ウィスパリング同時通訳研究会コミュのDaily Press Briefing - August 12, 2021 Ned Price

Ned Price: (00:11)
Good afternoon. Let me start by saying that our first responsibility has always been protecting the safety and the security of our citizens serving in Afghanistan and around the world. As we have said all along the increased tempo of the Taliban military engagements and the resulting increase in violence and instability across Afghanistan is of grave concern. Our embassy in Kabul has been on order departure since April 27th, and we’ve been evaluating security situation every day to determine how best to keep those serving at our embassy safe. This is what we do for every diplomatic post in a challenging security environment. Accordingly, we are further reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul, in light of the evolving security situation. We expect to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan in the coming weeks. In order to facilitate this reduction, the Department of Defense will temporarily deploy additional personnel to Hamid Karzai International Airport.
(01:14)
Secretary Blinken together with Secretary Austin had an opportunity to speak with President Ghani to coordinate our planning earlier today. Let me be very clear about this, the embassy remains open and we plan to continue our diplomatic work in Afghanistan. The United States will continue to support consular services, and that includes the processing and operations of the special immigrant visa program. And we’ll continue to engage in diplomacy with the Afghan government and the Afghan people. Additionally, we will continue our focus on counter-terrorism.
(01:48)
At the same time, our efforts to relocate interested and qualified Afghan SIV applicants will continue to ramp up. To date Operation Allies Refuge has brought to the United States more than 1200 Afghans who worked side by side with Americans in Afghanistan, that includes interpreters and translators along with their families. Additional flights will begin landing daily, and you’re going to see the total number grow very quickly in the coming days and the coming weeks. We’ll begin implementing these measures soon in close coordination with allies and partners, for operational security reasons I can’t go further into further details on the next steps, but as we have long said, we are committed to supporting Afghanistan and its people and that commitment remains.

Matt: (02:35)Just a little thing on the flights that you just mentioned, that they’ll be landing daily. You gave some numbers a couple days ago, two days ago, maybe 995.
Ned Price: (02:49)We were at 995.
Matt: (02:51)Is that still the number or?
Ned Price: (02:51)We are at 1200 as of today.
Matt: (02:53)Oh, I’m sorry. Did I miss that with the opening? Sorry. And these new flights, it’s starting daily, like today, tomorrow?
Ned Price: (03:02)They’ll start daily in the coming days. Our focus is on increasing the tempo of our relocation operations. As we’ve said, we have a solemn, a sincere responsibility to these brave Afghans. In many circumstances, in many, many cases, at great personal risk to themselves have worked with the United States over the past 20 years, we’re going to honor that responsibility and increase the pace of those relocation flights.

Matt: (03:30)Okay. And then, and I’m sorry, I missed that. And then on the embassy, you say it will remain open. Will it remain open in its current location?
Ned Price: (03:41)Well, let me be very clear because this is the point I want to leave no uncertainty about, the embassy remains open. We continue our diplomatic work, our diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. We will continue to do the priority functions, that includes supporting peace, security, assistance, cooperation on counter terrorism, consular services as we’ve been talking about, especially in the context of the special immigrant visa program. We are always, as I said at the top, reviewing the environment and especially complex operating environments and of course that includes Kabul. And so today’s announcement is really a continuation of one of our most important responsibilities and that is doing all we can to ensure the safety, security, the welfare, the wellbeing of our people. As you know, we went on order departure in Kabul on April 27th with an eye to the security environment. But since then, and going forward, we are going to continue to prioritize these key areas, knowing that our partnership with the Afghan government and our partnership with the Afghan people will be enduring. And so that will continue.

Matt: (05:11)Sorry, but my question was is the embassy going to remain open in its current location?
Ned Price: (05:15)The embassy remains open, Matt, we are always, we are all-
Christina: (05:18)Answer the second part of the question, will it remain open at its location or is it going to the airport?
Ned Price: (05:21)We are always evaluating the situation on the ground. We are planning for all contingencies. This was a contingency, in fact that we had planned for. So I’m not going to entertain hypotheticals. I’m not going to go into what additional contingencies may arise, but it’s very important to say that our embassy remains open and our diplomatic mission will endure.
Christina: (05:43)It’s not a hypothetical. Is the embassy staying at its current location or is it moving locations to the airport?
Ned Price: (05:52)Christina.
Matt: (05:52)Or anywhere else?
Ned Price: (05:53)Christina.
Christina: (05:53)Or anywhere else.
Ned Price: (05:53)The embassy remains open in its current location. I’m not going entertain hypotheticals from there.
Matt: (05:58)That … answers the question. My last one and I’ll let everyone else go because I know, but my last one is the people who are being drawn down, the staffers who are leaving, are they flying out commercially or is it that that’s what the military is going in to do? To take them out?
Ned Price: (06:12)The military will be there to help affect an orderly and a safe reduction in our personnel. I do expect that the military will help with these relocation operations. But as we know Hamid Karzai International Airport does remain open, commercial flights continue to take off and land at the airport. So the military is not the only way in or out of Afghanistan.
Matt: (06:36)The situation is such though that you don’t think that these people are safe getting out of the country on a commercial flight?
Ned Price: (06:41)The situation is such that this president prioritizes above all else, the safety and security of Americans who are serving overseas. As I’ve said, we have planned for any number of contingencies with an eye towards the deteriorating security situation. We have said for some time now that we have been gravely concerned by developments. So given the situation on the ground, this is a prudent step, a prudent reduction in our civilian workforce. Yes, Christina.

Christina: (07:17)
Can you give us some kind of, I know you don’t [inaudible 00:07:19] numbers in embassies, but you can’t tell us how many people you think are leaving. Can you give us like a percentage? And it’s just some kind of an idea of how big of a reduction this is of the footprint. Does this change the exit timeline at all for the overall US withdrawal? Is that being expedited? And do you think you can get the number of SIVs out on these flights, even with the tempo picked up, do you think you can get enough of them out by the time you still have the facilities and the capacity to do so?
Ned Price: (07:44)
So you’re right, we aren’t in a position to speak to numbers. What we are in a position to speak to are the functions that we intend to press forward with given our diplomatic presence on the ground in Kabul. And so that includes engagement with the government of Afghanistan and includes engagement with the people of Afghanistan, specifically our efforts to press forward with diplomacy, security, assistance, counter-terrorism cooperation, consular services, including the processing of SIV applicants. So I’m sorry, I’m not in a position to detail numbers, but those functions are what we’re prioritizing and what we intend to carry forward with.

Christina: (08:25)So what kinds of staff are leaving then if those are the ones people to do that are staying, who’s leaving?

Ned Price: (08:29)Staff who are leaving, staff involved in this reduction of civilian personnel include, for example, those who may be able to perform functions back, well elsewhere, whether that’s back here in the United States or elsewhere. It includes staff who may not be necessary to continue with those core functions. So we are taking a very close look at our staffing footprints, a raid against this set of priorities, knowing that we are committed to an enduring relationship with the people of Afghanistan, committed to a diplomatic relationship as well. And so we’re taking a very close look and we’ll start that reduction in civilian personnel in the coming days. Yes, Kylie.

Speaker 2: (09:18)How’s that different from what you did in April? You already said-
Ned Price: (09:21)
It is not different. As we’ve said, we went on order departure in April. We have undertaken a reduction in staffing since then. We obviously haven’t detailed numbers. But as we have said, including in the context of SIV processing, we determined for example, that there were people based at the embassy who could have been based back here in the Washington DC area, who could help adjudicate the chief of mission level processing for SIV applicants. Now, what is true is that we are going down to a smaller diplomatic presence given the security situation. But as you’ve said, our overall status has not changed. We have been on order departure since April 27th, we’ve taken prudent measures since then to reduce the size of our footprint in Afghanistan with an eye towards the security environment, that’s what we’re doing here. Yes, Kylie.

Kylie: (10:24)You said that today is a continuation of what has been happening, but it appears very clearly to be a preparation for a full evacuation of all US diplomats from Afghanistan. So what is your response to that?

Ned Price: (10:39)My response to that is that’s not true. This is not a full evacuation. This is not-
Kylie: (10:44)Preparation I said.
Ned Price: (10:48)
And I think it’s a very important distinction between planning and contingency planning. Right now the embassy remains open. We will continue to have a diplomatic presence on the ground to fulfill these important functions. Now, of course, the safety, the security, the welfare, the wellbeing of American citizens serving overseas is of the utmost priority to this president. So of course, we are undertaking prudent contingency planning. That’s precisely what we did to lead us here today. We have watched as a security situation has changed. We have watched very closely. Not only have we watched, we’ve engaged in planning exercises to prepare us for an eventuality, like the one we’re talking about today. That’s what we’ll continue to do.

Kylie: (11:38)And what message does this send to the people of Afghanistan today, who are facing these threats from the Taliban, these military offenses, that the US is not only military withdrawing, but also taking out some of their diplomatic personnel.
Ned Price: (11:54)The message we are sending to the people of Afghanistan is one of enduring partnership. We have said from the beginning, that the United States will be a committed partner to the people of Afghanistan, and you can measure that in any number of ways. Today, of course, we are continuing to have a diplomatic presence. Our embassy remains open. Our diplomatic engagement on the ground will continue. That will allow us to fulfill the consular services, the humanitarian support services. And on the topic of humanitarian support, you look at what the United States has invested in the people of Afghanistan, not only in recent days, but of course over the past 20 years.
(12:45)On June 4th, we announced more than $266 million in new humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan. That sum total brought the total US humanitarian aid for Afghanistan to nearly 3.9 billion over the course of our involvement in Afghanistan. That will not change, even given the more difficult security environment, we can continue to provide humanitarian support. We can continue to provide humanitarian assistance. And importantly, we will continue to press forward in every way we can with the diplomacy to in an effort to bring about a just and a durable solution to this conflict. (13:34)
And let me spend just a moment on that. I know we’ve talked about that in a number of times this week, but there has continued to be movements on the ground. As you know, Ambassador Khalilzad and his team have been in Doha this week. They have taken part in a couple of gatherings already. Today, they took part in a gathering of countries from the region and beyond, as well as from multilateral organizations, with a couple of goals in mind. Number one, to press for a reduction of violence and a ceasefire. And number two, and this is important, a commitment on the part of those countries represented and those organizations represented in Doha, not to recognize any entity that takes control of Afghanistan by force, not to recognize any force that seeks to take control of Afghanistan at the barrel of a gun.
(14:35)
The meeting today has included representatives, not just from the United States and Cutter, which is the host, but also the UN, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, the UK, the EU, Germany, India, Norway, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. That in and of itself is a broad and inclusive group of countries and international organizations. And this group actually came together, and I think you will be seeing this later today in the form of a formal statement, that will emanate from this gathering. They agreed, first and foremost, that the peace process needs to be accelerated. And they also agreed, importantly, that they will not recognize any government that is imposed through military force.
(15:27)
So this is not just the United States making this point. This is not just the United States speaking with our voice. This is the international community, as you see represented in the consensus that has emerged today, regarding this very simple point. Any force that seeks to take control of Afghanistan with the barrel of a gun, through the barrel of a gun will not be recognized, will not have legitimacy, will not accrue the international assistance that any such government would likely need to achieve any semblance of durability.
(16:05)
And before I go on, let me just say, this is an important statement, that either has or soon will emanate from Doha today, but it’s not the first of its kind. We have seen the international community come together to speak with one voice on this very point over the course of weeks and months. I’ve spoken just recently about the UN Security Council statements that emanated last week, where the members of Security Council recalled Resolution 2513, reaffirmed that there is no military solution of the conflict and declared they do not support the restoration of an Islamic Emirate. It’s not just a UN Security Council statement.
(16:44)
There have been any number of settings and venues that over the course of recent weeks and months, we have heard this message emanate loud and clear. The previous gathering of the extended Troika, there was one this week, but the previous gathering of the extended Troika, meaning the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, concluded we reiterate there is no military solution in Afghanistan and a negotiated political settlement through an Afghan led and Afghan owned process is the only way forward for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The US, Europe communicate, which includes EU, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the UK. We reaffirm there is no military solution to the conflict. We stand by UN Security Council Resolution 2513, and we do not support any government in Afghanistan imposed through military force.
(17:33)
There was a C5 plus one statement, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan that had a similar point. The embassies represented in Kabul only recently put out a very similar statement and it was signed by the embassies of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the EU Delegation, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, NATO, Spain, Sweden, the UK. Just today, we heard a very similar statement from German foreign minister, Heiko Maas. The Indian government has made a very similar point as well. This has been the, I hesitate to call it the emerging consensus because it is the established consensus of the international community. Nick.

Speaker 3: (18:15)It’s precisely because of that, that it-
Nick: (18:18)What difference do you think that this new joint declaration is going to make against the Taliban’s offensive? We’ve heard this again and again, as you’ve just laid out and it has not changed the fact that they’ve now seized 10 provincial capitals.
Ned Price: (18:29)
Every time the Taliban hears the international community speak with one voice, it reinforces that very simple message. You’re right, the diplomacy has not achieved what we want to see achieved. We’re not trying to sugarcoat this. It has been a very tough road. It has been a tough slog. They’re important contextual data points however. Number one, as we said before, this diplomacy has been ongoing for less than a year. A year ago, the Islamic Republic, that is to say the government of Afghanistan, and the Taliban were not speaking to one another. They were not sitting in the same room. That has changed. Earlier, that has changed within the past year.

Ned Price: (19:18)
Another important data point, they are sitting in the same room right now. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman, Mullah Baradar, senior Taliban leader are in Doha together. Ambassador Khalilzad has met separately with both sides. Both sides have presented to the gathering, presented their ideas going forward. Now, I want to be very clear. There’s daylight between the presentations that have taken place so far. But the fact that they remain engaged in this, the fact that the international community is speaking clearly, speaking resolutely, speaking with one voice, we intend to move forward with that process, to continue at it, to continue to support these intra Afghan talks in the hopes and ultimately something we will do all we can to support, that this ends up in an Afghan owned, Afghan led political solution to what has been again, not three weeks, not three months, not six months, but really 40 years of conflict.

Ned Price: (20:27)
The people of Afghanistan deserve an end to this conflict. They don’t want to see 40 more years of civil war. They don’t want to see four more years of civil war. We don’t want to see four more months of conflict. We’re realistic about the difficult road that we’ve already been down in the difficult road that presumably lies ahead. But we are going to continue supporting this diplomatic effort because we know, and our international partners know, the international community at large knows, that the only way to diminish the violence, to establish a ceasefire and to put the parties down a road to a political settlement is through diplomacy. Nick.
Speaker 4: (21:12)Did you say 1% of the civilian population is being drawn down?

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