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Daily Press Briefing

John Kirby
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
November 2, 2016

Index for Today's Briefing

SYRIA
DEPARTMENT
PHILIPPINES
DEPARTMENT
MIDDLE EAST PEACE
TURKEY
AFGHANISTAN
BRAZIL/HAITI/REGION
VENEZUELA
SYRIA/REGION
RUSSIA
SAUDI ARABIA
IRAN/REGION
BURMA

 

TRANSCRIPT:

2:15 p.m. EDT

MR KIRBY: Hello everybody.

QUESTION: Hello.

MR KIRBY: Just a quick topper here on – if I might, to take advantage of the day, to --

QUESTION: Wednesday?

MR KIRBY: Yes, it's Wednesday. Thank you. Are you sure?

QUESTION: Yeah.

MR KIRBY: Okay.

QUESTION: Pretty sure.

MR KIRBY: Wednesday. Just take advantage of the day here to talk a little bit about Austin Tice. I think you probably saw the Newseum put up a banner today outside the museum to serve as a public reminder of his situation and the – frankly, the very real risks that journalists face all around the world. As a matter of fact, that's a topic of – that the Secretary raised with the Edward R. Murrow fellows that were here today, international journalists that were here. And he talked about that.

But it's noteworthy, and I think given what the Secretary said this morning and given that the banner's up at the Newseum, I felt it incumbent upon me to also note that we continue to remain deeply concerned about Austin's well-being. And that's across our government. And across our government, I can assure you that people are working very hard every day to try to bring him home to his family.

So even though we don't have a lot of information right now, we're going to continue to work with our Czech protecting power in Syria to continue to gain and to glean as much information as we can. And we're obviously going to continue publicly and privately to urge all sides to ensure the safety of journalists that are operating in Syria, and obviously to call on Austin's captors to release him now and return him safely to his loved ones, which is where he belongs.

So with that, we'll start.

QUESTION: Just briefly on that, and then I'm sure we'll return to Syria again – but on Austin Tice: Does that – your statement suggest that there isn't any – there's no new information here? It's still – we're still in the same kind of holding pattern?

MR KIRBY: No, I do not have any additional information.

QUESTION: Okay. Before we go back to Syria, can I just ask, the – my daily email question update?

MR KIRBY: Your daily email --

QUESTION: Well, just, has the FBI gotten in touch with the State Department?

MR KIRBY: Oh, no. No. No.

QUESTION: So to the best of your knowledge, then, this has – this part of whatever is going on with the FBI doesn't have anything to do with the State Department as a building?

MR KIRBY: Well, I mean, aside from the fact that --

QUESTION: That she worked here and that the --

MR KIRBY: -- the email traffic in question could be email traffic that was --

QUESTION: Right.

MR KIRBY: -- sent and received while they were working at the State Department, no, I'm not aware of any other connection, and we're not – this is really just an FBI issue to deal with. We – we're not in close communication with the FBI on this latest effort, and it's really for them to speak to.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR KIRBY: Okay?

QUESTION: Philippines?

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: So I don't know if you will have seen Philippine President Duterte's response to our story about the United States not proceeding with a planned or a possible – a planned sale of 26,000 rifles to the Philippines. Among other things, he has called the people behind the decision not to proceed with the sale fools and, quote, "monkeys."

I know you addressed this to some degree yesterday, and I know that there are limitations on what you can say about --

MR KIRBY: Right.

QUESTION: -- such a pending or potential sale. But it's the last in a long series now of angry statements, critical statements, harsh statements from the Philippine president toward the United States. Do you have any response to his comments on this matter, even if you can't discuss the underlying sale?

MR KIRBY: No, actually, I don't, Arshad. I have seen those comments through press reporting, and again, I would say what we've said so many times before, that that kind of rhetoric is really at odds, and I think the word that I've used before is inexplicably at odds, with the close relationship that we continue to have with not just the Filipino people but the Filipino Government. But I can't account for the sentiments expressed in those comments. All I can do is – and as you rightly noted, I can't comment about potential commercial licenses in advance either – the decisions that affect them. But I – all I can do is reaffirm again how dedicated we are to our bilateral relationship with the Philippines, to our people-to-people ties with the Filipino people, and in fact how seriously we take our commitments from a security perspective through the defense treaty that we share.

QUESTION: And you said that you – you talked about how his remarks were inexplicably at odds with the close relationship that you have, not just --

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- people-to-people, but also with the government. Do you mean the government excluding Mr. Duterte, or would you say that you have --

MR KIRBY: Well, he's the head of state. He's the head of the government, but --

QUESTION: Do you feel like you have a close relationship with him?

MR KIRBY: Absolutely. Well, we have a close relationship with the Government of the Philippines.

QUESTION: Including him, the head of --

MR KIRBY: Well, he's newly elected, and I don't know the depth to which we've had opportunities to engage on a personal level with him. I know Secretary Kerry met with him and came away from that meeting, as he said he did, feeling positive about where things were going to be going with the Philippines. I don't know about our ambassador and the personal relationship that he might have been able to develop in this short period of time, but he is the head of state, and our government-to-government relations are very strong.

QUESTION: But how can you say that you have a close relationship with the government when you can't say that you have a close relationship with the head of state?

MR KIRBY: Well, because the government isn't – doesn't rest – especially in a democracy, it doesn't rest on the shoulders of just one individual. Yes, he's the head of state, but there are many agencies in his government, there are many cabinet officials, there are longstanding relationships that we have nurtured over the years with figures in his government, and those relationships are still there and they're still vibrant.

QUESTION: And last one on this: Do you remain open to – well, two things. One, by saying that the government doesn't rest on the shoulders of one individual, you're – are you trying to suggest that you would try to circumvent him or deal with others or --

MR KIRBY: Not at all.

QUESTION: No. Okay.

MR KIRBY: No, no, no.

QUESTION: And then second --

MR KIRBY: No, I was simply referring to the fact that in a democratic government such as the Philippines, that tasks are delegated to various agencies and that we have relationships with these institutions and agencies. Those are solid. They remain. Obviously, you also need to develop a good working relationship with the head of state. And I can tell you, as I've said before from this podium, we're committed to doing that.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: I want to very – sure, I get that what you're – are you trying to suggest something here?

MR KIRBY: No.

QUESTION: I mean, the head of state determines the foreign policy of the government, much in – in the Philippines as in the United States.

MR KIRBY: That's correct. Right. What's your point?

QUESTION: Well – so – but you're saying that the U.S. – that you've built up relationships with other parts of the government, so it doesn't matter what the president thinks?

MR KIRBY: That's not at all what I said, Matt.

QUESTION: Okay. I thought --

MR KIRBY: And it wasn't at all what I implied. I mean, look, he's the head of state. We recognize he's the duly elected leader of the Philippine Government and we respect that. And we respect the fact that as the head of state, he determines foreign policy. We totally understand. What I was – the point I was trying to make is that there are institutions in the government that we have good relationships with and we're going to try to continue those relationships, as well as try to develop a good working relationship with him himself. That's all I meant.

QUESTION: All right.

MR KIRBY: That's all I meant. Said.

QUESTION: Can we go to the Palestinian-Israeli issue? Can I fill you in on a couple (inaudible?)

QUESTION: Well, can you – could I just go back to emails for one sec?

MR KIRBY: I'm – hang on a second. I'm sure we're not ready to jump into that just yet, Said.

QUESTION: Sure, well, it was – well, okay.

QUESTION: Just before we start on the other – can I just go back to the emails for one second? I'm sorry, because I know Matt asked you a question. Some of the emails of John Podesta's emails that were released today suggest that some people at the – well, they don't suggest, they show that some people at the State Department were communicating with the Clinton campaign about certain statements and taking their cues on certain things that should be in the statements, particularly in relation to some press stories that were about to come out. That the State Department was sending the guidance that was going to go out for your briefings or Jen Psaki's briefings, and also kind of massaging – taking the Clinton campaign's cues for massaging the statements. Can you talk about that?

MR KIRBY: I'm not going to talk about leaked documents and emails that were allegedly stolen.

QUESTION: Well, can you talk about the general idea that people in this building have been --

MR KIRBY: But what I will say is that it's – that there are times and – when in trying to make sure that we're accurate, it's appropriate to reach outside this agency to talk to former officials. That is not unusual, particularly when we're trying to be accurate about something regarding that individual. That is not – that's not uncommon practice. And frankly, Elise, I'd say to a degree, shame on us if we don't do that when it's required, so that we're not getting up here – I'm not getting up here and putting something out that's inaccurate. So – but I'm not going to talk about --

QUESTION: Accuracy is one thing, and making sure that you have all the facts, but working with the Clinton campaign to craft your press guidance does – or quotes that you're sending out to members of the media does seem that that goes beyond trying to determine whether you're accurate.

MR KIRBY: Well, again, I am --

QUESTION: Do you --

MR KIRBY: I'm not going to discuss the specifics of this exchange.

QUESTION: I'm not asking you to, I'm asking you to discuss as a general practice. When dealing with the email issue, is this building coordinating with the Clinton campaign on the messaging quotes, guidance that's coming out of this building?

MR KIRBY: No. No.

Yes. Actually, Said was first. I promised him.

QUESTION: Okay, can I go to the Palestinian-Israeli issue very quickly?

MR KIRBY: Go ahead.

QUESTION: On Monday, there was a group of senior Israeli Government officials, notably the Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, and they were pushing for the total annexation of Ma'ale Adumim, one of the largest settlements in the West Bank – a large part of the West Bank. Do you have any comment on that? Have you seen the report?

MR KIRBY: This is a – you're talking about the deputy prime minister?

QUESTION: Yes.

MR KIRBY: And his remarks? So --

QUESTION: Right, because it's the prime minister himself who is assuming the – not deputy foreign minister, because Mr. Netanyahu is also the foreign minister, so she's the deputy – as deputy foreign minister.

MR KIRBY: Okay, but I just want to make sure I had --

QUESTION: Right.

MR KIRBY: -- the comments right from the right individuals. So I can tell you we're aware of the remarks. I'm not going to, as I said, react to every comment. What I will say is that – and you know this, Said – our policy on settlements is extremely clear. We strongly oppose any unilateral efforts that would prejudge the outcome of negotiations. And as we've also said, this is part of a number of trends highlighted in the Quartet Report that are threatening the two-state solution. These trends also include Palestinian incitement as well. And along those lines, I would just tell you we were deeply concerned by reports yesterday about a Fatah Facebook page praising the Palestinian who shot three Israeli soldiers day before yesterday. And we've raised this issue directly to the Palestinians as well.

QUESTION: I understand, but you are not – I mean, these are really separate issues. The settlements are not connected to the violence. You don't say this is tit for tat --

MR KIRBY: I'm not going to make – I'm not going to get into making connections and what --

QUESTION: You're not --

MR KIRBY: -- what spurs --

QUESTION: No, I just want to understand you properly there.

MR KIRBY: But I wanted to – the reason I put it in there is because, again, we're looking for ways towards a two-state solution.

QUESTION: I understand. You always --

MR KIRBY: These kinds of things, when they happen, pull us farther away from that.

QUESTION: You always make your position very clear on violence and so on and incitement.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: I am talking about the settlements. This is really independent. I don't think this – the violence is related to this statement or this statement is related to the violence. Do you agree?

MR KIRBY: I'm --

QUESTION: I mean by them.

MR KIRBY: I mentioned it today because these are the kinds of things, whether it's rhetoric or actions, that are leading us farther away from a two-state solution. What connects one to the other is for the individuals involved to speak to; I'm not making some broad characterization about that.

QUESTION: I have a couple more if you indulge me – and my colleagues as well. Okay. The Palestinian Authority – no, that's okay. I was just --

MR KIRBY: No, that's – I'm --

QUESTION: -- taken aback a little bit.

MR KIRBY: I'm waiting.

QUESTION: The Palestinian Authority is basically bankrupt because it's not getting any aid from the Saudis; it's not getting any aid from the United Arab Emirates. They're – they claim that they have not received much aid from you guys. Could you shed some light on what kind of aid you're sending them, what – how strapped they are, how they are likely to continue to function?

MR KIRBY: I actually don't --

QUESTION: Okay.

MR KIRBY: I'm not in a position to answer that question, Said. I don't have anything on that.

QUESTION: And finally, I want to ask you, today marked the 99th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. I am sure you're aware of the Balfour Declaration.

MR KIRBY: I am. I studied history in college.

QUESTION: Which basically launched this thing into – began this whole process and so on.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: And I wonder, the Palestinians are going to sort of demand that Britain apologizes for the Balfour Declaration. Will you support them in that effort? Will you support the Palestinians if they go to the UN to say that Britain must apologize for that and must do everything that it can to rectify the wrongs that have been inflicted on the Palestinians as a result?

MR KIRBY: This is the first I've heard that there's an interest in doing that at the UN, Said, so I'm not going to get ahead of proclamations or announcements or proposals that haven't been made yet at the UN. Look, I'll tell you, not that I'm saying history is not important. Believe me, as a history major and still a lover of history, I get the importance of history. But I'll tell you where we're focused is on the future here. And this gets back to your first question about settlement activity. We want to see a path forward to a two-state solution, and the Secretary still believes that that path can be found. But it requires leadership and it requires a forward vision in the leadership there.

So we are very much wanting to look forward here to a meaningful two-state solution, and I think we're a little less interested in proclamations about the past. Not that I'm saying the past isn't important or that we're not a product of history. I am not at all suggesting that. I'm just saying that we are more focused on moving forward.

QUESTION: So okay, recognizing that --

MR KIRBY: I knew something was coming.

QUESTION: -- does the Administration have a position on the Balfour Declaration – good, bad, indifferent?

MR KIRBY: I don't know.

QUESTION: They sent a declaration --

QUESTION: You don't know?

MR KIRBY: I don't know if we've taken a position on the Balfour Declaration or the Treaty of Westphalia or --

QUESTION: I think you think that was good because that established the concept of sovereign immunity.

MR KIRBY: Sovereign states, yeah. I – yes, actually.

QUESTION: How about the Treaty of Worms? That one?

MR KIRBY: I don't know. I don't know.

QUESTION: I --

MR KIRBY: Now, see, if I had actually said that we did have a position on Balfour, then I would expect you to list every other treaty and ask me. But I'm saying we don't have a position on this right now.

QUESTION: How about Versailles? Do you think that was a good thing?

MR KIRBY: Which one? Which one? 1783? We actually like that one a lot. In fact --

QUESTION: All right. I actually have a relevant – a question that's relevant to the previous –

MR KIRBY: Really?

QUESTION: -- the previous question. Earlier --

MR KIRBY: That would be very interesting.

QUESTION: Apparently, earlier today the Jerusalem local planning committee authorized or gave the green light to the construction of 181 new housing units in East Jerusalem.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: I'm just wondering if you have any thoughts about that.

MR KIRBY: We do. We're deeply concerned by those reports that the local planning and construction committee in Jerusalem approved permits for, as you said, 181 housing units and five community center infrastructure projects in Gilo, which is in East Jerusalem. Our policy on settlements, as I said before, is very clear. We strongly oppose settlement activity, which we believe is corrosive to the cause of peace.

These decisions by Israeli authorities are just the latest examples of what appear to be a steady and systemic acceleration of Israeli settlement activity. In just the past few weeks, we have seen reports of an entirely new settlement near Shiloh, a potentially new settlement outpost in the North Jordan Valley, and over 80 Palestinian structures demolished in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As the Quartet report highlighted, these actions risk entrenching a one-state reality and raise serious questions about Israel's ultimate commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.

QUESTION: So does that – well, is there any practical impact of the – of your opposition to these plans?

MR KIRBY: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Is there any practical impact? Is there any consequence?

MR KIRBY: Well, I think --

QUESTION: I mean, the suggestion has been or the fear in Israel has been that the Administration in its final months is preparing to take some kind of --

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- action or make some kind of statement to kind of – I don't know – for lack of a better word, draw a line in the sand where it comes to actions that you say or you believe hurt the environment for negotiations for a two-state solution. Does this bring you any closer to making – not you personally. Does this bring the Administration any closer to making a decision on how to proceed?

MR KIRBY: I think – I mean, I don't think it would be useful to talk about internal discussions that we're having or get ahead of – get ahead of ourselves. What I would just say is right now we are focused on encouraging all sides to demonstrate with policies and actions a genuine commitment to a two-state solution. I think I'll leave it at that.

QUESTION: Are you confirming --

QUESTION: Do you have any comment --

QUESTION: -- that you are actually having – forgive me, Said – actually having internal conversations on whether you might take the --

MR KIRBY: We – I think you – shouldn't surprise anybody that, as an administration, that we routinely talk about the situation in the Middle East and in Israel, and that, obviously, is something I think you know Secretary Kerry's very focused on, so of course we have discussions about this. But I don't want to get ahead of those discussions.

QUESTION: I meant specifically on what Matt was raising, which is the idea of parameters or a speech or --

MR KIRBY: Yeah, I just don't find it useful right now to speculate or talk about hypothetics right now.

QUESTION: The Wall Street Journal claims that the President requested the Secretary of State to prepare something. Are you aware of that?

MR KIRBY: I really – I've answered the question as much as I'm going to today.

Yeah.

QUESTION: On Monday, The Washington Post called on you to deal with issues like human rights and freedom of expression in Turkey in the same way that you deal with those principles elsewhere, like Russia and China. And yesterday the deputy secretary gave a speech that seemed to do just that. Does that speech mark some sort of shift in the U.S. approach toward Turkey along the lines that the Post suggested?

MR KIRBY: No.

QUESTION: Afghanistan?

QUESTION: (Laughter.) Can I get a follow-up question? Does it mark any change at all that --

MR KIRBY: No. I'm not trying to be glib, but we have been nothing but consistent and clear privately and publicly about our concerns over human rights in Turkey, and I think the deputy secretary's speech last night – which, if you haven't looked at it, I recommend; it was quite good – laid all that out.

QUESTION: I have it right here.

MR KIRBY: Oh, I'm sure you looked at it. I was actually speaking to everybody else.

QUESTION: I was there.

MR KIRBY: Were you? Oh, good. All right.

QUESTION: I was actually physically in the room.

QUESTION: Wow.

MR KIRBY: There's the man right there.

QUESTION: Well done, Arshad. (Laughter.) Good for you.

MR KIRBY: So --

QUESTION: I read it this morning.

MR KIRBY: Did you?

QUESTION: Yeah.

MR KIRBY: All right, good. Hands. Hands. Who's read the speech?

QUESTION: I will read it.

MR KIRBY: Doesn't count. All right. So look, we've got three people here that got --

QUESTION: Have you read it?

MR KIRBY: Yes, I did.

QUESTION: Were you there?

MR KIRBY: I wasn't there, but I read it.

QUESTION: Ah-hah.

QUESTION: I win.

MR KIRBY: I knew what he was going to say before he said it, though. (Laughter.) But anyway, look, I'm not trying to be glib.

QUESTION: So did I.

MR KIRBY: I'm not trying to be glib when my – with my answer, but the – I couldn't be more emphatic. No, this isn't a shift; no, we're not reacting to editorials that are written in the media. Everything the deputy secretary conferred last night – I'm sorry – conveyed last night is exactly where we have been as an administration and as a government on what's going on in Turkey.

QUESTION: Well, both The Washington Post and New York Times on successive days – and I'm not suggesting that you were reacting to it, but maybe perhaps there was a reaction within the U.S. establishment to the same sort of events in Turkey and it was just becoming too much. And there was a perception that you were turning a blind eye to egregious human rights abuses in Turkey, because of the need to fight ISIS --

MR KIRBY: Perception by whom?

QUESTION: -- and the need for Incirlik.

MR KIRBY: By whom?

QUESTION: The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Kurdistan 24.

MR KIRBY: Look --

QUESTION: The three pillars of (inaudible). (Laughter.) I'm being serious. I'm not trying to be --

MR KIRBY: Yeah. Look, our concerns over human rights in Turkey and elsewhere are longstanding, and we have been nothing but clear about that privately and publicly, as I've said. It doesn't mean that we don't pay attention to what's being written about or articulated in the media space; of course we do. I mean, I wouldn't be up here every day if we didn't take seriously what all of you do for a living, as well as those who write opinions and editorials. We obviously take that seriously. And we take it seriously when major outlets convey their concerns.

But I will tell you in this case, these are concerns that we have long held ourselves and that have been a – have been pillars of the policy that we have developed with respect to our relationship with Turkey. And nothing that the deputy secretary said last night is a change from how we've been trying to approach this relationship. Okay?

Yeah.

QUESTION: Afghanistan, please.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: There is report from Foreign Policy that the ICC, international court of justice, have a plan or will be starting investigating about war crimes in Afghanistan, including the American service personnel. Do you have any comment about it? Although there is a peace process, so many people would like to participate at the peace process.

MR KIRBY: Yeah, look, I've – I mean, I've seen reports about that. And I'll let the ICC speak for itself. What I will tell you is that, speaking for the United States – and again, I don't – I'm not comfortable talking military things, but I will in this case, because the question's, I think, broader than just a military issue. But no government, no military on Earth takes its responsibilities in the way it conducts war more seriously than we do. And there is an extraordinarily robust judicial system, national judicial system – not even just talking about the military judicial system, but a U.S. national judicial system, which is robust, and energetic, and vibrant, and fair, and open. And we will, going forward, as we have in the past, rely heavily on that system. Okay?

QUESTION: So again, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar also would like to participate at the peace process. Do you know any effected or effort to the peace process --

MR KIRBY: In – who? I'm sorry, I can't --

QUESTION: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar --

QUESTION: Hekmatyar, Hekmatyar.

QUESTION: -- the Islamic leader in Afghan --

MR KIRBY: In the peace process --

QUESTION: -- peace process.

MR KIRBY: -- for Afghanistan?

QUESTION: Yeah. Based off the situation, do you think that peace process is still going to be successful?

MR KIRBY: Well, again, this isn't – this needs to be an Afghan-led process, as we've always said it must be. And that means it's up to Afghan leaders to make key decisions about what that peace process is going to look like going forward. So I – I think I'd leave it there. I'd leave it there.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: This is about Haitians in the border. Do you have any information about the U.S. Government requesting from Brazil to take back the Haitians that are in the border with U.S. and Mexico? Do you have any knowledge that if the Government of the United States requested to the Brazilian Government officially to take them back in Brazil?

MR KIRBY: What I'll tell you is this: That we routinely discuss a wide range of complex and complicated issues with Brazil, because we are committed partners. Irregular migration is one of those issues that we obviously discuss with Brazil on an ongoing basis. We believe it's essential that we work with all of our partners in the hemisphere, including Brazil, to address regional challenges. In fact, back in September, Vice President Biden and President Temer pledged to work together to promote legal and orderly migration, and to advance good governance, security, and prosperity throughout the hemisphere.

And so what I can say is we're going to continue to collaborate with Brazil going forward to help find humane solutions to this very regional challenge. But beyond that, I'm not going to comment on the specifics of our discussions with Brazil.

QUESTION: So when you said you don't want to comment anything at this specific case of these thousand of Haitians that are trying to get into the United States, that are coming from Brazil, are you in any way in contact with the Government of Brazil to take them back?

MR KIRBY: We are in – we are, as I said, in ongoing conversations with Brazil about the challenge of irregular migration in the hemisphere regionally. And we know that it affects Brazil. So we are in regular contact with them about this issue. But I'm just not going to go into the details of that discussion right now.

QUESTION: Can we stay in the --?

QUESTION: What about – is the government, the U.S. Government in any way considering giving them asylum, or receiving them in the United States?

MR KIRBY: Again, sir, you're asking me for a level of detail that I'm simply not going to go into today. I'm sorry.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask about Venezuela and Tom Shannon's visit there. One, is he back, or is he still there?

MR KIRBY: I think he's still there today. Yeah.

QUESTION: Okay. But he met with President Maduro yesterday?

MR KIRBY: He did.

QUESTION: Do you know if he raised the case of Josh Holt, the American who's been in prison down there for a while?

MR KIRBY: Yes, he did. He did.

QUESTION: And?

MR KIRBY: And as before, we call on the Venezuelan Government to respect due process and human rights. He and our embassy have --

QUESTION: "He" meaning?

MR KIRBY: Tom Shannon, I'm sorry, and our embassy have repeatedly raised our concerns about Mr. Holt's health, the conditions of his detention, and his treatment with Venezuelan authorities. So yes, it came up.

QUESTION: And you're still – you're just asking for a speedy trial? You're not calling for his release? What exactly are you asking or demanding from the Venezuelan authorities?

MR KIRBY: Well, I mean, as I said, we call on the government to respect due process and human rights. We've requested that he be seen by a medical professional, and --

QUESTION: Are they denying medical care?

MR KIRBY: -- according to Mr. Holt, he was treated at a hospital on the 17th and the 24th of October. We do plan to send officers to attend his hearing, which is, as I understand it, scheduled for November 8th.

QUESTION: So then they are according due process.

QUESTION: November 8th?

QUESTION: Wait, wait, wait.

QUESTION: I'm not done yet. Go ahead, Elise.

QUESTION: No, but, I mean, it sounds from what you're saying that he asked for medical care and he got it. You're asking for a consular officer to be present at the hearing or trial or whatever, and that's --

MR KIRBY: We're planning to send a consular officer.

QUESTION: And there's no indication that they're not allowed to. I mean --

MR KIRBY: That's right.

QUESTION: -- I understand that you're saying that you'd like to see due process be afforded in this case, but is there any indication that it's not?

MR KIRBY: Again, I'm just – I think I'm going to leave it where I put it --

QUESTION: Well --

MR KIRBY: -- which is that we're going to – we obviously continue to raise his case and we continue to call for respect for due process and human rights.

QUESTION: Well, I mean, there are hundreds of Americans being held in prisons around the world for whatever crimes they're accused of, whatever. The fact that you are raising this case at this high level with such a senior State Department official on --

MR KIRBY: Secretary Kerry raised it in his meeting with President Maduro.

QUESTION: Okay, so what is the problem with this case that demands such high-level attention?

MR KIRBY: I have – I've given you as much information about this as I'm able to do today, but I can assure you that we obviously continue to raise it with Venezuelan authorities, now twice with President Maduro himself.

QUESTION: Well, but again, to suggest – for Secretary Kerry to raise it with the president of a country suggests that there – that you're concerned about either due process being afforded, but from what you just said --

MR KIRBY: Well, we wouldn't – we wouldn't raise our concerns about due process if we didn't feel they were warranted. I --

QUESTION: So what are the concerns about lack of due process?

MR KIRBY: I think I've answered the question as far as I can go today, okay?

QUESTION: My – and I know you won't be able to answer this right now, but perhaps you could take the question. I mean, would you like to see him released? Forget about due – I mean, don't forget about due process. Obviously, that's – wouldn't you like to see – obviously, due process is important, but wouldn't you rather see him just released and returned to his family, sent home?

MR KIRBY: We want to see the Venezuelan authorities exercise due process and observe human rights in this case.

Yeah (inaudible).

QUESTION: All right. Wait a minute. But that does not mean immediately release him?

MR KIRBY: I've responded.

QUESTION: Can we go to Syria?

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: Okay. First of all, are you – the Russians I think said today that the ceasefire or the cessation of hostilities continues for another 13 hours or something like this. Do you have any comment on that?

MR KIRBY: I've seen reports on this. I mean --

QUESTION: But --

MR KIRBY: -- we'll have to see what happens here. We've seen examples of this in the past, but these humanitarian pauses, which are really nothing more than what – that the Russians want to provide an opportunity for people to get out rather than – before they resume the bombing. So we'll see where this goes.

QUESTION: Okay. So that's my next question: Do you expect them to resume the bombing, maybe big-time --

MR KIRBY: I don't know.

QUESTION: -- during the elections? I mean, there are a lot of speculations that the Kuznetsov, whatever, the aircraft carrier, getting close to the --

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- Syrian shores, and so on. Do you expect that we might at least see something like Grozny in '99 or anything like this in Aleppo?

MR KIRBY: Said, I don't know. I couldn't possibly predict the future here. I don't do a good job predicting future U.S. operations.

QUESTION: Right.

MR KIRBY: I certainly am not going to be able to predict future Russian operations. All I can tell you is what we've seen in the past. They do these humanitarian pauses, no aid gets in, the pauses end, and people get bombed again. So we'll see what happens with this one. I don't know.

QUESTION: Are --

MR KIRBY: What I – but I – and also, with the naval deployment, again, we're aware of it. But I'd point you back to what the Secretary said a week or so ago, that if their intention is to just reduce Aleppo to ruins so that they can sort of gain an upper hand in what they perceive might be negotiations in the future, or to bolster the Assad regime, or whatever the reason is, all they're doing is prolonging the war. All they're doing is attracting more extremists. All they're doing is making the opposition want to fight that much harder. All they're doing is delaying for who knows how much longer a peaceful solution and resolution to this civil war. But --

QUESTION: But are you having --

MR KIRBY: -- I don't know that – what their intentions are.

QUESTION: I understand. Are you having conversations with them on this very issue, that – or are you warning them or are you telling them not to do this? I mean, could they take opportunity with the – let's say, with the election happening next week, could they take an opportunity to go ahead and maybe attack Aleppo? Do you feel that way?

MR KIRBY: Well, I couldn't possibly predict the future on that, Said. And as for discussions, they are a party to the multilateral discussions which are still going on in Geneva, and no, I don't have an update today. But those discussions are ongoing and the Russians are a part of that. And I can assure you that the main topic in those discussions is a cessation of hostilities. It's trying to get the violence to stop, which, in no small measure, depends on the Syrian regime and the Russian military from stopping the bombing of Aleppo.

QUESTION: Do they --

QUESTION: Can I have the last question on Austin. I mean, when was the last time that you knew what happened to him or his whereabouts and so on?

MR KIRBY: I don't – I don't – I don't know and --

QUESTION: But you suspect that he's in government hands?

MR KIRBY: I don't – I don't have information to share with you about his whereabouts or his condition. Obviously, we continue to try to gain as much information as possible – information, I don't think it should come as a surprise to you, that it's hard to get on this case – but we're still very, very focused on it.

QUESTION: Can you – you said that the multilateral talks in Geneva are ongoing. Do the multilateral teams there meet every working day?

MR KIRBY: I don't know. I don't know what their battle rhythm is, so I can't say definitely that it's every day or twice a day or three times a day. But the talks are still in play.

QUESTION: Okay. I just – because --

MR KIRBY: But --

QUESTION: -- if one says they're ongoing, it implies that they're meeting on a regular, pretty much daily basis, right?

MR KIRBY: I – I mean, they're ongoing. I can't rule out the possibility that they might not take a break every now and then, maybe even for a day. I don't know. But that doesn't mean that the process has ended or stopped or been truncated.

QUESTION: And any recent conversations between the Secretary and Foreign Minister Lavrov?

MR KIRBY: No, nothing to read out.

QUESTION: Thanks.

MR KIRBY: Abbie.

QUESTION: Do you have any comment on the seeming eviction of Amnesty International from their building in Moscow by the Russian Government?

MR KIRBY: Yeah, this just happened. I – we've only just seen press reports of this. I don't really know a lot about it, Abbie. So I think we're going to have to see how this develops over time before we can react to that. I mean, obviously, we're concerned about it, monitoring it as best we can. But I just don't think we're in a position right now, since this is so fresh, to be able to have an official reaction to that. Okay?

QUESTION: It seems that they sealed off their office so that they couldn't get in. They have all their computers, everything that is inside and so on.

MR KIRBY: Yeah. No, look, again, we're concerned and we're monitoring as best we can. I think it's just too soon for us to know exactly what's going on there.

Yeah.

QUESTION: It's one other, unrelated. This is – I'm just wondering if the Saudi Government has reached out at all about the death of a Saudi student in Wisconsin on Monday during a --

MR KIRBY: I'm not aware that there's – I know about the story, and I know local law enforcement is looking into this. I certainly wouldn't say anything to get involved or ahead of that. I do not know of any direct communication that we've had from the Saudi Government about this. So let me check on that, though, and see.

Okay.

QUESTION: No. I've got two wildly different ones, but they're both – they'll both be brief. First, we have a story today about disagreements between the U.S. and the EU over Mahan Air – this Iranian airline that's linked to the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Are you familiar with this?

MR KIRBY: Yeah. Yes.

QUESTION: What exactly is the State Department doing to try to dissuade European countries from allowing it to fly? And are --

MR KIRBY: To lift their restrictions and sanctions. Is that what you mean?

QUESTION: To prevent them from --

MR KIRBY: Well, these are --

QUESTION: This is a company that still who you could secondary sanctions – sanctions can still apply in this case.

MR KIRBY: Yeah, look, I'm aware of this issue and this apparent decision by the EU. It's really for the EU to articulate and to characterize the rationale for doing this. I can – that's one. Two, I'll just reassert that our sanctions on Mahan Air remain in place, and I know of no intention to change that. And then the third point I'd say is that obviously whatever discussions that we might have with our European colleagues over this, I think we'll keep those private.

QUESTION: Well, and that's fine. Does it not bother you – well, it's not fine, but I'll accept it. Does it not bother you that an airline that's linked to the IRGC and has been linked to supplying President Assad's regime with weapons and equipment is flying freely into major European cities with the EU's --

MR KIRBY: Yes, we are concerned about that, of course.

QUESTION: So what are you doing about it?

MR KIRBY: Again, I think I'd leave our diplomatic discussions with the EU and members of the EU in diplomatic channels and not talk about that publicly. But obviously we're concerned. If we weren't concerned about this, we wouldn't keep in place our sanctions on Mahan Air.

QUESTION: Well, forget about what exactly it is that you're doing. Are you doing anything?

MR KIRBY: I – I think I'm going to leave our diplomatic discussions in diplomatic channels.

QUESTION: If you're concerned, that would suggest that you would actually try to take some action to address your concerns. Are you – without getting into the details --

MR KIRBY: I'll pass your – I'll pass your tip up --

QUESTION: Without getting into the details of what specifically it is you're doing, are you doing anything?

MR KIRBY: We remain engaged with our European partners about all matters related to Iran's provocative activities in support for terrorism. I think those are conversations we obviously routinely have and will continue to have. But beyond that, I don't have anything more to say.

QUESTION: Does that include Mahan Air?

MR KIRBY: As it relates to their support by, through and from the IRGC, of course. But I'm not going to talk about the details of diplomatic discussions.

QUESTION: All right, last one. I understand that your Ambassador Scot Marciel did in fact get to Rakhine state, I guess with the UN mission.

MR KIRBY: He did.

QUESTION: Do you have anything you can share about that?

MR KIRBY: Yeah. As a matter of fact, I do. I just have to find it here.

QUESTION: E for EAP?

MR KIRBY: Yep, you're right, and then B for Burma.

So the ambassador did conduct a two-day visit with an international delegation, including the United Nations resident coordinator and other chiefs of mission, to the – to Rakhine State, excuse me. Visited several villages in the northern part of the state where attacks occurred against police on the 9th of October, and subsequent abuses have been widely reported to have taken place against communities and residents, including the Rohingya.

He and other delegation members met with representatives from local communities in order to learn more about the situation on the ground in those affected areas. The visit was an initial step in what we hope will be a continued assessment of the situation in the area by the government and by the international community.

The ambassador took the opportunity to stress to government officials accompanying the delegation that a thorough investigation into allegations of abuse, protection of all residents, restoration of full humanitarian access are necessary. As I understand it – well, this note says the visit is still underway, but I think it actually might have concluded by now. I have to check on that.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MR KIRBY: Yes, thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 2:58 p.m.)