Africa: Daily Press Briefing - Sean McCormack, Spokesman Washington, DC December 8, 2008
SOMALIA
Human Rights Watch Report / U.S. Interested in Working with All Parties Who Want to Work Towards a Better Future for Somalia U.S. Humanitarian Efforts in Somalia / Ensure Flow of Humanitarian Goods Withdrawal of Ethiopian Troops / Working with EU, UN to Have a Responsible International Force in Somalia
ZIMBABWE
U.S. Separates Humanitarian Assistance from Political Differences U.S. at Forefront of Getting International System to Act / UN Security Council Regional States Need to Step Up Root Cause of Problems is Political / Mismanagement, Misrule by Mugabe
TRANSCRIPT: View Video Full Text
10:25 a.m. EST
MR. MCCORMACK: Good morning, everybody. I have just one trip announcement for you. This is on the order of just-in-time delivery. On December 9th and 10th, Secretary Rice will travel down to Panama. The trip has two purposes. One, to attend the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial meeting. There was an announcement about the Pathways to Prosperity at the UN General Assembly meetings this past September. But she’ll also have a chance to meet with President Torrijos of Panama to talk about bilateral issues. We’ll have a longer printed statement out for you after the briefing. You can read about all the people that are going to be traveling with the Secretary.
And with that, I’d be happy to take your questions.
Yeah.
QUESTION: There’s a new Human Rights Watch report on Somalia that’s very critical of the U.S. Government’s support, or what they call unconditional support, of the government, which they say is exasperating the political situation and aiding human rights abuses.
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, where to start with such an assertion? Look, I think you can go back and look at my transcripts, look at the transcripts from Jendayi, where I say we’re interested in working with all parties and have an interest in working with all parties who want to have a – work towards a better future in Somalia. That has been the case. It just so happens that the Transitional Federal Government is such an institution. It’s not exclusive. Those who want to make a constructive contribution to Somalia’s future, we’re willing to take a look at how we might work together.
The people with whom we won’t work are terrorists. So I’m not sure what the suggestion of Human Rights Watch is in that regard. The United States as well as other countries have also made extensive efforts to ensure the continuing flow of humanitarian goods into Somalia. So not only have we contributed to humanitarian relief, but we have also helped ensure that those humanitarian goods get into Somalia.
So, yeah, I’m not sure, you know, what Human Rights Watch is trying to do with this report, what points they’re trying to score. But Somalia is a deeply tragic place and has been for some time. We have been working with others to try to make it a less tragic place and a place that has a better future.
I want to start --
QUESTION: What do you mean by scoring points?
MR. MCCORMACK: I don’t know. I mean, I – you give me these sort of quotes talking about the United States and criticizing the United States -- I’m not sure – for its efforts in Somalia. I’m not sure really even the basis for making those kinds of statements, those kinds of assertions. It’s just ridiculous on its face.
QUESTION: Same topic, Somalia?
MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah.
QUESTION: Is the United – is the State Department assisting the FBI in searching for these Somali Americans who apparently have gone back to Somalia and are at risk of participating in terrorism?
MR. MCCORMACK: Not sure. I’ll --
QUESTION: Can you take it?
MR. MCCORMACK: I’ll have to take the question, yeah.
QUESTION: Same subject?
MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, Dave.
QUESTION: The Ethiopians have announced that they’re going to leave the country within weeks. They’re certainly reporting that if that happens, Somalia will have, you know, an all-out, ungoverned, failed state. What sort of diplomacy are you involved in, I mean, to try to – are you trying to talk the Ethiopians out of leaving or trying to increase other foreign forces there?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, what we’re taking a look at and we’re trying to work through the international system, that is, trying to find a way that you can have a responsible international force in Somalia to help provide some security and therefore some stability, and allow some of these weaker institutions to start to take hold in a positive way. So we’re looking at a variety of different ways of doing that, working with the AU, working through the UN.
Thus far, I don’t have the answer for you, but I – this is something that Secretary Rice, just on her last trip in the UK, she spoke with Foreign Secretary Miliband about. And so we’re continuing to look for a solution. There clearly needs to be an answer to this question. We just haven’t found the right one yet.
Yes.
QUESTION: France’s Foreign Minister said today that international intervention was urgently required in Zimbabwe to deal with the growing, worsening cholera epidemic. Is that something you would back? And if so, what form do you think --
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, I know that we would – we have always and will continue to separate out humanitarian assistance from any political differences we may have with the government. We have had a continuing involvement in trying to assist on the humanitarian front in Zimbabwe. I haven’t seen this particular suggestion from France, but, you know, you heard last week the Secretary speak out about Zimbabwe when she was asked about it. And frankly, the United States has been at the forefront with – along with several other countries in trying to get the international system to act with respect to Zimbabwe. We made extensive efforts in the Security Council to get the international system to act, and we’re going to continue those efforts. But quite frankly, some of the states in the region need to step up. They need to use their leverage. Because what you don’t want to see is a tragic situation compounded, compounded by the sad state of political affairs in Zimbabwe.
So we’ll take a look at specifically what might be done. I’ll try to get you some details if I have them.
QUESTION: Well, I know Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga said yesterday he wanted the AU to hold an emergency summit to authorize troops to be sent there.
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, you know – well, again, the root cause of the problems there are a political one, and that stems in large part from the mismanagement, the misrule by Robert Mugabe. They had a sham election. It was – that was compounded by a sham effort at a power-sharing agreement. And sadly, we continue to see Zimbabwe go downwards, spiral downwards. And it’s because of that. And that’s – once you are able to resolve that situation, then you can truly start to resolve in fundamental ways some of the problems in Zimbabwe. That isn’t to say, however, we’re not going to look at what might be done to help the humanitarian situation that’s ongoing there now.
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