Middle East Digest: January 22, 2008

Bureau of Public Affairs
January 22, 2008

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12:53 p.m. EST

MR. GALLEGOS: Good morning – oh, excuse me, good afternoon. Welcome.

Anne.

QUESTION: Did the resolution agreed upon in Berlin shortly – a little bit ago, contain new sanctions for Iran and if so why not?

MR. GALLEGOS: Well, as you all saw from the press briefing from Berlin, the P-5+1 has reaffirmed a commitment to a two-track strategy. It sends a strong message to Iran that it needs to comply with UN Chapter 7 resolutions. They’re becoming increasingly isolated and I think this shows that they aren’t able to divide us in our commitment to this effort.

In terms of details, I don’t have them right now. They’ll be released in appropriate time.

QUESTION: Well, I mean when they – when Steinmeier says we’ve agreed on the elements in the resolution – I mean, one might logically assume that if those elements included sanctions he would have said so.

MR. GALLEGOS: Well, since I don’t have it, we haven’t released it, I can’t tell you at this point. But I do know that at an appropriate it will be released and we’ll be able to comment on it further at that time.

Yes.

QUESTION: You don’t have anything on the two-track strategy.

MR. GALLEGOS: The two-track strategy, the carrot and the stick. The idea that we are offering the Iranians this opportunity to stop their proliferation attempts, to come to the table, discuss with us and the rest of the world where they are, what they’re doing, begin a process by which we can reintegrate them into the world economy, the world market, socializing with the rest of the world or decide together if they refuse and keep on the path that they’re following that they will continue to become more and more isolated. The idea is that there are people in Iran who may well – who will look at what is happening to Iran and decide amongst themselves that they need to take a different path and we want to make clear that this opportunity is open to the government and we’ll continue on this process.

QUESTION: So you’re saying that the resolution – draft resolution embraces that strategy?

MR. GALLEGOS: Yes, yes.

Michel.

QUESTION: Do you have any date for the vote, when the Security Council will vote on this draft resolution?

MR. GALLEGOS: No, I don’t have a date on that, sorry.

Yes, Dave.

QUESTION: Gonzo, it appeared implicit from the German Foreign Minister’s statement that nothing will happen until this one-month period expires, during which Iran is to answer the questions of the IAEA. Does that conform with your understanding of this?

MR. GALLEGOS: For the particulars, I’m going to leave it for the party travelling out there to get into more details. What I have to say about it, I’ve been able to convey to you at this time and I’m sure that the Secretary or Sean will be able to comment further from Berlin.

Yes.

QUESTION: Who is going to be bringing this statement to the Security Council? The six or --

MR. GALLEGOS: Like I said, as we get – to go any further down what I’ve been able to talk for you now, I’m going to have to refer to the traveling party and let them give you all the details as they become available.

QUESTION: And did they say they had agreed on the content or the elements or what is the term?

MR. GALLEGOS: My understanding is that they’ve agreed – they’ve come to an agreement on a resolution that they’re going to move forward.

Yes, Michel. Excuse me. Samir.

QUESTION: Yes. Samir. Do you have a reaction to this article in the Washington Post about the asylum program for Iraqi translators, that the program is falling short compared to Denmark?

MR. GALLEGOS: Yeah, I saw that report. The latest numbers that I have through October of 2008 are 860 Iraqis under the special immigration visas program. Ambassador Foley, when he came and spoke to you all at the end of November, made it clear that due to the fact that we had difficulties placing DHS adjudicators in Syria until we received permission from the government in October, we have not been able to have the number of applicants – to process the number of applicants that we would have liked to. We believe that the second and third quarter of this year are going to provide us with more substantial numbers of applicants and therefore that we will eventually be able to meet the number of 12,000 that we discussed earlier in the year for fiscal year ’08.

So we’re continuing the process. We are working apace. We are ensuring the security of the United States, yet proceeding with this as quickly as we can.

QUESTION: So you’ll not change that goal of 12,000 for this year?

MR. GALLEGOS: No --

QUESTION: You think you’ll be able to meet it this year?

MR. GALLEGOS: I have no – our goal is 12,000. We’re committed to it and we’re working towards it.

QUESTION: Another thing that came from the gaggle this morning was the Palestinian – the reports of a Palestinian push for a resolution at the UN. And what was the U.S. attitude about that – a resolution that would call for the blockade to be fully lifted?

MR. GALLEGOS: I do have something on that.

First, you asked who had spoken to the government of Israel. The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch in Washington – or from Washington, and Ambassador Richard Jones in Tel Aviv have been in contact with Israeli officials regarding the situation in Gaza. We’re going to continue working with the parties and the international community to address humanitarian needs of the innocent people of Gaza. You’ve heard both the Secretary and our Ambassador to the UN speak to this issue and how we want to prevent -- want to keep from having a humanitarian crisis there. We’ve spoken to the Israeli Government about this. They have expressed to us their desire that there not be one. It’s important for us that the Council examine the overall situation including Hamas’s responsibility for the continuing rocket attacks against Israel that led to the current circumstances and today’s restoration of the flow of diesel fuel and medical supplies into Gaza.

QUESTION: So are you commenting on the idea of a resolution at the UN?

MR. GALLEGOS: No, this is what I have to say about this right now.

Thank you all. Have a greater afternoon.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:09 p.m.)