F.P. Report
WASHINGTON: Jalina Porter, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of State Department, has said that we’re deeply saddened by the news of the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
She said this during media briefing; she added that Prince Philip was a true friend to the United States. Throughout his decades of service, he met and counseled presidents, vice presidents, and other public officials and leaves behind a legacy of inspiration for people all around the world.
On behalf of the American people, I wish to offer my deepest condolences to the royal family and to the people of the United Kingdom, she added.
Ms Porter said that our thoughts are also with the people of Saint Vincent as we continue to closely monitor the situation regarding the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano. USAID disaster experts are closely monitoring increased activity of the La Soufriere volcano. Local authorities are evacuating up to 19,000 people.
During the briefing while answering to a question regarding Afghanistan, she said that Ambassador Khalilzad wrapped up his time meeting in Doha and he is actually currently in Kabul at the moment, continuing his ongoing meetings with Afghan leaders as well as civil society on accelerating progress for peace in the region.
While answering to a question, Ms Porter said that the U.S. regularly conveys our concerns about the adherence to human rights as well as limits on democratic freedoms to the people of Benin and Chad authorities so that citizens can meaningfully engage so that they’re able to influence their government and their democratic process. And again, we continue to watch these elections closely, and we call on everyone who are there to remain peaceful.
Regarding US aid to Palestine, she said that U.S. definitely plans to restart aid for Palestinians with economic and development assistance programs through the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as security assistance and humanitarian assistance through UNRWA. And this step, of course, aligns with U.S. values and interests as well as for those – and our allies and partners. And again, this assistance will be provided in a manner that is always consistent with U.S. law.
Ms Porter said that US will continue to underscore that the Burma regime’s message demonstrates military leaders’ biggest concern, and that’s clearly an unprecedented movement of people rising up across the country and plain and simply rejecting the military rule.
She added that we know that the people of Burma are united in their rejection of the military’s actions and continue to call on the regime’s actions to lead to greater stability as well as look out for mounting economic, health, and humanitarian crises that are – continue to be on the rise, as you have said already.
While answering to a question regarding the North Korea, Ms Porter said that the United States remains committed to the denuclearization of North Korea. As you know, this is a priority for the Biden-Harris administration. And again, the review is ongoing, but we will continue to focus on reducing the threat to the United States as well as our allies, and we’ll also continue to strive to improve the lives of North and South Korean people.
She said that US continue to be concerned about the actions Russia has taken to escalate the tensions in Ukraine, and of course, we commend the Ukraine for its ongoing restraint in the face of Russia’s provocations in that current situation. Again, any – I would direct anyone to our website specifically to learn about what happened in those readouts.
Regarding Iran, she said that we’re prepared to take the necessary steps to return to compliance with the JCPOA, and that would include lifting sanctions that are inconsistent with it. And, of course, the nature of sanctions-related steps that the U.S. would need to take to achieve this objective is still the subject of these talks.
