The US, the GCC, Iran and Other Regional Issues
At GCC foreign ministers gathering in Manama, Bahrain, on April 7, 2016, US Secretary of State John F Kerry suggested the US is open to a "new arrangement" with Iran for peacefully resolving disputes, if Tehran is prepared to play ball and cease its aggressive behavior. He denied the accuracy of Jeffery Goldberg's account of president Obama allegedly saying the region's Sunni-majority powers should share it with Iran.
Setting the stage for President Barack Obama's summit with regional leaders in Saudi Arabia later this month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with the foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates) to advance a series of proposals aimed at easing Arab concerns about Iran and the alleged warming of ties between the U.S. and Iran. These include providing new counterterrorism, conventional military, missile defense and cybersecurity capabilities.
Kerry raised several other ideas, including a possible partnership between the GCC and NATO to help stabilize the conflict-ravaged Arabian Peninsula. He pledged $139 million in new U.S. humanitarian assistance for Yemen to be doled out over the coming year, but his most noted suggestion concerned the Iranian ballistic missile activities the U.S. had denounced as violations of a United Nations ban.
A moment after declaring America was united with Persian Gulf countries against the Iranian missile tests, Kerry said the U.S. and its partners were telling Iran that they were "prepared to work on a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution to these issues." He said Iran first had to "make it clear to everybody that they are prepared to cease these kinds of activities that raise questions about credibility and questions about intentions." Kerry didn't elaborate further.
Kerry also questioned the accuracy of quotes of President Obama by Jeffery Goldberg in an interview published in The Atlantic.
The foreign ministers also addressed the fight against the Islamic State and the region's two deadly civil wars in Syria and Yemen.
But for Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, the threat posed by Iran was clearly a pressing concern.
"If Iran wants to have normal relations," al-Jubeir said through an interpreter, "it has to change its policies." He said that includes no more weapons smuggling to countries at peace or war on the Arabian Peninsula, and no more interference in others' internal affairs.
"If Iran continues its aggressive policy," al-Jubeir added, "it will be difficult to deal with Iran."
After touring the U.S. Navy base on the island that hosts the 5th Fleet and supports U.S. maritime activities throughout the Middle East, Kerry highlighted the role of Western interdictions of Iranian weapons shipments. Four have been stopped in the last six months, with the U.S., Britain and France seizing anti-tank munitions, sniper rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
All were believed intended for Yemen's Houthi Shiite rebels battling Saudi Arabia, helping reinforce fears among the Sunni kingdoms that Iran is threatening their stability.
While Kerry vowed to "push back" against such Iranian provocations, he also emphasized the Islamic republic's capacity to contribute to peace. He cited Iran's assistance in securing a truce in Syria between the Iranian-backed government and rebels supported by Western and Arab countries. And he called on Tehran to act similarly in Yemen.
“But we say very clearly to Iran,” he said, “that we’re prepared to work a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution to these issues.”
“And we look for Iran to make it clear to everybody that they are prepared to cease these kinds of activities that raise questions about credibility and questions about intention,” Kerry added.
The setting of the meeting in Bahrain underscored Arab concerns. The Sunni-ruled, Shiite-majority country is particularly sensitive to Tehran's actions and rhetoric, given its geography just across the Gulf, its demographics and the occasional statements of middle ranking Iranian officials calling for the country's annexation. Iran is a Shiite power.
At a news conference with Kerry earlier in the day (see below), Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said Iran must work as hard on restoring relations in the region as it did on securing the nuclear accord. He decried Iran's "hegemonic interventions," yet promised that his country would take two steps toward rapprochement for every step by the Iranians.
Making the first visit to Bahrain by a top American diplomat since its 2011 uprising, Kerry tiptoed over the sensitive matter of the kingdom's human rights record.
Human rights groups criticize the government for imprisoning activists and peaceful dissidents, and routine discrimination against the island's majority Shiite population. Kerry tiptoed on the issue, saying the opposition had made a mistake when boycotting previous elections, saying "that polarizes things rather than helps them."
Human rights groups had pushed for Kerry to publicly chastise the government.
Al Khalifa, for his part, said one woman activist, who faces up to three years in prison for acts that include tearing up a picture of the king, would be released on humanitarian grounds because she went to jail with her 1-year-old child. But he said the case against the woman, Zainab al-Khawaja, would continue.
Separately Thursday, a Bahraini doctor, Saeed Al Samahiji, was sentenced to a year in prison for charges including incitement of hate and insulting neighboring Saudi Arabia, according to his lawyer.
Khalid of Bahrain said that in the wake of the nuclear deal, GCC states “are noticing two things that we kind of have expected.”
“The missile program is moving forward with full support from the top of the leadership of the Islamic Republic, and we are seeing the hegemonic interventions through proxies in several parts of our region continuing unabated without even heeding to their responsibilities of rules of good neighborliness,” he said.
Khalid said the GCC states “want to see Iran change its foreign policy, especially towards the region.”
He called on Iran to “stop the shipments of weapons and explosives, stop training of terrorists, and stop financing and supporting proxies in several places.”
As noted President Obama recently raised eyebrows when he was quoted in an article in The Atlantic as saying Saudi Arabia needs to “share” the region with its Shi’ite arch-rival.
“The competition between the Saudis and the Iranians – which has helped to feed proxy wars and chaos in Syria and Iraq and Yemen – requires us to say to our friends as well as to the Iranians that they need to find an effective way to share the neighborhood and institute some sort of cold peace,” writer Jeffrey Goldberg quoted Obama as saying.
Those comments, coupled with Goldberg’s assessment that Obama “is clearly irritated that foreign-policy orthodoxy compels him to treat Saudi Arabia as an ally,” drew a sharp retort from Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal, a former head of Intelligence and Ambassador to the Court of St James and to Washington.
In an interview in Manama Thursday with Al-Arabiya television, Kerry was asked about the comments. Interviewer Hasan Muawad said Obama’s statements were interpreted by some in the region as indicating a shift in U.S. policy away from its traditional allies.
“That’s just not happening,” Kerry declared, suggesting that Goldberg injected his own opinion into the article in question.
“I’m saying that when you have an article that is written by anybody, when they are writing their own opinion, that does not reflect the words necessarily or the thoughts of the principal being interviewed,” he said. “Somebody writes what they think.”
Kerry noted that Obama would be meeting with GCC leaders in the region in a couple of weeks’ time.
“I’m very confident, very confident, about the strength of the relationship between the United States and the countries in this region, and particularly confident that we will continue to oppose the behavior of any country that tries to interfere with the internal activities and life of another nation that intends to try to create extremist disturbances or terrorist acts,” he said.
https://bit.ly/1qzhJ3h , The AP as in https://bit.ly/1qziKIJ ]
Joint Press Availability of US Secretary oif State John Kerry and Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa
Four Seasons Hotel, Manama, Bahrain, April 7, 2016
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-KHALIFA: (In progress.) We discussed ways to further our military cooperation through mechanisms agreed at Camp David last year and the subsequent progress made by the U.S. and GCC working groups. We also discussed the importance of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, which is responsible for a considerable increase in bilateral trade in the past 10 years or so. We explored ways to increase the mutual benefit of the agreement and take our trade relationship forward in the coming years.
Regionally, we discussed the importance of a political solution in Syria that preserves peace and allows the Syrian people to begin the process of rebuilding and alleviating the hardship of the past years. We continue to stress the importance of cooperation between world powers and Syria to reach a solution to the crisis, and we reiterate our support to the UN process led by Staffan de Mistura in their effort to promote dialogue with the aim of achieving a political solution.
We also discussed the importance of a political solution in Yemen and are encouraged by recent developments, including the direct talks between the coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Houthi delegation in Riyadh.
We talked about ways to preserve regional peace and confront Daesh and other terrorist organizations in the region. We are encouraged by the terrorist organization's loss of territory recently, and recognize that the tide has turned against Daesh. It's important for us to redouble our efforts to ensure that the final defeat of this organization in particular - of the final defeat of this organization. In particular, we talked about the importance of stopping the flow of funds to Daesh. Bahrain has always been at the forefront of the fight against terrorist financing, and we will continue to do our part as part of the global anti-Daesh coalition.
On Iran, we agreed that this is a time for Iran to genuinely seek better relations with its neighbors and to stop its interferences in domestic affairs of regional states for the benefit of regional peace and prosperity. We expect Iran to consider mending ties with regional countries just as important as solving its nuclear dispute with world powers.
Before I give the floor to Secretary Kerry, I would like to reiterate our delight at hosting Secretary Kerry here in Bahrain. This visit highlights the importance of the strong and historic ties between our two nations. We have stood together through numerous regional crises and cooperated to help secure this vital region. We have developed strong trade ties and an even stronger people-to-people connection. The United States has stood by Bahrain through good times and difficult times. We have always appreciated that and we remain, as always, good friends and allies.
(...)
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you very much and good morning. Assalamu alaikum. Honored to be here and I want to thank Sheikh Khalid for his very generous welcome. I want to thank him for his friendship through the three years-plus now that I've been Secretary and we have worked together. And we worked together and knew each other before I became Secretary, so we've had an ongoing relationship. And I want to thank Ambassador Roebuck and his entire team for the job that they are doing here in Bahrain representing the United States of America.
Later this afternoon, Sheikh Khalid and I will have an opportunity to convene with a wider group representing representatives of the GCC. But I was very pleased this morning to be able to have a chance to talk at some length about our - the status of our bilateral ties which continue to be very strong. The fact is that given the nature of the world today, the foreign minister and I wind up seeing each other on a very regular basis. If it's not in the GCC meetings, we see each other in the International Syria Support Group, where Bahrain has been an important contributor; or we see each other as members of the counter-Daesh coalition in which both of our countries participate.
Bahrain is a critical security partner of the United States and whenever Sheikh Khalid and I get together, we have a very full agenda and, frankly, a very cooperative discussion. Today was no exception, and I was able, by the way, to begin the morning with a visit to our base here to talk firsthand with Admiral Donegan and to - with the NAVCENT and to be able to get a firsthand assessment of some of the security challenges which we are engaged in in a cooperative way.
Among the topics that we discussed was the latest developments related to Syria and the prospects for a settlement in Yemen, the destabilizing actions of Iran, which the United States takes very seriously, and we also talked about the ongoing fight against terrorist groups writ large, but also specifically about Daesh.
A couple of weeks ago, the foreign minister responded to the recent eruption of terrorist attacks by saying the following: "We are fighting the same enemy in Riyadh, Lahore, Mumbai, Paris, Brussels, Mali, and everywhere, and together, we stand and fight." Bahrain has been backing up that statement by providing valuable logistics and operational support to the counter-Daesh coalition. And it also hosted an international workshop aimed at preventing the diversion of charitable contributions into terrorist organizations. Clearly, the fight against Daesh is going to be a centerpiece of our discussions this evening with the GCC, but it's very encouraging to know that in this critical mission, the United States and Bahrain stand absolutely side by side.
Now, Bahrain also plays a key role in maritime security here in what is obviously a strategic region. The United States is very grateful for the logistical and the operational support that Bahrain provides, particularly for NAVCENT and the Fifth Fleet. This week, Bahrain is participating in and helping to facilitate the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise, the largest naval exercise of its kind which involves no fewer than 42 states, all committed to global energy security and freedom of navigation.
In addition, the foreign minister and I have a chance to discuss the ongoing effort to address and to reduce sectarian divisions here in Bahrain and elsewhere, and I appreciate the seriousness with which he considers this issue. We all welcome steps by all sides to create conditions that will provide for greater political involvement for the citizens of this great country. And here, as in all nations, we believe that respect for human rights and an inclusive political system are essential in order to allow citizens to be able to reach and live out their full potential.
So once again, I want to thank Sheikh Khalid for his hospitality, I look forward to continuing our discussion on these topics with His Majesty King Hamad, and I anticipate the continuation of a very strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Bahrain for many years to come.
(...)
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-KHALIFA: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Secretary Kerry. As we agreed, we will take one question from each side. So if you allow me, I would invite you to take your question, Secretary Kerry, and then I will take a question. Please.
SECRETARY KERRY: Great. All right, all right. David Sanger.
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and Mr. Minister. I'd like to ask you both on (inaudible) about Iran and then - and your reference to human rights.
On Iran: Many of your colleagues in the GCC, Mr. Minister, have warned that Iran would remain a destabilizing force after the nuclear deal, and we're just about a year-plus from the Lausanne framework agreement. So we've now seen missile tests; we've seen four interdictions of Iranian arms, as the Secretary pointed out. Mr. Secretary, you noted on television yesterday that the supreme leader in Iran said recently that it was all about the missiles, not about future negotiations. So I wanted to ask if each of you would answer the question of whether this is where you wanted to be or envisioned you would be a year after the deal.
And Mr. Minister, specifically, do you regard Iran as dangerous today as they were a year ago, or more or less?
And on human rights, Mr. Secretary, if you could tell us what you know about this report that the Saudis used U.S.-made munitions in that attack that killed 97 civilians in Yemen, including 25 schoolchildren.
Mr. Minister, as you know, there's been a lot of concern about human rights here in Bahrain. We specifically wanted you to tell us a little bit about the case of Salah al-Khawaja, a human rights defender. She was jailed for up to three years for what appears to have been largely nonviolent protests against the king and the kingdom, including I think tearing up a photograph of the king. Mr. Secretary, is this the kind of reform you had in mind?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, a number of questions. Let me begin with - I think the first question you asked is about Iran and is this where we expected to be. Let me make it very, very clear. The Iran nuclear agreement was an agreement about the potential of Iran securing a nuclear weapon. And we consistently, during those negotiations, made it clear to people that that's all that it was about, because if we made it about everything else we never would have reached an agreement. We needed to take one step first to deal with the single-biggest threat to security that existed, as Iran was barreling towards a capacity to have a nuclear weapon. And at the time when we began the negotiations, Iran had enough enriched nuclear material that, if it was slightly further enriched, could have produced 10 to 12 bombs.
[Note: More than "slightly further enriched", ie from 20 prcent to over 90 percent. But is is easier to go from 20 to 90 percent than from 5 to 20 percent. I suppose that is what Secretary Kerry meant.-GRM]
We also were witnessing no ability to restrain that, so that the potential of conflict in order to deal with it was very high. As everybody knows, there were some countries pushing for military action against Iran at that particular moment, and that was certainly one of the options that was being discussed and was available. President Obama decided and felt very strongly - and I share the belief - that before you start talking about the military option, you owe it to the people of the world and your own citizens before you send young people into conflict to do your utmost to find out whether there is a diplomatic solution to that crisis. The crisis was the potential of a nuclear weapon; the diplomatic solution was achieved, and it is that now there is no path to the nuclear weapon.
So that was eliminated. No one made a pretense that other challenges that we knew existed were suddenly going to be wiped away. We knew that Iran supported Hizballah. We knew that Iran had the IRGC in Syria. We knew that Iran was engaged in supporting activities in the region which could destabilize. We knew that Iran was indeed supporting the Houthi in their struggle in Yemen. So all of those issues we knew now have to be dealt with, and that is one of the principal reasons that President - it is the principal reason that President Obama convened the summit at Camp David with the Gulf states in order to talk about how we are now going to go after a nuclear agreement and continue to try to seek a change in Iran's behavior with respect to those other activities.
Now, Iran has helped on a few things. Iran helped in terms of getting the consensus for a cessation of hostilities in Syria, and Iran worked in concert with all of the International Syria Support Group, which it joined, in order to support a negotiation on the Geneva process to bring an end to the war in Syria. So Iran supported that effort and helped to cooperate.
But clearly, the challenge of Yemen, the challenge of activities that are disruptive here in Bahrain, the challenge of activities that are disruptive in Syria, remain a challenge. And the missiles remain a challenge, which is why President Obama took steps with sanctions just the other day, and why there is now discussion in New York at the UN about the potential of UN Security Council resolutions dealing with this yet again.
Now, our hope is, David, that the aspirations expressed by some people in Iran to be able to build a better relationship in the region and with the world is in fact the direction that Iran would like to go in. But the test of that is going to be in what Iran itself chooses to do in the days and weeks and months and years ahead. Clearly, there is a difference of opinion within Iran itself, and they're going to have to decide. I know from our conversation here this morning with Sheikh Khalid that he would welcome, as would other Gulf state members would welcome, an Iran to the table if they want to be part of a genuine security arrangement for the region without these disruptive activities. That if Iran wants to be part of a constructive resolution to Syria, constructive resolution to Yemen, it can be so. But it is not constructive to be sending dhows across the Gulf loaded with weapons that are only going to add fuel to the fire of a war we are busy trying to end. And we would invite Iran to be part of helping to end the war on a constructive basis, not to fuel it into greater conflict.
So we have hopes now that because the nuclear agreement is behind us, that these other issues can now become front and center part of the conversation. But we have made it very, very clear that where there is a continued violation of a UN Security Council resolution or continued activity that disrupts this region or is calculated to provide insecurity or disruption in another country, we are going to stand together in our efforts in order to protect the security and long-term interests of the region as well as to stand with our friends and our allies in their efforts to protect their countries. And that's where things stand right now.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-KHALIFA: Thank you very much. David, you mentioned about Iran and where do we see ourselves today compared to last year after Lausanne. You noticed last year our statement coming out either from Bahrain or from the GCC, each country individually and even our joint statements - it was clear in support of the agreement and guarded in our way - how we were predicting and seeing things would evolve and develop. And today, we are not doubting - of course, since then until today, we're not doubting the intentions of the 5+1 world powers when they came and put all the pressure in order for Iran to come to the table and to terms with their nuclear program. But we are kind of - we are worried that Iran would misinterpret and misunderstand the efforts and the - what's in the hearts and minds of the 5+1, especially the United States of America, our ally here for security and stability in the region.
So - and today, we are noticing two things that we kind of have expected. The missile program is moving forward with full support from the top of the leadership of the Islamic Republic, and we are seeing the hegemonic interventions through proxies in several parts of our region continuing unabated without even heeding to their responsibilities of rules of good neighborliness.
So yes, we would see them help to trying to reach a political solution, but we also see them send more fighters and from the IRGC and from Hizballah to Syria to continue to keep the situation as it is.
So this is where we are today. But definitely, as the Secretary mentioned, yes, we do want to see Iran change its foreign policy. I think this is a big - the next big step for them to do is to change their foreign policy, especially towards the region. As much as effort they put for the nuclear file, we need to see them also do that with their neighbors and stop the shipments of weapons and explosives, stop training of terrorists, and stop financing and supporting proxies in several places.
This is the Iran that we all want to see. We wanted to have good relationship with them in the future, and we will always try to do so. If they will take a step, we will take two steps.
You mentioned the issue of al-Khawaja, Zainab al-Khawaja. She's in jail, and she chose to keep her child with her, by her choice, although she was offered that she would keep it with her next of kin and their family. But she wanted - and then they put her in a room that is specially designed for - to help her. But of course, this is a humanitarian issue, and Zainab al-Khawaja will be released pending her case in the court. She will be sent to her home and to be with her family and to be with - held with her child in a better surrounding. But the case will continue because we - in Bahrain, as much effort we do in the fields of human rights and protecting human rights and putting all the mechanisms that will ensure that there - we won't hit the hurdles that we do - did hit in the past about - in the human rights field, we think we have done more and we've done for all the problems we're facing, we've done what we are supposed to do and we will continue to do so. Things always evolve, but we do respect that we have all the obligations to make sure that the human rights situation in Bahrain remain without any problems to face. So she will be going home. We're looking forward to that.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, could you answer the same question about the reforms?
QUESTION: And also about Yemen - Yemen --
SECRETARY KERRY: I'm sorry, I thought I had answered the question. Which part of the question?
QUESTION: The - in Yemen, the --
SECRETARY KERRY: Yemen, I got it. What's the other? What's the third question?
QUESTION: The reform - about - just about the reform efforts in Bahrain, whether there was more that you'd like to see --
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me just say that His Majesty King Hamad began a very serious, constructive effort at reform a number of years ago, in which he created a number of different entities with an ombudsman and other efforts in order to try to bring people together. And regrettably, I think a great mistake was made when the opposition obviously chose to boycott the election. And I think that polarizes things rather than helps them.
We discussed the 2018 elections today and the prospect for those elections and some of the work that might be able to be done over the course of the next weeks and months. And the foreign minister assured me that they want nothing more than a full, fair election with full participation by everybody, but obviously without the violence, without threats, without extremism polarizing people and making that election more complicated. So we hope it will be. And we're going to work with them very closely in an effort to try to ensure that.
Bahrain has made progress in some areas. They've created institutions that have oversight of security institutions, but more work obviously remains. And we've expressed concerns where we have some of those concerns. And one of those efforts is to work with the opposition in order to try to put some of the reforms in place.
But in the end, our relationship with Bahrain is built on the common interests that we share, and one of those interests in joint efforts to combat violent extremism. And so we believe that broadening the rights and opportunities and bringing people together in the political process is one of the ways to actually counter it, and we're encouraging that kind of activity.
With respect to Yemen, I don't have any solid information, any documentation with respect to what weapon might or might not have been used. There are questions being asked. What I will say about Yemen is this: We have been - we, the United States - I personally have been in multiple weekly conversations and meetings over the course of the last weeks in an effort to try to secure a full ceasefire in Yemen. And we will have that conversation even tonight. I talked with the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia yesterday about it, over the weekend. We're constantly trying to move this towards it.
I cannot avoid saying that I think that President Hadi has complicated some of those efforts significantly in the last few hours. And I hope that decisions will be made that will facilitate our ability to be able to move towards the negotiations that we have all been working towards on the 18th of April. Whatever weapons are being used, our preference is that all shooting stops, that they have a full ceasefire and come to terms on the potential of what the structure of a new government could be. I thought we were making significant progress on that up until this most recent decision. My hope is that at tonight's meeting we can have some clarification of how we might be able to make some steps to get back on track fully.
We still believe that negotiations ought to take place. We still believe the ceasefire ought to take place. But we've got to work on the politics of it. But I'll try to get some greater details for you, David, about the particular munition used in that particular incident.
(...)
QUESTION: (...) (Inaudible) from Al Ayam newspaper. (...) Still the position of United State about security Gulf is not clear. Still Iran sending more weapons to Yemen. Still Iran support terrorist group here in Bahrain, still interfere in Gulf state. So - and same time - at the same time, U.S. President asking to sit in - close to - sit one table. How can sit or make relation, good relation with Iran when still Iran threats Gulf state?
I have also one point. For the last three hours, me and my other local journalists, we've been treated like we are under arrest from your security, from American security. And we've been taken separate from American journalist, and we've been treating this way. So it could be accept if we are in the State, but not in our home.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-KHALIFA: Thank you very much. This is a point that's about security measures here. And there are certain measures that we have to follow.
(...)
SECRETARY KERRY: We - let me just say right up front we don't - I don't control - we don't control security measures here.
QUESTION: From American security, not from --
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I don't know how our security - you'd have to - I'd have to find out - I don't know what our security has as a role here. My - our security here only looks out for me, I'm afraid. So --
QUESTION: No, they (inaudible) only our journalists, not the American journalists.
SECRETARY KERRY: I beg your pardon? I don't know what the procedure was. I will certainly inquire and I'll try to find out. And I hope --
QUESTION: Please. Please do.
SECRETARY KERRY: I promise you I will.
QUESTION: Please do.
SECRETARY KERRY: I absolutely will. And I'll try to find out exactly what the security steps taken were --
QUESTION: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: -- so we can find out appropriately.
President Obama made - as I mentioned a moment ago, my answer to David Sanger - a very clear decision that rather than just stay on a track that they will lead you to a war, you first ought to engage and exhaust the remedies of diplomacy. Try to find out, is there a way to resolve this grievance before you have to make a different decision. Now, sometimes there isn't time, or sometimes the situation is such that there's nothing to talk about. There was nothing to talk about after 9/11 when we were attacked. That was not a situation where there was a discussion of negotiation. There was one task. Clearly, you're going to go after the people who did it and you're going to make them pay the price. And that's what we did, and they paid the price.
But in the case of some of Iran's activities in the regions, we need to try to figure out if there is a way to resolve some of those activities through engagement. The first step, the President believed, was to try to deal with an Iran that does not have a nuclear weapon. I mean, let me ask any of you a simple question: Would it be easier to deal with an Iran that doesn't have a nuclear weapon if you're working on one challenge or another than one that does? And how would that affect their outlook conceivably? I have to tell you that the supreme leader of Iran made a fundamental decision that Iran was not going to pursue a nuclear weapon and that they would in fact make the world confident of that by entering into a series of steps that helped to prove it. Now, we're not taking them at their word. We are verifying it every single day through the measures that they have to take in order to prove that they're living up to the agreement.
Now, with respect to their behavior, we're also not taking their word, which is why we have just intercepted dhows - four ships, vessels - carrying weapons, and we have shown the world what these weapons are. And we are going to deal with that in the context of the steps that are available to us.
Now, the reality is President Obama is not sitting at the table in that context. There's no negotiation per se; there is a clear requirement that they live up to what has been agreed to. And so we are at the United Nations now - the President already designated a number of their entities for their complicity in the act of helping on the missile shoots, and there will be more if that's what they continue to do.
So as Sheikh Khalid said and as I've said, we call on Iran to change that behavior. We call on Iran to prove to the world it wants to be a constructive member of the international community and contribute to peace and stability - and to help us end the war in Yemen, not prolong it; help us end the war in Syria, not intensify it; and help us to be able to change the dynamics of this region, which need the space to begin to breathe so you can engage in full economic activity, put people to work, send people to school, do things other than constantly be caught up in the instability that comes with either sectarian or ideological extremism.
That's our task - all of us. And President Obama is not - has not renewed relations. We don't have diplomatic relations. We haven't renewed our - there's not some breakthrough with respect to all these other issues. He very simply accomplished a major task for the world, which is to rid us of this challenge of the potential of a nuclear weapon, and now he is prepared to try to engage in ways that hopefully will seek this change of behavior. And our hope is that Iran will make decisions to be a - continue to be a constructive member of the ISSG and continue to help to try to find a peaceful resolution to Yemen and to help us avoid the challenge of Bahrain and others who see weapons and people being sent in to disrupt society.
And I think President Obama has a very realistic understanding of this challenge, which is why I'm here this week for the GCC summit among the foreign ministers in preparation for President Obama himself coming here in order to make this very clear in his summit with the GCC heads of state. And I think all of this points towards a very constructive approach to trying to make diplomacy work in this region for the improvement of life for all of the citizens in this region.
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/04/255568.htm
Remarks by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain abnd US Secretary of State John Kerry
Gudaibiya Palace, Manama, Bahrain, April 7, 2016
KING HAMAD: Your Excellency, Secretary Kerry, distinguished guests, it's a great pleasure to welcome you, Secretary Kerry, and your accompanying delegation to Bahrain. Your visit comes at a crucial time for our region and the world, and highlights the importance of the deep and longstanding partnership between Bahrain and the United States of America.
This historic relationship between our two nations was born not from agreements between governments but from friendship between peoples. It began when, in 1893, a group of courageous Americans traveled to a distant land and set up a hospital that continues to serve our people to this day. In the following decades this relationship flourished, and today it encompasses security, economic, and cultural ties that continue to develop year after year.
In the late 1940s, we welcomed the establishment of the U.S. Middle East Force in Bahrain - a small naval facility providing communication and logistical support to marine forces in the region. This was the cornerstone upon which the United States' security cooperation with Bahrain and the wider region was built.
Over the years, our security relationship evolved into what it is today with the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in Manama playing a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of the vital waters of the Arabian Gulf, working with the GCC commitment for the benefit of international security, trade, and commerce.
As a major non-NATO ally, we have engaged in numerous joint military exercises, and we join U.S. forces in military and humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. In addition, we have worked together to secure the water of the Arabian Gulf to preserve the Strait of Hormuz as the crucial commercial waterway of the region, and to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden. We stood together in combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction and worked toward world peace.
Perhaps the most important joint operation we took part in was Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait, in which the contribution from Bahrain was second only to that of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To illustrate the importance of our joint efforts, I was shown a photograph showing four U.S. aircraft carriers all in the territorial waters of Bahrain at the same time during the liberation of Kuwait - the largest naval commitment ever.
Meanwhile, trade between Bahrain and the United States has grown considerably since the implementation of our bilateral free trade agreement in 2006, due in no small part to the diversified nature of the Bahraini economy, and we look forward to enhancing our trade ties in the coming years.
All of this is but a small part of our strong and growing partnership, and as the region is going through a difficult period fighting extremism and terrorism, our continued partnership is essential in facing these challenges. I look forward to strengthening our historic relationship with the United States in the years to come. I would like to reiterate that this relationship remains, as always was, a core interest of the Kingdom of Bahrain. And despite misperceptions about our relationship in recent years, I assure you, Secretary Kerry, that as the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William Crowe said: Pound for pound, Bahrain has been and continues to be America's best friend in the world.
Secretary Kerry, we welcome you and your delegation once again to the kingdom, wishing you and your team a successful and productive visit to the region. Thank you very much.
SECRETARY KERRY: We're glad to see you. Let me say to you and everyone assembled here that, first of all, I bring you President Obama's greetings and I bring you the greetings of the people of our country, who are grateful for the strength of this relationship. And I want to personally thank Sheikh Khalid, who is a very solid interlocutor and a foreign minister who's also become a very good friend of mine. And we have worked together for a number of years and I greatly appreciate the many courtesies from your government. Also, when I was injured, when I hurt my leg last year, you sent me one of the greatest gifts of Godiva chocolate I've ever received. (Laughter.) And since I love chocolate, I was very, very touched by that - very personal - and I thank you again publicly for that.
Your Majesty, we face, obviously, enormous challenges and you just articulated many of them. And I will agree with Admiral Crowe, whom I knew well and admired enormously. Pound for pound, Bahrain is making enormous contributions to this effort.
We have challenges ahead of us still, and you know them. I salute the steps you took, beginning in 2001, with your charter and the work you've done through commissions and through the crown price and others, to try and move a political process forward. And we have taken note of your genuine commitment to try and find a way forward. We also are grateful for the work with Afghanistan, your work in the anti-Daesh coalition. We're making progress; we think we can make more.
And I look forward in our conversation now to being able to talk to you about some of the next steps we think we can do. But let me just, in front of everybody, confirm to you and to all who listen that the United States and Bahrain have a strong and solid commitment to fighting against terrorism together, to fighting extremism, and working on the economic transformation, the diversification that you're looking for, and to seeing this relationship strengthen long into the future. And we thank you for your commitment it. Thank you, sir.
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/04/255569.htm
Remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir
Four Seasons Hotel, Manama, Bahrain, April 7, 2016
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-JUBEIR: (Via interpreter in progress) - group works, six group works in different issues, and with regard to the defense of the GCC countries against any attack and how to counterattack the - and how to deal with the challenges in the region whether in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya. And we reviewed the peace efforts and the Palestine issue. Also we reviewed the efforts to counter terrorism and the - to combat terrorism, and the GCC minister - foreign ministers discussed the Moroccan Sahara issue and to continue the Moroccan autonomy and not to take any procedures to weaken that decision. And also the meetings were, as usual, positive and fruitful, and we look forward to a summit meeting in Riyadh - which will be held in Riyadh.
With regard to Iran, we expressed our rejection for the attempts of Iran to smuggle weapons to the rebels in Yemen. And moreover, we reject the interventions of Iran into the affairs of the GCC states and trying to smuggle weapons into some GCC states. We stressed that if Iran wants to have normal relations with the GCC states, it has to change its policies and to abide by the good neighborhood principle and to refrain from interfering into the affairs of the GCC states and the countries of the region in order to pave the way for more normal relations. But if Iran continues its aggressive policies and continues to intervene into the affairs of the GCC states, it will be difficult to deal with Iran.
(...)
SECRETARY KERRY: (In progress) - and I want to thank him very much for arranging this meeting of the GCC and convening everybody. And obviously, I also want to thank the Secretary General al-Zayani for officially convening the meeting today, and I thank King Hamad and our friend Khalid al-Khalifa for hosting us in Bahrain and for spending the day with me on both bilateral and now this multilateral meeting.
First of all, let me apologize that we will not be taking questions because we're actually going back to have further discussions in greater detail, but we thought we had sufficiently discussed the broader sweep of each of these issues that we would share our conclusions with you, and then we'll work on further details as we go forward.
Some of you may ask or you may wonder about the sort of frequency of these consultations. And it is a fact that we have been extremely active - the United States and the GCC - in our consultations over the past couple of years. The Camp David meetings were a very significant starting point for this broadened relationship, and today we discussed the summit that President Obama will engage in with all the heads of states of the GCC countries and we agreed to begin the process of evaluating whether or not the concept of a GCC-NATO partnership in specific terms is something that would contribute significantly to the security and stability of the region. And that analysis will go on over the course of the next days.
In addition to that, we agreed that it would be important given the transformation taking place not just in the region but globally with the price of oil and other challenges economically to have a major new component of this dialogue, which is economic transformation. And so we are going to further our efforts to have that dialogue and to analyze exactly what components of it will be included in the summit that President Obama takes part in with the heads of state in a few weeks.
President Obama believes very much, as I do, that in this critical period a very close and constructive communication between us is more than essential. It is critical to the ability of all of us to meet the security challenges and the economic challenges of the region, and that's why President Obama is very much looking forward to the GCC summit to underscore America's commitment to our Gulf friends and also to supporting greater peace and stability throughout the region, which has seen its challenges over the course of the last few years.
When our leaders met in Camp David last May, they agreed on a new strategic partnership in order to strengthen the security cooperation. And we have since been very, very busy implementing that initiative through working groups, about six working groups on key issues, including counterterrorism, streamlining the transfer of critical defense capabilities to our GCC partners, establishing a GCC ballistic missile defense system, enhancing the GCC military preparedness, and defending against cyber threats. And today we exchanged thoughts about the progress being made through these working groups and discussed ways that we can actually achieve greater gains in the months ahead.
We also talked about a few of the regional challenges, as Adel just related to you some of the things we talked about, and I'd just quickly summarize from my point of view a few of those. First of all, with the cessation of hostilities in Syria, that simply would not have come about without the cooperative effort of all the members here today and a lot of countries that aren't here today that are represented in the International Syria Support Group. We have been able to achieve a very significant reduction of violence in Syria. Yes, there are still some areas of concern with respect to that violence. There have been violations. But we have a group that works assiduously - very closely - in Amman, Jordan and in Geneva on a daily basis that is working to hold onto the cessation and resolve these differences.
But the key to Syria is what is going to take place when the teams come back to negotiate in a few days in Geneva. That's when the beginning of the discussion about a transition starts, and that discussion about transition is the key test of the seriousness of the Assad regime, of Russia and Iran to support what we have put into words in the Vienna communiques and in the United Nations Security Council resolution. We will need to apply all of our efforts in order to maintain not only the cessation of hostilities but to build some possible momentum in the negotiations themselves.
We also need to see an end to the use of indiscriminate weapons and attempts to seize territory from participating groups, and we need to get the trucks carrying the humanitarian assistance moving on a more regularized basis. We ought to encourage confidence-building measures and the exchange of prisoners, and we have to press forward with the UN-led political process so that this genuine transition can take hold.
There are, of course, some major obstacles to peace in Syria. To secure the future of Syria in the region and beyond, we have to intensify pressure and defeat Daesh and groups affiliated with al-Qaida. And we have to continue to push the Syrian regime to abide by its obligations and the promises that it has made to its supporters and to the world by saying it will come to Geneva and negotiate in good faith. We have to develop a political plan that the parties in Syria can agree to in context of the 2012 Geneva communique and UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
In our discussions today, we also emphasized the importance of the efforts of the Government of Iraq to unify and rebuild its country and to reclaim territory that was occupied by Daesh and the need to support the Abadi government in its efforts to stabilize and eventually rebuild the country. And we particularly talked about the need to assist in stabilization in Anbar as particular communities that were held by Daesh are liberated from the clutches of that terror organization.
We also discussed an effort in which Saudi Arabia has taken an important lead, but we have been working very, very closely over the course of these last weeks and months to try to find a solution to the crisis in Yemen. The United States very strongly supports the efforts of Saudi Arabia and others who have been trying to establish a cessation of hostilities in key areas with the goal of a full cessation of hostilities April 10th, and a new round of real negotiations starting on April 18th.
This is something that we have worked for for some period of time. It's a discussion that began in our meetings in Rome, and Saudi Arabia has, in the wake of significant gains made through the military process, fulfilled its promise made some time ago that we need to find a lasting political solution in order to really provide the security and stability that Yemen wants and needs and that the region also deserves.
We will continue to support measures by the international community to help the people of Yemen recover from the devastating strife that they have endured, and to that end, I am pleased to announce that the U.S. Food for Peace program will provide $139 million in new funding this year for humanitarian aid to Yemen.
And during today's meeting, we also discussed our shared concern among all of us about Iran's destabilizing actions in the region. Just last week, the U.S. Fifth Fleet, based here in Bahrain, interdicted an arms shipment that originated in Iran with arms that were clearly moving in the direction of Yemen. We will continue to push back against this kind of provocation in the region.
And today we talked about how if Iran is going to give meaning to the words that were issued by its president in the last days about not being a threat to people in the region and wanting to work with people, the place to begin is by supporting the effort that we are engaged in to make peace in Yemen, not provide more weapons to Yemen and continue to fuel the conflict.
We also discussed generically the challenges to the region, whether it is Syria, where the IRGC plays a role, or whether it is some other countries - Bahrain and others - where, regrettably, we see activities from Iran that are engaged in interfering with another country's politics and direction.
So we call on Iran to constructively join in the efforts to make peace and to help us to resolve Syria; and rather than continue to send weapons to the Houthis, join in the effort to encourage the Houthis to make peace and to work towards a cessation of hostilities.
The United States and the GCC countries remain united in our opposition to Iran's missile activities, but we say very clearly to Iran, as the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia just did, that we're prepared to work a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution to these issues, and we look for Iran to make it clear to everybody that they are prepared to cease these kinds of activities that raise questions about credibility and questions about intention.
In closing, let me just reiterate how indispensable the cooperation between the United States and the GCC countries is for the people of this entire region. Our ambitious agenda is based on our essential desire for peace, for stability, for broader prosperity, and for the rule of law. That is a platform that any nation ought to be willing to support. And it provides a firm basis for confidence between our countries as we try to seize the opportunities for peaceful outcomes in a number of different conflicts that currently exist in the region.
I'm very pleased to find a unanimity in the GCC in our conversations thus far that that's the outcome they want: peace and stability. That's what we're working towards. And there is an openness here that I found in all of our partners that, for those who want to join in that effort, there's a way forward. But we will stand together unified against any efforts to destabilize or to break apart the unity of the vision that I just expressed.
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/04/255599.htm
Remarks by John Kerry, US Secretary of State, Before the Gulf Cooperation Council Meeting
Four Seasons Hotel, Manama, Bahrain, April 7, 2016
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. Foreign Minister [of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa], thank you very much. Let me just say to all of our friends and colleagues from the GCC, I'm very, very pleased to be here. I'm very grateful to all of you for being able to arrange to join us in Bahrain. Thank you very much, Khalid, for your generous hospitality here today. And I'd just say to everybody we've been very unified and extremely productive over the course of the last year-plus where we have dealt with the Iran nuclear agreement, dealt with the challenging behavior of Iran and others in the region.
And tonight we have a lot to talk about. We've already begun our conversation. We spent a fair amount of time formally a moment ago on one topic. But we have a chance to be able to make progress and move forward in establishing peace in Yemen, we are making progress through everybody's efforts in Libya, and we're making progress against Daesh. But we have a number of things to talk about tonight.
So this is an important meeting and I'm very, very grateful to everybody for taking the time to be here and look forward. We'll meet with the press afterwards when we've concluded our discussions. Thank you.
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/04/255601.htm
From the US State Department's Daily press briefing of April 7, 2016
QUESTION: You've probably seen the Human Rights Watch report overnight, which said that the - they have evidence that U.S.-supplied bombs had killed 97 civilians and stuff in Yemen on March 15. Is it your understanding or have you got any independent verification that these were U.S. - that the investigation outcome is true?
MR Mark TONER: So Lesley, we don't. And the Secretary actually spoke to this in the press avail that he did recently in Bahrain. He was asked this very question.
QUESTION: Apologies.
MR TONER: No worries. So no clarity is what he said. We just don't have the clarity right now what type of weapon may or may not have been used. But then, of course, he said very strongly that we need to see an end to all combat operations in Yemen. We need to see the continuation of the peace process and we need to see a ceasefire take place. But I just would say we obviously take these reports very seriously. Certainly we've spoken in the past and continue to speak out against civilian casualties. And we'll just look into it. We just don't have any more details here.
QUESTION: So is there going to be any investigation from your side?
MR TONER: I think we're looking into it. I don't know if - I don't know that I'd --
QUESTION: So you don't know if that's a formal investigation?
MR TONER: -- classify that as a formal investigation, but I'm certainly aware that we're looking into the details.
QUESTION: Do you know, Mark (...) if the type of bomb that was described by Human Rights Watch is a type or is (...) among the things that the State Department, in coordination with the Pentagon, actually gives - signs off on? So, no?
MR TONER: Yeah. I don't have that.
QUESTION: On that topic (...) and other issues in the press conference. But on this very issue, I mean, most everybody thinks or suggests or knows that the Saudis use - almost 100 percent of their weapons are American weapons in this case. Why would you not conduct an investigation?
MR TONER: Well, again, we're certainly concerned by any credible allegations of civilian deaths or attacks on civilians. Our understanding is that the coalition is going to conduct an investigation into the incident. We've encouraged them to do so in a prompt manner. We believe the need for an investigation - or there is a need for an investigation. I know that the Saudis have also formed a committee or announced the formation of a committee that will evaluate military targeting writ large that they say will ensure the protection of civilians and investigate these kinds of incidents. We've encouraged them to do so, to carry out an investigation. So we'll wait and see the results of that investigation.
QUESTION: So you are fine with Saudi Arabia investigating itself in this case?
MR TONER: I think they have said they are going to do it. They've established this commission. We'll wait and see what the results are.
QUESTION: Yeah. Also during the press conference (...) the Secretary was almost or came across - I may be wrong - as noncommittal on the issue of human rights in Bahrain and other areas. Are you guys sort of trying to - whatever - repair damage maybe with the Saudis and the Gulf countries at the expense of human rights? Or perceived damage - I don't know if they are damaging the relationship.
MR TONER: No, I mean, I - I mean, frankly, he spoke a fair amount on human rights, I mean, certainly at the press availability that he did with the Bahraini foreign minister. And I know that he did also meet this afternoon in Bahrain with members of the opposition and civil society. It was a brief meeting but they did discuss - or provided an opportunity for him to hear their perspectives on the political situation in Bahrain and also hear from them directly about their views on human rights, on expression and dissent in the kingdom. And he spoke also in his press avail that - about some of the steps that Bahrain has made - and they have made some steps and we've talked about these before - but that more work needs to be done.
QUESTION: What are these steps? I mean, he talks about an inclusive --
MR TONER: Well, they established these --
QUESTION: -- power sharing, more liberalization. What are these --
MR TONER: Well, so I mean, there was a serious effort, we believe, by the Bahraini Government a few years back. There were a number of entities created with an ombudsman and with the goal of bringing people together. The opposition did boycott the previous election, but they did discuss today the upcoming election 2018 and the prospects for those elections and, frankly, some of the work that needs to be done over the next few months so that these are full, free, fair, and transparent elections. And I think that's where the focus is right now.
(...)
QUESTION on the UAE: (...) hese two Americans, Mohamed and Kamal al-Darat. They've been in jail in the UAE since August 2014, and Monday is their final court appearance. The charges against them were initially related to terror, and the UAE ambassador here, Yousef al-Otaiba, said they were thought to be linked to groups designated by the UAE and the U.S. Those charges have been dropped and the families are now worried that that shows they're going to be convicted and sentenced on Monday. Does the change in charges raise any concerns about due process, which the UN has already said isn't being provided to these Americans? And does it change the American approach from you guys to helping these families?
MR TONER: So we do understand that at a hearing held on March 21st that the prosecutor did amend the charges providing - from providing material support to terrorist groups to charges of supporting armed terrorist groups without permission from the UAE Government. And this charge - this change, rather, placed the case under a 2008 antiterrorism law instead of the 2014 law.
I'd say we're concerned about several aspects of the al-Darats' case - certainly allegations of mistreatment as well as their ongoing health issues, their lack of access to legal representation, as well as a lack of consular access certainly at the start of their detention. And we've raised all these issues with the UAE Government, and we continue to call for their - we continue to call for an expeditious resolution to this case via a fair and transparent legal process in accordance with local law. (...)-- "via a fair and transparent process" - would that mean you don't consider the current process, which will conclude on Monday, a fair and transparent process?
MR TONER: I'd say we have concerns thus far, as I clear - outlined. And so what I think we want to see is a quick resolution to this case, and as I said, some - through a process that's free and fair.
QUESTION: And just since March 21st (...) has the approach changed at all from your end, given that the charges changed?
MR TONER: I'm not sure. I mean, we continue to obviously follow the case very closely. Our personnel from the U.S. embassy, diplomats, attended the January 18th hearing, the February 15th hearing, February 29th hearing, as well as the March 21st hearing, and we're going to continue to attend subsequent hearings. We're going to continue to express our concerns about the case and our concerns for the welfare of the al-Darats to the government in UAE.
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/04/255595.htm