The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Secretary Mike Pompeo spoke by phone today with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Secretary Pompeo thanked Foreign Minister Balakrishnan for Singapore’s willingness to host President Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12. The leaders affirmed the strong U.S.-Singapore Strategic Partnership, including our close economic, political, and security cooperation, as well as our robust people-to-people ties. The Secretary and Foreign Minister also explored avenues for further collaboration during Singapore’s current Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Secretary underscored U.S. concerns about the militarization of outposts in the South China Sea and the need for China and other claimants to refrain from actions that will escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.

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The Department of State has designated ISIS in the Greater Sahara — also known as ISIS-GS — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Department has also designated ISIS-GS and its leader, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.

As a result of these designations, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with ISIS-GS or al-Sahrawi. Their property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked. In addition, it is a crime to knowingly provide, or attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to the organization.

ISIS-GS emerged when Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi and his followers split from Al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qa’ida splinter group and U.S.-designated FTO and SDGT. Al-Sahrawi first pledged allegiance to ISIS in May 2015, and in October 2016, ISIS acknowledged it received a pledge of allegiance from the group under al-Sahrawi. ISIS-GS is primarily based in Mali operating along the Mali-Niger border and has claimed responsibility for several attacks under al-Sahrawi’s leadership, including the October 4, 2017 attack on a joint U.S.-Nigerien patrol in the region of Tongo Tongo, Niger, which killed four U.S. soldiers and five Nigerien soldiers.

Today’s designations notify the U.S. public and the international community that this group is a terrorist organization and this individual has committed or poses a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism. Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments.

These designations are part of a larger comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS that, in coordination with the Global Coalition, has made significant progress toward this goal. This whole-of-government effort is destroying ISIS in its safe havens, denying its ability to recruit foreign terrorist fighters, stifling its financial resources, countering the false propaganda it disseminates over the internet and social media, and helping to stabilize liberated areas in Iraq and Syria so the displaced can return to their homes and begin to rebuild their lives.

A list of State Department-designated FTOs and SDGTs is available here: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/index.htm.

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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke by phone today with Edgars Rinkevics, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia. Secretary Pompeo congratulated Latvia on celebrating 100 years of independence in 2018 and reiterated the United States’ commitment to collective defense under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and to the security of Latvia. Secretary Pompeo and Minister Rinkevics also discussed global, regional, and bilateral issues of mutual concern.

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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:

Secretary Mike Pompeo spoke today with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister for Qatar’s strategic partnership with the United States, including Qatar’s hosting of al-Udeid Air Base. The Secretary commended the Foreign Minister for Qatar’s continued efforts on counterterrorism and countering terrorism financing, and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to working with all of our GCC partners to ensure designations are fully enforced and that our partners’ financial systems are not exploited by terrorists and illicit actors. The Secretary emphasized the President’s desire to see the Gulf dispute eased and eventually resolved, as it benefits Iran. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also discussed a number of other regional and bilateral topics.

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DEPUTY SECRETARY SULLIVAN: Thank you, Ambassador Friedman, for those kind remarks. On behalf of Secretary Pompeo, thank you for your dedicated efforts to establish this diplomatic mission and to ensure the strongest possible bond between Israel and the United States.

We’re also grateful to you and your team for the close coordination and months of detailed planning to prepare for this important day of celebration.

It’s an honor for me to be part of President Trump’s official delegation on this momentous occasion, on a day, as you have already noted, so steeped in history. It’s a privilege to stand before so many distinguished guests, political and religious leaders of Israel and the United States, and to welcome you all to the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. (Applause.)

I also come with a message from Secretary Pompeo, who sends his best wishes. It meant a great deal to him that he was able to visit Israel on his first trip overseas, and he regrets that he’s unable to be here with us today in person. The Secretary asked me to convey on his behalf the great pride that he feels, a pride that I share on this historic day for our two countries.

As President Trump said in December, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is first a recognition of reality – a reality many, many years in the making. Jerusalem is indisputably the capital of Israel, a capital chosen by a sovereign nation as the seat of its government.

But moving the U.S. embassy, on a broader scale, is also a step towards advancing peace in this city, in the broader region, and throughout the world.

The streets of Jerusalem, with its many temples, mosques, and churches, point to its place in history. But in Jerusalem, we can also see a glimmer of the future filled with hope – the hope for greater understanding and peace.

Today, I’m confident that the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem will be, in the words of President Trump, a magnificent tribute to peace. That is what we are celebrating here today as we officially open the newest diplomatic mission of the United States of America.

As we do, we also recognize the deep and historic friendship that brought this mission into being.

On this day, as several have noted, the United States recognized the state of Israel. It is fitting that today, we mark a new milestone and a new day of bright hope and promise for the United States and Israel.

The State Department is proud to continue our close cooperation with the Israeli Government and people from our new embassy here in Jerusalem. We’re grateful to President Rivlin, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the ministry of foreign affairs for their friendship and their hard work to keep our alliance ironclad.

Thank you all for your tremendous support as we sought to make the President’s pledge of the move of our embassy a reality. We’re eager to make our bonds even stronger from this very place.

The United States is committed to Israel, we’re committed to our alliance, and we are committed to building a more peaceful, more prosperous future together. May God bless the U.S.-Israel alliance on this historic day, and I thank you for letting me be a part of it. (Applause.)

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