Middle East and North Africa

Biden Addresses Iran, Syria in Munich Security Speech

Vice President Biden stressed the value of trans-Atlantic unity in his speech at the Munich Security Conference. Photo: ©AP Images

Vice President Biden, in his second appearance at the annual Munich Security Conference, said “We know what path Iran has chosen,” (...) “And so the international community came together, and the United States, the European Union and the United Nations imposed what the Iranian leaders are acknowledging to be the most robust sanctions in history.” Biden said President Obama has made it clear to the Iranian leadership that the United States policy is not containment, but to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. But Biden said there is still time, “there is still space for diplomacy, backed by pressure, to succeed. (...) The Syrian opposition grows stronger, and as the Syrian people take their chance to forge their own future, “they will continue to find a partner in the United States of America.”, Biden said. Read the full article | Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden to the Munich Security Conference. Hotel Bayerischer Hof Munich, Germany (2013-02-02)

Readout of Vice President Biden's Meetings with United Nations and Arab League Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi and Syrian Opposition Coalition President Moaz al-Khatib (2013-02-02)
Statement by the President on the Terrorist Attack in Algeria (2013-01-19) | Terrorist Attack in Algeria (2013-01-21)
Public Diplomacy in A Changing Middle East (2013-01-16)
Asad's Speech (2013-01-06) | Syrian Regime Attacks Against Civilians (2012-12-24)
Referendum on the Egyptian Constitution (2012-12-25)
2012 G8-BMENA Forum for the Future (2012-12-14)
Remarks to the Friends of the Syrian People (2012-12-12)
Czech Republic, U.S. United Against Syrian Chemical Weapons (2012-12-03)
Formation of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (2012-11-11)
Democratic Transitions in the Maghreb (2012-10-12)
Clinton Addresses G-8 Deauville Partnership With Arab Countries in Transition Meeting (2012-09-28); Chair's Summary of Meeting
Remarks by the President to the UN General Assembly (2012-09-25)

U.S.-EU Highlights

U.S. Exempts 10 EU Countries from Sanctions Over Iran Oil Imports

Secretary of State Clinton announced March 20 that the 10 EU countries currently importing Iranian oil had “significantly reduced their volume of crude oil purchases from Iran. As a result, I will report to the Congress that sanctions…will not apply to the financial institutions based in these countries.” Under U.S. law, sanctions can be applied to financial institutions of countries that import Iranian petroleum products. Twenty-three countries, 10 of which are EU countries, still import these products. Secretary Clinton commended the EU and Japan for their actions and urged other nations that import oil from Iran to follow their example. “Diplomacy coupled with strong pressure can achieve the long-term solutions we seek and we will continue to work with our international partners to increase the pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations,” Secretary Clinton said in her statement. In a separate briefing, a State Department official said the EU’s January 23 decision to ban all new contracts for the import purchase or transport of Iranian crude oil and petrochemicals was a model for other nations.