Our briefing will be on the record, and we have today Julie Chung, the principal deputy
assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
She’ll be speaking about the readout from the UN General Assembly as it pertains to
the Western Hemisphere.
Thank you.
MS CHUNG: Good morning.
Thank you for being here today.
As you can see from our extensive engagements this week from – with our regional partners
in the Western Hemisphere, the hemisphere is a priority for this administration.
The United States is a steady and enduring partner for the countries of the entire hemisphere,
working with our neighbors to promote democracy, prosperity, and security.
Our activities here at the high-level week have shown how we are confronting the challenge
and threat posed by the former regime of Nicolas Maduro, and I’ll say that we raise Venezuela
at almost every single meeting we’ve had throughout the week.
We have also exposed the Cuban Government for its exploitation of medical professionals,
highlighted how we are working together with our Caribbean neighbors to make our third
border more secure, more wealthy, and more resilient in the face of natural disasters,
and how we are investing in our partners throughout the Americas based on free market principles
and transparency, to the benefit of American workers and business.
The President – President Trump made it clear during his remarks at the General Assembly
when he said, “For all of the countries [in] the Western Hemisphere, our goal is to
help [the] people invest in the bright futures of their own nation.
Our region is full of such incredible promise: dreams waiting to be built and national destinies
for all.
And they are waiting to be pursued.”
Now let me go into a few more details of our engagements this week.
Earlier in the week, President Trump met with Western Hemisphere leaders to discuss the
urgent need for democratic transition in Venezuela.
At that meeting, Secretary Pompeo announced nearly $119 million in additional assistance
to Venezuela and neighboring countries as they respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
I joined the deputy secretary, Deputy Secretary Sullivan, as he led our delegation to a ministerial-level
meeting of the Rio Treaty, TIAR, officially the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance,
a demonstration of the depth of collective concern over the Venezuelan crisis, which
is an urgent one.
We discussed how to jointly increase the pressure on the Maduro regime and promote a peaceful
and secure Venezuela and region.
I also met on the margins of these meetings with Foreign Minister Jorge Borges and Ambassador
Carlos Vecchio from the Guaido administration.
And on Tuesday, Administrator Mark Green announced $52 million in development assistance in support
of Interim President Guaido, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people as they
seek to restore citizen-responsive, democratic governance to their country.
This and the $119 million in humanitarian assistance announced this week brings the
collective USG assistance response to $568 million for the Venezuelan crisis and the
regional response.
Just yesterday, we heard first-hand, powerful accounts from two Cuban medical professionals
who told of the abuses they experienced as participants in Cuba’s overseas medical
missions programs.
We have documented indicators of human trafficking in Cuba’s overseas medical missions each
year since the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report, including most recently our 2019 report.
Each year, Cuba sends between 34,000 to 50,000 healthcare workers to more than 60 countries.
Some former participants allege experiencing abuses including coercion, nonpayment of wages,
withholding of passports, and restrictions on their movement.
The department remains deeply concerned about these allegations that Cuban officials threatened
and coerced some participants to remain in the overseas medical program.
And on Wednesday, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Hale and I held a high-level meeting
with Caribbean foreign ministers, where we announced a new $25 million loan guarantee
under the Caribbean Energy Security Initiative to spur private sector investment in non-oil
energy products.
This engagement underscored our commitment to enhancing cooperation with our Caribbean
neighbors under the U.S.-Caribbean 2020 Strategy, including promoting prosperity, security,
health, education, and energy throughout the region.
It was a wonderful follow-up from our previous meeting in Miami in April of the U.S.-Caribbean
Resilience Partnership.
And yesterday, Deputy Secretary Sullivan and I met with Haitian Foreign Minister Edmond
and discussed the need for Haiti’s executive and legislative branches to identify a path
forward to form a government that remains firmly rooted in democracy and to respecting
the rule of law.
Haiti’s leaders need to establish conditions that will attract investment and achieve sustained
economic growth.
Our economic engagement with the Americas cannot be overstated.
The United States is the top trading partner for over two-thirds of the hemisphere’s
countries and the source of over $1 trillion of investment in the region.
As President Trump said in his remarks to the UN General Assembly, for all the countries
of the Western Hemisphere, our goal is to help people invest in the bright futures,
as we (inaudible) earlier.
Not only that; we also spoke in various meetings throughout the week about the importance of
transparency, good governance, investment screening, rule of law, and making sure those
are done with trusted partners.
For example, under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment and I
met with Ecuador’s minister of trade, taking advantage of renewed relationships to discuss
trade, foreign investment, and cybersecurity.
Later today, we’ll be meeting with Panama’s foreign minister as well.
So in addition to these various priorities and discussions that we’ve had throughout
the week with partners in the region, we’ve also talked with many of our like-minded partners
on issues like Venezuela and other shared concerns and issues – partners like the
Japanese, the Republic of Korea, EU, and the Holy See.
Again, many of our challenges that we’re facing in the hemisphere is not those relegated
to just the region.
It is a global responsibility, and we must seek global and international community responses
to them.
So these issues are just a few among those that we raised.
Thank you for being here today, and I’d be happy to take any questions.
MODERATOR: I will call on you for your questions, and then when you start, I’ll pass you the
microphone and you can say your name and outlet.
So I’ll just start here and then I’ll come to you.
QUESTION: Hi, good morning.
Thank you for being here.
Maduro is trying to change the correlation of the parties within Venezuela.
If they arrest or still intimidating the opposition people, even if they try to make an election
in December to try to rid of Juan Guaido, what will United States can do for this?
MS CHUNG: Well, we’ve been very clear.
Our consistent message is we are calling for a transition to democracy and free and fair
elections, and that means Maduro has to go.
So in terms of our relationship with the former Maduro regime, we call on them to stop the
abuse, stop the extrajudicial killings, stop the detentions and torture.
And those have all been recently outlined very carefully in the Bachelet report, and
I think anyone reading the report with an objective eye can see, with over 7,000 extrajudicial
killings just in the past year, how can we turn a blind eye?
And so it goes beyond elections.
It goes to the – to depth and the core of our humanity and the fact that over 4.5 million
people have left Venezuela and 90 percent still live in poverty.
This is beyond just politics.
It’s about getting rid of a dictator who has completely terrorized his nation.
QUESTION: Thank you.
Carla Angola from EVTV Miami.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Secretary, Diosdado Cabello is in North Korea right now, Maduro is in Russia, Tareck El
Aissami is fleeing the U.S. justice system, and Maduro’s vice president comes to New
York.
And all the heads of the regime are out of Venezuela right now.
Venezuelans wonder how come being that they’re closely associated with organized crime and
no one goes after them, especially after Tareck El Aissami?
MS CHUNG: Well, the United States have brought upon a series of sanctions on individuals
and entities throughout the past year, throughout the past many months.
Just this week, I think we also designated four companies related to the oil sector in
the Venezuelan country.
And so there are ongoing pressure points, I think ongoing sanctions that we’re discussing,
and it’s no surprise to us that the numbers of friends that the Maduro regime has is dwindling.
They’re desperate to go to the DPRK and Russia and Cuba, and those countries are not
helping in the case of democracy of Venezuela.
So we call on all countries, including those countries, especially Cuba, Russia, and North
Korea as well as China, to step up and respond to the calls for democracy from the Venezuelan
people.
And we will do everything in our power; we will continue the economic sanctions and other
means to also put pressure on the regime.
And I would say earlier this week, we met with the TIAR, the Rio Treaty, as I mentioned
previously.
That was a moment of collective action and a collective message to the Maduro regime:
Enough is enough.
And this Rio Treaty has not convened since 9/11, and the fact that we have waited so
long for this historic time, for this historic collective action, and I think as a group,
as the members of this treaty, that we’ll be looking forward to more measures of economic
sanctions and more pressure.
QUESTION: Hi, good morning.
I’m Lucia Leal with EFE.
I wanted to ask about the Cuba medical missions event you had yesterday, and you denounced
human trafficking in that program.
I was wondering, is the U.S. considering in any way restoring the parole program that
was finished a couple years ago and that allowed the Cuban doctors to seek asylum in the U.S.?
MS CHUNG: I think that question we have to report – refer to the Department of Homeland
Security.
I don’t have an answer for you on that right now.
QUESTION: You worked as a deputy political counselor in Bogota, where you managed the
U.S.
Government largest extradition program, including paramilitary and narcotrafficking case.
I would like to know your opinion about Maduro protecting criminals.
There is something that U.S. can do, and what you, like a specialist, you can – you can
recommend?
There is any possibility that they can be arrested inside Venezuela?
MS CHUNG: Well, I think it’s been very clear that the Maduro regime has been supportive
of and harboring terrorist elements of the ELN and FARC, and that’s been very clear
and documented.
In addition to that, his narcotrafficking connections are very strong and very well
documented as well, and we – we’re very concerned about not only the narcotrafficking
but the harboring of ELN and FARC terrorists.
This is unjust.
This is something the international community should call for, again, collectively to call
upon – to stop those continued actions.
And as part of the Rio Treaty – we talked about this during our Rio Treaty meeting this
week – how Maduro’s acts are – as harboring terrorists and in support of a narcotrafficking
network, it’s harmful to the region, to the Venezuelan people, and to regional security
and stability.
So as I said before, we are doing everything possible with additional sanctions of individuals,
of entities, and we will be also coordinating very closely with countries in the region
for any next steps.
MODERATOR: We have time for – we have time for one more question.
QUESTION: Thank you very much.
In fact, I will abuse and I will do two, but shortly – short.
One is: Special advisor Elliott Abrams said that Russia has been meeting with Guaido,
but what can be negotiated if, given the fall in Venezuelan oil production, the Russians
have kept the market?
What can be negotiated with the Russians if keeping the crisis going works on their behalf?
This is one.
And the other is that this next Monday, there are some military exercises for humanitarian
aid and disaster relief between the U.S. and Colombian forces.
Could you explain how they work, where they will take place, and if they have any plans
to be deployed in Venezuela?
Thank you very much.
MS CHUNG: Okay, thank you.
On your first question of Russia, I’d refer you to Special Representative Elliott Abrams
because he is the one who spoke about that, and I’m not going to hypothesize about potential
negotiations or discussions with the Russian Government.
But what I will say is we have talked to the Russian Government repeatedly about their
involvement in supporting and abetting the Maduro regime and his actions of torture and
repression against the Venezuelan people and the repression of democracy.
So that is something that – it’s dependent upon the Russians to come up and join the
international community in changing this dynamic and answering the call for that transition
to democracy.
We ask Russia to join us and all the rest of the more than 55 countries who have now
recognized Guaido.
So that will continue, on that point.
On the U.S.-Colombian exercises, I believe you’re referring to something that’s happening
regularly.
I think this is periodic that we do regarding humanitarian exercises, and I don’t have
further information on that, but I refer you to our embassy in Bogota.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
We had one more question from EFE.
(Laughter.)
And then that will really be the last question.
MS CHUNG: That’s fair.
QUESTION: Okay.
Thank you so much.
I wanted to ask about the agreements that were signed this week – one was signed this
week with the Government of Honduras, and others have been signed with the countries
of Central America – on asylum.
And I was just wondering as – from the perspective of the State Department, isn’t the U.S.
worried about sending these migrants to some of the most dangerous countries in the world?
MS CHUNG: Well, the President has been very clear on addressing the issues of illegal
migration together in partnership with the countries of the Northern Triangle and Mexico,
and we’ve taken several steps, we’ve signed several agreements.
Those issues did not come up on the margins of the UN General Assembly so I can’t address
them, and I refer you to the Department of Homeland Security for further details.
MODERATOR: Thank you.
This concludes today’s briefing.
The transcript will be posted when it’s available.