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Daily Press Briefing

John Kirby
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
November 28, 2016

TRANSCRIPT:

1:12 p.m. EST

MR KIRBY: Hello everybody. Everybody have a good Thanksgiving? Yeah?

QUESTION: Yeah.

MR KIRBY: All right. I just got something at the top here, and then we'll go – this morning I think you may have seen our note on Washington-based ambassadors and senior diplomatic representatives from the 68-member Global Coalition to Counter ISIL gathered at the Department of State to review the status of our global campaign to defeat this terrorist organization and to discuss next steps.

Coalition members noted the close coordination between our military, intelligence, law enforcement communities, which has resulted in a significant degradation to Daesh's global network. They also reviewed operations underway to liberate Mosul in Iraq and to isolate Raqqa in Syria, and we're encouraged by the progress that has been made to date while also maximizing the effort to protect civilian life. Coalition partners reviewed several key indicators that have been useful for measuring our progress in defeating Daesh's network, to include territory gained and lost, access to foreign terrorist fighters, access to revenue, access to borders, leadership attrition, media and propaganda output, and global cohesion.

Thanks to the efforts from our global coalition, all of these indicators are now trending in a positive direction. And I would refer to the Media Note, again, that we released, for further details on each of these.

We are, as we've said many times, making significant progress against this terrorist group, but we also acknowledge that this is going to be a long-term fight. It's going to require constant international cooperation and pressure and the application of maximum pressure indeed to sustain the momentum achieved to date.

At today's meeting, coalition members underscored our shared commitment to remain resolute and on the offense across all lines of effort until our mission is complete. And to remind, not all those lines of effort are military. Those are the ones that get the headlines, but that's not the sum total of everything we're doing against Daesh.

So with that, we'll let you start, Dave.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Parallel to that, the other crisis in Syria – can you give us an update on the status of talks in Geneva with your multilateral partners on the Syrian civil war?

MR KIRBY: They still are ongoing. The multilateral effort, the teams, are still discussing ways to get at a framework for cessation of – a cessation of hostilities, pardon me. I don't have a specific readout to give you as we've sort of avoided doing that day by day. But the talks are ongoing, and again, we wouldn't be there and we wouldn't be participating in them if we didn't think there was a reason to do so.

QUESTION: As they continue, a good chunk of formerly rebel-held eastern Aleppo --

MR KIRBY: Yeah, sure.

QUESTION: -- has fallen to regime forces. Is that something that you've brought up with your Russian partners in these talks?

MR KIRBY: We haven't missed an opportunity to continue to raise our deep concerns – indeed outrage – at the continued bombing and siege of Aleppo, and we'll continue to do that in every forum and every – through every venue that we have available to us.

QUESTION: And is it your understanding that Russia is an active participant in the assault on eastern Aleppo --

MR KIRBY: Well, again, I'm not going to get into --

QUESTION: -- specifically in Aleppo?

MR KIRBY: -- I'm not going to get into an order of battle here, as I've said. The – what I will say, and we've said before, is that Russia has considerable influence over Assad; and when they have shown in the past that they're willing to use that influence for a positive outcome, it makes a difference. And what we've continued to assert is that Russia bears the ultimate responsibility here for what the Syria regime is doing – and being permitted to do – in terms of the devastating civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, to include hospitals in and around Aleppo. And we've made that clear time and time again.

But in terms of whose aircraft is flying and all that, I don't have that kind of information and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to deliver it from this podium in any event. But clearly, tactical aircraft continue to bomb neighborhoods in Aleppo. Clearly, there still is shelling. Hospitals now are all but shut down. I saw a statistic this morning that for the roughly 120,000 children that we estimate, the UN – excuse me – estimates is in Aleppo, there's two pediatricians. Now, unfortunately, many of the casualties that are being suffered by children don't necessarily need pediatric care, but it just goes to the point that medical professionals are increasingly at a loss to take care of just basic health necessities there in Aleppo. And I saw a quote from a resident of Aleppo that their concerns are now beyond just food and water; it's the slaughter. And slaughter was the word that this individual used.

QUESTION: Well, I don't have any more on Syria, so --

QUESTION: Could I? Please? Syria?

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: Syria?

QUESTION: No.

QUESTION: Okay. Could we stay on Syria?

MR KIRBY: Sure.

QUESTION: Now, you're saying "the slaughter," right?

MR KIRBY: I didn't say that. I said --

QUESTION: No, you said --

MR KIRBY: I said a resident of Aleppo --

QUESTION: You said that a resident --

MR KIRBY: -- referred to the fact that --

QUESTION: Well, do you believe statements that speak of slaughter now --

MR KIRBY: Look, we have – we've talked about atrocities. We've talked about the utter disregard for civilian life. And yes, I think by any stretch if you just look at what's been happening on there, innocent people are being slaughtered in Aleppo.

QUESTION: Is there any way to have some sort of figures on what's going on, the death ratio or the slaughter ratio that is ongoing in Aleppo?

MR KIRBY: Said, you can go online and look at these reputable aid organizations that are keeping track as best they can, and they'll tell you that literally thousands of people in Aleppo are being affected – killed, wounded, and affected on any given day.

QUESTION: Okay. Now, considering the fact that – in the portions of Aleppo which are the larger portions of Aleppo that are under government control, what, about a million and a half people where life goes on semi-normally and so on, wouldn't it be better once the government or government forces regain control over eastern Aleppo that they can provide those kind of services that have been denied them in the past?

MR KIRBY: Government forces?

QUESTION: Yes. Syrian Government forces.

MR KIRBY: Syrian Government forces providing services to the people of Aleppo?

QUESTION: Are they not doing that in western Aleppo, which is the larger portion of Aleppo?

MR KIRBY: The only thing that I've seen the Syrian Government prove willing to do in Aleppo is kill innocent people, destroy infrastructure, and try to reduce the city to rubble. I'm not aware – and look, I'm not on the ground, but I'm not aware that they're bringing in baskets of food and water and restoring electricity and trying to bring life back to normal in Aleppo. I've seen absolutely zero evidence, and I don't think you have either.

QUESTION: Have you gathered or have you been able to gather any kind of information on how things are going or what is the situation in western Aleppo under government control in terms of --

MR KIRBY: I don't --

QUESTION: -- schools and hospitals and things like --

MR KIRBY: I'm not capable of breaking it down by neighborhood here. Again, every bit of information we get – and we get it from a lot of different places – continues to tell a story of a city under siege, a dwindling population that is increasingly being killed by its own government with the support of backers of that government to include Russia. And again, you don't have to look any further than going online or looking at television coverage to see what's going on there, and it's been going on steadily now day after day after day.

QUESTION: I have a couple more. Now, there were – there was all kinds of analyses and so on saying that Secretary Kerry is doing a – running against the clock to bring about some sort of an end to the siege. Could you share with us some of that or could you tell us or enlighten us on this issue?

MR KIRBY: Well, what I can tell you is that the Secretary continues to try to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria, which has to begin with a cessation of hostilities and has to be accompanied by humanitarian aid, and he's doing that with the same sense of urgency that he has been doing that now for – since he's been in office.

And yes, of course, Said, he's mindful of the calendar and he's mindful of the fact that a new administration will be coming into office here at the end of January. But to suggest that he's running out the clock or that for – that there's some sort of frantic or frenetic, last-ditch efforts here in the remaining weeks that he has in office just simply doesn't comport with the facts. The Secretary has always had a sense of urgency about trying to solve the conflict in Syria through a political solution, and since Aleppo has come under siege now for the last several months, it has always been something on his mind. It has always been something that he has raised with Foreign Minister Lavrov and with other foreign ministers of involved nations and with the ISSG. I mean, this is – I can assure you that the pressure he's applying, that the effort that he's expending, is at the same level as it has always been, and that is pretty much full tilt.

QUESTION: On this subject?

MR KIRBY: Yeah, go ahead.

QUESTION: They're having quite a few phone calls between Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov in the past few weeks, and we know very little about – the public knows very little about what they were about. And I – my understanding is that Secretary Kerry has been trying to stop the operations to retake eastern Aleppo. How does he offer to do that? Have they discussed any possible deal?

MR KIRBY: So a couple things on your question. First of all, this reporting out of Moscow that there's been some sort of flurry of phone activity is just not true. The last conversation that he had with Foreign Minister Lavrov was on Tuesday and we pretty much – and the Russians read them out almost immediately after they're done and then we confirm them. And I think if you go back – and you can look – that there's been a consistent level of communication, but this idea that the – that it's unprecedented levels or however it was characterized by some spokesman over in Moscow is just false, okay?

Number two – number two --

QUESTION: There was the same level – the same level of communication?

MR KIRBY: Yeah, same level. Number two, I don't know that I agree with your assertion that the public has little idea about what the conversations include because the Russian side reads them out almost instantaneously as soon as the conversations are over, and then we come and we background you with – or actually provide the context from our perspective. So I think, to both the foreign minister's credit and Secretary Kerry's credit, we've been pretty open about when they speak and what in general they speak about. So I don't think it's been – I know there's been no effort to sort of hide that conversation.

The third point that I'd make to your question is that they had – before we went to a multilateral format, certainly there were bilateral discussions of a very serious, concerted nature with the Russians to try to get to a cessation of hostilities. That failed because the Russians didn't prove willing to meet their commitments, so we went to a multilateral format, which includes Russia. So of course the Secretary's going to continue to have conversations with Foreign Minister Lavrov in the context of those multilateral discussions and that will continue.

So to more specifically answer your question about what the Secretary has proposed, I'm not going to get into the specifics. Those talks in Geneva are ongoing and I haven't yet and I'm not going to start sort of reading out the eaches of every day. But I can tell you that we wouldn't still be involved in this effort – we the United States – if we didn't think it was worth it and if we didn't think that we could potentially get to a meaningful cessation of hostilities that could be sustained. The details of how that would be implemented, again, I think we need to let the discussions continue before we can lay that out.

QUESTION: Just (inaudible)?

MR KIRBY: What I can tell you from our – from the U.S. team's side, we're going to continue to try to establish a framework by which a cessation of hostilities could actually be put in place, maintained, and enforced so that --

QUESTION: A long-term framework?

MR KIRBY: Well, what we – obviously, what we really want, we want one that is enduring across the country. Right now, the focus is very specifically on Aleppo, I think, for good reason. But eventually, we'd like to get one that's nationwide.

QUESTION: So the talks are focused on what's happening right now rather than a long-term planning (inaudible).

MR KIRBY: The multilateral efforts that are being – that are – the multilateral discussions in Geneva are more specifically focused on Aleppo right now.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) right now.

MR KIRBY: Right now in Aleppo, yes, but – but they're done in the context of an effort – an honest effort to try to get something that is around the country and is more enduring. But right now, of course everybody's focused on Aleppo.

QUESTION: Is Secretary Kerry's focus on the humanitarian situation there – or is he also focusing on how to secure the Syrian opposition's hold on eastern Aleppo?

MR KIRBY: His focus is on getting a cessation of hostilities in place, specifically in Aleppo, so that humanitarian aid can get in – none of it has – and so that we can restore the kind of conditions that are conducive to a resumption of political talks between the opposition and the regime, and that's what he's focused on.

QUESTION: So is it only on humanitarian --

MR KIRBY: No, I just said his focus is on getting a cessation of hostilities, to get the violence to stop. And without question, the vast majority of violence is being perpetrated by the regime with its support from backers like Russia. And we want to get that violence to stop, we want to get aid in so that we can get a resumption of political talks.

Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.

QUESTION: So has Secretary Kerry discussed --

MR KIRBY: No, go ahead.

QUESTION: There was a report – unconfirmed report in The Washington Post – I would like to ask it, so --

MR KIRBY: I'll give you one more.

QUESTION: -- Washington Post, yeah, cited an un-named officials who said that there – an arrangement – some kind of an arrangement is being discussed for the opposition to separate from al-Nusrah and for the fighters to leave eastern Aleppo. Can you confirm those reports?

MR KIRBY: No, I'm not going to speak to the claims of anonymous officials. I will tell you that the Russian side has made very clear their concerns about separation of al-Nusrah from other opposition groups, and frankly, we have talked a lot about the need to do that as well. That is a difficult thing. We've talked about that for many months, this marbleization, if you will, of – the marbling of opposition groups with al-Nusrah. We've been very clear with the opposition groups that we have been in communication with and some of our partners are in communication with about the importance of not being collocated with al-Nusrah, not participating in al-Nusrah operations because they are outside the cessation of hostilities. But I'm not going to get into a readout of the details of the kinds of things that are being discussed.

Yeah.

QUESTION: Over the weekend, the Iraqi parliament passed a law making the Hashd al-Shaabi part of the official Iraqi Armed Forces. What's your view on this? Are you concerned it will influence – it will increase Iranian influence in Baghdad?

MR KIRBY: Well, look, let me just talk about a couple of things in here. We think that the passage of this law, like all internal legislation, is an internal Iraqi matter. So I'm going to refer you to the Government of Iraq for details on that. That said, the United States continues to support a sovereign, inclusive, unified, and democratic Iraq that serves the aspirations of all Iraqis, and we continue to support Prime Minister Abadi as he controls, commands, and organizes the campaign to go after Daesh inside the country.

QUESTION: Well, there's concern that's been expressed by both Kurdish and Sunni Arab politicians that the Hashd al-Shaabi will be used as a military force outside of Iraq. Do you have any concerns about that?

MR KIRBY: Well, I think, as I said, we've been clear that we want all forces fighting Daesh in Iraq, all indigenous forces to be under the command and control of the Iraqi Government and Prime Minister Abadi, and we support his efforts to do that. This proposed legislation is certainly in keeping with what Prime Minister Abadi has said is important to him, which is having command and control over all the forces that are fighting Daesh inside the country. So I think – again, I'm not going to speculate about hypothetical outcomes here except to say that we continue to support a sovereign Iraq that has the resources, the organizational capabilities, and the support of the international community to do so in a sovereign way.

Now, I didn't answer your question about Iran. And what I would tell you, though, is that we agree with Prime Minister Abadi's statements on the importance of ensuring that all participants in the fight against Daesh in Iraq are regulated under the control of the Iraqi Government and held to the same accountability standards. We're concerned, for our part, with helping Iraq rid the country of Daesh, and who, as you know, just last week murdered scores of innocent civilians at a rest stop.

So the only other thing I'd say is – and we've said this before – that to the degree anybody is going to assist in the efforts to go after Daesh inside Iraq – now I'm talking about outside Iraqis – we want that to be done in a way that doesn't further inflame sectarian tensions. Okay?

QUESTION: Are you – would you be satisfied that bringing al-Hashd al-Shaabi under the Government of Iraq and under the authority of the Government of Iraq is a safety valve or enough safety valve against interference and the influence of Iran?

MR KIRBY: I don't know if I could possibly answer that question, Said.

QUESTION: Right, but I mean, from past efforts – I mean, if we look at Tikrit where they – basically, they have played a big role in liberating Tikrit and they had – they were a part, let's say, to some excesses or even – maybe even massacres, some say, against the Sunni population, so they were not exactly, at the time – at the time of the liberation of Tikrit, a quite – quite disciplined.

MR KIRBY: So, look, a couple of points on that. I mean, we obviously take any allegations or reports of human rights violations very, very seriously, as does Prime Minister Abadi. And he has said – and he has started investigations on various such reports. And we think that's important to let those investigations go through. And it doesn't matter to us who is reported to have done it. It – those kinds of reports need to be taken seriously and need to be investigated. And if found that individuals or units are guilty of that, then they need to be held accountable for it. But again, I don't want to get too far down the road on this legislation. It's internal Iraqi legislation that they should speak to. But in general, we continue to support all forces in the – of the Iraqi Government that are arrayed against Daesh to be under Iraqi command and control. Okay?

QUESTION: Do you not have concerns that including groups accused of human rights abuses under the control of the Iraqi Government would alienate the Sunni population and sort of leads of the same --

MR KIRBY: No, of course we do. Like I said, we don't want anything – we don't want anybody participating in this fight in a manner that would inflame sectarian tensions any more than they already are a problem. So yes, of course we have concerns about that.

QUESTION: If – and if this law were to be finalized and passed, would – or when it goes into effect, if it goes into effect, does this then affect the kind of assistance that the U.S. can give the Iraqi military?

MR KIRBY: Well, I don't want to speculate here about an outcome we don't know is going to be the case. But we have very strict regulations, very strict laws that we have to obey when it comes to aid and assistance to foreign units – the Leahy law, which I think you're familiar with – and we follow that law scrupulously. And U.S. aid and assistance cannot and will not go to units that have been proven to have participated in human rights violations. We take that very, very seriously. So if you're asking me could that be the case – could units in the future, if they're found to be guilty of human rights violations – Iraqi units, could they be – could be held – aid and assistance suspended due to the Leahy law – the answer is yes, of course. But I'm in no position right now to speculate that this law would lead to that outcome, okay?

QUESTION: I have --

MR KIRBY: We're just going to take it – we'll take – I mean, we're going to take this one step at a time.

QUESTION: I have a Philippines question, so I can --

QUESTION: Wait, a follow-up to that one. At present, the United States does not support militarily – say, with air power – the Hashd al-Shaabi. If they become part – an official part of the Iraqi Armed Forces, would that change?

MR KIRBY: I'm simply not able to speculate about tactical military operations. That's a better question for my colleagues at the Defense Department.

QUESTION: I have a Philippines question. Philippines President Duterte said in a speech today that the United States had threatened to jail him in the International Criminal Court because of his drug war. Is there – has the U.S. made that threat to him or --

MR KIRBY: I'm not aware of any such threat being made, no.

QUESTION: A follow-up to that, then.

MR KIRBY: Sure.

QUESTION: BuzzFeed today reported that the police units in Manila and other parts of the Philippines that are still receiving training and funding from the State Department are engaged in this drug war, including the extrajudicial killing – killings associated with that.

MR KIRBY: Yeah. Let me --

QUESTION: As you mentioned the Leahy law, Senator Leahy has expressed concern as --

MR KIRBY: Yes, of course. So a couple things on that, and I think you've heard us state it before: We remain deeply concerned by reports of extrajudicial killings by or at the behest of government authorities in the Philippines. Historically, State Department-funded training has aimed to transfer the Philippine National Police into a modern, sustainable, democratic police force capable of effectively providing internal security in difficult conditions while, of course, demonstrating respect for democratic principles and human rights.

Since the start of the drug campaign, our law enforcement assistance has been refocused away from narcotics control to supporting maritime security efforts and to providing human rights training to the Philippine National Police. Our assistance programs expand Philippine capacity to conduct effective, lawful investigations and professionalizes the criminal justice system so that it is more accountable, transparent, effective, and just. And just to remind, the United States vigorously vets all units and individuals before providing assistance to the security forces of the Philippines, as we do elsewhere around the world. Okay?

QUESTION: And that change was specifically in response to concerns you have over the way the drug war is being --

MR KIRBY: I would say you've heard us several times from this podium express our concerns about reports of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. And as I said, since the beginning of this counternarcotics campaign, we decided the prudent thing to do was to refocus the way that assistance was being spent.

Yeah.

QUESTION: On Yemen, can you give us an update as to what is the status there after all this talk about a ceasefire and a peace deal? There are reports that the Saudi-led coalition have carried out airstrikes again, killing a number of civilians in Hodeidah. What do you have on that?

MR KIRBY: Well, I would tell you that obviously we continue to support efforts to get a cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We certainly have seen reports in just the last several days of continued strikes and violence. We continue to call upon all sides to cooperate with the UN special envoy and to renew their commitment to a cessation of hostilities as quickly as possible.

QUESTION: Has the Secretary been in contact again with the principals he was talking to --

MR KIRBY: I'm not aware of any follow-on conversations that he has had with the principals. But he continues to have discussions with regional partners about the situation in Yemen and about how to get a cessation of hostilities in place. Yeah.

QUESTION: South Korea?

QUESTION: Cuba?

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: What does State make of obviously these five weeks in continued massive protests, calls for President Park to resign? Obviously, they're a major ally. Are there any concerns in this building about stability either as it relates to our relationship with Seoul or just in the peninsula in general?

MR KIRBY: Well, I mean – so a couple of things here. Obviously, the Republic of Korea remains a steadfast ally, friend, and partner. Nothing is going to change about our commitments to that alliance and to our commitment to the security of the peninsula. Certainly, we have seen the press reporting of the political protests, and I would let the protestors and the Government of Korea speak to that. You know where we stand on the right of peaceful protest and assembly and we continue to support that around the world. People should have the ability to go out and voice their concerns about government. But it doesn't change one iota – our commitment to South Korea, to the government, to the people there, and to making sure that we continue to meet all our alliance commitments.

QUESTION: John? Follow-up. Follow-up on Korea.

MR KIRBY: Go ahead.

QUESTION: Has the State Department spoken to anybody within the South Korean Government about the protests or concerns at all?

MR KIRBY: I don't have any discussions to read out to you. I'm sure our embassy out there is in constant – as they are daily – contact with their counterparts there. But again, the – it's a democracy and that's how democracies work. And people have that right and that ability and they're exercising that right. And I think that's important.

QUESTION: Do you have a reaction to the election of a new parliament in Kuwait on Saturday?

MR KIRBY: In Kuwait. You guys are jumping me all over the place here, man. You got to give me a few seconds to find the right tab. (Laughter.) Jeez wiz. Going from one part of the book to the next.

QUESTION: We can stay on Korea.

MR KIRBY: You want to stay on Korea?

We congratulate Kuwait and its people on a successful holding of a national parliamentary election. Sorry, national parliamentary elections – plural. Kuwait has long been a regional leader with respect to constitutional governance as reflected by Saturday's free and competitive legislative elections.

QUESTION: John?

MR KIRBY: Yeah.

QUESTION: Stay --

QUESTION: Who's going to represent the United States at Fidel Castro's funeral and/or memorial ceremony?

MR KIRBY: I don't – I would refer you to my White House colleagues. As I understand it – as I came out here to the podium – that no decisions had been made yet. Yeah.

QUESTION: Stay close to Kuwait in Bahrain?

MR KIRBY: Okay.

QUESTION: Okay. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is citing numerous violations of human rights in the last 10 days, including the forced – the enforced disappearance and targeting of women and human rights activists, the delay of the Nabeel Rajab trial, arbitrary arrest and so on. All week long, I mean, a whole number of things. So first of all, are you aware – are you calling on the Bahraini Government, your ally, to refrain from these violations?

MR KIRBY: Well, look, I would say, Said, that we're aware of these reports. I think we've certainly made clear consistently our concerns over human rights in Bahrain to Bahraini leaders. That is a concern we routinely make clear. You can go on our website, look at the human rights report, and see where the department sits with respect to Bahrain on this. But it – I don't have anything additional or more specific with respect to these reports. We are aware of them. We routinely make clear our concerns.

QUESTION: Has the Bahraini Government been responsive to your concern?

MR KIRBY: Well, I wouldn't get into sharing details of diplomatic conversations. I would just say that for our part we've been consistent about those concerns and we will continue to do so, as you can with a close friend and partner like Bahrain. And they do remain a close friend and partner. And it is in the spirit of that partnership and friendship and our genuine concern about Bahrain and Bahrain – and the future for the people of Bahrain that we routinely express those concerns. Yeah.

QUESTION: On Russia?

MR KIRBY: Sure.

QUESTION: Last week, EU parliament passed a resolution to counter Russian media, and specifically they called out Sputnik and RT. Are you concerned by this revolution – resolution?

MR KIRBY: I haven't seen that resolution, so I'd have to take that question.

QUESTION: Do you think – it says they're engaging in information warfare, and they even discussed that EU and NATO should develop a strategic communications plan to counter Russian media, including Sputnik and RT. Do you think the United States needs to develop a strategy – first of all, do you think RT --

MR KIRBY: Well, look, I mean, I haven't seen this report and I haven't seen – so I'm at a bit of a loss to comment specifically about it. The concerns about Russian activities in the information environment, their use of propaganda – those are not new concerns, and we share concerns with many other nations about the way Russia tries to use the information environment to its own ends, be they political, social, cultural, or economic. And that is something that we're going to continue to talk about with our allies and with our friends and partners throughout the world, but I don't have a specific reaction to this resolution, because I just haven't seen it.

QUESTION: Do you share concerns about Sputnik and RT?

MR KIRBY: Look, I have made clear time and time again here about our concerns about Russian efforts to manipulate the information environment in a way that serves their narrative and isn't necessarily hewed to the truth and to facts. And I think it doesn't – you can look on my Twitter account and you can see how many times Gayane and I have had disputes here about my perfect willingness to express concerns about the non-editorially independent nature of Russia Today. But I don't have a specific concern with respect to this resolution and what you're saying in terms of the – it calling out specific media outlets.

QUESTION: But not specifically to – in the --

MR KIRBY: And the other thing – let me just – if I could just add, you're here and you're here. We credential you. We allow you to come into the State Department and into this briefing room even though, as I've said, I have some concerns about the editorial independence of some Russian outlets. But you're allowed in here and you will continue to be allowed in here to pose whatever questions you want at me, including ones today like – that I can't answer, because I just don't know about. But I think that's important. I mean, and if you don't mind, I'm just – let me just hit this point again.

QUESTION: Oh, sure.

MR KIRBY: I think it's – that here at the United States State Department, we don't parcel people out like that and we allow you to come in here and ask whatever you want and we do the best we can to provide the information that we can. And there's not too many other places – certainly no other government that I know of – that allows media, no matter where their editorial processes land, to do that. And I'm pretty proud of it.

QUESTION: But you --

QUESTION: Mm-hmm. I've offered you guys to subscribe to the news wire. (Laughter.) But John, John, one other thing: They parallel us --

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR KIRBY: No, no, he – let him finish.

QUESTION: They parallel us with Islamic State propaganda within this resolution. I mean, do you think – are you threatened by our propaganda as much as you are --

MR KIRBY: I'm not threatened by Sputnik. And frankly, we're not threatened by Islamic State propaganda. In fact, one of the things that we've talked about --

QUESTION: Would you put them on the same parallel?

MR KIRBY: Would I put --

QUESTION: Would you put them on the same plane?

MR KIRBY: -- Sputnik on the same level with Islamic State? No --

QUESTION: Propaganda.

MR KIRBY: No, I would not.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR KIRBY: But – and as I said in my opening statement, they talked a lot about Islamic State propaganda efforts in today's meeting with the ambassadors from the members – the coalition members today and the fact that we know empirically that their – I know I'm getting off the topic here a little bit, but Islamic State's – Daesh's efforts to exploit social media are waning and failing and they're struggling. And it's hurting their narrative; it's hurting their morale. We know that for a fact. Okay?

All right. Thanks, everybody. Have a great day. Hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:47 p.m.)

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