MR RATHKE: Good morning.
QUESTION: Good morning.
QUESTION: Afternoon.
MR RATHKE: I don’t know.
We may need to synchronize our watches, Matt.
I just have two things to mention at the start.
First of all, the Secretary is on his way to Riyadh right now.
This morning he traveled from Nairobi to Djibouti, where he held a bilateral meeting with President
Guelleh and a press availability with Foreign Minister Youssouf.
The Secretary also participated in a youth engagement event at a mosque, where a group
of Djibouti young men and women talked about their efforts to combat violent extremism.
And finally, he participated in a consular event at our Embassy in Djibouti, where he
personally provided consular services to American citizens and their family members who have
fled Yemen for Djibouti.
He also did a tour of Camp Lemonnier and a town hall event with U.S. military personnel
stationed there.
And the second item before we get started, Nepal, a brief update.
Yesterday, an Air Force contingency response group arrived in Nepal to work with the USAID
Disaster Assistance Response Team and the Government of Nepal to improve efficiency
at the international airport.
The CRG will help streamline airfield operations and speed up cargo flow so that relief supplies
can be delivered more quickly to places in need.
Also yesterday, May 5th, the U.S. military deployed one additional helicopter to Nepal,
bringing total U.S. military air assets to four V-22 Ospreys and two UH-1 Huey helicopters.
And with that, Matt, we will turn it over to you.
QUESTION: I just have one very brief one.
It’s a follow-up from yesterday, and it’s just to find out if you have decided that
you have an opinion one way or the other on the Omar Khadr case, which we – was delayed
yesterday.
MR RATHKE: Right.
So on that case, we are aware that the Government of Canada is appealing the Canadian court’s
April decision to grant bail.
Our line remains the same as yesterday: We refer you to the Government of Canada to comment
on the decision that will be made by Canadian courts.
We, of course, have a strong and cooperative relationship with the Government of Canada
on security and law enforcement issues, but I don’t have a comment to make on the case
that’s before the Canadian courts.
QUESTION: Okay.
But I just want to make sure you understand the question.
I am not asking for the Canadian --
MR RATHKE: Right.
QUESTION: -- version of – for the Canadians’ opinion on this.
I’m asking for the U.S. opinion on this, to which – are you suggesting that I ask
the Canadians to find out what the U.S. position is on this?
MR RATHKE: Well, I’m simply saying that we respect the independent processes of the
Canadian judiciary, and we respect Canada’s sovereignty.
I’m not going to make a comment about the case that’s before the Canadian courts.
QUESTION: Does that mean that you’re okay with anything that the court decides?
Because there are many cases in many countries where you’re not okay with what a court
decides.
MR RATHKE: I simply have nothing further to offer on this one.
QUESTION: All right.
MR RATHKE: Okay.
QUESTION: That’s it for me.
MR RATHKE: That’s it from you.
Okay.
Other topics?
Please.
QUESTION: My name is Hillery Gallasch.
I’m with ARD German Television.
MR RATHKE: Yes.
QUESTION: I have a question in regards to – the German administration is under fire
right now, being pushed to release lists of search terms that were apparently given to
the German intel service by the NSA.
They’re playing on time, saying there are negotiations with the United States on what
to release and not release.
Is the United States blocking or working with the Germans trying to block any release of
search terms given to them?
MR RATHKE: Well, I’d make two comments in response.
The first one is that we work closely with Germany on all matters of international concern
and we value Germany’s engagement on the entire range of global issues.
But the second point is we don’t comment on intelligence matters, and I’m not going
to comment from this podium on that.
QUESTION: Has Germany approached you in any way?
MR RATHKE: Again, I’m not going to offer a comment on that.
New topic?
Michel.
QUESTION: Yemen.
Do you have any update from Aden, especially that the Houthis are on the offense now and
the news reports talk about having 42 civilians died?
MR RATHKE: Well, first thing I’d mention with respect to Yemen, I think you probably
have seen a couple of fact sheets that we released this morning.
One is about the additional humanitarian funding that the Secretary announced today when he
was in Djibouti.
And the second was about our services to American citizens, so just to bring those to your attention.
With respect to the situation on the ground, I don’t have a battlefield update.
Our position remains, as it has been for quite some time, that we call on the Houthis to
cease their unilateral military aggression and to find a way back to the negotiating
table, but I don’t have a – I’m not going to confirm those details that you’ve
referred to.
QUESTION: Will the Secretary meet with the Yemeni president in Riyadh?
MR RATHKE: I don’t have a schedule update to announce for the Secretary in Riyadh.
I expect later today or tomorrow morning we’ll have a fuller list of his activities, but
the schedule’s still coming together, so I don’t have anything to share right now.
QUESTION: Thanks.
MR RATHKE: Yes, Taurean.
QUESTION: I have one on Russia’s Victory Day parade.
MR RATHKE: Okay.
QUESTION: So the North Korean Government announced on Monday that Kim Jong-un would not be attending
that parade and instead would send its nominal head of state.
Do you make anything of that seemingly reversal by the Kim Jong-un regime?
MR RATHKE: I’m not going to try to interpret that decision.
I don’t have any comment to offer on it.
QUESTION: And then on – the Chinese media also reports that its honor guard will participate
in the Victory Day parade.
Do you have any comments to say on that?
MR RATHKE: No, I don’t have a comment on China’s participation.
QUESTION: No particular concerns or --
MR RATHKE: No.
I think we’ve spoken about our representation there.
We are – will be represented at the military parade by Ambassador Tefft, and that’s the
nature of our participation.
QUESTION: Jeff.
MR RATHKE: Yes.
QUESTION: On Syria, Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said yesterday that if Assad
falls, Hizballah falls.
Do you have any reaction to that?
MR RATHKE: Not a specific one.
I’m not going to respond to all of Nasrallah’s comments.
We’ve been clear that Assad has no future and no legitimacy inside Syria.
We also have spoken out repeatedly against the destabilizing role that Hizballah has
played, which has to stop.
But I don’t have a specific comment for (inaudible).
QUESTION: Will you help in this case in the fall of Assad?
MR RATHKE: I think our policy, again, is quite clear.
We, on the one hand, support the Syrian people and the Syrian opposition.
We do that in a variety of ways.
And of course, we also support the Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, who right now is
in Geneva having consultations with all relevant parties about finding a way to implement the
Geneva principles.
QUESTION: And any date for Special Envoy Rubinstein, Rubinstein’s meeting with de Mistura?
MR RATHKE: Well, the consultations have just gotten underway this week.
So the U.S. is participating in these UN-led consultations, and the U.S. – from our side,
our Special Envoy Daniel Rubinstein will attend, but I don’t have a date to announce for
his participation in the consultations.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR RATHKE: Yes.
QUESTION: Hello, my name is Grigory Dubovitsky.
I’m from Russian Information Agency RIA Novosti.
So do you have any updates on Secretary Kerry’s schedule next week, and can you confirm information
about upcoming meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Sochi on May 11th?
MR RATHKE: No, I don’t have any schedule announcements to make for the Secretary.
QUESTION: Thank you.