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 You are in: Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs > Bureau of Public Affairs > Bureau of Public Affairs: Electronic Information and Publications Office > Middle East Digest > 2008 > September - December 

Middle East Digest - September 23, 2008

Bureau of Public Affairs
September 23, 2008

The Middle East Digest provides text and audio from the Daily Press Briefing. For the full briefings, please visit daily press briefings.

From the Daily Press Briefing of September 23, 2008

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MR. WOOD: Charley?

QUESTION: Anything on the suggestion that there should be a joint Afghanistan-Pakistan-U.S. strike force that could operate on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border?

MR. WOOD: Yeah. We’ve seen the report – reports on it. I think we’ve also been informed about it and we are obviously taking a good look at it and see-- and we’re going to analyze it and see where we go from here on it. But I don’t have any further comment on it at this point. We’ll probably have something to say, you know, later on it, once we’ve done a thorough analysis of it

QUESTION: Later today?

MR. WOOD: I wouldn’t count on later today.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. WOOD: Please.

QUESTION: If I can ask a question about Afghanistan and the Status of Forces Agreement?

MR. WOOD: Sure.

QUESTION: SOFA, according to the Afghans, hasn’t been changed since 2004. And they’re expected to propose this week that home raids no longer be conducted unilaterally when the women are present -- by the U.S., when women are present, getting tribal leaders more involved and what have you, a greater sharing of intelligence by U.S. authorities with the Afghans. I’m wondering what changes you think need to take place with SOFA. I’m pretty sure President Bush is going to meet with President Karzai this week.

MR. WOOD: Well, I certainly don’t want to get into those kinds of issues right now. Certainly -- I know the Secretary is meeting with President Karzai later. There will be discussions between the two governments on the SOFA, but I really don’t want to get into the specifics of that right now. It wouldn’t be appropriate.

QUESTION: Could you (inaudible) about how this is different or differences between this SOFA agreement and then Iraq’s?

MR. WOOD: I’d rather not do that, if you don’t mind.

Right here.

QUESTION: Was there a request rejected from the Iranian President Ahmadinejad to travel to California for some kind of trip? There was a report out of Iran saying – claiming that.

MR. WOOD: That’s the first I’ve heard of that. I haven’t heard of that before, no.

Charley.

QUESTION: On Libya, any update on the special fund to fulfill terrorism claims?

MR. WOOD: I checked on that yesterday and no money has been delivered into the fund.


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