Speaker 1 (00:00):
Things set up here. Okay, so let's start with Syria?
Matt (00:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
What's the situation in terms of you guys getting people back into Damascus?
Matt (00:17):
I don't have any new announcements to make today. I think, as you heard me say yesterday, it's something we continue to look at. We don't have any US personnel on the ground in Syria right now, outside of course, of the coalition forces that have been on the ground for some time predating the fall of Assad. But we don't have any other personnel there at this point. We continue to assess the situation, continue to consider when might be the appropriate time for us to send personnel into Syria to engage in a number of activities, including advancing the principles that the Secretary and other countries endorsed on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Okay, and the embassy compound though is-
Matt (01:00):
It's secure. The embassy compound is secure. I think we talked about, last week, the fact that [inaudible 00:01:04] was our protecting power. They had left at some point. They have returned and resumed their status as our protecting power, and our embassy is secure.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Okay, and in terms of the search, hunt for Austin Tice?
Matt (01:20):
We continue to pursue every lead possible, as you know probably, because there's reporting to this effect. There are a number of groups who are operating on the ground in Syria now, who are combing through former prisons, former detention sites, gathering as much information as possible. They're providing that information to us, and we are chasing down every lead. But I don't have any update.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Okay. Thank you.
Matt (01:46):
Tom?
Tom (01:48):
Stay on Syria. Can you talk a little bit about the role of Turkey? Obviously we were just in the region a few days ago and there were talks with Fidan and Erdoğan, particularly the Wall Street Journal reported about fears that the Turks are amassing forces, and it could be an all-out offensive in some of the Kurdish areas. Could you comment specifically on that, and more broadly, what you're looking for from Turkey right now?
Matt (02:08):
So we continue to engage with Turkey about the situation in northern Syria. As you know, we worked out a ceasefire for the area around Manbij, that ceasefire has been holding. It had expired. It has been extended into the end of this week, and we continue to engage with the SDF, with Turkey about a path forward. As we have said publicly, we do not believe it is in the interest of any party to see increased conflict in Syria. We don't want to see any party take advantage of the current unstable situation to advance their own narrow interest at the expense of the broadened Syrian national interest. And those are conversations we're continuing to have with our Turkish allies.
Tom (02:55):
Just to follow up on that, Kobanî, you mentioned, "In Kobanî specifically," is that a fear that there could be an assault on that area?
Matt (03:02):
So I'm not going to speak to that specifically, but the concern that we have is broader than just Kobanî. The concern we have is to any increase in fighting in Northern Syria at this point. We understand the very legitimate concerns that Turkey has about the terrorist threat that the PKK poses. We understand the very legitimate concerns that Turkey has about the presence of foreign fighters inside Syria. So we were talking to them about those concerns and trying to find a path forward. Ultimately, I can say that what we want to see, and the Secretary has talked about this publicly as well, what we want to see is the establishment of a Syrian national government that encompasses all of the various ethnic groups inside Syria. And at the end of that, you don't have any sub-national militias, any sub-national groups who are carrying arms under their own banner. As part of that, we certainly think it's appropriate to discuss the expulsion of foreign fighters.
Tom (04:03):
So you say you're talking to them about their concerns, and you just outlined what some of those concerns are. I mean, what's the path forward? Is there, do you see some sort of negotiated settlement, some sort of agreement either involving the US, or between HTS and the SDF?
Matt (04:19):
So I don't want to get into it publicly, because this is still a matter of, let's say, fairly intense diplomatic discussions. We were able to negotiate this ceasefire for Manbij, that included the SDF withdrawing to the east of the Euphrates River. We are in conversation with the SDF, and we are in conversation with our allies in Turkey. I should say, our other partners in the region are in conversation with Turkey about this question as well. This is not just a United States-question, and we are trying to work on a path forward that de-escalates tensions. But while we're in the middle of those diplomatic discussions, I don't think I should talk about them publicly. But I also shouldn't understate that this is a challenging issue. It's a very challenging issue. There are longstanding tensions between Turkey and these groups, and so it is not an easy path forward, but it's certainly one that we're pursuing.
Tom (05:17):
Just one more, maybe more the stick or the carrots. I mean, what would be the consequence if Turkey goes ahead with some operation, we saw then 2019? How would the US proceed then?
Matt (05:27):
I'm just not going to deal with hypotheticals at this point. We're in conversation with Turkey about the path forward, and I don't want to get into dealing with an alternative scenario that may or may not occur in the first place.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Can I just put a finer point on it?
Matt (05:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Did the Secretary explicitly warn the Turks not to go into Kobanî when he was there?
Matt (05:44):
I am not going to get into private diplomatic conversations, but of course they discussed the situation in the north in some detail, both in the phone conversations the secretary had with the foreign minister before we traveled to the region last week, and a number of conversations with the foreign minister while we were there. As you know, he saw him not just in Ankara, but again in Aqaba, Jordan on Saturday.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And then more broadly on Syria, Matt, can you give us any more information about communications with HTS? Has there been any more than the few you referenced yesterday? And have they reacted to the principles that were outlaid in Aqaba?
Matt (06:15):
I don't have any further conversations to read out at this point, and I certainly wouldn't want to speak for them in terms of their reaction to the principles that we laid out. I'll say though that when those principles were not principles that were just endorsed by the United States, obviously you saw the secretary outline them first, before we left for the region. But then those were principles that were endorsed by Syria's neighbors, by other countries in the region, and other countries around the world. So we certainly think that they're principles that are not advancing the interest of the United States, are not just advancing the interest of countries in the region. They're principles that outline a path forward for the Syrian people, that call for respect for minority rights, call for respect for the rights of women, call for inclusive governance. And they're the type of principles that we believe are important for HTS to show they're committed to, if they're truly to lead a government that represents all Syrians.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
And then on the search for Austin, is Roger still in Beirut?
Matt (07:16):
He is in Amman today.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And who is he meeting with there?
Matt (07:20):
So without getting into who he's meeting in detail, the answer I gave to Matt's question about how we are talking to groups on the ground. So Roger has a number of connections in the region. I think I've talked about Roger's approach before, and I know you all know Roger well, so I probably don't need to spell it out. But Roger's approach in dealing with these type of situations, is to talk to anyone that has information, to follow any lead that he can, to chase down any potential piece of information and to leave no stone unturned. And that's what Roger Carsons is doing in the region this week.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Well-
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And are there any plans for him to go to Damascus then to chase those leads?
Matt (07:56):
I don't have any to announce today, but as I said yesterday, notwithstanding the fact that we are not on the ground in Damascus now, and you can understand I think some of the considerations we have to take account of before deploying US personnel into a place like Syria, we have obvious security concerns. We have to make sure all of our security concerns are properly accounted for before we could do that. That said, even notwithstanding the lack of US presence in Damascus today, there are a number of groups that we are in contact with that are chasing down these leads for us. The White Helmets are one, there are others who are providing information to us. We have no shortage of resources that we are tapping to get information about the whereabouts of Austin Tice, to run down leads, and to explore information that is provided to us to try and find where he might be.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So you may have just answered that, this question, but I mean, why isn't [inaudible 00:08:56]?
Matt (08:54):
So we-
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Is there some prohibition?
Matt (08:59):
There is no prohibition. We continue to look at when the right time may be to get American personnel into Syria, but when we do that-
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Well, I know, but could you at least-
Matt (09:09):
Hold on, Matt, just let finish? When we do that, we have to make sure that we can do it in a secure way, and that's what we're working through, among other issues that we're working through. But that's one of the primary issues we're working through.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Right, but this will be one guy going in, I mean, with obviously-
Matt (09:22):
An American diplomat who we have to make sure is properly secured.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Fair enough. But is there some prohibition right now?
Matt (09:30):
No, not at all.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
So what is it? You don't think it's safe enough?
Matt (09:37):
We are working through security issues and other considerations. We have to, look, when the United States makes a move like this, it matters. It's something that's watched by the entire world. So we want to make sure we go in at the appropriate time. We want to make sure we do it in a way that's secure. We want to make sure we do it in a way that meets the other missions, that we need to answer when we go into Syria. We're working through all of those issues now.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
All right, so he was in Beirut, now he's in Amman?
Matt (10:06):
Amman.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
And does he, are you aware of any onward travel that he has?
Matt (10:14):
None that I can speak to today.
Tom (10:16):
Can I just quickly just read it back what you said. Manbij specifically, you said that the truce has been extended. Can you give details on how that came about? Is there any time period for which it has been extended?
Matt (10:27):
So it is extended through the end of the week, and we will obviously look to see that ceasefire extended as far as possible into the future. It came about through our ongoing diplomatic work with the SDF and with the government of Turkey. The initial ceasefire that was reached last week was brokered through our diplomatic engagements, and not just here at the State Department, but obviously we have coalition forces that operate inside Syria that have longstanding de-confliction mechanisms in working with the government of Turkey, and working with the SNA to try to make sure that forces, including US forces, aren't put at risk. We continue to work all of those angles to try to calm the situation in northeastern Syria, and prevent the outbreak of further conflict.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
One more on Syria. Any comment on the mass graves that have been recently uncovered?
Matt (11:14):
Yeah, so I mean, when you look at the evidence that is coming out of Syria in the, now, 10 days since the Assad-regime fell, it continues to shock the conscience. I'm referring not just to the mass graves that have been uncovered, but information that we have been gathering inside the United States government, including information that's not yet publicly known. I think the depravity of this regime, which was on display for the world to see over course of this civil war, a regime that was gassing its own people and torturing its own people, we just continue to see more and more evidence pile up of how brutal they were in mistreating, murdering, and torturing their own people.
(12:08)
I can tell you for what we want to see, going forward, when it comes to mass graves, when it comes to detention sites, when it comes to torture sites, are two things, number one, answers and number two, accountability. Answers for the families of those who have been disappeared, those who have been tortured, those who have been killed. And accountability for those who did it. We are engaged with a number of United Nations bodies, including the Independent Institute on Missing Persons, which has expertise in securing mass graves and other sites. So evidence can be gathered, and collected, and properly examined to ensure that the world and the Syrian people do get both answers
Matt (13:00):
There's an Accountability.
(13:02)
Yeah.
Sayeed (13:03):
Very quickly on Syria and then I'll go to the Palestinian issue. The Wall Street Journal reported today that US officials fear that Turkish military buildup signals a preparation for Syrian incursion. Are you concerned that this may be the case?
Matt (13:19):
So, I think I answered that question in response to either Sean or Jenny. I'm happy to answer it again, but it's not going to be a different answer. We continue to have concerns about tensions in Northern Syria and we continue to work, as I was just outlining in my answer to the previous questions, to try and de-escalate tensions and find a path forward that does not further destabilize Syria.
Sayeed (13:43):
Okay. So, I mean, are you talking to the Turks about not doing this? I mean, these appear to be imminent.
Matt (13:51):
Sayeed, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but little days, I literally answered that exact question.
Sayeed (13:57):
That's fine. So, you don't-
Matt (13:58):
I literally answered that last exact question maybe five minutes ago.
Sayeed (14:00):
… Okay, that's fine. So, you don't feel that this is imminent?
Matt (14:02):
What's that?
Sayeed (14:02):
You don't feel this is imminent? The Turkish incursion?
Matt (14:05):
I'm not going to speak to what may or may not happen. I'll tell you that on behalf, that for the United States' part in this, we continue to talk to the government of Turkey and we continue to talk to others in the region about a path forward that de-escalates tensions, not one that escalates them.
Sayeed (14:20):
Okay. Let me move to Gaza. Kirby said there's cautious optimism, some officials saying that about the talks, about the ceasefire talks. Can you share with us any update?
Matt (14:33):
I'm not going to get into any substantive updates. I think cautious optimism is a fair way to characterize it, though very much tempered by realism, tempered by the realism of the past several months where we have been close before, where you have heard us describe this as being inside the 10-yard line, but then finding those last 10 yards are the most difficult because for various reasons, the two parties have not agreed to a final deal. So, here's what I'll say about it. We continue to engage with the mediators. The mediators continue to engage with Hamas and with Israel.
(15:08)
Based on the remaining issues, we should be able to get to an agreement. We should be able to bridge the disagreements between the two parties. But that is not to say that we will, because again, there have been times before where we were close and we thought the differences were bridgeable and ultimately we didn't get a deal. As you've heard me say before, all the United States can do is push and try to come up with compromises, but we cannot dictate to either side what choice they have to make. They have to make those decisions for themselves.
Sayeed (15:40):
All right. Well, the Israeli press, Israel [inaudible 00:15:42] in particular reported that attributed to some Arab official saying that Hamas has basically agreed to all whatever terms that are in the deal or in the negotiated deal. So, if that is the case-
Matt (15:57):
It's not.
Sayeed (15:58):
… what should we know-
Matt (15:59):
Before we get to the end of… That's not the case.
Sayeed (16:03):
… That's not the case? Okay.
Matt (16:03):
That is not the case. No.
Sayeed (16:06):
So, all right. But the Israeli press, so I'm not claiming anything. So, if such a deal goes through, it'll be like a temporary ceasefire, correct? It will not be a permanent ceasefire.
Matt (16:19):
I think you will understand my disinclination to opine on the details of an agreement that has not yet been reached. Should we get an agreement, it'll be public for everyone to see, but I'm not going to talk about what the details are before we get to any such deal.
Sayeed (16:33):
Okay. The fact that the Israeli Prime Minister said that he wants to sort of preside over the negotiations, does that give you maybe a clear view of what might likely to happen?
Matt (16:47):
I don't know what you mean by that, a clear view. We have a… So, I'll say just say, we have a, let me just say…
Sayeed (16:51):
He said that he wants to oversee the talks, which means he has his own, of course, vision of the talks that maybe or maybe not, it may reflect past negotiations or maybe something new.
Matt (17:06):
I'm going to decline to comment on what those comments, which I haven't seen in full mean. I can tell you we take our reading of the talks and where they stand and a possible path forward through our engagement with the parties, where we are in real time going back and forth with the mediators and with the governor of Israel about what the final issues are and what concerns they have and how we might deal with those concerns. So, I don't need to look at a public comment to have an assessment of where the talks stand.
Sayeed (17:31):
Now, on the Palestinian death toll, yesterday we had, last night, 52,000 Palestinians were killed. The day before, the same number. The day before. Now, I asked in this room a number of times that had this become normalized, and if there is such a, there's hope for a negotiated ceasefire, should this stop right now? Would you call on the Israelis to end their bombardment of civilians? A lot of civilians,
Matt (17:57):
We are calling on Israel to reach a ceasefire agreement. That's what we continue to work for. We have not called for them to unilaterally disarm against an enemy that is still committed to the destruction of Israel. We believe there needs to be a negotiated ceasefire that ends this war. We don't believe that Israel should unilaterally end the war while Hamas not only continues to threaten the state of Israel, but still holds citizens of not just Israel, but I will remind you, seven Americans, seven United States citizens that continue to be held hostage in Gaza. So no, we don't support a unilateral disarmament. We support a negotiated ceasefire and we continue to work to try to reach one.
Sayeed (18:30):
But that is not-
Matt (18:31):
One more, Sayeed. I do think I have to go to the rest of the room
Sayeed (18:34):
… That is not a disarmament. They can fight all they want, but they should stop bombing. I mean, bombing from the sky. They're the only ones that have an air force that continue to bomb people. We're not telling, you're not telling them to stop their, let's say, ground troops from doing what they're doing. We're asking you if they could stop aerial bombardment.
Matt (18:55):
So, Hamas, I'm sorry. When it comes to the tactics that Hamas has been pursuing, Hamas continues to, no, they don't have an air force, but they continue to try and launch rockets against Israel. So, I think it's not productive to call on Israel to stand down on any one military tactic. What's appropriate is to try and reach a ceasefire that gets the hostages home and that ultimately alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people.
(19:29)
Yeah. Alex.
Alex (19:30):
Thank you. I have a couple of topics, but before I shift, can I clarify, can you just clarify the HTS topic? You said yesterday that they're committed to help you locate the ties. Have they requested any material support, any intelligence or resources, and what is your level of confidence?
Matt (19:45):
What do you mean, Alex?
Alex (19:47):
It's not resource enough. No. Did they request any help from you?
Matt (19:53):
Any help in what way?
Alex (19:54):
I mean, any resources?
Matt (19:56):
I don't understand. I just don't understand what you mean. What, hold on. Let me just… I don't understand what resources we would provide to search inside Syria, a country where we are not currently operating other than our coalition forces in the eastern part of the country where HTS is in control. So, I don't understand the premise, I think.
Alex (20:12):
Okay. Moving to Russia, Ukraine. Russia today said that they set their 2025 goal to occupy for Ukrainian regions. Can you give us a sort of update on your stated goal of providing congressional approved aid? How many percentage of it have already been materialized and how long do you think they will, the Ukrainians will be able to fight back with those resources before they run out in 2025?
Matt (20:40):
So, we believe that the resources that we have already provided them and that we have, that we are still on track to provide them before the, into the administration, give them the equipment, the material they need to fight through the end of 2025. As it pertains to how much of that is out the door and how much remains, these are obviously Pentagon drawdowns or Pentagon stocks. I'd refer you to them to answer that question.
Alex (21:01):
And on North Korean soldiers, they reports that number of casualties. Given that, are you observing any new, let's say, transfer of North Korean soldiers coming from?
Matt (21:17):
I don't have any new announcements to make today about new North Korean soldiers that have traveled to Russia, but we continue to assess that that's a possibility, but it's not something we've seen as to date. We have, as I said yesterday, seen North Korean soldiers deployed to the front lines in Kursk and we have seen them sustain casualties, both killed in action and wounded.
Alex (21:39):
Thank you. I have two more on South [inaudible 00:21:40], Azerbaijan. There was a trial today. They started basically the hearing, court hearing against [inaudible 00:21:48] radio free Europe reporter. You did address this case previously, a radio free Europe president today called charges against in basis. Do you have any reaction?
Matt (21:57):
We continue to be greatly concerned about that case and call on Azerbaijan to respect the human rights of everyone in the country, and certainly to respect media freedoms.
Alex (22:15):
Thank you. And final, on Georgia, who is the current president of Georgia?
Matt (22:16):
You know who the duly elected president is, Alex. I usually decline to try and answer gotcha questions. I'm going to do so here. Go ahead.
Alex (22:23):
You did say a [inaudible 00:22:24].
Matt (22:23):
Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Thank you very much, Matt. Thank you very much. On November 26, 12 PTI workers were butchered in Islamabad with snipers. Congressman John James has said that this was done by a government. A government does something like this cannot be a legitimate cap. In past, it's been whatever days I have not heard any press release or comment from you about just straight butchering of Pakistani citizens in the capital.
Matt (22:57):
So, I will tell you that we have been always been quite clear and every time you ask me a question about this, I'm quite clear that we want to see human rights and the rule of law respected inside Pakistan. We make that clear publicly. We'll make that clear in our engagements with the government of Pakistan.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Just before walking in here to this briefing, I was informed by my colleague that the ministers in Pakistan just got 900% increase in their salaries. Just a month ago, I asked the finance minister, head of Washington, DC that this is totally unacceptable in a country where there is such poverty where they come to the US and then they beg for money. The leaders are corrupt. Shehbaz Sharif is a non-corrupt. I've been writing about him personally for 25 years, and you then one day calling his niece a milestone late.
Matt (23:57):
I know there's a question in there somewhere. I hope that we will get to it soon.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
So, what's your comment about that?
Matt (24:04):
On the pay?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
Despite US helping a nation in such hard times, these rulers increase their own salaries by 900%.
Matt (24:12):
I think the appropriate pay of government officials inside Pakistan is a question for the people of Pakistan and the government of Pakistan to answer, not a question for the United States. We don't typically pine on the relative pay of government officials anywhere around the world, and that of course will be our policy here as well.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Just last one about journalism and your podium, you being here, we have one Pakistani journalist that was killed. He applied to the US visa and he didn't get it. On the other hand, I heard Secretary at the Foreign Affairs Committee the other day about his legacy, and he was proud of the fact that he brought 100,000, the largest evacuation done, and I totally agree with it, but it was of a military which surrendered in a night, right? They were brought here and congressmen raised questions about their [inaudible 00:25:04]. A journalist applies to a visa to the US Embassy, doesn't get the visa, who's a journalist for 30 years. Your department and your… I really need your support for Pakistani journalists who have been facing challenges.
Matt (25:18):
Let me just say, I, for quite obvious reasons, can't litigate the disposition of any one particular visa from the podium. I obviously don't know anything about that particular case or why a visa was or wasn't granted. We don't typically talk about those matters in public anyway when it comes to individual cases for obvious privacy reasons. I can tell you we are proud of the work that we have done to provide visas to refugees, to dissidents, to journalists, to those who expose corruption all around the world, and those who fight for freedom, those who are fleeing tyranny, and we'll continue to do so. Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Thank you so much, Matt. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (25:56):
Thank you. What political and legal system do you believe
Speaker 6 (26:00):
… if would best ensure the protection of the rights of all ethnic and religious groups in Syria, including the Kurds, your ally, do you consider federalism to be a suitable solution in Syria?
Matt (26:14):
So that's not a decision for the United States to make. That is a decision for the Syrian people to make. One of the things that we have been incredibly clear about, I was going to say since the fall of the Assad regime, but really when you go back to the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2254, the thing that it called for was for the Assad regime to actually deal with the aspirations and demands of the Syrian people. Something that he never did. And it's the chief reason for his downfall today.
(26:52)
And so what we believe is important is that the Syrian people decide the type of government and a constitution, a framework that represents their aspirations, that represents the kind of normal compromises in a give and take that happen in civil society. And so when you see us outline principles, chief among those principles is that the path forward needs to be inclusive of all the Syrian people, that it needs to be transparent, and that it needs to be accountable and ultimately give the Syrian people the right to answer those very legitimate questions.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
Following question, do you continue to support the Kurds as your ally in Syria?
Matt (27:32):
Yes we do.
Tom (27:34):
Can I just go back to Russia and Ukraine?
Matt (27:35):
Yeah.
Tom (27:40):
The killing appears to be an assassination of the chemical weapons chief, General Kirillov. I want to see if … first of all, the Kremlin is saying that Ukrainian allies are to blame for this. Do you have a response specifically to that or more broadly to his killing?
Matt (27:54):
I don't have any assessment on that explosion. I can tell you that the United States was not aware of it in advance and was not involved.
Tom (28:03):
Do you have any view on his killing and was he a legitimate target? Regardless of whether the US was involved.
Matt (28:09):
I don't have an assessment. It's not something that we were involved in. Obviously he was a general who was involved in a number of atrocities. He was involved in the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian military. It's something the United States has publicly assessed before, that the Russian military under a unit under his command has used riot agents in violation of international law on the battlefield. But with respect to this individual incident, I don't have any comment.
Tom (28:40):
Just a very different topic. Could I ask you, you've obviously spoken quite a bit about military aid to Israel. DAWN, the activist group founded by the late Jamal Khashoggi, is announcing a lawsuit saying that the US violating, the administration is violating the Leahy Act, the Leahy laws when it comes to military aid to Israel. I know it's probably a pending case, but do you have anything specifically to say about this?
Matt (29:05):
No, I wasn't aware of that case. But in any event, I defer to the Department of Justice who typically requests that we not comment on cases that they're going to have to respond to in court.
Speaker 7 (29:16):
Thank you so much. Recently, a influential advisor to Dr. Yunus who was portrayed on US soil as the mastermind behind Prime Minister Hasina's downfall, made a controversial social media post advocating for the expansion of Bangladesh territory by annexing part of India, including West Bengal, Tripura and Assam. Such remarks could pose risk to the regional stability in South Asia given the individual close, very close associate with Dr. Yunus, does the US government view this statement with concern and would it consider advising against such rhetoric to support peace and stability in the region?
Matt (30:00):
I will admit I wasn't aware of that comment. I don't know anything about it other than you reading it to me now and I'm going to follow a general rule that when I've not seen a comment and seen its proper context, I'm not inclined to comment on it here.
Speaker 7 (30:11):
Definitely. Thank you so much. And I have another two short question. One is about given the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal ban on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's speeches, which appears to violate constitutional right and suppress of free speech. Your comments on that?
Matt (30:30):
I don't have any comment on that.
Speaker 11 (30:31):
And on the-
Matt (30:33):
Oh, one more. Sure.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
Last question.
Matt (30:33):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 7 (30:34):
Yeah. There are over 30 journalists who are jailed for last over 60 days without even hearing, getting any bail and already Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and many human rights organization already send their petition and letters and also sent by the European Union ambassadors they made to Dr. Yunus. Will you send any statement to get them at least the bail because they are in the jail and they are in [inaudible 00:31:07], actually?
Matt (31:08):
So we have been consistent in dealing with this matter with the government of Bangladesh and that is to make clear to this government of Bangladesh as we made clear to the previous government of Bangladesh that we believe media freedoms ought to be upheld. The freedom of the press ought to be respected and that such cases ought to be dealt with consistent with the rule of law and respect for the press.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Thank you so much. Finally, can I ask on China-
Matt (31:30):
You said last one last time.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
I'm so sorry.
Matt (31:34):
Go ahead. It's almost Christmas. Go ahead.
Speaker 7 (31:38):
Thank you. That's the final. How do you assess the imposition of sanctions and counter-sanctions between nations like China's visa restriction on US personnel and US visa restriction on Chinese individual in terms of their compliance with international law?
Matt (31:57):
I'm not sure how to answer that. Give it to me again.
Speaker 7 (32:00):
That China imposed a visa restriction on US personnel and-
Matt (32:04):
Oh, I see. You're referring to the visa restrictions that they imposed last week. First of all, tell you I'm not aware of who they imposed those visa restrictions on. It's hard for me to comment on them. I can tell you that it will not deter us at all from taking the appropriate actions to hold China accountable for its concerning behavior across a wide range of areas as we have done since the outset of this administration.
Speaker 7 (32:27):
Thank you so much. Happy holidays.
Matt (32:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (32:29):
My first question. Does the USA still put this 10 million as a prize for Al-Julani or it's not longer valid? You put a prize for 10 million on Al-Julani. Is it still valid?
Matt (32:43):
It is. It is.
Speaker 8 (32:44):
So if, hypothetically, someone arrested him and give him to the military base in the USA, he or she's going to take the $10 million?
Matt (32:53):
I'm not going to deal with hypotheticals. But the reward that we issued through our Rewards for Justice program is still valid and outstanding.
Speaker 8 (33:03):
Okay.
Speaker 9 (33:04):
Should also make clear that the reward can't be claimed by a government official.
Matt (33:11):
Yeah. Correct.
Speaker 9 (33:12):
So if you send someone in to Syria and he or she meets with Al-Julani, they're not going to get 10 million.
Matt (33:24):
I didn't think the suggestion was … All right, look, when it comes to information about his whereabouts, I think at this point his whereabouts are well known. We don't need reports from government officials.
Speaker 9 (33:32):
Exactly. But I mean no one from the government is going to get the 10-
Matt (33:36):
From our government. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (33:37):
Yeah.
Matt (33:38):
No, I would be surprised if a State Department employee applied for that reward.
Speaker 8 (33:42):
Okay. My second question, like you mentioned to Mr. Saeed about that Hamas hosted seven American so far, like today in this event like DAWN supported Aysenur family to sue Department of the State for not applying Leahy Law, like Mr. Charles Blaha, he's a former director for security and the human rights in Department of States, he mentioned Aysenur case and he said from his expertise that based on this law, if any case like this, like Aysenur, USA should according to the law, to suspend the aid until the final decision. And we saw like Israeli, according to CNN conclusion and many other organizations, they killed Shireen Abu Akleh, the former American Palestinian journalist for Al Jazeera. And now with Aysenur there's a kind of consensus and conclusion from multiple different organization, human rights law, et cetera, they accusing Israel. And they mentioned as well [inaudible 00:34:56] that you haven't ever applied [inaudible 00:34:59], didn't suspend any military aid to Israel-
Matt (35:02):
Hold on one second just because it is taking a while to get to the question. This is all in reference to the lawsuit that was filed that I was asked about earlier?
Speaker 8 (35:07):
No, no. I'm asking like why USA didn't take Aysenur case and Shireen Abu Akleh case seriously and suspended military aid to Israel?
Matt (35:20):
We have taken those cases-
Speaker 8 (35:21):
And they are American.
Matt (35:22):
Let me just … We have taken those cases extremely seriously. If you heard me yesterday when I talked at this podium, I talked at length about our interactions with the government of Israel about most recently the Aysenur Eygi case where we have made clear to them that her death was unacceptable, that it should have been avoided, it should have never happened in the first place, that we want to see the results of their investigation and we want to see them change their rules of engagement.
Speaker 8 (35:43):
Okay. Last question about Syria. What is measurement, not timetable, measurement that should a new authority or like HTS they have to take so USA like remove them from the terrorist group, like the measurement, not just the principles?
Matt (36:00):
Well, the principles show you exactly what we are looking to measure against. And that is an inclusive process moving forward. That is ensuring that Syria is not a base for terrorism and does not pose a threat to its neighbors, it's ensuring that humanitarian aid is allowed into Syria, and it is ensuring that the rights and freedoms of all the Syrian people are respected. We've laid those principles out. I think we've spoken to them pretty clearly.
Speaker 8 (36:28):
One of them is normalizing with Israel or not?
Matt (36:29):
What's that?
Speaker 8 (36:31):
One of the condition is normalizing was Israel?
Matt (36:32):
No, no.
Speaker 8 (36:32):
Is this not a condition?
Matt (36:33):
No. If you just look at the principles, they're pretty well outlined. We talk about the fact that Syria should not pose a threat to its neighbors. Israel is one of its neighbors. So is Lebanon, so is Iraq, so is Jordan. But normalizing relations, no, that's not one of the conditions.
(36:47)
Go ahead in the back.
Speaker 10 (36:48):
Sure. Thank you Matt. The Arakan army has taken control of the Rakhine State and Bangladesh-Burma border. How you're assessing the situation and the fate of the Rohingya refugees?
Matt (37:01):
So we are following this development closely. We remain concerned by the conflict and its potential to undermine regional stability and security. Helping resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis remains a priority for us. The people and government of Bangladesh have shown generosity in hosting Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution in Burma. And we will continue to work with Bangladesh to support Rohingya and members of other vulnerable communities from Burma who have taken refuge there.
Speaker 10 (37:27):
A follow-up on Bangladesh, the interim government head, Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has declared the general elections will be happening late 2025 or early 2026. How do you see the declaration of the general elections?
Matt (37:42):
Let me take that back and get you an answer.
Speaker 10 (37:44):
Sure. Okay.
Matt (37:44):
Yeah, go ahead.
Tom (37:45):
Can you do one more on Iran?
Matt (37:48):
Sure.
Tom (37:49):
Forgive me if you've been asked this earlier, but there's an Iranian-American journalist, Reza Valizadeh, who apparently was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He used to work for Radio Farda, the US-funded Persian language outlet. Can you confirm that sentence and does US have any reaction?
Matt (38:04):
So we are aware of the reports that Reza Valizadeh has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iraq, or in Iran, excuse me. We strongly condemn this sentencing and call for his immediate release and the release of all political prisoners in Iran. The Iranian government has repeatedly suppressed press freedom through threats, intimidation, detentions, forced confessions, and the use of violence against journalists in Iran. And we remind US citizens of the warning on our website that has existed for years and years, do not travel to Iran due to the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of US citizens.
Tom (38:41):
And his nationality or is he a permanent resident?
Matt (38:46):
He's a dual US citizen, a dual US citizen. Yeah, dual citizen.
(38:50)
Yeah, Jane.
Speaker 12 (38:51):
Matt, a while ago you said that the conflict channel for Gaza would meet sometime in early December. Have they actually met?
Matt (38:58):
They have not met. The meeting had to be rescheduled.
Matt (39:00):
… schedule that's happening early next week.
Speaker 13 (39:02):
And what commitments are you looking for beyond what's already been? Are there new commitments that you're asking?
Matt (39:07):
So we want to give access to information about a number of incidents that we have concerns about, some of which we have raised in real time and we have received information about. But the point of setting up this channel was so we can go to Israel not on an ad hoc basis but in real time and have a channel set up where we can raise our concerns and get answers to those concerns.
Speaker 13 (39:28):
Is this going to be in person or virtual?
Matt (39:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 13 (39:32):
And at what level?
Matt (39:33):
Assistant Secretary level.
Speaker 13 (39:34):
So Barbara?
Matt (39:36):
No, but another Assistant Secretary. One of the Assistant Secretaries who… Well, I'll leave it at that. At the Assistant Secretary level. Go ahead.
Speaker 14 (39:45):
Thank you very much. So when you said you have ability to engage with the organization like HTS and other terrorist organizations, so can we believe that in past, you have engagement and conversation with that terrorist groups, even when you have active ability operations against them, specifically Afghan, Taliban, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda?
Matt (40:07):
Yeah, we have the ability, so not aware of any engagements with Al-Qaeda, but we do have the ability to engage with designated terrorist groups when it is in our interest. We have engagements with the Taliban to advance United States national interests and we have engagements with HTS to advance United States national interests, including, of course, finding and returning home the American journalist, Austin Tice.
Speaker 14 (40:32):
Thank you. Then it's been reported that State Department officials had some meetings with some Pakistani officials who've been in Texas for a meeting with our jailed Pakistani prisoner. She had charges attacking U.S. personnel in the Afghanistan province of Ghazni. [inaudible 00:40:50] serving 86 years prison in a Texas jail. So our question is, President Biden last week pardoned many prisoners, some of them were top priority prisoners having spying charges. So with the Aafia Siddiqui murder, previously U.S. [inaudible 00:41:05] Shakil Afridi murder in exchange of prisoners. Is there any legal challenges you have or you have priorities? What is the difference and what is hurdle you have?
Matt (41:16):
In what sense? I don't…
Speaker 14 (41:17):
Regarding the Aafia Siddiqui case.
Matt (41:20):
Yeah, I know. But what do you mean in terms of legal challenges?
Speaker 14 (41:21):
Legal challenges like in past you asked Dr. Shakil Afridi in exchange of Aafia Siddiqui.
Matt (41:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 14 (41:31):
So is that still a condition with Pakistan?
Matt (41:33):
I would refer you to the Department of Justice to speak to that.
Speaker 14 (41:35):
One last one.
Matt (41:35):
Let me go to Nike and then we'll wrap for today.
Nike (41:38):
Matt, I would like to ask a question. One of the worst humanitarian crises now is in Sudan that has received very little attention. Do you have anything on Human Rights Watch report that says that Sudan's RSF is accused of rape or sexual slavery? And I ask this because I understand the Secretary is going to New York this week, and one of the topics will be Sudan.
Matt (42:05):
Yes.
Nike (42:06):
Can you talk about where we are?
Matt (42:08):
You were right that there is no conflict in the world that deserves more attention and gets less from the broad public than the ongoing Civil War in Sudan, which has had just horrific effects for the Sudanese people. Lack of access to food war crimes and atrocities committed by both the SAF and the RSF. I can tell you that Secretary Blinken will be chairing a session of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday in New York to continue to draw attention to the crisis in Sudan, but also to push for a way to resolve it. As you know, we have been pushing for some time for a ceasefire, and the parties have been willing to agree to that at various times. One party or the other was somewhat more forward leaning, but ultimately both sides have refused to agree to a ceasefire that would end that conflict.
(43:04)
We continue to push for broader humanitarian aid. Short of getting a ceasefire that can get us on a path to ending the conflict, we believe the most important thing that you can do is to at least try to alleviate the suffering of people on the ground. And so you have seen us flow millions and millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance into Sudan, and we'll continue to do that. We'll have more announcements to make in that regard and we'll continue to work with donors around the world to try to bring more humanitarian assistance in to the people who are suffering from this conflict that they did not star, but they are the ongoing victims of. And with that, wrap for today. Thanks, everyone.
Speaker 15 (43:44):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 16 (43:44):
The packer is speeding. There's a picture.
Speaker 17 (43:44):
Okay. [inaudible 00:48:23].
Speaker 16 (43:44):
Well…