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Department Press Briefing—September 16, 2024 [ https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-september-16-2024/ ] 09/16/2024 06:02 PM EDT
Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson
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Department Press Briefing—September 16, 2024
September 16, 2024
1:27 p.m. EDT
*MR MILLER:* Afternoon, everyone. Happy Monday. I’ll start with – you all are – you all look very chipper on a Monday. Appropriately chipper. Let me start with some opening comments.
The United States remains deeply concerned by the ongoing anti-democratic actions of the Georgian Government, which are incompatible with membership norms in the EU and NATO.
In addition to the passage of the so-called foreign influence law, we have also seen the Georgian Government repeatedly violently crack down on Georgian citizens who protested that law.
Today, the United States is imposing sanctions on two Georgian Government officials and two leaders of a violent extremist group, as well as imposing visa restrictions on more than 60 Georgian individuals for their involvement in human rights abuses, corrupt practices, or other anti-democratic actions.
These actions come as a result of our ongoing comprehensive review of all bilateral cooperation in Georgia due to persistent anti-democratic actions as well as false statements by senior Georgian Government leaders that are contrary to the spirit of our decades-long relationship with the Government of Georgia. The Georgian Government can recommit to its Euro-Atlantic trajectory by conducting free and fair elections, withdrawing and repealing anti-democratic legislation, and demonstrating significant and measurable progress on outstanding EU accession reform recommendations.
The United States has been the biggest supporter of Georgia’s economic and democratic development for the past 32 years. Our assistance has focused on making Georgia stronger, more prosperous, and a more capable country – or more – a country more capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope the Government of Georgia will return to the path that its people so evidently desire.
With that, Matt.
*QUESTION:* So that’s it?
*MR MILLER:* That’s it.
*QUESTION:* Anything else?
*MR MILLER:* That’s it.
*QUESTION:* You’re sure?
*MR MILLER:* I’m sure.
*QUESTION:* Okay. All right. (Laughter.)
*MR MILLER:* If I change my mind, I have the podium for, I don’t know, however long – much longer I stay up here.
*QUESTION:* Okay. Can – before we move on to the Middle East and Ukraine, can I just ask you: Is there anything more that – any detail you can provide about the release from China of this American citizen pastor?
*MR MILLER:* David Lin? No. Only other than – only that we welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and reunited with his family for the first time in nearly 20 years.
*QUESTION:* Okay, but that’s not saying a whole lot. I mean, how – this is – every time the Secretary or anyone else goes to China, they’ve raised the case – cases of detained Americans there. Can you say whether you think that this – his release was the result of those interventions?
*MR MILLER:* I’m not going to – what I will say is that you’re right, Matt. Every time the Secretary has met with Chinese officials – whether it be in China, whether it be here in the United States, or whether it be in other places where we’ve met with Chinese officials around the world – he has raised the case of David Lin and other wrongfully detained Americans, and we continue to push for the release of other wrongfully detained Americans. When it comes to David Lin, we are glad to see his release, we welcome it, and we’ll continue to push for the release of other Americans.
*QUESTION:* I’m just trying to get a – I mean, they – did the Chinese just do this out of thin air, or was this something that you’ve been —
*MR MILLER:* It’s something that we have been working on for some time. And I think I’ll leave it at that.
*QUESTION:* Okay.
*MR MILLER:* Humeyra.
*QUESTION:* I’ll just —
*MR MILLER:* Shaun, sorry; you were speaking – Humeyra had her hand; you had words. I’ll go to Humeyra and come to you next.
*QUESTION:* Can you just do one —
*QUESTION:* That’s fine.
*QUESTION:* — quick follow-up on that if they want to stay on China?
*MR MILLER:* Sure. Yeah. Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Just do you think that David Lin’s release means anything positive about the potential release of the other Americans who are wrongfully detained in China currently?
*MR MILLER:* So I don’t want to try to forecast one way or the other, other than to say it’s something that we continue to work on. As you know, when the Secretary went to Beijing last June, we were trying to restart the relationship so we could work together not just on the big issues that face the world, where we thought it was important that we have an open line of communication, but also a number of bilateral concerns. And one of the bilateral concerns that we have had is the wrongful detention of American citizens. And so we are pleased to see David Lin’s release; it’s an important step forward, and we’re going to continue to push for the release of other Americans.
*QUESTION:* Can we – just a follow-up —
*MR MILLER:* Sure.
*QUESTION:* Can the State Department provide a number? How many Americans have been wrongfully detained in China currently?
*MR MILLER:* So I don’t have a number here, but there are a number of Americans that we are still working to see released. Mark Swidan is one. Kai Li is another.
*QUESTION:* And then can you please remind us when it was the last time Secretary Blinken met with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi?
*MR MILLER:* He met with Wang Yi in Laos. I believe that was in July, the last time they had a meeting.
*QUESTION:* Are they going to meet in UNGA?
*MR MILLER:* I don’t have any announcements to make, but always – obviously, we always look for the opportunity to meet with the foreign minister to talk through a number of concerns that we have as well as areas that we can work together.
*QUESTION:* Since we’re in on China –
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION:* — could I just stay on (inaudible) – the – this might be slightly in the weeds, if that’s not a mixed metaphor, but the Philippines and China – the Philippines announced that they’ve – they pulled out of the Escoda Shoal, one of the key parts of it. Do you have any take on that and what this means, whether this is – this changes the equation in the South China Sea?
*MR MILLER:* So the Philippines has endured repeated attempts by the PRC to interfere with their freedom of navigation on the high seas near Sabina Shoal over the past several months. There’s no legal basis for the PRC’s maritime claims in the South China Sea, and the dangerous ways in which it attempts its – to enforce those claims put Filipino lives and livelihood at risk. So it is up to the Philippines to decide how they operate their vessels in areas where it enjoys the freedom of navigation on the high seas under international law, and I wouldn’t want to forecast what this particular incident might mean other than to say that we continue to support our Philippine allies.
*QUESTION:* Can I (inaudible) China —
*QUESTION:* Yeah, I have a China one, too. I just —
*MR MILLER:* Go ahead, Humeyra.
*QUESTION:* Sorry. It’s not because of (inaudible), but are you able to rule out a swap?
*MR MILLER:* What do you mean?
*QUESTION:* Are you able to rule out that there was no swap?
*MR MILLER:* Are you referring to —
*QUESTION:* For the release of David Lin?
*MR MILLER:* I am not going to say anything other – else about this process other than I’ve already said, which is that we welcome his release. Sometimes in diplomacy, the best – the less said, the better. This is one of those occasions. We do welcome his release, and we’re going to continue to work for the release of all wrongfully detained American citizens.
*QUESTION:* Can you say at all how instrumental the Secretary’s meeting with Wang Yi in Laos was for – to secure his release?
*MR MILLER:* It’s certainly something that he raised in that meeting, as he has raised the wrongful detention of American citizens in all of his meetings, and as we know, other senior government officials have raised as well.
Yeah, go ahead, Janne.
*QUESTION:* Thank you very much. Two questions on China-Russia and North Korea. China and Russia are conducting joint exercises near the Korean Peninsula. Do you think there is a possibility that North Korea will directly or indirectly participate in these exercises?
*MR MILLER:* I wouldn’t want to speculate.
*QUESTION:* Okay. Second one. Last week Russian national security council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visit North Korea and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. And Secretary Shoigu requested military support, including weapons and manpower, from North Korea in preparation for a conflict with NATO. How do you assess the extension of cooperation between North Korea and Russia?
*MR MILLER:* We continue to be incredibly concerned by the expanding security relationship between North Korea and Russia, both for the support that North Korea continues to provide to Russia to prosecute its illegal war against Ukraine, and for the prospect of Russia assisting ways – assisting North Korea in ways that ultimately will be destabilizing to the Korean Peninsula.
*QUESTION:* Thank you.
*QUESTION:* One more on North Korea.
*MR MILLER:* Go – I’ll come – just that I pointed at Camilla, and I’ll come to —
*QUESTION:* (Off-mike.)
*MR MILLER:* Okay. Yeah, go ahead, then, Nike.
*QUESTION:* Yeah, can you please comment on the recent of the – Sweden’s recent resumption of diplomatic operations in North Korea? Did Sweden resume its role as the protection – protecting power of – on the ground for the United States in North Korea on September 13, 2024?
*MR MILLER:* So Sweden does continue to be our protective power in the DPRK. We support the return of foreign diplomats to Pyongyang and hope that it will reinvigorate dialogue, diplomacy, and other forms of constructive engagement with the DPRK. We also hope that the DPRK will open its border to international humanitarian workers, whose aid efforts have been hindered by the DPRK’s border closures.
*QUESTION:* Can you please also recap your requirements for American citizens who need to travel to North Korea?
*MR MILLER:* Well, I would say generally speaking, North Korea is a Level 4 country, and our advice to all Americans is not to travel to North Korea.
*QUESTION:* Well, it’s also illegal to use a U.S. passport unless it’s been specially validated —
*MR MILLER:* Unless it’s been specially validated, correct. Correct.
All right. Actually, I said Camilla next, so – you guys work it out amongst yourselves, yeah. (Laughter.)
*QUESTION:* Already done. Matt, can you give us a sense of where we are on the ceasefire talks? You guys had said about maybe a week or 10 days ago that you were a few days away from presenting your revised final, whatever, proposal, which hasn’t come through. What’s holding it up?
*MR MILLER:* We continue to engage with our partners in the region, most specifically with Egypt and Qatar, about what that proposal will contain, and making sure – or trying to see that it’s a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement. I don’t have a timetable for you other than to say that we are working expeditiously to try to develop that proposal, try to find something that would bring both the parties to say yes and to formally submit it. But, like I said, I don’t have any updates on timing.
*QUESTION:* It’s been out there that the main sticking points are Philadelphi Corridor and hostages, prisoners. Would you say those are still the main sticking points that’s holding it up?
*MR MILLER:* Correct.
*QUESTION:* Okay.
*MR MILLER:* I promised Camilla could go next.
*QUESTION:* Thank you. So opposition leader Yael Lapid was just here meeting with the Secretary. Do you have any readout from that meeting?
*MR MILLER:* I don’t. I haven’t spoken to the Secretary since the meeting. I’ll be happy to cover it in the briefing tomorrow.
*QUESTION:* Okay. And also, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly during his meeting with Amos Hochstein, he said the only way left to return the Israeli residents to the north to their homes is by military action. Do you have any comment on that? That sounds like things are not going well with diplomacy.
*MR MILLER:* So I’m not going to comment about what took place in a private meeting, certainly one that took place among – between a White House official, not a State Department official, and a member of the Israeli Government. But we have long made clear that we believe a diplomatic solution is the correct way, the only way, to bring calm to the north of Israel and allow Israeli citizens to return to their homes. Tens of thousands of – there are tens of thousands of Israelis who have been away from their homes for almost a year now, and certainly an expansion of the current conflict in the north is not something that would get them back to their homes in the near future at all. So we’ll continue to push for a diplomatic resolution. And in our conversations with Israeli officials they have always made clear, as you – I think you’ve heard them say publicly on a number of occasions, that they would ultimately prefer a diplomatic resolution.
*QUESTION:* Can I follow up on this?
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION:* What is the current situation now on the northern – is it that the risk is higher? What’s your assessment, the U.S. assessment, to that?
*MR MILLER:* So the – we continue to see strikes back and forth across the border, as you know – as you know, because you see them publicly – both Israel targeting Hizballah militants and Hizballah facilities, and Hizballah infrastructure as well as Hizballah launching rockets and drones across the border. So that’s something that has – obviously was taking place before October 7th but has really continued at an elevated pace since October 7th. And the point we have continued to make to Israel and other parties in the region is that ultimately this is something that needs to be resolved diplomatically. And I think the issues here are well known. It’s very tough to achieve a diplomatic resolution to the conflict across the blue line as long as there is ongoing conflict in Gaza. And so that’s not the chief reason but one of the primary reasons why we continue to push to get a ceasefire in Gaza because of the possibility we believe it would unlock for calm in the north.
*QUESTION:* Not only Gallant but also Netanyahu said that – today he told the U.S. envoy that Israel will do what’s necessary to ensure its security and safely return the northern residents to their homes. In case Israel decides to enter into war with Hizballah, what would be your position?
*MR MILLER:* So I’m not going to deal with hypotheticals, but certainly we believe that the best way to ensure that Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in the north is a diplomatic resolution, in the same way we believe a diplomatic resolution is the best way to ensure that the tens of thousands of Lebanese who have been displaced from their homes in southern Lebanon can return home as well.
*QUESTION:* Are there red lines?
*MR MILLER:* I’m just not going to – I’m not going to speculate at all about how this may unfold other than to say we continue to push for a diplomatic resolution and we do fundamentally believe it’s in the interest of all the parties.
Said.
*QUESTION:* Thank you, Matt. But to follow up on this question, basically Hizballah said that the best way to have the people return is basically to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. I think they’ve stated that time and time again.
*MR MILLER:* Correct.
*QUESTION:* So, I mean, that’s a caveat there. So would – but – going back to what you said to Humeyra on the talks and where they are, now it is said that this week you’re going to submit a new proposal. Can you update us on this thing?
*MR MILLER:* I don’t have any update from the answer I gave to Humeyra five minutes ago, six minutes ago, which is something that we are working on.
*QUESTION:* Okay, but you are looking at a new proposal at some time?
*MR MILLER:* Yeah, we are working to submit a new proposal that we, along with Egypt and Qatar that hopefully would get us to the finish line.
*QUESTION:* A couple more questions. Reports say that medicines in Gaza are just in totally empty. I mean the stocks of medicine in Gaza are totally empty and the situation is very dire. Can you update us on your efforts in terms of whether it’s humanitarian aid or medicines and so on, I mean, especially since the dismantlement or the removal of the pier?
*MR MILLER:* Yeah. We continue to work to get medical supplies into Gaza. We know there is a severe shortage of medical supplies there. It’s something that our special envoy for humanitarian issues Lise Grande works on. And it’s kind of – I’ll say we work on that with our international partners, chiefly with humanitarian groups.
And if you look at the success that we had in the last few weeks with unlocking a polio vaccination campaign that has now completed the first round of vaccinations for, I think, 90 percent of Gazan children and is moving into the second phase of inoculations, that is the type of work that we’re trying to do with all sorts of medical supplies to make sure that not just food and not just water, which is what people typically focus on when we talk about humanitarian assistance, but also medical supplies are making it into Gaza to get in the hands of doctors and other health care professionals who need to provide them to their patients.
*QUESTION:* And you think that Israel is doing all it can do to allow supplies in?
*MR MILLER:* I think there are certainly a number of issues that we work through all the time – logistical issues, bureaucratic issues. And what we work on is trying to unlock those issues wherever they arise, whether they be with the Government of Israel, whether they be with the various UN agencies that are operating inside Gaza to try to make sure that medicine as well as food and water can get to where it actually needs to go.
*QUESTION:* Okay. Matt, I mean, in the last couple days or three days, the Israelis killed 88 Palestinians in Gaza. I mean, it seems that they have exhausted all targets to achieve their goals. What are their goals at this stage? Is it just a killing enterprise, just keeping – to keep going after the tents and killing people in tents and so on. And they always have, say – well, they always say there is an Hamas operative and so on. We never really know the facts. But is it worth it to keep killing these innocent people to go after maybe one Hamas fighter?
*MR MILLER:* Let me make clear what we want to see. We want to see a ceasefire. We want to see a ceasefire that brings an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza. I will let the Government of Israel speak to what their military goals are, but we have been quite clear that we think the path forward is to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, that stops the daily death and destruction in Gaza that allows humanitarian assistance to move in in a much improved manner, and that ultimately unlocks the possibility of lasting calm.
*QUESTION:* And a couple more. On the settlements, Israel is building a settlement on a historic site as designated by UNESCO. Are you doing anything to dissuade Israel from building on this very site?
*MR MILLER:* So we —
*QUESTION:* And Battir next to Bethlehem?
*MR MILLER:* Sorry. So, as we’ve said before, settlements are inconsistent with international law. They run counter to efforts to achieve an enduring peace. Our understanding is that this particular settlement that you refer to south of Bethlehem is part of five new settlements that the Israeli cabinet approved in June. You heard us speak out against the – those settlements when they were approved, and we have spoken out against them since then, not just publicly but also privately in conversations with the senior-most members of the Israeli Government. Ultimately, we think that the settlement program doesn’t just harm the Palestinian people, but it hurts Israel’s peace, it hurts Israel’s long-term security. And that’s what we’ll continue to impress upon the Government of Israel.
*QUESTION:* And finally, last week when the Israelis raided Jenin – the Jenin camp, right outside the camp there’s a Hamdan family in a small apartment. They always take their apartment to be a sniping post and so on. They ruin the apartment and so on. They destroyed everything, but they also stole Ashraf Hamdan’s – who is 13 year’s old – they stole his PlayStation. Do you believe that the Israeli army should either give him back his PlayStation or compensate him for that? The last I looked, it was like $207.
*MR MILLER:* So I’m unfamiliar with the facts of this case. I don’t want to speak to —
*QUESTION:* Okay.
*MR MILLER:* — a specific incident in which I’m unfamiliar.
*QUESTION:* Right.
*MR MILLER:* But no, obviously, a child’s PlayStation in any event should not be taken away from them in the first place. And if so, it should be returned.
*QUESTION:* So they should either —
*MR MILLER:* Again, I’m not —
*QUESTION:* — give it back to him or compensate him?
*MR MILLER:* So I’m just telling you, I can’t speak to the facts of this case. I’ve only heard what you’ve presented to me. But just as a general rule, of course, children’s toys should not be taken from them. And if they are taken, they should be returned. I think that’s a pretty safe principle. Yeah.
*QUESTION:* Vedant, can I just ask about the West Bank, just go back to the killing of American Turkish citizen Aysenur Eygi from last week, because the Secretary commented on it while he was traveling? I just want to clarify a couple of things. So the IDF said effectively that it was an accident, but then we had reporting – namely “Washington Post “– saying the shots were like taken after the peak of the protest. So there are, like, discrepancies suggesting that perhaps it may not be an accident. What is the U.S. assessment on how she was killed?
*MR MILLER:* So we are going to await the full criminal investigation that the Government of Israel has launched before we make any determinations. Obviously, we are reading very closely the eyewitness accounts, and there have been numerous eyewitness accounts of what happened. You heard the Secretary speak to those eyewitness accounts when he made his comments in London last week.
Whether the eyewitness accounts are true, whether the accounts that the Israeli Government made public are true, ultimately this is a death that never should have happened. It’s a killing that never should have happened. And it’s why the Secretary made clear that the Israeli security forces’ rules of engagement need to be changed, so you don’t continue to see the killing of unarmed civilians who are doing nothing more than showing up at a peaceful protest.
*QUESTION:* Right. A couple of things there. When do you anticipate this criminal investigation to conclude?
*MR MILLER:* I would – I don’t have a time table. I would refer to the Government of Israel to speak to – it’s ultimately their investigation.
*QUESTION:* Right.
*MR MILLER:* But what we have said to them is that we want the investigation to be prompt, we want it to be thorough, and we want it to be transparent.
*QUESTION:* And is U.S. considering to launch its own investigation given she’s a U.S. citizen?
*MR MILLER:* We’re going to await the outcome of this investigation before we make any further determinations.
*QUESTION:* Okay. And have there been any communication with your Israeli counterparts or IDF since Secretary called for a change in their rules of engagement? Have they assured you that they will take it seriously and they will make changes?
*MR MILLER:* There have been ongoing communications about this. The same concerns that the Secretary raised publicly, we have raised privately to them. Those conversations are ongoing, and I don’t want to speak to them in any detail at this point.
*QUESTION:* And just why isn’t the U.S. committing to an independent investigation given that she was a U.S. citizen?
*MR MILLER:* We want to see transparent – a transparent investigation. And if accountability is appropriate, we want to see accountability. I think before calling on any further steps, it’s appropriate to let the first investigation play out.
Now, if the first investigation plays out and we are briefed on the results and we are briefed on the process and we are briefed on the underlying facts and we’re not satisfied, we will of course look at whether any other measures are appropriate. But we think it’s appropriate in this instance to wait to let that first investigation play out before we go to any other steps.
*QUESTION:* Okay. One final thing.
*MR MILLER:* I’ll come to you next.
*QUESTION:* When you say you guys want this criminal investigation to be conducted promptly, this is the case of the U.S.’s – and for sure – but we have had similar back-and-forths about a number of other incidents where there was civilian harm, and then they disappear from the headlines and we don’t know what kind of action, if any, or accountability measures have been taken. So I’m wondering: Has the United States set a timetable for when it expects Israel to conclude that? Like, what do you mean by prompt?
*MR MILLER:* We —
*QUESTION:* Do you need an answer from them in a couple of weeks or is it going to be two months? What is it?
*MR MILLER:* We mean – we mean as soon as possible. I cannot give you a timetable, and I think you’ll – you’ll know from covering investigative agencies. Investigative agencies always – I used to work at one and be the spokesperson for one – always have a hard time giving you a timetable for any investigation, because you don’t know what you’re going to find when you start investigating things and how long it’s going to take. But we want it to happen as soon as possible, and we want it to be thorough and we want the results to be transparent.
*QUESTION:* Okay, final, final thing. Can the U.S. commit to seeking accountability for its own citizen on this case?
*MR MILLER:* So it depends what you mean by accountability, right? If there is – if the investigation shows that someone acted inappropriately in violation of the law, in violation of the rules of engagement, in violation of IDF code of conduct, yes, of course we want accountability. But we also want a change that will prevent this kind of thing happening again, so you have long-term accountability to ensure that American citizens and others – Palestinians, citizens of other countries – aren’t killed just for showing up at a peaceful protest.
All right, go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Thank you. Matt, you said you expect Israel to make changes in their rules of engagement, but actually – I remember – actually there was an interview with Rachel Corrie’s family last week, and they said this has been said by Secretary Blinken to Rachel Corrie’s family before, that Israel already promised make – to make changes to their rules of engagement. They cited a meeting with Secretary Blinken in 2011. So considering that they haven’t —
*MR MILLER:* 2011? ’21, maybe.
*QUESTION:* Excuse me.
*MR MILLER:* Yeah, no, just – (laughter.)
*QUESTION:* 2011. So considering that there haven’t been any change in their rules of engagement – because, I mean, another UN worker was also killed by an Israeli sniper after the killing of Aysenur, so there is no – it seems like there is no change in Israel’s rules of engagement. Like, what steps – what further steps is the U.S. going to —
*MR MILLER:* So I cannot speak to – sorry, sorry. I cannot speak to what changes they may or may not have made over the past few years, but any changes that they have made ultimately haven’t been sufficient in preventing these kind of incidents from occurring, which is why the Secretary said last week that we want to see updates to their rules of engagement, and that’s what we’re going to continue to engage with them.
Ultimately, it is the results that matter here, and when you see American citizens and others showing up at peaceful protests and being killed, it is a problem that we want to see addressed.
*QUESTION:* Is that it? I mean, is just rule – changing their rules of engagement, is that it, all the U.S. expects from Israel regarding the killing of their citizen?
*MR MILLER:* So that is – so if there are – as I said in response to Humeyra’s question, ultimately if anyone is found to have behaved in violation of the law, in violation of code of conduct, we want to see accountability as well. But the – and when it comes to changes to the rules of engagement, what we mean is not just accountability for this killing but steps to prevent similar killings from happening in the future.
*QUESTION:* And also there have been criticisms from a lot of people, including Aysenur’s family, that you has – that the U.S.’s response to Aysenur’s killing has been very slow and insufficient, and there were reports over the weekend that no U.S. officials have attended her family. Can you confirm these reports? And if this is accurate, can you explain why?