension.

QUESTION: And when was the last time Secretary Kerry spoke to Lavrov or anyone --

MR KIRBY: I don't have an update for you since he spoke on the 5th of July.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: Do you expect the Secretary to discuss the new proposal with the Russians on cooperation to focus on fighting ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusrah?

MR KIRBY: Well, as I said, we expect the discussions in Moscow to range across many issues. Syria will be front and center; there's no question about that. And I – without getting ahead of an agenda or discussions that haven't happened, I can assure you that one of the key topics the Secretary is going to want to cover with Russian officials is reduction in violence, the cessation of hostilities – getting that applied as it should have been applied, nationwide and in enduring way; a political transition; and of course, they will – I have no doubt that they'll continue to discuss the humanitarian situation on the ground and the need for better and more sustained, more unimpeded access to so many millions of Syrians in need. I fully expect that this will be front and center on the agenda, and the Secretary will make clear that we expect – as we have – Russia to use the influence that we know it has on the Assad regime to get the situation in better control.

QUESTION: Can I move to Iraq?

MR KIRBY: Sure.

QUESTION: Thank you. So about the additional 560 troops that Secretary Carter announced today --

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- did that come in response to a request from the Iraqi Government, or was it your assessment that you need to send these troops?

MR KIRBY: I'm going to point you to what Secretary Carter said when he announced it and he made it clear that this was done in full consultation with Prime Minister Abadi's government in Baghdad.

QUESTION: Did they request it, or you thought, like, that there needs to be additional U.S. troops?

MR KIRBY: It was done in full consultation and coordination with the Iraqi Government. All of our troops in Iraq are there at the invitation and the support of the Iraqi Government. That won't change with this additional deployment.

QUESTION: What do you say to critics who are saying this is definitely mission creep? Because – and what kind of role? I know you might refer me to the Pentagon – what might – what kind of role they might play in the (inaudible)?

MR KIRBY: You're right, I'm going to refer you to the Pentagon. But listen, it ain't mission creep if the mission ain't changing, and the mission's not changing in Iraq with respect to what U.S. troops are doing in a train, advise, and assist capacity. And then, of course, our airmen are very much engaged in air operations, as they have been inside the coalition.

QUESTION: Thanks.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: On July 20, you'll be hosting a humanitarian pledging conference for Iraq.

MR KIRBY: Yes, I announced it.

QUESTION: Okay. (Laughter.) So there's an issue with the participation of the Kurdistan Regional Government that's in northern Iraq. It got a huge number of refugees that they're hosting – nearly 2 million – but generally they don't get to attend these conferences, because the U.S. leaves it up to Baghdad whether to include the Kurdish representatives or not and Baghdad doesn't include the Kurdish representatives.

So my question is: This time, will you press Baghdad to make sure that representatives of the KRG include – are included? The British have done that in the past and it's worked. Or, alternatively, might you invite representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government directly to attend this conference?

MR KIRBY: Well, first of all, I want to talk about the importance of the conference, and the Secretary is very much looking forward to it. It is – it's going to be an important gathering for an important purpose: to further encourage international community support for the very real financial challenges that Iraq still faces as they are trying to enact reforms, political and economic; as they are fighting a very lethal enemy still on their soil. So there's a lot of work to be done on that day, and the Secretary looks forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting at that work.

I don't have an update for you on invitations or the process itself. The only thing I would say is that, as we have made clear in the past, the support that the United States is providing to Iraq in this time of great need is being done as – and it will continue to be done – through the Abadi government in Baghdad. Again, I will take the question for you in terms of any more specificity on the invitation process. I just don't have that level of information right now. But I do want to stress that we continue to manage the support that we're providing through Baghdad.

QUESTION: Well, it seems that given the critical role that the Kurdish Peshmerga play in fighting ISIS and the great generosity that they've shown all these refugees and displaced persons, that they really merit the attention of the United States, and if they're not getting from Baghdad a reasonable share of this aid, that the United States should really consider stepping in and addressing this issue.

MR KIRBY: Well, I would take issue with the notion that we haven't. I'm not going to get ahead of pledges or what size, scope, and character they're going to be or how they're going to be distributed inside Iraq. But you raise a good point, and one I neglected in my first reply to you, and that's that we obviously recognize the service, the sacrifice, the courage, the bravery, the skill on the battlefield that the Peshmerga have demonstrated every single day.

And we're mindful of the toll that this fight has taken up in the north and the significant role that the Kurdish Regional Government has played in terms of trying to deal with it as well. That's why, when you see Brett McGurk traveling to the region, he never fails to stop in Erbil and have discussions with KRG representatives. And so has, in fact, Secretary Kerry in his most recent trip to Iraq made the effort to meet with them – now, it was in Baghdad, but he made the effort to meet with them. So we're mindful of that. We're mindful of the role they're playing and the skill that they are demonstrating, but I just won't get ahead of specifics in terms of pledging contributions by any one state or how they might be distributed.

QUESTION: Or invitations?

MR KIRBY: Well, as I said, I will see if I can find out more information about the invitation process, the protocol element of this. I don't know how much information I'm going to be able to provide this far out, but I'll take the question and we'll see what we can do in terms of getting you a better reply.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

MR KIRBY: Yeah. Carol.

QUESTION: John, do you have any reaction to the indictments in Tehran today of the three dual nationals, including an American and a Lebanese man who was working on contract for the State Department?

MR KIRBY: I do, Carol. We've seen the reports of unspecified indictments announced by Iran against U.S. citizen Siamak Namazi and a U.S. legal permanent resident named Nizar Zakka, as well as other non-U.S. citizen dual nationals. As we've said before, we continue to believe that if the reports are true, both are being unjustly detained and should be released as soon as possible. We don't have any further information to provide on these announcements and we're continuing to make all appropriate efforts on these cases and any other cases of U.S. citizens detained or missing in Iran.

QUESTION: Are you taking it upon yourself to try to work for the release of the Lebanese citizen who is a resident of the United States?

MR KIRBY: Well, again, we – for privacy reasons, Carol, we're not going to comment on efforts that we make on behalf of specific U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents overseas without their written consent. What I can tell you is that we continue to use all the means at our disposal to advocate for U.S. citizens who need our assistance. That's really as far as I can go on that.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Do you have a response to the Japanese elections yesterday?

MR KIRBY: The – certainly we saw the elections and the preliminary results. I would refer you to Japanese authorities to speak to their elections. Japan is obviously a close friend and an ally and certainly a democracy in their own right. And we look forward to continuing that very close association, that very close friendship, that very close partnership, and we'll continue to work with all the elected members in Japan's government. But I'm not going to make a characterization or a comment one way or the other on an internal election.

QUESTION: North Korea --

QUESTION: Specifically – sorry, one more.

QUESTION: Sorry, go ahead.

QUESTION: Just specifically, they elected more than two-thirds of the ruling majority party, which means that they could potentially create changes to the pacifist constitution. Do you have any comment on (inaudible)?

MR KIRBY: I absolutely would not get ahead of issues like that. As I said, Japan is a close ally and a friend and a partner and we look forward to continuing that very close association with them going forward. I'm not going to speculate one way or another about policy changes that this election may or may not infuse into the system. That would be inappropriate at this time.

QUESTION: So North Korea says they've broken ties – well, de facto ties that they had through the mission at the UN in New York to the United States. To what extent can you break that tie since it's – it was informal, I understand, but what's your reaction to that?

MR KIRBY: I would say our reaction is essentially that, again, we call on North Korea to refrain from actions and rhetoric that only further raise tensions in the region. I'm not going to share the details of diplomatic exchanges one way or the other, but none of the rhetoric we've seen of late is doing anything to increase security and stability on the peninsula. And the DPRK knows very well what its international obligations are and should know very well what their obligations are to their own people in terms of the proper kinds of decisions and choices that they need to make going forward.

QUESTION: Syria --

QUESTION: Is there going to be – just on the same issue, is there going to be any negative consequences to not having that diplomatic channel, especially as the military drills are scheduled for August?

MR KIRBY: Again, I'm not going to get into the details of diplomatic exchanges one way or another. As you know, we don't have formal diplomatic relations with the DPRK. And as for their exercises – is that what you're referring to?

QUESTION: The joint U.S.-South Korean exercises for August/September.

MR KIRBY: Is there going to be an impact on that?

QUESTION: Well, if there's – yeah, I mean, if there's no – that traditionally, there's a rise of tensions in advance and surrounding those, and if there's not a diplomatic channel through New York, there's concerns that that could make things even worse.

MR KIRBY: Well, let me back up a little bit. First of all, I'll point you to DOD to speak to specific training exercises, timing, scope, character. That's not for us to speak to. But we have significant security commitments with the Republic of Korea, alliance commitments that we intend to continue to meet. And a key component of meeting those commitments is military readiness, and a key way to assure military – ensure military readiness is to exercise, is to train together. And I can assure you that here at the State Department we fully support efforts by the two militaries to do just that, and I don't see any impact on the requirements to stay militarily ready and therefore the obligations to train and to exercise going forward. And given the threats both rhetorically and actually that have come from Pyongyang of late, we certainly believe all the more strongly that a proper readiness posture is warranted there in the South.

QUESTION: Syria and Iraq?

MR KIRBY: Okay.

QUESTION: Can I do one more follow-up on this?

MR KIRBY: Yeah, let's stay in the region.

QUESTION: And do you have any concerns on American detainees in North Korea? They said now that they would treat them with wartime law.

MR KIRBY: Yeah, again, we've seen the comments, again, not – I'm not going to – I'm not going to comment on every utterance that comes out of Pyongyang. But clearly, rhetoric such as that obviously is not doing anything to ease tensions. As we've said before, the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the State Department. That's not going to change, and we continue to call on the North to cease what is obviously an improper and unjust detention of these individuals.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Can we stay in the region?

MR KIRBY: Sure.

QUESTION: South China Sea. I wonder if you have any response to last Friday's briefing you were asked about if the United States welcomed the remarks by Philippine's officials that they are open towards discussions of a joint exploration of resources in the South China Sea. Does the United States welcome it?

MR KIRBY: The – welcome the – I'm sorry.

QUESTION: Welcome the proposal by the Philippines that they are willing – they are open to discussion for a joint exploration of natural resources in the South China Sea with China.

MR KIRBY: Those are sovereign issues that – and decisions that leaders of nations are entitled and in fact have a responsibility to make. We've seen those comments. But again, this is – these are issues for the Philippines and China to discuss, and the United States isn't – doesn't have an official reaction to those particular statements.

QUESTION: With the ruling of tomorrow's Hague tribunal coming up soon, do you think is that opened up an opportunity for discussions for joint resource management?

MR KIRBY: Look, let's not get ahead of a tribunal decision that hasn't been rendered. We – our position has all along been that we want all claimants to resolve disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law. We don't take a position on claims. We do take a position on coercion; we want these things resolved in accordance with rule of law. And as I said to your last question, if there are bilateral arrangements that can be had to do just that short of having to take it to some – to a higher level, as long as it's done peacefully and in accordance with international law, the United States isn't going to certainly interfere with that. But I just don't want to get ahead of a decision that hasn't been rendered.

On your question on the Americans, I want to go back. There's one point I want to make. We continue to urge Pyongyang to adhere to its commitment to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and grant consular access to any detained U.S. citizens without delay. I had forgot to mention that and wanted to put that in there, so I apologize for coming back to you.

We still in the region? Yes? No?

QUESTION: South China Sea, South China Sea.

MR KIRBY: Okay, you both have your hands up. We'll go – you go first.

QUESTION: Okay. Do U.S. official plan to communicate with their Chinese counterpart after South China Sea arbitration? Result comes out tomorrow.

MR KIRBY: Well, again, I'm not going to get ahead of this decision. We need to see what the tribunal comes back with. As I've – that said, as I've said here from the podium and as Secretary Kerry stressed in a recent conversation with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, that whatever the decision is, we urge all sides, all claimants, to show restraint, to show respect for the rule of law, and to not allow – again, whatever this decision is – to not allow for increased tensions and increased instability in the South China Sea area.

QUESTION: Is there any established communication mechanism between the U.S. and China to effectively control the possible conflicts caused by the arbitration?

MR KIRBY: Well, it's not about controlling conflict. And you – there are many levels of communication that we have with Chinese officials. DOD has several in place at various levels in the military chain of command, and of course, the Secretary has a very forthright relationship with his counterpart, and I suspect that that will continue. There are many ways in which we can communicate with China to effect our mutual interests in the region and around the world. And it's in no one's interests to see the tensions in the South China Sea rise, to see insecurity fomented. And again, that was the message that the Secretary delivered in his conversation just recently with the foreign minister and it will – it will be – consistently will be our message. I just – I'm not going to get ahead of, again, a decision that hasn't been made yet. Okay?

Yeah.

QUESTION: A question about the Japan upper house election. And Japanese Minister for Okinawa Affairs Shimajiri lost her upper house seat to challenger backed by the Okinawa governor and coalition of the activists opposed to the Futenma relocation plan. So the Okinawa election result was the symbol that the people of Okinawa showed their will to oppose the Futenma relocation plan. So do you have any comment about the result of the Okinawa election, and does U.S. States Government give up the calling for Futenma relocation plan?

MR KIRBY: Again, I'm not going to comment on internal elections which just occurred. I think I've addressed that in my previous answer. And on the Futenma replacement facility, as we've said, we – we'll continue to work with the Government of Japan for the Futenma replacement facility and that project and moving forward with it. We're mindful, of course, of the concerns by many residents of Okinawa. We have been mindful of their concerns, and that's not going to change. I can assure you Ambassador Kennedy is engaged on this very closely. But we still believe that moving forward on the replacement facility is in the best interest not just of the U.S. military and our security commitments in the region, but our security commitments to Japan, to the Japanese people. And so I don't have – I don't have nor would I expect any changes to our commitment to that going forward.

Yes.

QUESTION: Back to Syria and Iraq.

MR KIRBY: Okay. I wasn't looking at you, but that's okay; you've been patient. So we're going to go to him – I tell you, I'll go him, you, and then you. How's that? All right, go ahead.

QUESTION: Right. And just following up on the earlier question, I mean --

MR KIRBY: Who are you?

QUESTION: Ryan Browne, CNN. Sorry.

MR KIRBY: Okay.

QUESTION: So just to go back to the earlier question about the Russian conversation, you mentioned a range of issues that they were going to talk about pertaining to Syria, but not specifically a potential military cooperation on ISIS and al-Nusrah?

MR KIRBY: Well, we – first of all, there is no – other than a channel that has been opened up between DOD and the Russian military to de-conflict for safety of operations purposes, there is no U.S. military coordination with the Russian military inside Syria. But the Secretary – as we've said before, we continue to explore options and alternatives and proposals with respect to the fight against Nusrah and Daesh in Syria. And as I said, the degree to which the Russian military is willing to be committed to the fight against those two groups and exclusively those two groups, well, that's a conversation that we're willing to have. I just don't have any developments to speak to today, and obviously I wouldn't speak for the Defense Department anyway. But there's no military coordination going on now.

We have and will continue to explore options and alternatives going forward to try to get the cessation of hostilities better applied and enforced; to try to increase pressure on Nusrah and Daesh across the country; and, again, while with an eye to trying to get at a political transition, because, as we've seen, prior talks between the opposition and the regime haven't gone so well, and one reason for that is that they were being bombed at the same time they were sitting down trying to have a conversation about a political future. So we know that this is a key component in terms of achieving any success on the political front, and I suspect that the Secretary will spend quite a bit of time in his discussions in Moscow on that issue.

QUESTION: Then just quickly on Iraq, as the forces – a new set of U.S. troops are bound to go in and they just recaptured a major base near Mosul. Can you talk a little bit about kind of the Iraqi Government's vision for Mosul and kind of – not necessarily a timeline, but how important politically is that for the Iraqi Government under Abadi?

MR KIRBY: Well, I'm loath to talk for another government. But I mean, broadly speaking, we all know how important Mosul is, and we've known that for quite some time. And there is an Iraqi strategy; there is a campaign plan to retake Mosul. It's their plan. Obviously, the United States and coalition members will support as necessary; but it's their plan, it's their strategy, and they have to speak for it and they have to execute it. And I think as you heard Secretary Carter speak to today out in Baghdad, that these additional troops in part will help with logistical needs and logistical capabilities in terms of supporting any future advances on Mosul. And the capture of Qayyarah – the base in Qayyarah, which is 40, 50 miles south of Mosul – that's an important step in the continued progress to retake Mosul.

To restate your question, I certainly wouldn't speculate from here one way or another when that would happen or the manner in which it would begin specifically in terms of Mosul proper. But we've said all along and for many months now that shaping operations have already occurred in terms of trying to soften up Daesh positions around Mosul. So this has been a continuing process, this has been a continued focus of the coalition and of the Iraqi Government, and we're going to continue to look for ways to support them in their efforts to retake Mosul.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Thank you, John. I got Turkey-related questions today for --

MR KIRBY: I'm shocked.

QUESTION: First from --

MR KIRBY: Totally shocked.

QUESTION: First one Syria, Syria/Turkey. Today, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stated that there are actually not many reasons for Turkey to fight with Syria; on the opposite, actually there are many reasons for Turkey to have good relations with Syria, which – assuming he intends to say Syrian regime. How do you see these signs coming from Ankara that may be another rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus?

MR KIRBY: Well, I'll let Turkish officials speak to those comments. I mean, I've seen them, but they should have to characterize those comments. What I will say is Turkey is a NATO ally, Turkey's a key partner in the coalition, Turkey has been cooperative and helpful with respect to going after Daesh inside Syria materially and in many other ways. They also continue to have a very tough refugee problem on their side of the border – more than 2 million that they are caring for and have done so nobly. And I would add that they are – they continue to make efforts to shut down the flow of foreign fighters across their borders. So Turkey's engaged. Turkey's involved. This isn't – as I said, it's not a theoretical exercise for them. It's real and it's right on their border.

So we would look, for our part, for that cooperation to continue. We would look for Turkey to continue to contribute to coalition efforts. And we are in constant communication with Turkish officials about how to better effect that kind of coordination and how to better make those improvements and how to improve the way that together we're all going against a common enemy.

QUESTION: Over the weekend, there was a news that one of the PKK leaders got hit in northern Syria, which is within the Syrian part of the – Kurdish part of Syria. Have you had any kind of confirmation on that? Bahoz Erdal is the name of the PKK leader.

MR KIRBY: I do not.

QUESTION: Okay, one within Turkey. Just today, Human Rights Watch released a report and saying that Turkey is blocking investigations demand from UN – United Nations official of High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as from the human rights groups into the displacements and the unlawful killings of civilians. These are the alleged abuses that are made by this – the Turkish Government within the last months, which the people could number about half a million Kurds within Turkey forced to leave their places. Do you have any comment on that one?

MR KIRBY: We're only just now aware of this human rights report. We're working our way through it. I don't have specific opinions to render on any of these findings. Obviously, these are serious issues. These raise serious concerns. But until we've had a chance to go through the Human Rights Watch report it would be, I think, imprudent for me to comment one way or another with respect to the findings.

Obviously, broadly speaking, we take all allegations of mistreatment of refugees or innocent civilians very, very seriously. And to the degree any such charges are true, we'd like to see them fully investigated, fully and transparently investigated, and those responsible be held to account. But that's broadly speaking. I don't have specific things to address with this particular report.

QUESTION: A final one. These allegations about --

MR KIRBY: Are you sure? (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Yes.

MR KIRBY: Okay.

QUESTION: These allegations about the treatment of the Turkish Government in the southeast of Turkey have been going on for months, since last summer, and these questions have been asked to you many, many times.

MR KIRBY: As I said, we take these kinds of allegations very, very seriously. Nobody wants to see those things occur. And we continue to urge Turkey to fully investigate and to examine these. But you asked me a specific question about a report that just got issued, and we're still working our way through that. But again, broadly speaking, we take this very, very seriously.

Yeah, in the back there.

QUESTION: Thank you. Kevin (inaudible), South Africa Broadcasting. I was just wondering if you had any official comment on the charges that were brought by South African authorities involving a plot to attack the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria.

MR KIRBY: So a couple of thoughts on that. First of all, we applaud the work of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, I guess otherwise known as the Hawks, in making these arrests. And we have full confidence in the South African judicial system to handle this case according to internationally accepted best practices for terrorism cases. I would refer you to South African authorities for more details on their arrests.

QUESTION: Just one more. In light of this event, these suspects, they're not only looking to attack the U.S. embassy but also to head to Syria to join ISIS. Are you concerned about the security level and measures in southern Africa at the moment, especially in light of the safety of U.S. citizens?

MR KIRBY: Well, we're always concerned about the safety and security of our personnel and our facilities and American citizens overseas. I can tell you that we regularly engage South African authorities with respect to that. As you know, we've issued security messages in the past. We'll continue to do that as needed. And this is something we're constantly monitoring and we're constantly working with South African authorities on it. But in general, of course, we're always concerned about that.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Is there any comment on Theresa May, who is poised to become the next prime minister of Britain?

MR KIRBY: We look forward, as I said before, to working with ever – whoever the next prime minister of Great Britain is. But obviously, that decision is up to the British people.

Yeah.

QUESTION: The New York Times reported about two hours ago that Indian authorities in Kashmir have killed about 30 people. Is there any condemnation from the State Department with regard to this? These people have been killed in the last three days and the numbers continue to rise.

MR KIRBY: Yeah. We also have seen reports of the clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir. Obviously, we're concerned about the violence. We encourage all sides to make efforts towards finding a peaceful resolution. This is really a matter for the Government of India to speak to specifically, and I'd refer you to them for more comment.

QUESTION: One more thing. A few months ago, I had asked you about the Durand Line issue, and you had said that the U.S. recognized Durand Line as a permanent border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And then a few weeks ago there were the skirmishes between the Pakistani forces and the Afghan forces and you gave a statement about that as well. But then there are formal ambassadors of U.S., such as Zalmay Khalilzad – he mentions in his book that the Durand Line is a disputed territory. Does the U.S. --

MR KIRBY: I'm not going to re-draw the map today between Afghanistan and Pakistan. I don't have anything additional to add to what we've said here.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR KIRBY: But, look, broadly speaking, I'm not going to get into a topographical discussion with you today. We understand that the border region is still a safe haven for many terrorist groups. That's point one.

Point two: We understand that the governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan know this themselves and have made efforts in the past to work together to try to address that threat. That's point two.

Point three: We understand that that effort also has not always gone smoothly, and we continue to urge those two governments to work together along that spine to eliminate the safe haven that so many groups there still enjoy, because those groups are targeting both Afghan and Pakistani civilians – innocent people that continue to die and be maimed by these groups. So there's a shared interest there, and that's what we're focused on. And we're not focused on lines on the map; we're focused on lines of effort to go after these groups by both governments. Okay?

QUESTION: Can I just move from the Durand Line to Broadway? (Laughter.) Secretary of State Kerry left the NATO Summit earlier than his – than the President or Secretary Carter or indeed Secretary Nuland, and many of the other principles from other NATO allies, and then on Saturday night he attended a production of Hamilton on Broadway. Did he leave early to go to the theater?

MR KIRBY: Well, a couple of things on this, Dave. I think, number one, it's important to note that he had a very full schedule, very comprehensive agenda in Warsaw – actually the entire week, but certainly at Warsaw.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR KIRBY: And he completed all his commitments at the Warsaw Summit before departing, each and every one of them, and no event that happened the day following involved leaders at the foreign minister level. It was a heads of state day, basically, of topics. So he worked very hard in Warsaw. He completed all the meetings and discussions that he had intended to complete, but yes, he did depart before the President, and he departed because he had committed to attend the wedding of the son of a very dear, close, personal friend of his back in New England. That is the reason why he left Warsaw a little early. But again, I would stress that even if he had stayed, he would have already completed his entire agenda. So I think press reporting and speculation out there that he left Warsaw to attend a play is just patently false.

QUESTION: But the play didn't appear on his public schedule.

MR KIRBY: He did go to the musical on Saturday night. That is a fact. He did, as a private endeavor, something that he wanted to do with his daughter. So he did attend. But that had nothing to do with his Warsaw agenda whatsoever and it had no effect whatsoever on the work that he was able to get done in Warsaw.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Can we go to Secretary Clinton's email server? Has the State Department started the process of reviewing the security clearances of former Secretary of State Clinton's aides?

MR KIRBY: There's, I think, a little bit of a flaw in your question. The internal review that we are going to conduct is not about reviewing security clearances. It's about reviewing the specific handling of sensitive and classified information, as we said we would a few months ago. So we're now going to start that effort now that the FBI has completed their investigation. There are and could be administrative outcomes as a result of this review, but I'm not going to prejudge that or get ahead of it.

We are still – as I talked about Friday, we are still organizing the effort in terms of scope and character, and I just don't have an update for you today on that.

QUESTION: I'm sure you're aware that today, in addition to the proposed legislation from the Senate, some members of Congress have also – of the House have also introduced legislation to revoke the security clearances of Clinton's aides. I know you just mentioned that there could be administrative actions, but is the State Department looking at similar actions like the legislation that they're proposing?

MR KIRBY: Well, again, that question gets to the review itself, which hasn't begun. I mean, we're still organizing the effort. And the review will be – it's all about looking at the degree to which information was classified at the time it was sent and then the handling of it.

As a result of this, as I said before, there are numerous administrative outcomes that could occur and some of those outcomes could affect security clearances, but again, I don't want to speculate because we haven't begun the work. So – and I'm certainly not going to talk about proposed legislation. I'm aware of it but I'm not going to – that's for members of Congress to speak to. Our focus, and where Secretary Kerry wants the State Department focus, is on conducting this review in an efficient, effective, as expeditious as possible manner. And when we get to the end and we can share information with you, we will. We'll try to be as transparent as possible, but as I also said last week, there's going to be some legal restraints, most likely, on the level of specificity that we can go into because this is an administrative, not a criminal, process. Okay?

QUESTION: Do you know of a situation where a State Department employee or a DOD employee has kept their security clearance if they were exercising extreme carelessness in handling classified information?

MR KIRBY: What I can tell you is we take the handling of classified and sensitive information very seriously here. You've heard me say that even in recent days. It's something that we're always trying to improve. We're certainly open to ideas and efforts to do just that. I don't have the litany of history here in front of me in terms of the degree to which people have been impacted in that way as a result of not handling things well. But again, we're not going to prejudge outcomes here. We're going to do this review fairly and efficiently and effectively, we're going to focus on doing it the right way, and then we'll let what is learned guide decisions and recommendations going forward. I'm just not going to get ahead of that.

Okay. Thanks, everybody. Have a great day.

(The briefing was concluded at 3:00 p.m.)

DPB # 121