Daily Press Briefing
John Kirby
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
November 29, 2016
TRANSCRIPT:
2:43 p.m. EST
MR KIRBY: Hi everybody.
QUESTION: Hi.
QUESTION: Hello.
MR KIRBY: Sorry I'm a couple minutes late. A couple things here at the top, if you'll just bear with me. First on the plane crash today with Brazil's athletes. We are obviously deeply saddened by the news of this crash outside Medellin which claimed dozens of lives, including many members of the Brazilian Chapecoense soccer team. We are in communication, of course, with Colombian authorities and will provide assistance as requested, as I'm given to understand the NTSB has been asked for some assistance, and we'll be mobilizing to provide whatever's required.
Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and with all the people of Brazil today as they deal with this very difficult news.
On the Secretary's call list, I want to point out – I think you saw I put out a statement, but I would like to reiterate today that the Secretary spoke with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress Party and New Patriotic Party presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in advance of Ghana's elections on the 7th of December. The Secretary underscored to both candidates the need to ensure a peaceful and fair electoral process and post-election period, including by publicly pledging to reject violence and address any issues through the judicial system and calling on all of their supporters to do exactly the same. He also urged both candidates to attend the December 1st peace summit in Accra. The Secretary cited Ghana's position as a leading democracy in Africa and recognized the long history of close relations between the United States and Ghana. He stressed our desire to continue to advance our shared priorities with whoever prevails in Ghana's election.
Finally, a travel note. The Secretary will be traveling to Rome and Vatican City on the 2nd and 3rd of December – that's later on this week – for bilateral meetings and to participate in the Rome Mediterranean Dialogues. In Rome, the Secretary will meet with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to discuss cooperation on a range of regional and global issues, including Libya, Syria, Iraq, and, of course, the enduring strength of the transatlantic alliance.
At the Rome Mediterranean Dialogues, the Secretary will work with other senior leaders to deepen cooperation on a range of challenges and opportunities across the Mediterranean region, including advancing the dialogues' vision of a positive agenda in areas such as entrepreneurship, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges. In Vatican City, the Secretary will meet with Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to discuss international issues and peace efforts, including the humanitarian situation in Syria, violence in Ukraine, and the ongoing dialogue in Venezuela.
So a busy end of the week for the Secretary. With that, Brad.
QUESTION: Can we start with Syria?
MR KIRBY: Sure.
QUESTION: There's been more attacks in eastern Aleppo, reports of at least 20 people killed. On the other hand, the Syrian Government says it's trying to step up vetting of those fleeing to make sure the people – civilians can pass and extremists can't. What is your take on the situation?
MR KIRBY: Well, broadly speaking, obviously, we continue to decry the violence and the bloodshed in Aleppo and the continued efforts by the Syrian regime to take – to reduce the city to rubble in an effort to retake it. Still no humanitarian aid has gotten in. Still so many civilians are afraid to leave, and afraid to stay – afraid to leave because they could be taken on the road out. And you talked about vetting; I can't speak for the quality of their vetting, but clearly past actions by the regime of civilians trying to leave and the bloodshed that they have suffered, the attacks that they have come under, make them scared to leave; they're scared to stay, because the bombs continue to drop.
So we've seen this – the – these kind of calls before for being able to leave and safe passage that have never – that have not turned out. And yet what we haven't seen is a reduction in the bombing and the violence and any delivery of humanitarian aid – food, water, medicine – to the still thousands and thousands of people that are still desperate for help.
QUESTION: Has there been any progress in either of the tracks of the Geneva talks, either on the aid front, or two, on the Aleppo cessation of hostilities?
MR KIRBY: Sadly, I'm not able to report any tangible progress in those talks. They do continue, and as I said yesterday, we wouldn't still be at the table in this multilateral format if we didn't think it was worth it. But I don't have any progress specifically to report out today.
QUESTION: And then any further interaction or telephone calls between the Secretary and the Russian foreign minister?
MR KIRBY: No, nothing additional. Hasn't spoken to him since Tuesday.
QUESTION: There's been some reports suggesting they might meet soon, perhaps even on this trip to Rome that you spoke about. Is that a possibility?
MR KIRBY: I don't have anything additional on the Secretary's schedule to read out for you when he's in Rome. That's why I kind of detailed as much as I could, that that – those are the things we know about. But I can't rule a potential sideline meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov out. It's certainly possible, but we'll let you know as soon as that firms up – if it firms up.
QUESTION: And then just the last one from me on Syria/Russia. The Pentagon has come out with its report or part of the report on the September 17th incident.
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: Given that it's pretty self-critical – well, it's very self-critical; you guys --
MR KIRBY: Indeed. Indeed it is.
QUESTION: -- made a series of mistakes – has there been any conversation between anyone in this building or in the State Department writ large with someone from Russia or anybody else to indirectly convey anything to Syria?
MR KIRBY: No, not that I'm aware of, Brad. I think you saw this. The Pentagon just really released their findings today. I'm not aware of any contact or communication from the State Department with respect to this particular incident.
QUESTION: Okay.
QUESTION: So --
QUESTION: A couple Syria questions. The Turkish military said that they have lost contact with two of their soldiers in northern Syria. Do you all have any information on that?
MR KIRBY: I'm afraid I don't.
QUESTION: Okay. And then on the issue of just contacts with Russia, aside from Secretary Kerry, have there been any other kind of bilateral contacts, either face to face or otherwise, between U.S. and Russian officials?
MR KIRBY: Not that I'm aware of. Nothing that I'm aware of. And as I said, when it comes to Syria, the suspension of U.S.-Russia bilateral communications specifically with regard to the cessation of hostilities in Syria is still in place. So there wouldn't normally be any such bilateral engagement. That doesn't mean that there isn't – isn't possible to have conversations, and the Secretary continues to do that, but I'm not aware of anything beneath his level bilaterally with Russia with respect to what's going on in Syria.
QUESTION: Can I just follow --
QUESTION: You've expressed concern in the past about uncoordinated Turkish activity in this area. As you understand at the moment, is the Turkish operation in northern Syria in coordination with the coalition against ISIL, or is there – are there still operations going on by your Turkish partners that are not coordinated with your activities?
MR KIRBY: Well, caveating this with the – a very frank admission that I am not privy to Turkish military operations on a day-to-day basis, we continue to be concerned about uncoordinated military activity in that part of Syria. We want activity against Daesh to be coordinated and part of coalition efforts. I'm not aware that any recent activity by Turkish forces fit that mold, but I would strongly urge you to consult with my Defense Department colleagues and with Turkish military officials. I'm just – I'm a bit at a loss because I don't follow their tactical operations day to day.
QUESTION: Yes, just on the Syria situation. So in the absence of direct contact with the Russians, what are you doing? I mean, are you just waiting for eastern Aleppo to come totally under the control of the Syrian regime before you --
MR KIRBY: Said, I mean, I think you know we've talked about this a lot. I --
QUESTION: I mean, I understand your position on Syria, but I'm saying in this period over the next, let's say, week or couple weeks, as most analysts expect that eastern Aleppo will fall completely under the control of Syrian – the Syrian army. What are you doing in the interim, in the – during this period?
MR KIRBY: We continue to engage multilaterally in Geneva to try to get a framework for a cessation of hostilities that can be enforced and sustained, particularly in Aleppo. That is the effort that we continue to pursue, and every day I get up here and I continue to talk about our deep concerns about the actions of the Assad regime and of the support they get from Moscow to do exactly what they're doing. We've said – and I think this is what you're getting at, but let me just restate it for the sake of restating it – that our firm belief is that there has to be a political solution to the civil war in Syria, not a military one. And so if you're asking what additionally we're doing, we're putting as much energy and effort as we can into trying to reach that political solution, trying to get a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian aid so that you can create the conditions for political talks to resume, because that's the right way forward.
And, obviously, the Syrian regime has other ideas and they continue to bomb and to gas and to starve their own people. And what we've said from the very beginning is that all that's going to do, that strategy – a strategy, by the way, which is – which finds – obviously, it finds purchase in Moscow, because they are continuing to back and support the Assad regime – but all it's going to do is attract more extremists to Syria. All it's going to do is prolong – not hasten the end, but prolong the civil conflict in Syria. And therefore, all it's going to do is prolong the bloodshed and the depredations that the Syrian people continue to endure.
QUESTION: If and when the Syrian forces take over eastern Aleppo, most analysts believe that all urban areas will have come under the control of the regime, where you will have massive or huge needs of humanitarian aid and so on. Will you be willing – the United States will be willing to infuse these urban areas, the big areas – Damascus, Homs, Hama, Halab, even Idlib to the north – would you be able to send in direct aid to these cities?
MR KIRBY: Well --
QUESTION: Even if they are under the control of the regime?
MR KIRBY: -- the continued focus on getting aid to the people of Syria, wherever they are – and I know we're focused on Aleppo – is going to be through the UN because that's the right way to do it. The UN's equipped to handle this and they have done it successfully in the past, not often enough, but they have been able to do that. Obviously, you need cooperation from the regime and from their Russian backers to be able to get that aid delivered safely and securely and into the hands of the people that need it. And even when aid has made it to some of these cities and towns, some of the ones you mentioned, we've seen Syrian soldiers at the very last step ripping out medicine and not letting it go forward. So we continue to believe that the UN's the right approach here, that they're the right vehicle to do this, and we're going to continue to support their efforts to try to make that happen.
QUESTION: John?
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: On Syria. France and Britain has called the UN Security Council to meet to discuss Syria and the situation in Aleppo. Have you joined their efforts in the UN?
MR KIRBY: I think we would certainly support, as the Secretary has said many a time, we support good ideas from every corner when it comes to trying to solve the conflict in Syria. So I'm not here and I'm not able to announce any specific U.S. participation in this effort, but we're mindful of the proposal made. We are supportive of the UN taking that up as a matter of discussion, and we'll see where it goes.
QUESTION: Is the Security Council able to do anything, do you think, at this time? Security --
MR KIRBY: I think the Security Council remains focused on this, Michel. I mean --
QUESTION: But with the Russian veto every time --
MR KIRBY: Well, I can't speak for the – Russia's vote here. We're not unmindful of the fact that they sit on the Security Council and that they have a different view of how to move Syria forward – certainly a different view of late, anyway. But that doesn't mean that discussions inside the UN are a bad idea or that we shouldn't still try to consider working through the Security Council to achieve better outcomes. I just don't have anything specific to report out in terms of future.
QUESTION: And one more question for me. France has called for a meeting for Friends of Syria in Paris. Would the U.S. attend this meeting?
MR KIRBY: I don't have anything to announce or to speak to at this point. I've only seen some press reporting of this idea. If that changes, we'll let you know.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR KIRBY: More?
QUESTION: Can we go to the Palestinian-Israeli issue?
MR KIRBY: Are we done on Syria? Are you on Syria?
QUESTION: No. I'm on Yemen.
MR KIRBY: Yemen. Go ahead.
QUESTION: All right. Very quickly, have you seen the op-ed written by former President Jimmy Carter?
MR KIRBY: I have.
QUESTION: Okay. Do you have any comment on his call that you – the steps that must be taken before January 20th is to grant the American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries have already done, and help it to achieve full United Nations membership?
MR KIRBY: Well, obviously, we have great respect for former President Carter and for his tireless efforts to achieve peace while he was in office and certainly in the years following his presidency. He's a great American. Our view hasn't changed that we believe that the preferred path for the Palestinians to achieve statehood is through direct negotiations that will lead to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution.
QUESTION: And how would your recognition contradict negotiations? I mean, couldn't you just say at the primaries, we say we recognize this cause. Because you're always calling for a two-state solution, and pretty much you negotiated for months on end. Basically things are pretty outlined, so to speak, pretty delineated, right?
MR KIRBY: I'm not sure I understand the question.
QUESTION: Okay. The question is that in the U.S. vision there is a concept of what this state should look like, correct, the Palestinian state that you are calling for? It has --
MR KIRBY: We want a two-state solution.
QUESTION: You want a two-state solution. But there is a geography that you have in mind for this – for this Palestinian – the state (inaudible).
MR KIRBY: We have made clear our concern about settlements.
QUESTION: Right. Okay. So – all right. So why not then pursue whatever – what he's suggesting, that you – the principle, you recognize the principle of the Palestinian state and you join the 137 other countries?
MR KIRBY: Again, our position is that recognizing the Palestinian state before negotiated settlements – excuse me – would be premature.
QUESTION: So do you expect negotiations to sort of be – to start up again any time soon?
MR KIRBY: We would – I think, obviously, we would welcome a resumption of the negotiations. We've long said that. But in order to get there, you have to see tangible leadership on both sides to ratchet down the rhetoric and to reduce the violence and to show a willingness to sit down and have discussions about a two-state solution. That hasn't been the case.
QUESTION: It's not expected to happen in the next six weeks, is it?
MR KIRBY: I'm not a fortuneteller.
QUESTION: Okay. I have one last question. I was struck by what the Secretary of State said today in his remarks. He said – I mean, he concluded this four-year effort by saying, quote: You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. Is that the conclusion of the Secretary of State that this has – we give up?
MR KIRBY: I think --
QUESTION: We give up; we are at the end of this process?
MR KIRBY: Yeah, look, I saw your tweet, Said. I think slapping a bumper sticker solution onto what he said grossly overstates what he meant. What he meant was exactly what I just said to you: That we need to see the leadership on both sides take the kinds of actions to realize a two-state solution; to commit to a willingness to sit down and have those kinds of discussions and to effect those kinds of negotiations. And his point was exactly and succinctly right: You can lead the horse to water, but you can't make them drink. You have to – ultimately – and we've said this time and time again – you have to see leadership exuded and demonstrated there in the region. They have to be willing to get to this two-state solution or it's not going to be sustainable. And I think if you go back and look at the transcript of his remarks, you'll see that he expounded on that thought in exactly – almost exactly those words. Okay.
Yeah.
QUESTION: Can we talk about Georgia?
MR KIRBY: Wait a minute. I've got to – I'm going to stay in the Middle East, if that's okay.
Go ahead.
QUESTION: On Yemen. Secretary of State Kerry said during the Women's Foreign Policy Group that in the days ahead there'll be more progress to announce regarding the solution to the conflicts in Yemen. I wonder, do you have any update on that or any readout from calls between Secretary Kerry and his counterparts in that region? And also, given the UN envoy just came out and said that the formation of a new Houthis government is a new and concerning obstacle to the government. How do we square up?
MR KIRBY: Well, I said the same thing in my statement last night. And obviously, we don't find that action conducive at all to trying to get to the kind of political – negotiated political solution that can matter for the Yemeni people.
Look, I'm not going to get ahead of discussions that are ongoing. The Secretary has been nothing but forthright, privately and publicly, about his desire to get a better future for the Yemeni people – to get the conflict to stop, to reach a political solution, a negotiated political solution, that can bring aid to the Yemeni people, can stop the violence, the bloodshed, and try to move a political process forward there. And he's working it very, very hard, as he is in Libya.
Now in Libya, we have a Government of National Accord that is internationally recognized, but they are still challenged by extremists in Libyan territory, and there's a lot of work to be done there as well to solidify this sitting government. And again, he will, for the – for every day that he remains Secretary of State, continue to work this very hard. I just don't have anything to readout to you or to announce or to speak to specifically with respect to that.
QUESTION: Are you --
QUESTION: Did you – go ahead.
QUESTION: Yeah, are you concerned about actually Yemen breaking up into two? I mean, after all, it was south Yemen and north Yemen and pretty much the lines of demarcation --
MR KIRBY: I think --
QUESTION: -- or fighting are really along these lines.
MR KIRBY: I think what we're concerned about is seeing – getting to a point where the violence can stop, that the aid can get to the – to people in need, and that we can get a political solution found to the conflict that's going on in Yemen. I wouldn't speculate one way or another about potential outcomes there. Obviously, we want to see the nation – the country of Yemen preserved and, more critically, governing institutions that are responsible for and responsive to the Yemeni people established and sustained in a way that the international community can continue to support, obviously, but more critically, they can continue to support or can support the needs of the Yemeni people.
QUESTION: Can I – I mean, since you raised Libya – do you have any information about – there's an area just outside Benghazi called Ganfouda that's been essentially under siege for the last couple months. People can't get out; they can't get any food in, lots of women and children supposedly almost on the brink of starvation.
MR KIRBY: I mean, we're aware of this situation there and elsewhere in Libya. I don't have anything specific with respect to the situation on the ground right now.
QUESTION: Well, the reason I ask is not so much that you control the forces of Mr. Haftar or even anyone else in Libya, but some of the people who are talking about trying to get aid into this area say they can't get in because there are NATO ships also blocking the seaport in the Benghazi area, because of extremism concerns, but that they also can't get any aid in and that would be some --
MR KIRBY: Because NATO ships are off the coast?
QUESTION: Yeah. So they said --
MR KIRBY: You know what, let me take that question, Brad.
QUESTION: So they said --
MR KIRBY: I'm not aware of any blockage by NATO of aid getting in.
QUESTION: Okay.
MR KIRBY: I would find that highly difficult to believe, but --
QUESTION: Or a NATO country perhaps.
MR KIRBY: But I'll check on that. I --
QUESTION: That'd be helpful. Thanks.
MR KIRBY: That's the first – yeah, I just don't have anything on that.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR KIRBY: And I don't want to speculate.
QUESTION: John?
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: On Libya too, General Khalifa Haftar was in Russia today asking for arms to fight extremists in Libya. Do you have any reaction?
MR KIRBY: Yeah. I mean, I've seen press reports on his travel. I'd let him speak to his travel. I'm not going to comment on who he's meeting with or what he's doing, what they're saying. What I can tell you is that the United States remains fully committed to working with Prime Minister al-Sarraj, the Government of National Accord, and the UN special representative. And we're going to continue to work with all of them to strengthen security in Libya and improve the capacity of national military forces to secure the country and to confront Daesh, which continues to have a presence in Libya.
The GNA is Libya's sole legitimate recipient of international security assistance, as the international community made clear in the May 16th Vienna communique on Libya. And all Libyan forces, including General Haftar and the Libyan National Army, should unite under the GNA's civilian command. Now is the time, as we've said many times, for Libya to build a national military force that's capable of securing and defending their citizens and their country.
QUESTION: Based on this, that means you oppose any delivery of arms from Russia to --
MR KIRBY: As I said, the GNA is Libya's sole legitimate recipient of international security assistance.
Okay.
QUESTION: So would it be a breach, in your understanding of current sanctions, if weapons were to be sent to General Haftar?
MR KIRBY: I think I'll leave it where I said it, that they are the sole legitimate international recipient of international security assistance, and I don't think it's useful to speculate beyond that right now.
Yeah.
QUESTION: And do you not consider Haftar as a part of the GNA?
MR KIRBY: The question is: Does – what does General Haftar consider himself to be? We want everybody to be supportive of the GNA. I've said that time and time again, and we continue to make that case.
Yeah, go ahead.
QUESTION: Turkey?
MR KIRBY: Let me go – this gentleman's been waiting.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: After the October elections, the ruling party in Georgia gained a supermajority in legislature. According to the civil society organizations and watchdog groups, now the Georgian Government has overall control of political institutions, judiciary, and the media. And there is a serious imminent danger that the only nationwide independent television station, Rustavi 2, can be taken over by the government proxy. I wonder if you raised this question with Georgian Government officials and if you're concerned on this.
MR KIRBY: Well, what I would say is our understanding is the supreme court is still considering an appeal of the rulings of the appellate and lower courts with respect to transferred ownership of Rustavi 2. We're obviously concerned about the decision's implication for pluralism in Georgia's media space. As we've said in the past, freedom of media, political pluralism, and independence of the judiciary are essential foundations of any democracy and they – and we believe they remain critical to Georgia's successful Euro-Atlantic integration.
QUESTION: Can I just follow up? There were concerns about selective justice and politically motivated prosecutions in Georgia voiced by a number of international organizations. And the U.S. Government itself made several times statement on that, in particular about the arrest of former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava. I was wondering if you still are concerned on this issue and if you're continuing raising those issues with the Georgian Government.
MR KIRBY: We obviously continue to follow these sorts of events very, very closely. They do remain of concern. And without getting into specifics of diplomatic conversations, we continue to voice and raise those concerns through diplomatic channels as appropriate.
QUESTION: Thank you so much.
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: Turkey. In France, investigators have found that Turkey was probably involved in the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris. Are you worried that a NATO member might be involved in assassinations in other NATO capitals?
MR KIRBY: I just haven't seen that report. And I think it would be inappropriate for me to comment on it just hearing it for the first time, so I think I'm going to defer answering until we have some more information about that.
Okay? Yeah.
QUESTION: Thank you, sir. Jahanzaib Ali with ARY News TV. Sir, last month on October 7th, United States released a travel advisory about Pakistan in which the Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all non-essential travel to Pakistan. Sir, what --
MR KIRBY: You don't need to read it to me. I remember. (Laughter.)
QUESTION: So what is the latest situation there? What is your advice to the American citizens right now for the Pakistani, because --
MR KIRBY: Well, my advice would be to get on our website and read our Travel Warnings. They are not indicative of bilateral relations with any country. They're simply a part of our commitment to provide up-to-date – as up-to-date as possible information to U.S. citizens that are traveling or residing abroad. We want them to be able to make informed travel decisions, and that's what this Travel Warning did. I would point out that the warning you're reading from was October 7th, and that was a routine update. And as you well know, we update these things routinely, roughly on a – roughly – six-month basis. It doesn't always come right down to six months, but this was a routine update.
QUESTION: Sir, one of the reason the State Department cited: The sectarian violence remains a serious threat throughout Pakistan, like the religious minorities have been victim of targeted killings and accusations of blasphemy. Sir, do you really think that Pakistan is making any progress in the protection of religious minorities?
MR KIRBY: Look, I think this is a topic of discussion that we routinely have with Pakistani officials. I think, without getting into specifics – and I've said this before – Pakistani leaders know all too well the threats of extremism and terrorism inside their own borders because they've lost too many soldiers, they've lost too many citizens. So of course, we continue to have conversations with them about the extremist threat that resides inside of their own borders.
QUESTION: Pakistani authorities in Islamabad met with the U.S. ambassador and asked him – in fact requested him – for the change in the travel advisory because Pakistan is seeking more American investor in the two big projects – CPEC, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and Gwadar port. Sir, do you really think Americans go to Pakistan for investment in these two big projects?
MR KIRBY: Well, first of all, you're right; they did raise their concerns about the Travel Warning with us. Here's a newsflash: That's not uncommon when these things get issued. And we welcome discussion on that, but we have an obligation to keep Americans informed. And again, I would remind you this was a Travel Warning. It wasn't based on some specific credible threat. It was a routine update to a warning. And it wasn't meant nor is any Travel Warning meant to discourage people from actually traveling or doing legitimate business. That's not the purpose of it at all.
And now, your second question in terms of what it's going to do to American business men and women, I can't possibly predict that. Those are decisions they have to make. But we have an obligation to our own citizens to keep them up to date, and we've done that. But again, I think it's really important for you and for people in Pakistan to understand what a Travel Warning is. It is simply providing, in this case, a routine update of general information so that they can make informed decisions about traveling – not not to go, just to be informed as they go. And Pakistan is not the only country in the world for which we have existing Travel Warnings.
QUESTION: Sir, one last question about Pakistan and India. Sir, during the last couple of months, a dozen of soldiers and civilians killed on both side of the border, then – you know the tensions are there. Sir, is there any kind of recent contact with the Pakistani or Indian authorities about what really is happening and (inaudible)?
MR KIRBY: Well, look, I'm not going to – I'm not going to talk with any detail about the attacks you're speaking of. We're certainly aware of them. As I understand it, one of them may, in fact, be ongoing as you and I speak, so completely inappropriate for me to comment one way or the other as local authorities are dealing with these threats. And in at least one case, investigations are just now beginning. We want to respect that process. And look, we've talked about the threat of extremism there in the region. It affects everybody on both sides. And we continue to want to see dialogue and discussion between India and Pakistan to improve cooperation, to improve communication, and improve shared efforts against a common threat.
Okay?
QUESTION: Can I ask you about Cuba?
MR KIRBY: Yeah.
QUESTION: It seemed that the ambassador-designate, or the acting ambassador --
MR KIRBY: The charge, yeah.
QUESTION: -- charge will go to the funeral along with Deputy National Security Advisor Rhodes. It was described as an unofficial or a not-formal delegation. Can you explain what that means?
MR KIRBY: Well, I don't want to tread too much on White House equities. They get to determine – they make those decisions. But as I understand it, it's based on the fact that Fidel Castro was not head of state. His brother Raul was head of state. And I think it was really based on that and it was also based on, obviously --
QUESTION: Well, what does it mean that it's not an official delegation? Not – not – I mean, you had an official delegation for Peres' funeral. He wasn't head of state.
MR KIRBY: Well, again, I'd refer you to White House protocol for their --
QUESTION: I just – I don't --
MR KIRBY: They made this decision.
QUESTION: Okay.
MR KIRBY: But --
QUESTION: But I just don't know what it means.
MR KIRBY: Yeah, I'm not a protocol expert. I just --
QUESTION: Me either.
MR KIRBY: So I'd have to point you back to --
QUESTION: Okay.
MR KIRBY: I mean, I'm not a Turkish military expert. I'm not a protocol expert.
QUESTION: Yeah. I thought that was a diplomacy thing because it's U.S. vis-a-vis a foreign government.
MR KIRBY: Well, I mean, I suppose there's a diplomatic component to it. I'm just not smart enough to know the difference between an official and an unofficial. I just would point you back to what the White House said, but obviously, look, it's – he wasn't a head of state and there's a history there in terms of his conduct and character as a leader that obviously factors into these kinds of decisions.
QUESTION: I understand that can – well, I'm not going to belabor it, but I understand that's why you would say it's not official. I just don't know what in practical terms it means. Did they not – I mean, they're not going at their own expense, they're still taking taxpayer money to get there,
MR KIRBY: Well, the charge doesn't --
QUESTION: They still represent the United --
MR KIRBY: The charge – he's already there, so --
QUESTION: They still represent the United States while they're there.
MR KIRBY: Oh, yes.
QUESTION: They're not wearing Hawaiian shorts and t-shirts, so they're dressed appropriately.
MR KIRBY: I can call Jeff --
QUESTION: So I don't know what it means.
MR KIRBY: I'll call Jeff and ask what he's wearing --
QUESTION: That's the problem.
MR KIRBY: But I --
QUESTION: It sounds like a way of saying we're there, but we're not really there --
MR KIRBY: Let me --
QUESTION: -- because you're scared of being criticized for being there.
MR KIRBY: Let me see if we can't get you a more specific answer on the terminology.
QUESTION: All right.
MR KIRBY: I'm just not an expert on delegation protocol and I wouldn't begin to try to guess here.
Okay. Thanks, everybody.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR KIRBY: Have a great day.
QUESTION: Do you have one on South Korea to start --
MR KIRBY: Why don't we just take it in – take it when you come up? Thanks.
(The briefing was concluded at 3:16 p.m.)
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