The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met yesterday at the State Department with Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric. The Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister for Croatia’s strong partnership, and both reaffirmed the mutual commitment of the United States and Croatia to increased NATO defense spending. The two discussed a broad range of bilateral and regional issues, including Croatia’s plans to build a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports that will improve energy security and diversity energy supplies throughout Central and Southeast Europe.

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The United States condemns the announcement of a plan to conduct “elections” in the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.” Given the continued control of these territories by the Russian Federation, genuine elections are inconceivable, and grossly contravene Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements. By engineering phony procedures, Russia is once more demonstrating its disregard for international norms and is undermining efforts to achieve peace in eastern Ukraine. The so-called “people’s republics” that Russia created have no place within the Ukrainian constitutional order.

The United States remains fully committed to diplomatic efforts to resolve the Russia-instigated conflict in eastern Ukraine. U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unwavering.

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The U.S. Department of State will host the third annual Zoohackathon in Madrid, Spain; Mumbai, India; San Diego, California; and Entebbe, Uganda, September 15-16, 2018; and in New Delhi, India, September 22-23, 2018. The Zoohackathon events bring together coders, designers, university students, and conservation enthusiasts to combat wildlife trafficking through digital and technological innovations.

Wildlife trafficking—the poaching, illegal transit, trade and sale of wildlife—decimates the world’s most iconic species and generates more than $10 billion a year for transnational organized criminal networks that profit from the illicit sales of exotic pets, delicacies, jewelry, and traditional medicines. The problem is global in scope, it is pervasive, and it has devastating impacts: it threatens security, undermines the rule of law, fuels corruption, spreads disease, robs local communities of their natural resource bases and livelihoods (including the economic benefits derived from nature-based tourism and hunting), and pushes species to the brink of extinction.

At each Zoohackathon site, participants have 24-48 hours to code apps and other programs in response to challenge statements provided by conservation experts, who are fighting against wildlife trafficking on the frontlines. At the end of the hackathons, teams present their work to a panel of judges, and the judges nominate a winner; each site winner is eligible for a global prize.

This year’s Zoohackathon is organized by the Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in conjunction with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and other international entities. For further information about Zoohackathon, please visit www.zoohackathon.com/. Follow Zoohackathon on social media at @StateDeptOES, #Zoohackathon, and #EndWildlifeTrafficking.

For media inquiries, please contact Zoohackathon@state.gov.

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Today, the United States, in coordination with the UN Security Council’s Libya Sanctions Committee, imposed financial sanctions on Libyan militia leader Ibrahim Jadhran. In accordance with today’s UN listing, which was proposed by Libya’s Permanent Mission to the UN, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Jadhran pursuant to Executive Order 13726. Consequently, all of Jadhran’s assets within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him. In addition, the corresponding UN sanctions require all UN Member States to impose an asset freeze and travel ban.

In June 2018, forces led by Jadhran violently attacked and seized control of the Libyan oil ports Ras Lanuf and Al Sidra. This created an economic and political crisis that cost Libya more than $1.4 billion in revenue and set back efforts to promote political progress and stability in Libya.

Libya’s oil facilities, production, and revenues belong to the Libyan people. These vital Libyan resources must remain under the exclusive control of the legitimate National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the sole oversight of the Government of National Accord (GNA), as emphasized in multiple UN Security Council Resolutions.

Today’s action shows that the United States and the international community will take concrete and forceful action in response to those who undermine Libya’s peace, security, or stability.

For further information, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release available here and the UN’s press release available here.

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Pursuant to Section 1290 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA), I certified to Congress yesterday that the governments of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure resulting from military operations of these governments.

The Trump Administration has been clear that ending the conflict in Yemen is a national security priority. We will continue to work closely with the Saudi-led coalition to ensure Saudi Arabia and the UAE maintain support for UN-led efforts to end the civil war in Yemen, allow unimpeded access for the delivery of commercial and humanitarian support through as many avenues as possible, and undertake actions that mitigate the impact of the conflict on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
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