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Washington Committed to Defending Saudi Arabia, Confronting Iranian Threat

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito
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Washington Committed to Defending Saudi Arabia, Confronting Iranian Threat

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, confirmed that Washington is committed to reinforcing Saudi defenses.

Gavito admitted US concerns towards Iranian influence in Iraq undermining the stability and security of national institutions in the country.

She pointed out that US diplomacy seeks to dissuade Tehran from financing and arming groups outside the control of governments throughout the region. Gavito stressed that illegal flow of weapons from Iran to Yemen has led to an increase in the Houthis' brutal attacks and the suffering of civilians.

Here is the full text of the interview:

What worries the US administration the most about the development of events in Iraq, and what impact does this have on the security and stability of the country?

· ISIS remnants and armed groups operating outside of government control are the biggest obstacles to Iraq’s security and stability. Another area of concern is the economic challenges Iraq faces. We look forward to assisting Iraq diversify its economy and encourage foreign private sector investment in the country.

· Once government formation is complete, we look forward to working with a new government that reflects the will of Iraqi voters and that strives to improve services for all citizens and combat corruption in the interest of the Iraqi people.

· I believe that if we help Iraq strengthen its own sovereignty and institutions over time, improve the capabilities of Iraq’s security forces, and continue to encourage Iraq’s reintegration into the Arab neighborhood, then Iraq will be stable and prosperous. Moreover, it will be a stabilizing force for the entire region.

Some observers believe that the US presence in Iraq has not achieved what the people aspire to. What is your comment?

· We have been and will be a steady, reliable partner that supports Iraq’s sovereignty and security, anti-corruption and economic reform efforts, helps it improve regional relationships, provides humanitarian and demining assistance, supports respect for the human rights of all Iraqis, backs efforts to combat criminal activity and control unlawful armed groups, and advises and assists the Iraqi security forces.

· We are committed to these efforts because our aspiration is to see a stable, prosperous, democratic, and unified Iraq. I believe that the Iraqi people have the same hope and aspirations.

To what extent do the elements of corruption and sectarianism contribute to the complexity of the situation in Iraq?

· Corruption is a threat to all nations as it undermines the rule of law and tears at the fabric of trust and respect between people and their government.

· We share interests with our Iraqi partners in maintaining respect for freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, enforcing the rule of law, respecting the rights of protesters, journalists, women, members of Iraq’s diverse ethnic and religious communities, and members of other marginalized groups, and pursuing judicial accountability for violent crimes committed against persons belonging to those groups.

To what extent does Iran have a role in the complexities of the political and security situation in Iraq?

· While we encourage Iraq to maintain friendly, productive relations with all its neighbors, we remain concerned about Iranian influence that undermines the stability and the integrity of Iraqi national institutions. Our diplomatic approach seeks to dissuade Iran from funding and arming groups outside the control of governments around the region, including Iraq.

How do you view the risks of Iranian activity on the security and stability of the region?

· The United States is concerned about Iranian influence that undermines the stability and the integrity of Iraq’s sovereignty and national institutions, and so are the Iraqi people.

· President Biden has made very clear that the United States wants to resolve our differences with Iran through diplomatic means.

· We firmly believe that a stable, sovereign, economically prosperous Iraq is key to broadening our mutually beneficial partnership with the Iraqi people and to bringing greater stability to the region.

· This Administration is committed to working toward regional de-escalation and wider economic and political integration in the region, including across historical lines of conflict.

· If regional actors and Iraq’s neighbors follow the same strategy with the same goal in mind, our chances of success will be far greater.

What is your assessment of the Iranian support for the Houthis in Yemen and its implications for the safety and security of the region?

· The United States has consistently seen evidence of the smuggling of arms from Iran to the Houthis. This represents a flagrant violation of the UN targeted arms embargo. It is yet another example of how malign Iranian activity is prolonging the war in Yemen.

· Iran’s support for armed groups throughout the region threatens international and regional security, our forces, our diplomatic personnel and citizens in the region, as well as our partners in the region and elsewhere.

· The Biden Administration is committed to countering this threat from Iran. The US seized dozens of anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of assault rifles, and hundreds of machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers from similar vessels in December, May, and February of last year.

· The illegal flow of weapons from Iran to Yemen is enabling the brutal Houthi offensives in Yemen, increasing the suffering of civilians. Further fighting - whether in Marib or elsewhere – is only bringing more suffering.

What is your assessment of the Saudi-US cooperation in the security and strategic fields? How important is this to international peace and security?

· Saudi Arabia faces significant threats to its territory; we are committed to working together to help the Saudis strengthen their defenses to defend its territory, its citizens, and the thousands of US citizens residing in Saudi Arabia.

· Cross-border attacks launched by the Houthis on the UAE, as well as Saudi Arabia, have killed civilians - including the January 17 attack on the Abu Dhabi airport that resulted in civilian casualties.

· There were more than 400 cross-border attacks last year launched by the Houthis with Iranian support, which affected Saudi infrastructure, schools, mosques, and workplaces, and endangered the civilian population, including 70,000 US citizens living in Saudi Arabia.

· With US support Saudi Arabia has been able to intercept 90 percent of the attacks, but we need to aim for 100 percent.

· The United States is committed to advancing Saudi defenses through security cooperation, arms transfers, and defense trade, exercises, training, and exchanges, alongside engagement on human rights and civilian harm mitigation. We have a number of tools available to assist Saudi Arabia to strengthen its air defense capabilities and will continue to discuss a range of security needs with our partners.

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Interviews

Goldrich to Asharq Al-Awsat: No US Withdrawal from Syria

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
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Goldrich to Asharq Al-Awsat: No US Withdrawal from Syria

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich has told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US does not plan to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The US is committed to “the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with,” he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

Question: Mr. Goldrich, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with us today. I know you are leaving your post soon. How do you assess the accomplishments and challenges remaining?

Answer: Thank you very much for the chance to talk with you today. I've been in this position for three years, and so at the end of three years, I can see that there's a lot that we accomplished and a lot that we have left to do. But at the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries. At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn't be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we've seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we've helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.

Question: I want to talk a little bit about the ISIS situation now that the US troops are still there, do you envision a timeline where they will be withdrawn? Because there were some reports in the press that there is a plan from the Biden administration to withdraw.

Answer: Yeah. So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.

Question: So you can assure people who are saying that you might withdraw, that you are remaining for the time being?

Answer: Yes, and that we remain committed to this mission which needs to continue to be pursued.

Question: You also mentioned the importance of humanitarian aid. The US has been leading on this. Are you satisfied with where you are today on the humanitarian front in Syria?

Answer: We remain committed to the role that we play to provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria. Of the money that was pledged in Brussels, we pledged $593 million just this past spring, and we overall, since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there's been suffering there. We're doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there's a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance.

Question: And that's a perfect key to my next question. Solution in Syria. you are aware that the countries in the region are opening up to Assad again, and you also have the EU signaling overture to the Syrian regime and Assad. How do you deal with that?

Answer: For the United States, our policy continues to be that we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there's been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve. We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don't support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they're doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.

Question: Let's say that all of the countries decided to talk to Assad, aren’t you worried that the US will be alienated in the process?

Answer: The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it's possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that's where it has to start.

Question: My last question to you before you leave, if you have to pick one thing that you need to do in Syria today, what is it that you would like to see happening today?

Answer: So there are a number of things, I think that will always be left and that there are things that we will try to do, to try to make them happen. We want to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened. So even today, we observed something called the International Day for victims of enforced disappearances, there are people that are missing, and we're trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people. So our step today was to sanction a number of officials who were responsible for enforced disappearances, but we also created something called the independent institution for missing persons, and that helps the families, in the non-political way, get information on what's happened. So I'd like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I'd like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn't been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that's because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation. And I would, of course, like it's important to see the continuation of the things that we were talking about, so keeping ISIS from reemerging and maintaining assistance as necessary in the humanitarian sphere. So all these things, some of them are ongoing, and some of them remain to be achieved. But the Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life.