Hello everyone afternoon .
Happy Monday . Happy day after the
Super Bowl . The Chiefs fans
condolences to condolences ,
condolences to the for , are you a 49er
fan ? So , on my side , we have an
issue in which we agree . Well , Donna
is a lot of 49 a lot of 49er fans in
this room . Well , is uh uh uh uh
condolences , condolences to all my
fellow 49er fans . The only thing I
will say if any of you thought that
Patrick Holmes wasn't going to do that
at some point then . Yeah , I've been
watching Patrick Maholmes for very long .
Um Anyway , on to um the topic at hand ,
I'm gonna start with some opening
remarks . We are pleased today to
welcome Doctor Kurt Campbell as Deputy
Secretary of State following his
confirmation by the Senate on February
6th and swearing in this morning .
Deputy Secretary Campbell's
distinguished career includes service
in the Navy positions at the Treasury
Department and Pentagon , his previous
service as the State Department's
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs and most recently as
the White at the White House as the
Indo Pacific coordinator . He also
brings extensive experience outside of
government including in academia , the
think tank community and the private
sector . We will share more about
Deputy Secretary Campbell's engagements
as he begins his role in advancing
President Biden's and Secretary Blink's
vision of a world that is more free ,
open , prosperous and secure . But for
today , I just wanted to welcome him to
the building on behalf of all of us
here , we look forward to working with
you and with that , Rafa
um sure um very different just
trying to go in order from the usual ,
the usual way we go ahead . Uh Just uh
could I ask you about the , the
operation of Rafa that the Israelis had ?
Um First of all , if , if the United
States has , has uh has an opinion on ,
on , on this , I mean , there is um
there are quite a few over 100 civilian
casualties , apparently . Uh The
president has publicly called for uh
for Israel to have a plan for civilians
there . Uh Are you under the impression
that this is part of a larger operation ?
Was this a specific thing to , to get
hostages ? To what extent are you ok
with , with this going ahead right
after the President's conversation with
the Prime Minister ? So a few things
about that one , I will say , with
respect to this specific set of
airstrikes , I will let the , the uh
Israeli government speak to what they
were , what they were intended to do ,
what they were intended to accomplish .
Uh That's appropriate for them to speak
to . I will say that as uh the
president made clear as the secretary
made clear in his conversation with the
Prime Minister and other members of the
Israeli government on the trip last
week . Um We do not support any
military campaign in Rafah going
forward as long as they cannot properly
account for the uh 1.1 million people
by some estimates who are in Rafah
today . Uh Some of whom have already
been displaced , some of whom have been
displaced multiple times . We think
there needs to be a credible plan that
they can actually execute before they
undertake any military campaign uh in
Rafah . Now that said they have
conducted airstrikes against Rafa
really since going back to the original
days of the campaign . Um It is not our
assessment that this airstrike is the
launch of a full scale offensive uh uh
happening in Rafah . Uh We just saw
obviously the uh order from the Prime
Minister last week to the Israeli
military to develop a plan for dealing
with Rafa . We look forward to um uh
reviewing that plan , we look forward
to being briefed on it and we will make
clear as we uh did last week . And as
the president did in his conversation
over the weekend that without such a
plan that is credible and that they can
execute , we do not support uh a full
scale military operation there going
ahead and just could I just briefly the ,
uh , we say you would not support it .
I mean , this is of course the language
of the White House as well . What ,
what does that actually mean ? Does
that mean say no , don't do it . It's
not a good idea or does that mean that
there are actual repercussions or that
the , to the relationship ? Look , I
don't want to get ahead of the events
as they currently stand today . Um They
have said that they will implement uh
they will develop and they will
implement a humanitarian plan . We have
made clear that we think it is
imperative that they do . So , uh and
we're gonna look and see what they ,
what they develop on . Uh on Rafa , you
said it's not us assessment that the
airstrikes are the start of a full
scale offensive there . Is it your
assessment that they will soon launch
the full scale offensive there again ?
So first of all , with respect to this
airstrike , as I said , they have
conducted airstrikes against , against
military targets , going back in Rafah ,
going back to the beginning of the
campaign . Um But it is our assessment .
This is not part of a full , the full a
full scale military operation there
because we heard what the Prime
Minister said over the weekend , which
he has just tasked the military with
developing that humanitarian plan . It
has not been developed yet let alone ex
uh uh executed and it is our
expectation that a plan should be
developed , it should be credible , it
should be executed before they launch
such a , such a military . Right . But
did you get any assurances from the
Israelis that they're not going to
proceed with uh r offensive unless they
get that plan um in there ? Because I
mean , uh I mean , the humanitarian
plans for everywhere else in Rafah was
not very robust and sound either . It
wouldn't have led to this civilian
death toll and the humanitarian crisis
that the enclave is facing right now .
I am not going to speak for the Israeli
government . I will speak , speak for
the United States and make clear what
our expectation is and the expectation
is , as I have outlined it , we have
communicated that quite clearly with OK
to push a little bit more on Sean's
question . Um Like Eu's Foreign Policy
Chief BLL for example , said U should
consider cutting aid to Israel . And we
know that there is growing frustration
with Netanyahu's government is that at
all a possibility that the
administration is considering , if you
know , it would not have any success in
the coming days in terms of moving
Israel . So let me say a few things
about that . The most important of
which is that um we have pursued the
policy that we think gives us the uh
maximum ability to be successful in
influencing how Israel conducts its
military campaign . Um and , and , and ,
and how are you happy with the results
and in many cases , no , absolutely ,
we are not . We are happy with the fact
that we have been able to get
humanitarian assistance into Israel .
That is the direct result of us , I'm
sorry , into , into Gaza . That is the
direct result of us intervention . But
at the same time , there has not been
enough humanitarian assistance that has
gotten in . We are happy with some of
the deconfliction measures that Israel
has put in place . Uh at our urging ,
at our specific urging uh at the
request of the secretary and others in
the administration , those deflection ,
those deconfliction uh measures have
not been as successful as we would like
them to be . We are happy that over the
past month , we have seen civilian
casualties come down from the
incredibly high rates that they were ,
they are still alarmingly high , they
are still way too high . So in all of
this , it's a process where we engage
with the Israeli government look to use
um uh uh every bit of , of expertise
that we have to communicate to them ,
the steps that we ought to take and we
use all of the levers at our disposal
to influence them to the best of our
ability and that will continue to be an
ongoing . So you're still ruling out
cutting of any , I am not ruling
anything out . I'm saying we have not
made the assessment . That is a
decision that is , that is a step that
would be more impactful than the steps
that we have already taken . And at the
same time , you have to look at the
fact that um such a step , uh how such
a step would be received by Israel's
opponents , both inside Gaza and
outside of the state of Israel . What
levers have you ? Uh So we have used
diploma effort uh levers . The
secretary has , that means the
secretary and the president and you and
Kirby and whoever else standing up and
saying , wagging your finger and saying
that that's not really leverage . We
have engaged with them on a um uh at a
multitude of levels at this
administration . And , and as I kind of ,
you look at the list that we just went
through with Humera , we have seen them
take steps at our urging that have had
real , have had real tangible impact
but , but they have not been enough .
But what levers have you actually ? Uh
I , I think that when the United States
of America uh stands up and says
something publicly , it matters . But ,
but , but you have , and , and , and ,
but you haven't said no and we , but
any consequences to my , to my point ,
we have seen money or military systems
but , but we have seen because of the
uh policies we have pursued , we have
seen improvements along these specific
areas . Uh We have seen tangible
improvements , but I'm just asking you
what , what leverage , what
leverage have you brought to bear . I
just went through it . What have you
gone ? I think the words of the
President of the United States , the
words of the Secretary of State Matter
and we have seen on the top and we have
seen and we have seen the government of
Israel respond to it . Not always in
the way that we not always to the
degree that we want or to the level
that we want , but the , the our
interventions we believe have had an
impact and we will continue to pursue
them because we , we do , I'm not , I'm
not trying to take a position on , you
know , what you have done so far is
adequate or inadequate , but you seem
to be taking the position that what you
have done so far is inadequate because
while you say you have seen some
results from the quote unquote pressure
that you have applied , uh they're not
enough and that the situation is still
not good and not uh and , and , and ,
and not acceptable to you . Is that ,
is that a fair of what you say ? I will
say ? I think that sometimes people
pretend that the United States of
America uh has a magic wand that it can
waive to make any situation in the
world uh uh roll out in exactly the way
that we would want it to . And that is
never the case we use , we use , we use
the tools that are available we use the
tools that are available to try to
influence policy . They are imperfect
and there are ways and there are uh uh
ways in which we have been able to show
tangible results and more that we want
to do . And that is why we continue to
stay . There are others who would say
that you have a multitude of billions
of uh of things that you could use
to uh uh I'm aware . Yeah ,
exactly . So , and you haven't used
those as always . When we look at all
of the tools in our um uh
at our disposal , we have to look at
the upsides of using them and we have
to look at the downsides uh in making
those determinations . But , but the
answer is no , it is not a
determination we have made at this
point . No , but have you gone to the
Israelis and said , look , if you don't ,
you know , do what we think you should
do or you know , at least take our uh
position into account , there will be
some kind of tangible consequence other
than the finger wagging . And the
president saying this is over the top .
Um Is there , is there any , is there
any real boom ? I am not going to get
into the private conversations that we
have with the government of Israel ,
but they are quite clear about our
positions uh on these matters . Can I
follow you if , if with the
indulgence of my colleagues Now to , to
my last point , the president of the
United States of America went out and
told the entire world . Israel's
conduct is over the top . Israel's
conduct is over the top . So if it's
over the top , what are you willing to
do to make it go under the top ? We are
going to engage with them to , to , uh ,
on specific specific areas where we
expect to see improvement . What kind
of improvement ? I mean , we saw
yesterday that we bombed , they , they
killed 100 and 20 people , maybe a lot
more . We don't know how many injured
and so on or how many among the injured
will die will end up dying and all
these things . And you're saying that
this is , you know , you just what you
said , you said that we have seen them
bomb out , uh , you know , all
throughout that make it ok . Does that
make it ok ? When everybody including
the Secretary of State , including the
president of the United States of
America , including many leaders in
this country have said , you know , you
should not attack Rafa period or you
can attack it by air . Is that it ? We
have , we have always said that they
can attack legitimate military targets .
Um uh and we want to see them take
every step that they can to minimize
civilian casualties . As I just said ,
we have seen civilian casualties come
down . But as you and I have been have
as you and I have discussed many times
uh in this room , uh s they face a very
difficult situation in that Hamas
continues to hide itself among the
civilian population . If , if this was
a war being fought on a battlefield
where Hamas would come out and fight ,
it would be a much different scenario .
Unfortunately , it is not . So Israel
faces a very difficult situation ,
doesn't lessen their need to do more
and that's why we continue to engage
with them on this question . But the
fact is that you do have a magic wand ,
you have a huge big and that magic wand .
I'm glad you think it's a magic wand .
It is a magic wand but it , but it's ,
it's real , it's substantive , it's ,
it's a wand . I mean , it's uh we ,
we're talking about billions of dollars
that are approved to make this war keep
on going . Well , in fact , we have
seen reports from the United Nations
that telling you you are a shake away
Matt from starvation in Gaza .
Nothing is going in into Rafah . No aid ,
none of this is , is going on . I mean ,
there are so many things that are going
on at the same time that the United
States can in fact use its magic wand .
So s we have used uh a number of levers
at our disposal and that is why
humanitarian assistance is going into
Rafa . In fact , your contention is not
true . There were uh nearly 200 trucks
that I'm sorry that that are going into
Gaza . There are nearly 200 trucks of
humanitarian assistance that went into
Gaza yesterday . If we want to go back
to the beginning , it is because of the
intervention of the United States
humanitarian assistance is going in .
We continue to call for more when the
secretary was there last week , he
raised with directly with the Prime
Minister that we want to see Eres
crossing open so that we can continue
to do more . And it is that repeated
sustained engagement that we have shown
over time has delivered results . And
that's why we'll continue to stay
engaged . Do you expect lastly , do you
expect that uh Director burns is
meeting tomorrow and uh or schedule a
meeting tomorrow uh in Cairo will
produce anything . What is , what is
your the feeling of this building on
the ongoing discussions ? So , first of
all , I'm gonna look around and remind
everyone that I'm the spokesperson for
the State Department , not , not any
other agency . So I'm not gonna , I'm
not gonna speak to uh uh uh the travel
of the members of the members of other
hold on members of other agencies in
the government . I will say generally
as it relates to um engagement over
engagement over um uh the release of
hostages . You heard the secretary
speak to this and say that we think
progress can be made . Um There were a
number of , of really untenable items
in the proposal that came back from
Hamas . Um But we do believe that a
deal is possible and we are going to
continue to pursue it um uh uh from
this building as well as from others
because we think the benefits um of a
pause and a deal for hostages uh are
tremendous . Um not just obviously for
the hostages who would be released ,
but also for uh the humanitarian effort
in Gaza and for our ability to um uh
begin to pursue a real and lasting uh
sustainable resolution of this conflict .
The um I mean , is there any , is there
any contradiction in that ? I mean ,
the the Israelis taking military action
to free hostages , do you think that
that affects at all the deal that's on
the table or the deal that's been ? I
don't think it shouldn't . I think the
Israelis are well within their rights
to do everything in their power to try
to get back uh the hostages that were
um uh taken from Israel and continue to
be held have been held for far too long
now . Uh And it should in no way impact
the um the the negotiations . Oh ,
sorry , let me go ahead just one point
of clarification because our , our
understanding is that there's not yet a
clear commitment from the Israeli
government to have representation at
these talks in Cairo understanding ,
you're not their spokesperson . Are you
relaying to the Israelis , the
importance of participating in these
talks in order to achieve any outcome .
Um I , I'm not gonna obviously not
speak for them , but I'm also going to
speak to our private negotiations . But
obviously , we do believe that uh these
discussions are important . Um uh We
believe that it's important that we
continue to engage uh around the need
to secure these hostages and obtain a
humanitarian pause and we will continue
to pursue that with the government of
Israel as well as with the governments
of Egypt and Qatar . And do you believe
these activities in Rafah ? Your view
is not that , that it is not the
unspooling of a campaign ? But do you
believe they're counter to uh hostage
shocks ? Uh I just can't speak to um
what the intent of these particular
strikes last night were . Um But look ,
Israel has had an ongoing military
campaign . So I don't know why a new
set of strikes would change the nature
of these negotiations . They have been
conducting a military campaign um uh
since shortly , so shortly after the
hour , immediate hours after October
7th . So there's nothing really there
that should have an impact happens to
target a city center where 1.2 million
Palestinian civilians are concentrated ,
correct ? But I'm not sure why that
would have an impact on the hostage
talks . Um If Hamas , I mean , if Hamas
was going to pull out of these talks ,
maybe Hamas would stop hiding . But you
know , Hamas continues to hide behind
those civilians with respect . I mean ,
it's to the secretary's line that , you
know , not , not forgetting a common
humanity here is , is what I thought
was top of mind for the administration .
Of course , it is top of mind for the
administration . Israel does still have
the need or the the ability and the
need and the right to carry out
legitimate military campaigns that
target uh members of Hamas , Hamas
leadership Hamas battalions . We
support their right to do so . But we
want to see them conducted in full
compliance with international
humanitarian law and we want to see
them minimize civilian casualties . And
when we see reports of civilian
casualties , we raise those directly
with the government of Israel and seek
more information about them . And the
US does concur that there's a
legitimate military reason in order to
conduct these strikes in Rafah . I I
understand you can't , there are Hamas
battalions in Rafah . That is an
undisputed fact . Well , I just have
two other separate questions . One is
on whether you can tell us anything
about the Americans who have been
detained by the ID F in both the West
Bank and Gaza . Can you , do you have
clarity on the circumstances of their
detention ? Have you been requesting
and gotten offered councilor access ?
Uh We don't have clarity uh uh on , on
the situation . I can say that with
respect to um uh both of these
situations . Um I think as you know ,
uh because of privacy considerations ,
lots of times in these cases , we're
not allowed to , we're not able to
speak to the details . But in both
cases , we are aware of the matter and
are seeking , are engaged with the
families and seeking more information
from the government of Israel . Is
there a preliminary level of concern
involved in any of these until we have
been able to , to acquire more
information ? I don't think I should
offer . Ok . Last one . Sorry , I'm
sure you've seen the reports of Hamas
having a command center underneath Un
R's headquarters . Um Does that alter
the US s thinking in terms of the
potential resumption of funding down
the line ? Um Is it being linked at all
to the issue of the 12 employees who
are alleged to have involvement in
October 7th ? So we believe that's a
matter that needs to be investigated
and we have sought further information
from both the government of Israel uh
and from Unrwa itself . Uh we'll
continue to engage with them to , to
seek out more information with respect
to um the investigation that the UN is
conducting clearly . This is the type
of thing that they ought to look at .
Um uh their investigation ought to look
at both the circumstances of the 12
individuals um uh who were reported to
have participated in the October 7th
attacks as well as any other Hamas uh
infiltration or involvement with Unrwa .
Thank you , sir . Have you gotten any
information from the ID F on these
three American citizens ? Have they
acknowledged that they are detaining
them again ? As I said , I have to
speak with some generality here because
of the privacy considerations . As you
know , we're just restricted by law
from what we can say . Um uh uh Due to
privacy law , I'm just not able to say
any more other than that , we're
seeking more information from the
government of Israel , the UN
headquarters . Are you saying that you
accepted that you , that you believe
you have no reason to doubt the Israeli
claims that there were no , I said
we're seeking more information from
both the government of Israel and UN R
A about the matter . So you're not
entirely sure yet . The point of
seeking information is to get that
information and make an assessment fair
enough . But I just wanted to make sure
I understood your situation . The
Egyptians have reportedly threatened to
pull out of the Camp David Accords if
Israel is to move forward with this
full scale operation in Rafah . Is this
something that's been conveyed to the
US ? How concerned are you about the
collapse of this ? Look , I just think
that gets several steps beyond where we
are today . Um I think where we are
today is that we have said we want to
see a credible humanitarian plan uh
developed one that's ex that can be
executed before any operation proceeds
the prime Minister has asked the
Israeli military to develop such a plan .
Um We are a long , we are uh a long
ways . Uh uh We are a long way ahead of
being able to talk to what potential
ramifications are . And I don't think
that's appropriate for me to , to
speculate on those today . And then I
have one on non Middle East back to you
reporting that the plan that Israelis
are working on for Rafah is to build a
tent city by Egypt and funded by the
United States and some of your allies .
Are you aware of this reporting ? And
is this something , is this something
that you can support ? I'm not aware of
that reporting . I would say that the
uh again , we're , you know , um it's
not quite , maybe not quite far down
the road , is Jenny's question , but a
little further down the road than where
we are today . Um The Prime Minister
has just asked for this humanitarian
plan to be developed yet . Our
understanding is it's not yet been
developed . We certainly haven't seen
it . So we will look to see what the
government of Israel develops and be
prepared to react to that . But I don't
think I'm ready to react to any . Well ,
what plan in your , in your assessment ,
what this plan will look like ? Uh I ,
I don't know what the plan is going to
look like because I'm not the one , we
are not the ones developing I will , I
will say what we would expect for any ,
any plants that have a credible means
for dealing with the hundreds of
thousands , probably over a million
people who are currently in Rafa . Uh
something that puts civilian
protections first and devi decides , or ,
or , or um uh ensures that civilians
are protected that they have a chance
to get out of harm's way that they have
access to food and water and medicine .
Um uh All of those are the elements of
any type of plan that we would , we
would find credible . But importantly ,
it has to be a plan . I keep using this
word because I do wanna make sure
everyone uh uh hears me , not just a
credible plan but one that can actually
be executed . So just make a fine
point on this . So are , are you saying
that you are not opposed or would not
be opposed to paying for whatever
Israel's plan is to whenever it comes
out I was , do they have to pay for
anything ? I was , they're the ones who
are doing this , do they , or , or , or
you and the GCC are going to pick up
the tab for all . I am not aware of any
proposal for the United States . But
are you opposed to , are you opposed to
paying for ? Now ? I don't even know
what the report he's referring to is .
I have heard you is the United
States prepared to pay for the
plan that Israel may or may not come up
with . So for the of civilians that has
not been the role of the United States
in this conflict , I do not foresee it
being the role of the United States
that said the reason why it's hard to
answer any kind of thing . Definitively ,
we provide money to humanitarian
partners in the region and they do
things like provide food and water to
people who are in Gaza so that you
could see how that kind of funding
could be used in that regard , but not ,
not specifically to , to the way you
propose it .
What is your understanding or like ? Do
you have , do you have a timeline on
when you're expecting a response from
Israel on the Hamas Counter proposal ?
I don't want , I don't want to put any
time on it , right ? But you are
expecting them to come back with a
response to the Hamas Counter proposal .
So we want you , we want to see these
discussions proceed , we believe that
progress can be made and I will leave
it that OK , one more . If the Israeli
side somehow doesn't show up tomorrow ,
will that meeting go ahead ? Will those
conversations ? You know , I don't
answer if questions I , I
do you have any updates on us efforts
to push forward the two state solutions
solution and the normalization between
Saudi Arabia and Israel . Uh I don't
have any updates uh beyond what the
secretary said but if you um uh tuned
into his remarks in the region last
week , he made very clear that this was
the subject of , of conversation
between him and his Arab counterparts
when we um traveled to Saudi Arabia and
to Qatar and to Egypt . And it was also
the subject of our conversations with
the government of Israel . Um He has
been engaging with partners in the
region to um uh talk about plans for
Gaza for the reconstruction and the
rebuilding and um uh governance of Gaza
after this conflict . And one of the
things that um we have heard from
partners in the region , including most
notably from Saudi Arabia , um is that
uh a path to two states has to be a
part of that . And I say most notably
because the crown prince of Saudi
Arabia has made clear that in order to
pursue normalization , um they expect
to see a time bound irrevocable path to
two states . And so um we had those
conversations last week and we had them
with the governor of Israel and we will
continue to have them in the weeks
ahead . Thank you . Yeah , go ahead .
Uh Have you seen that report ? And
what's it about ? I , I'll have to take
that back and get you an answer . Thank
you . Two questions . One on Gaza and
one on Turkey if I may uh on the
killing of a six year old Ray after
an Israeli tank targeted their family
car in Gaza . Uh , the Geneva Geneva
based nonprofit Euro human rights
monitor determined that the ID F is
responsible for the bombing of the
ambulance that attempted to rescue
Hindi . And it also reported that , uh ,
American made weapons , uh , was
found at the bombs ambulance . Have you
seen that report ? And do you have any
response ? Yeah , we , um , uh , we are
devastated about the reports of the
death of uh Hendra job . I will tell
you that I have a little girl that's
about to turn six myself . And so , um
it is just a devastating account , a
heartbreaking account um for this child .
And of course , there have been
thousands of other Children who have
died as a result of this conflict . Um
And every one of them is a tragedy that
I know , I can tell you everyone in the
United States government feels quite
deeply . Um We have asked the Israeli
authorities to investigate this
incident on an urgent basis . We
understand that they are doing so . We
expect to see those results on a , on a
timely fashion and they should include
uh accountability measures as
appropriate . And do you have anything
to say on that ? You know , American
made weapons were found at the site ? I
just don't , I'm not able to verify is
the US assessing whether or not Israel
is using that weapons in accordance
with the laws of war ? We always expect
that they , that they use all weapons
whether they be provided by the United
States . But let me say , I
think this is an important distinction
because we can ask this question ,
whether weapons are provided by the
United States or that they have
acquired uh through some other method
or whether they manufacture them ,
their selves . It is our expectation
that they use them in full compliance
with the laws of war . Uh And we engage
with them on that matter . but I don't
think I , but uh I don't think I can uh
offer you an assessment on this
particular one because as I've said ,
we've asked them to investigate and
they have said that they would do so ,
we want to see them do it as quickly as
possible . Uh And I don't think I
should speak to it before the
investigation . Just a quick one on uh
t uh the F-16 sale uh has been approved
over the weekend as there is no
objections from Congress . Do you have
any comments on that ? Uh I don't ,
I'll have to , I have to check that and
get back with you . Obviously , we have
made quite clear our position that this
sale should move forward . Have you
heard back from the Israelis yet about
the , the , the demolition of the
university in , let me check and get
back and get or any of the other
investigation we have heard back from
them on a number of different things
that we raised with them . Um Have you
got anything with respect to the
specific one . Let me find out and get
you an answer . Um Go ahead . Thank you ,
sir . So what is your overall analysis
on Pakistani election ? Despite all
efforts of rigging , Imran Khan came
out as the winner . Uh What is your
oral analysis on the elections ? Um I
guess you didn't read my statement that
we put out on Friday . I spoke to our
analysis of this . Now , the results
are sure , let me say that we
congratulate the Pakistani people .
First of all , for participating uh on
the election on Thursday . Uh that
includes poll workers , civil society
members , journalists and election
observers who have protected Pakistan's
democratic uh and electoral
institutions . Um uh We did um
express concerns publicly , we also
expressed those concerns privately um
uh and joined the EU and the UK and
other countries in doing so . Um uh
with some irregularities that we saw in
the process , we've conveyed the need
for the Pakistani government to respect
the will of the , the the election . Um
You know , we emphasize , you heard us
from uh you heard me from this podium
certainly repeatedly but also across
the government emphasized that we want
to see the uh uh rule of law , respect
for constitution , uh free press ,
vibrant civil society um uh respected
in the run up to the election . We
continue to believe that's the case .
We condemn political and election
related violence and restrictions on
internet and cell phone service those
negatively impacted the electoral
service . Uh the claims of interference
and fraud that we have seen raised , we
want to ensure are fully investigated
by Pakistan's uh legal system and we
will be continuing to monitor that in
the days ahead . So you said that you
are ready to work with the new
Pakistani government . But if this new
Pakistani government came in with the
of fraud and what is your opinion ? I
don't think there is a new Pakistani
government yet . I believe there's
still discussions going on about the
formation of a government . But one of
the things that we have said um uh
leading up to the election and we'll
continue to make clear is that whoever
the Pakistani people choose to
represent them , we will work with that
government . And after the claims of
fraud , we want to see those fully
investigated . Yeah , go ahead . I know
he said there isn't a Pakistani
government yet , but , but certainly
former Prime Minister Khan's faction ,
uh some of the independence came in the
head . Is there any concern about the
leg of whoever actually becomes the the
leader of fist ? I will say that that
let me just reiterate that we do think
that the claims of fraud need to be
fully investigated . That said it was
clearly a competitive election um in
which people um were able to exercise
their choice . Now that said there were
regulators , we want to see them
investigated . But um ultimately , we
respect the democratic process and
we're ready to work with uh the the
government uh once it's formed and just
11 more in Pakistan , the authorities
have uh have have had a ban on assembly .
Uh Some of uh Imran Khan supporters
have called for , for protests on this .
Is there any concern about freedom of
assembly right now in Pakistan ? Uh
certainly we , we want to see the the
freedom of assembly as respected
anywhere in the world . A couple of
questions . Europe . Eu Council today
approved the regulation allowing
profits from frozen Russian assets to
be used in Ukraine . Do you endorse
that decision or support it don't like
it . What is your feeling about that ?
So we are encouraged by any action the
Eu may take to use Russian assets for
the benefit of Ukrainians . We continue
to be in active conversations with our
allies and partners including the G7 on
what additional steps may be possible
within respective legal systems and
under international law to make Russia
cease its aggression against Ukraine
and to ensure Russia pays for the
damage is caused , is the United States
to follow suit . So we are supportive
of having domestic legislative
authorities . We've made that clear in
the past that it will give us
flexibility uh as we continue these
discussions with our allies and our
partners . Ultimately , um we want to
see Russia pay for the damage it's
caused and we continue to pursue um uh
all appropriate vehicles to do so .
Speaking of allies and partners in , in
Europe , in the reaction to shock waves
we have seen over the weekend uh among
allies in reaction to suggestions
coming out of this town . And so
there's a presidential election going
on . But uh in , in general , uh you
know , push back against suggestions
that the United States might not
support its allies in case of Russia
Russia attack . Um So you heard the
president speak to this over the
weekend and made clear that any
suggestion that um encouraging Russia
to invade our allies and partners are
um uh dangerous and I would obviously
echo that from here . Um And I would
just say , as we often say that the
NATO alliance provides actual security
to the American people . This isn't
just a benefit , this isn't just an
alliance that the United States puts
into . We also get a lot out of this
alliance and the only time that uh NATO
has ever come to the defense of one of
its member countries , it was coming to
the defense of the United States after
911 . And so , uh we have been
heartened by the broad support for NATO
from the American people . We have been
supported , been heartened by the broad
support for NATO from Congress . Uh And
I think I'll leave it at that . How
much has the former president's
statement damaged ? I don't think I
should comment on remarks made in the
central if possible . Today responded
harshly , the secretary's criticism of
Russia backed NGO law . They are trying ,
they're trying to pass through the
parliament and they are , you know ,
referring to the US law , any
reaction it is possible . Let me take
that back if I may on South Caucasus as
a German looks like they are trying to
move along . So negotiation process
without any mediator . Where do you
stand on this ? I don't , I don't want
to comment on that specifically , but
I'll say that we do uh obviously
support continued dialogue around that
issue . We believe it's the best way to
reach a sustainable end to the conflict
and we will continue to pursue it
several times that you want Russia to
pay for the damage that it's caused is
that because they were , they are the ,
you see them as the aggressor here or
they are the aggressors . They very
much are the . Ok . Well , so what
about in other cases like , you know ,
after world war , I , I , you know ,
the Japanese attacked us but then the
Germans declared war on us . So we were
went in and we , the marshall plan paid
for huge amounts of reconstruction in
Europe and the United States also paid
for the reconstruction of Japan
after the war . So uh does that same
and recognizing that the situations are
not exactly similar , but does Israel
bear any responsibility for paying for
the reconstruction of Gaza ? So they
get to voice it off on others . So the
situations are not at all but there are ,
they're all conflicts and I realize
that World War I , I is over and the
Ukraine war is not over , but neither
is the Gaza War . And you're saying
that Russia right now has to pay for
the damage that it caused in Ukraine .
So I'm just wondering , would you say
the same that , that , that , that ,
that Israel should pay for at least
some of the damage that it , it it has
caused in Gaza even though it's
fighting , you know , for what you say
is a completely justifiable or what is
a completely justifiable . So what I
would say on that matter is that one of
the things that we have heard as
through the Secretary of Diplomacy in
the region is that there are countries
who are ready to step up and help pay
for the Reconstruction of Gaza . I
don't mean Israel , other countries who
are willing to step up and help with
the Reconstruction of Gaza and put real
money into the game as well as real ,
you know , political , political uh
credibility . But that's , that's
another matter on another track . But
just with respect to Reconstruction ,
there are other countries who are
willing to recon TRB or contribute to
the recon is right ? Because they
already three times , right ?
Let me , let me just , let me , let me ,
let me just finish . Our discussions
have been about other countries who are
willing to contribute um to the
rebuilding of Gaza , but they expect
something from Israel in return . And
that's what we've talked about this
path to , to two states . So , so I'm
not , I'm not going to get into the
hypothetical because we think the
policy that we ought to pursue is this
path that the secretary has laid out
that would lead to the rebuilding of
Gaza . Um And would avoid the question
that you are uh putting on the table .
No , I'm saying I'm saying you avoid
the question . Someone's got to pay for
it . No , no , I'm saying it avoids the
question of Israel having to pay for
the , the , the path that we think
forward is , is the one that we've put
on the table . So , do you think that
path would , would , would , would , I
should , I do not want to say any ? We
are , we are fully well down the path
that we have not hardly even started
walking at this point , but the same
thing , you , the same thing about
Ukraine , that war is not over yet . It
would bring , it would bring other
countries to the table . Yeah , but OK ,
but how about Israel ? Do they ? Do
they ? Uh again , I said we are not at
that point yet in the , in these
conversations , push it on a separate
topic and I don't want to overlap with
g um mine is mine is on uh
this , this flurry of mixed reports
that an American being held hostage by
the Taliban Ryan Corbett may be
released in the coming days . Have you
looked into those reports ? Is there
any merit to them ? And there's no ,
there's no uh no , there are no plans
that we're aware of uh uh for him to be
released is obviously Matt , we
continue to engage on , we continue to
seek his release . Um I've seen some
reports incorrectly re uh linking his
release or potential release to um the
release of two former Guantanamo
detainees . Um uh In Oman , those
reports are completely meritless .
There's no linkage at all between the
two . My understanding is that the
release of those two former detainees
in Oman had to had was a result of the
expiration of security conditions or
security restrictions uh that were a
condition of their transfer and errors
in no way linked to , to Ryan Corbett's
case that said we continue to engage on
this . Uh It continues to be a top
priority for us to see the release of
Ryan Corbett . Uh And we , we'll
continue to work on it , but the
reports that , that I've seen are just
not based on anything . Yeah , the um
leaving aside whether they're connected ,
I mean , the , the release of the two
former Guantanamo Guantanamo prisoners
or the , the , the transfer , you know ,
from uh from Oman to Afghanistan , is
that the cause of any concern or is
that sort of not the US s problem
anymore . Um Does the US have , um I ,
I will have to take it and , and get
back with you . I'm not , I just , I'm
not aware of the conditions under which
they were transferred in the first
place which would impact on how it
would , would bear on , on the answer
to that question . So , um another
detained American uh Putin seemed to
indicate that he would be open to a
prisoner swap for Evan Gershowitz .
Does the US see any significance in him
publicly making these comments ? Um And
what's the latest on talks for him ?
And , and Paul Whelan . So we have
always made clear that um not only do
we want to see the re release of Paul
Whelan and uh uh Evan Gershowitz . Um
uh but that we have put a significant
offer on the table . Um In fact , more
than once we have put offers on the
table to secure their release . Um uh
And we will continue to engage to try
to pursue or try to obtain their
release . Um And I just don't want to
comment on president is the most recent
um significant proposal , the one that
you raised from the podium . I don't
want to comment on any um uh any
further developments in that case from
time to time we make the decision to
make um uh things public , but uh
ultimately , we declined , we decided
to do most of that and did that
proposal include Krassi who Putin seems
to , you know , I'm never going to
comment on what those , what those
private proposals might might include .
Go ahead . I just wanted to circle back
to the two Americans taken by the ID F
in Gaza . Uh Family members say the
only communication they've had with the
US government is a confirmation of
receipt . Is that normal for five days
into this to not have had kind of more
communication with , with State
Department or anyone ? Uh I really wish
there was more that I could say . Um ,
uh , there are privacy rules that , uh
can only be waived by the individuals
themselves , not by family members .
This is not true . I'm not speaking
with respect to this case . I'm
speaking with respect to cases in
general that prohibit us from talking
about the cases . So , um , uh ,
unfortunately , I can't say any more
other than that we are aware of the
matter and we are engaged with the
government of Israel to try and learn
more information and Brian go ahead and
then we'll wrap from there to pick up
on your Pakistan comment . I think you
said that you were the State Department
hopes that the Pakistan Pakistani
courts will take a close look at this
matter . Uh You've , you've also heard
from a lot of members of Congress who
have said there should be an
independent investigation of the fraud
before the US recognizes any new
government . The high I'm not sure if
you saw this , the High Court in
Pakistan just tossed out , you know ,
most of the challenges , despite the
fact that the media , there has seen
100% of the returns and the challenges
are entirely legitimate . It's like not
even a he said , she said , so the
court process seems to already have
played out . Does the State Department
want to see an independent
investigation as members of Congress
are calling for ? So , I don't know
which , what , um , uh , what uh ,
venue is not the right word , but what
body they're proposing to conduct an
independent investigation would be ?
I'm happy to look at that . If , if
there's a specific proposal right now ,
we think as a matter of first course ,
it's that the legal system play itself
out in Pakistan . That's a mat that's
the appropriate first step to take .
And we think that's the step that
should be taken . If there are
additional steps that ought to be
entertained , we're happy to , to look
at them at that time . The same , same
question on , on hind hind job though ,
to follow up on . I think what the
point Matt was trying to make . You
said you've urged Israel to investigate
her killing , respond very quickly and
take accountability if they find
something's wrong . I think Matt's
point though is that you've urged a lot
of accountability , a lot of
investigations and we don't have
evidence of them coming back with
accountability . Should there be a
second level investigation into her
killing . Uh Again , it's hard to ,
it's hard to comment on a second level
before we've concluded the first level .
Um , we want to see the , uh ,
government of Israel investigate this
matter . If they find that , um ,
somebody behaved inappropriately or
violation of law , we want to see
accountability . Uh , and I wouldn't
want to speculate on what further
measures might be appropriate before
that first step has been completed for
today . Thanks everyone .