QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, is the deconfliction agreement dead after the strike this weekend?
SECRETARY TILLERSON: No, it is not.
The following is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met this evening in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The two recommitted to deconflicting military operations in Syria, reducing the violence, and creating the conditions for the Geneva process to move forward, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.
The United States reiterates its call for the complete restoration of democracy in Venezuela. We support earnest negotiations in good faith that will achieve this goal. We call attention to the importance of the Government of Venezuela fulfilling its previous commitments to a democratic path in order to advance the negotiation process.
The United States applauds the efforts of President Medina and the government of the Dominican Republic to foster a process that helps find a peaceful, democratic, and comprehensive solution to Venezuela’s political and humanitarian crisis.
The United States and Cuba held the third Law Enforcement Dialogue in Washington, DC. on Friday, September 15. During the dialogue, the United States and Cuba addressed topics of bilateral interest on national security matters, including fugitives and the return of Cuban nationals with final orders of removal. The delegations also discussed the incidents affecting diplomatic personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco L. Palmieri, Department of Justice Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz, and Department of Homeland Security Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement Policy Justin Matthes led the U.S. delegation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of Bilateral Affairs for the United States, Yuri A. Gala López, and the National Defense and Security Commission Deputy Advisor, Abel Gonzalez Santamaria, led the Cuban delegation.
The United States and Brazil held their 6th Disarmament and Nonproliferation Dialogue in Washington, DC. on September 15. The meeting is one of several ongoing exchanges held by the United States and Brazil to strengthen bilateral cooperation in nuclear disarmament and arms control, export control, as well as nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons nonproliferation.
Experts from both sides met to discuss a range of disarmament and nonproliferation challenges, and to identify strategic actions to best address them. The United States was represented by Acting Assistant Secretaries for Arms Control, Verification & Compliance, Anita Friedt, and International Security & Nonproliferation, C.S. Eliot Kang. Their Brazilian counterparts included Ambassador Maria Luisa Escorel de Moraes, Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of External Relations, and Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, Alternate Permanent Representative at the Brazilian Mission in Geneva.
The 2017 Dialogue placed special emphasis on U.S. and Brazilian efforts to counter and condemn the illegal pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, including by the DPRK and non-state actors. Both sides agreed to meet again next year.
For further information, please contact Maria Dudding at ISNPressQueries@State.gov or visit www.state.gov/t/isn, Twitter @StateISN and Facebook @StateDepartmentISNBureau.