Briefing Skipper: Iran, North Korea, Ukraine
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights of Tuesday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drove Monday from Chappaqua to Washington over the snow caked roads. Ok, she was driven by the diplomatic service agents, but still. ...
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights of Tuesday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley:
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drove Monday from Chappaqua to Washington over the snow caked roads. Ok, she was driven by the diplomatic service agents, but still. She had lunch with Rahm Emmanuel Tuesday. Her Wednesday testimony on Capitol Hill is postponed.
- No specific schedule for a new round of talks between the P5+1 countries on Iran, following last Friday’s conference call. "We have and will continue to consult with our counterparts, you know, within the P-5 plus one process. I’ve got nothing to project, you know – specifically," Crowley said.
- Crowley reiterated Obama’s dissatisfaction with Iran’s announcement it will at least try to increase its uranium enrichment to 20 percent. "This was an unnecessary step. In fact, you know, by every indication, it is counterproductive to Iran’s, you know, specific interest," he said. He wouldn’t give a timeline for the "pressure track" and didn’t take the opportunity to criticize China when baited by the press corps.
- He again concentrated on making a distinction between sanctions that target the regime versus ones that target the population. "We’re looking at ways in which we can put additional pressure on the Iranian government without, you know, increasing the burden on the Iranian people," Crowley said.
- Crowley admitted that there have been other proposals put forth to the Iranians besides the one at the IAEA regarding fuel transfers for the Tehran Research Reactor, such as providing commercially available medical isotopes. "What we’re saying is that, you know, okay — you know, we put forward a good-faith proposal. We thought it was practical. It was doable. But if Iran didn’t want to accept that proposal, there are others that are available."
- The State Department isn’t getting too excited about new statements by North Korea but is pleased to see North Korean negotiator Kim Gye Gwan visiting Beijing. "North Korea is saying the right things," Crowley said, "But the right words must be followed by action. Words by themselves are not sufficient."
- On Ukraine, Crowley praised the process of the election that is about to return former Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich to power, despite that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is refusing to concede defeat. But Crowley didn’t congratulate the apparent winner or reference the apparent loser. "So let’s wait until the results are official. Then we’ll have more to say."
Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.
A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.
Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin
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