The Department is publicly designating Mr. Nikola Spiric, a member of the House of Representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Act of 2018, due to his involvement in significant corruption. Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States. Mr. Spiric engaged in and benefited from public corruption, including the acceptance of improper benefits in exchange for the performance of public functions and interference with public processes, during his tenure as a member of the House of Representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The law also requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their family members. In addition to the designation of Mr. Spiric, the Secretary is also publicly designating Mr. Spiric’s spouse, Nada Spiric, his son, Aleksandar Spiric, and his daughter, Jovana Spiric.

For more information, please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov.

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The Administration has determined after careful review that the office of the General Delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington should close. We have permitted the PLO office to conduct operations that support the objective of achieving a lasting, comprehensive peace between Israelis and the Palestinians since the expiration of a previous waiver in November 2017. However, the PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel. To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise. As such, and reflecting Congressional concerns, the Administration has decided that the PLO office in Washington will close at this point. This decision is also consistent with Administration and Congressional concerns with Palestinian attempts to prompt an investigation of Israel by the International Criminal Court.

The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward. This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace.

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Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, will be in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia September 10-14. Ambassador Sales will engage in bilateral discussions with his counterparts on counterterrorism cooperation, countering violent extremism, foreign terrorist fighters, and aviation security.

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The United States and the American people congratulate Dr. Arif Alvi on his swearing in as the new President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The United States looks toward working with Pakistan to advance our shared interests, such as regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

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The United States condemns the Ortega government’s recent arbitrary detention of six prominent student members of the National Dialogue. These students are the latest example of the thousands of citizens who are peacefully and democratically protesting government actions, only to be harassed, detained, disappeared, or even killed. Five of these students have been released. We call for the release of all arbitrarily detained persons. We also call on the Ortega government to ensure the safety of all who choose to exercise their universal rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

All governments should promote democracy, good governance, and human rights for the greater welfare of their citizens. We will continue to stand by the people of Nicaragua and hold the Ortega government to account for its repression and violence.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.