his aides would rather he momentum, and he becomes hard to control. so for reporters that kind of thing would be a lot of fun. >> how about for crystal ball analysts in terms of who you'd like to see. i think marco rubio would be interesting to understand where the future of the hispanic vote goes. so that would be of interest and a challenge for us. >> who i'd like? i don't pick candidates. that's up to the parties, so i'll work with whoever they pick. i'd prefer to think about the future of the country rather than the future of the two parties or what would make great journalism. god help us if that becomes the standard. >> larry's being modest, but in his heart of hearts, he would love to be able to say he called the scott walker nomination. [laughter] >> so true. >> thank you. by the way, the '70s were a great decade. [laughter] i need to tell you that. >> >> our coverage of the malaysian

nextne continues over the several hours. beginning with president obama. in about 10 minutes, the meeting of the un security council, in the international investigation it into the tragedy. then the british prime minister, david cameron.

president obama is calling for immediate and full action for the flight in ukraine. he was asking what pro-russian separatists are trying to hide. he spoke to the white house press conference. >> good morning, everybody. i want to make a brief statement about the tragedy in the ukraine. before i do, i want to know that secretary has departed for the middle east. as i said many times, israel has the right to defend itself against attacks from olmos and as a result, israel has already done significant damage to the terrorist infrastructure.

i have also said that we have serious concerns about the rising number of palestinian and billion deaths in the loss of israeli lives. and that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about these fire that ends the fighting and can stop the death of innocence to billions both in gaza and in israel. secretary kerry will meet with allies and partners. i have instructed him to push for an immediate the station of -- an immediate cessation of hostilities based on a return to the november 2012 cease-fire agreement between israel and hamas and gaza. the work will not be easy. there are enormous passions involved in this and it very difficult strategic issues but i have asked john to do everything

he can to help facilitate cessation of hostilities. with respect to ukraine, it has now been four days since the malaysian airlines flight was shot down over territory controlled by russian backed separatist in the ukraine. over the last several days, our hearts have been broken as we learn more about the extraordinary and beautiful lives that were lost here it men, women, children, infants that were killed so suddenly. our thoughts and prayers continue to be with families around the world. i have had the opportunity to speak to a number of leaders around the world whose citizens were lost on this flight, and all of them that remain in a

state of shock and in a state of outrage. our immediate focus is on recovering those that were lost. investigating exactly what happened and putting forward the facts. we have to make sure that the truth is out and accountability exists. international investigators are on the ground and have been organized. i have sent teams, other countries have sent teams. they are prepared and organized to conduct what should be the kind of protocol and scouring and collecting of evidence that should follow in the international incidents like this. what they need is immediate and full access to the crash site. need to be able to conduct a prompt and unimpeded as well as

transparent investigation. and recovery personnel have to do the solemn and sacred work of recovering the remains of those that were lost. the ukrainian president has declared the demilitarized zone around the crash site. you have international teams already in place prepared to conduct the investigation and recover the remains of those that have been lost. the russian backed separatist that controlled the area continued to block the investigation. they have repeatedly prevented investigators from gaining access to the wreckage. they fired their weapons into the air as investigators approached. all of which begs the question, what exactly are they trying to hide? moreover, these separatist are removing bodies from the crash site. oftentimes without the care that

we would normally expect from a tragedy like this. this is an insult to those that lost loved ones. the kind of behavior that has no place in the community of nations. russia has extraordinary influence over these separatists. no one denies that. russia has urged them on and trained them. we know russia has armed them with military equipment and weapons including antiaircraft weapons. key separatist leaders are russian citizens. given the direct influence over the separatist, russia and president putin in particular have direct responsibility to compel them to cooperate with the investigation. president putin says that he so

-- he supports a full and fair investigation. i appreciate the words but they have to be supported by actions. the burden is on russia to insist that they stop tampering with the evidence and grant investigators and immediate, full, and unimpeded act test to the crash site. they are responsible for the safety of the investigators doing their work. we will be working this issue at the united nations today. more broadly, as i said throughout this crisis, issa this directly to president putin as well as publicly, my preference continues to be finding a diplomatic resolution within the ukraine. i believe that can still happen. it is my preference today and will continue to be my preference. if russia continues to violate ukraine's sovereignty, russia

will only further isolated from the international unity and the cost for russia's behavior will only continue to increase. now is the time for president putin and russia to visit away -- to pivot away from this tragedy and get serious about trying to resolve hostilities within ukraine in a way that respects the right of the ukrainian people to make their own decisions about their own lives. time is of the essence. friends and allies need to be able to recover those that were lost. that is the least that decency demands. families deserve to lay loved ones to rest the nikkei. -- with dignity. the world deserves to know exactly what happened. and the people of ukraine deserve to determine their own future.

thanks. >> usa today is reporting that the un security council today has proved an international investigation into the passengers jet shot down over ukraine. the australian sponsored revolution also called for a halt to all military activity around the site in for russian backed forces to allow an international investigation complete access to the crash site. after the bodies of victims were carried out. >> thank you, mr. president.

the adoption of this resolution is a divisive step on the security council. it is an unambiguous response from the international community to an utterly deplorable act the shooting down of malaysia all 298 killing passengers, including 18 children. the passengers were citizens of australia, indonesia, germany, belgium, canada, netherlands, philippines, and the united kingdom. these governments cosponsored this resolution today. for that, i am deeply grateful. a number of victims were dual nationals of other countries. they were all innocent people on a commercial aircraft. the plane was shot down over territory controlled by

separatists in eastern ukraine. this is an absolute outrage. our nation is devastated by the loss of so many australians. 37 people who called australia home. they were traveling home from europe. a couple, both teachers, on holiday to celebrate the retirement. a 25-year-old traveling in europe, like so many young australians do. yesterday i spoke to a husband and wife from perth who had been on a family holiday in europe. they had decided to stay on for only a couple of days while their three children, aged 12, 10, and eight, had to return to school in australia. so they went on ahead with their grandfather on flight mh17. the parents are inconsolable in

their grief. among the members were scientists, medical researchers, and doctors traveling to the international aids conference, which was yesterday. people who dedicated their lives to helping others. our nation mourns the death of all the victims. i cannot begin to fathom the pain and anguish their families and friends are experiencing. but grief is accompanied by a outrage as we witness re-task -- a grotesque violations of the crash site. this demands a response. that is why australia has brought this the solution to the security council. today, the security council has responded. our resolution demands that armed groups in control of the crash sites provide safe access immediately to allow for the

recovery of the bodies and that these groups stop any actions that compromise the integrity of the crash site. this is imperative. there must be a cease-fire in the immediate area around the site. the victims must be treated with dignity, brought back to their homes, and laid to rest. all parties are required to fully cooperate with these efforts. russia must use its influence over the separatists to ensure this. russia must also use its influence to bring the conflict in ukraine to an end. our resolution also demands a full, thorough, and independent in a national investigation into this act. we must have answers. we must have justice. we owe it to the victims and their families to determine what happened and who was responsible.

the resolution acknowledges the investigation is already underway. it commands that safe, secure, full, and unrestricted access to the crash site be admitted so investigators can continue their work. it is despicable this access is not being provided. it is an affront to be victims and their families. all states, armed groups, everyone must who operate with the investigation. we welcome the u.n. secretary general office of assistance to the investigation. the united nations will continue to have a crucial role. mr. president, the message from this counsel to those who were responsible for this atrocity is definitive -- council to those who were responsible for this

atrocity is definitive. you will be held to account for your actions. australia will do everything we can to ensure the arbitrators are brought to justice. -- the perpetrators are brought to justice. we have an overriding objective to ensure dignity, respect, and justice for those killed on mh17. we will not rest until this is done. we will not rest until we bring them home. >> thank you. it calls for a thorough investigation into the horrific downing of flight 17. when 298 civilians are killed, we agree that we must stop at nothing to determine who was responsible into bring them -- and bring them to justice. are joined by the dutch in australian ministers.

we extend our deepest condolences to those countries, the families of the people they represent an all the people who lost loved ones on that plane. today givese here even greater urgency to our call for the dignified return of the victims in our pursuit of truth and justice. as we reflect on the immeasurable loss suffered by the families around the world, we are not only outraged at the attack itself, we are horrified and enraged by what has happened , by the clear intention of some to obstruct an investigation. even after adopting this

resolution, it is worth asking if there is really consensus this crime merit an immediate and impartial investigation -- why did we feel the need to meet today in order to demand one? we came together because that everyone has been supporting a real investigation into this crime. if they were, international experts would have had unimpeded access to the crime scene and all wreckage would have been left where it had fallen. that has not happened. in stead, armed thugs have walked around the sites with little regard of where they stepped. we have heard the sound of debris -- all of this needing to be carefully preserved -- crunching beneath the. we have seen evidence carted away from the site. all around the world, the risk similar reaction to the footage. stop, those are people.

those are people's lives, we all said. the passengers aboard malaysian airlines flight 17 had nothing to do with the conflict in eastern ukraine. they were families on vacation. students returning home from abroad. researchers combating a deadly disease. they deserve to be treated with dignity and their families are crying out for closure. we condemn the actions of the separatist to control these sites. there is one party from which we have heard too little condemnation. russia has been outspoken on other matters. russian officials have publicly insinuated there has been too little responsibility for the crash. russia has begun to blame ukraine for the missile itself, although the missile came from

russian territory that russia knows well ukraine is not reclaimed. but even if russia believes that ukraine is involved, surely president putin would have told the separatist leaders to maintain a hermetically sealed crime scene? we welcome russia's support for today's resolution, but no resolution would have been necessary if russia used its leverage with the separatist on thursday. or friday or even yesterday. it turns out only this morning, coincidentally the very morning the security council was meeting, did president putin order a public call to ensure the security of international experts. however, president putin still

did not direct his call to the separatists who threaten the experts and over whom he has tremendous influence. resident poroshenko, by contrast, has done everything he can to allow access to the crime scene. he has been careful to allow investigators, hailing their independence. russia's muteness sends a message to the illegal armed groups it supports. we have your backs. this is the message russia since by providing weapons, massing thousands of troops at the ukrainian border. today, we have taken a step toward combating impunity. the resolution provides clear directions to safeguard and uncover the facts, however inconvenient those proved to be.

we are not naïve. if russia is not part of the solution, it will continue to be part of the problem. the last six months, russia has seized ukrainian territory and ignored repeated requests by the international community to de-escalate, all to preserve influencing ukraine, a country that has long made clear its desire to maintain constructive ties with moscow. russia must recchi knives -- must recognize that no zero-sum game battle with the west can justify the lives lost or the pain ukrainian families experience daily as a result of this needless conflict. today, three dutch investigators accessed the site. investigators are trying to hold this up as proof of good faith, but this is an extremely complex

and time sensitive crime scene. in that context, letting in a few investigators here or there simply will not cut it. access must the immediate and full, period. a staged managed approach is a form of obstruction. russia can and do this. russia can unequivocally condemn the tampering with the bodies that the site and demand that the separatists adopt the cease-fire in the area around the crash site, as ukraine has done. russia can sit down with president poroshenko, and russia can take back all of the surface to air missiles and heavy weaponry it has delivered. these would not only be important steps to achieving accountability and achieving

justice for the victims. it would constitute a long overdue sign that russia is willing to take steps to end this deadly crisis. thank you. you, mr. president. on behalf of the russian federation, may i once again convey our condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives. there needs to be totally impartial independence of the disaster. the is the target of resolution which we supported. clarification of the context with the organized

participation of all those ready to shed light on the truth. -- the blackvided box should be provided end on the ground, there needs to be necessary conditions created for access to expert teams. everything will be done to guarantee the full security of international experts at the crash site. buy them, there is the humanitarian corridors. there are already representatives from donetsk, the ukrainian minister or emergency situations, it but that is not enough. there needs to be a full complement of experts in line with the international commission. russia, for its part, stands ready to provide any assistance in organizing and conducting international investigations. russian that bodies have been provided with the necessary

instructions. we stand ready to provide experts. however, there can be no jumping to conclusions or political statements here. what is going on today is absolutely admissible. it seems that kiev has taken the opportunity to step up its punitive operations in the eastern part of the country. indiscriminate artillery and airstrikes are hitting cities and killing civilians. who in this room can confirm that kiev will be acting with restraint -- i am wondering what strange significance you would give to this? sir, we do understand how people feel who have lost their family, because russia itself found itself in that tragic situation in october 2001.

and antiaircraft missile downed a passenger flight. 78 people were killed. the circumstances became clear right after the accident, and were affirmed by international experts. to this day, ukraine has refuted its legal responsibility here -- to this day, ukraine has refuted its legal responsibility here. it would be frivolous to give kiev a leading role in the investigation. during the investigation, ukraine is going to have to answer a number of questions regarding the activities of its air controllers in the region, why one of ukrainian batteries systems was -- ukrainian battery's systems was in an area controlled by the rebels, why, after the downing of the flight,

was the battery hastily removed from that area, why, on 17 june, were ukrainian antiaircraft radars working at an all-time high? these are a number of questions which have been set forth by the ministry of defense of russia and which should be answered -- which the international investigators are going to have to know about. for now kiev is only providing [indiscernible] to the security council. for an example, they controversial recordings by the commanders of the rebels, which then seemed to be touched up negotiations which had taken place before july 17. the minister of internal affairs of ukraine put forth a video which somehow showed a surface-to-air complex in russian territory, but which was filmed in ukrainian territory. that could not have been controlled by rebels.

let us not forget that the reason for 17 july incident was an armed clash in ukraine in the area of the crash site. the priorities today are swift halting of classes and violence, establishing peaceful -- halting of clashes and violence, and establishing peace. sir, i was going to conclude here, but i just have a comment to make. it seems to me that today's meeting was not going to be controversial. however, the u.s. representative chose a literary track. perhaps washington does not know about those efforts which russia has undertaken in the frame of the context group, among other things, to ensure that international experts can come to the area of the crash site as swiftly as possible. if that is the fact, then the american embassy should be better informed. indeed, there is no need to turn the discussion of a tragedy into

a farce. thank you. >> thank you very much, mr. president, and thank you for allowing me to speak your today. we are here to discuss the tragedy, the downing of a commercial airline in -- and the death of yearly 300 people. men, women, and a staggering number of children lost their lives on their way to their holiday destinations, their homes, loved ones, or international obligations, such as an important hiv aids conference -- hiv/aids conference in australia. since thursday, i've been thinking -- how horrible must it have been, the final moments of their lives when they knew the plane was going down.

did they lock hands with their loved ones? did they hold their children close to their hearts? did they look each other in the eyes one final time in a wordless goodbye? we will never know. the demise of almost 200 of my -- of my compatriots has left a hole in the heart of the dutch nation. it has caused grief, anger, and despair. refer the loss of the loved ones, anger for the outrage of the downing of a severe he and -- grief at the loss of loved ones, anger for the outrage of the downing of a commercial airplane, and despair at the slow process of securing the crash site and recovering the remains of the victims. it is fitting that this august council should take positions on

this matter, and i welcome the adoption of today's resolution of the united nations security council, which was tabled by australia and which netherlands cosponsored. i thank the countries which expressed support for it, and i particularly want to thank julie bishop, personally. julie, we are in this together. mr. president, for the netherlands, one priority clearly stands out above all the others -- ending the victims'-- bringing the victims' remains home. it is a matter of human dignity that the remains should be treated with respect and recovering the remains should be treated without delay. the last couple of days, we received very disturbing reports of bodies being moved about and looted for their possessions. just for one minute, not addressing you as

representatives of your country, but as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, just imagine that you first get the news that your husband was killed, and then within two or three days, you see images of some thug removing a wedding band from their hands. just imagine that this could be your spouse. to my dying day, i will not understand that it took so much time for the rescue workers to be allowed to do their difficult jobs and that human remains should be used in a political game. if somebody here around the table talks about the political game, this is the political game that has been played with human remains and it is despicable. i hope the world will not have to witness this again anytime in the future. images of children's toys being tossed around, luggage being

opened, and passports, including passports of children, being shown on television -- they are turning our grief and mourning into anger of a whole nation. we demand unimpeded access to the terrain. we demand respectful treatment of the crash site. we demand dignity for the but them's -- the victims and the multitudes who mourn their loss. i call on the international community, on this security council, on anyone with influence on the situation on the ground, allow us to bring the victims' remains home to their loved ones without any further delay. they deserve to be home. as we are currently taking the lead in the forensic examination of the human remains, i pledge that the netherlands will do its utmost to make sure that all remains will be identified and returned home, wherever that

home may be. we will work intensively with all countries and international organizations involved to make this happen as soon as possible. mr. president, i also welcome the setting up of a proper investigation into the cause of the tragedy of mh 17 as envisaged in today's resolution. the netherlands has agreed to assume a leading role in such an investigation in close cooperation with the relevant countries, united nations, and i keio -- and iko. i'm fully aware of the great responsibility we not take upon ourselves, and i give you my personal -- we now take upon ourselves, and i give you my personal commitment that we will discharge this responsibility to the best of our abilities. as far as the safety and security of the site and the international investigators is concerned, i underline the responsibility security council took upon itself with today's resolution, to take additional

measures if circumstances so require. once the investigation ascertains who was response will for the downing of flight mh 17, accountability and justice must be pursued and delivered. we owe it to the victims. we owe it to justice. we owe it to humanity. please provide full cooperation so that justice can be served. we will not rest until all facts are known and justice is served. i thank you, mr. president. >> thank you, mr. president. i wish to acknowledge the presence of the foreign minister of australia, luxembourg, and the netherlands. mr. president, i thank you for giving my delegation the

opportunity to address the council at this point in time. i wish to also thank all the council members, in particular the delegation of australia, for their efforts in coordinating and presenting the resolution. we welcome the unanimous adoption of the resolution 21-66 by the council today. mr. president, as one of the countries most severely impacted by the tragedy of mh 17, malaysia attaches great importance to this resolution. for my delegation, this resolution lays the groundwork for the approach to be taken by the international community, in particular the united nations system and its mechanisms, to addressing the many questions raised from the downing of mh 17. i wish to underscore that no amount of measures will ever compensate nor assuage the grief

and suffering of the families and loved ones of the victims who were on board mh 17. it is incumbent upon us as members of the united nations family to honor the victims by undertaking a full, thorough, an independent investigation into the downing of mh 17. mr. president, last friday during the council's emergency meeting on ukraine, i had informed the council that malaysia would immediately dispatch a team to kiev with a view to -- to assisting with the investigation. the team arrived on saturday, july 19. a malaysian team in tf has joined other international teams -- in kiev has joined other international teams in the joint international investigation team.

malaysia regrets to note that as of today the joint international investigation team has yet to begin in full access to the crash site -- to be given full access to the crash site. malaysia finds this lack of full access on acceptable and reiterates the call on all states and actors in the region to cooperate fully in the conduct of the international investigation, including being given immediate and unrestricted access to the crash site and for full guarantees to be provided for the safety and security of the investigation teams. at the same time, all parties must exert all efforts to preserve the integrity of the crash site with a view to facilitating the work of the investigation teams. such guarantees must also extend to the dignified and respectful treatment of the body's and

-- the bodies and remains of the victims. for malaysia, one of the key mission priorities for our investigation team is the recovery, identification, and repatriation of the bodies and remains of the victims. this is to ensure that their families and loved ones can have closure and that the victims are accorded the dignity of a proper burial. mr. president, flight mh 17 was a civilian airliner. if it is subsequently established that the plane was indeed shot down, we demand that those responsible for downing the plane must be held to account and be swiftly brought to justice. we believe that the present resolution paves the way for such efforts and, as such, we have given our strong support by cosponsoring the resolution 21-66. we now look forward to its full

implementation by all concerned parties. i thank you, mr. president. >> mr. president, distinguished members of the council, thank you for convening this meeting. ,istinguish under-secretary ,istinguished foreign ministers i would like to reiterate our deepest condolences to the --ends of family strip friends and family. mr. president, we would like to thank the delegation of

australia for proposing a draft resolution on the investigation of the downing of civilian aircraft, international malaysia airlines flight mh-17 in the donetsk region of ukraine, which is sponsored by the delegation of ukraine. we believe this resolution will help facilitate a full, thorough, and independent international investigation into the incident in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines. mr. president, having demonstrated maximum openness possible am a ukraine admitted after the crash, the same day, invited representatives of all countries who lost their nationals in this -- this tragedy to participate in this investigation, as well as representatives of the russian federation. some of them have already arrived to ukraine and started their work. president poroshenko ordered that all military activities be immediately ceased in the 40 kilometer zone surrounding the crash site to allow for security

and safety of the international investigation. we therefore call on the russian federation to use all its influence on the pro-russian armed groups operating illegally in the region in order to stop -- in donetsk region to secure the crash site. we assume the investigation should not only be allowed to establish the technical cause for the crash but also the other circumstances. namely, who actually fired the missile? how these weapons got into the hands of illegal, armed groups -- where did the weapons come from? mr. president, in accordance with the chicago convention as it was stated in -- in the report of the french delegation, ukraine has a right to have the investigation procedure. it has a right to share this

leadership. the prime minister of ukraine, arseniy yatsenyuk, stated that ukraine is ready to transfer the role of court made it -- of coordinator to the kingdom of netherlands at their request. the minister stated today in his address. the prime minister, yatsenyuk, said in his remarks, as the side that suffered most, the netherlands may leave the investigation in" nation and cooperation with other parties -- in close coordination and cooperation with other parties. they are already involved in coordinating an all-encompassing international investigation for the tragedy. mr. president, we strongly condemn the acts committed by illegal armed groups controlling the crash site. according to reports of local

citizens, some victims were brought under cover of previously stolen car, where it they were boasting over their trophies. children's bags, suitcases, and foreign cash that they managed to collect and steal from the crash site. this demonstrates the in human nature of those who call themselves people's republic. -- the inhumane nature of those who call themselves people's republic. the armed groups have impeded the safe and secure access to the crash site for the appropriate investigating authorities. it is a demonstration they are trying to hide some evidence from the eyes of the international community. mr. president, let me quote the president of ukraine, "having shut down the aircraft -- shot down the aircraft, they committed three crimes -- firing

a missile at a civilian aircraft, offensive mistreatment of the dead bodies, particularly their removal, as well as mishandling of the evidence and hindering the work of not only of ukrainian commission of inquiry, but also the international experts." the so-called donetsk and luhansk people's republic must be recognized as terrorist organizations. not only in ukraine. they must be considered support for terrorists. mr. president, continuing illegal terrorist military activity has been possible only due to the russian federation's direct and indirect support come a despite calls by ukraine and the international community to stop. although moscow has been constantly and tirelessly insisting that it was not involved in the situation in the region, the irrefutable facts clearly indicate the opposite.

russian citizens are among the leadership of the terrorist groups. heavy armaments continues to be supplied from the russian side of the state order. just yesterday, at column of heavy armored battle vehicles attempted to break into ukraine through the border from the russian territory at a border checkpoint. russians are financing the terrorists. numerous provocations are happening at the russian -- crimean border. what russia is declaring does not comply with their actions. ukraine demands that the russian side immediately cease provocations on the borders of ukraine, stop hindering efforts of the ukrainian side and international community to put an end to terrorists and other violence in donestk -- in donetsk and luhansk, and stop threatening peace and security in our country, our region, and the world as a whole.

theavid cameron says reports that russian separatists in ukraine shutdown the malaysian airliner should be considered -- should be considering hard-hitting sanctions against russia. minutes.ment is 20 >> statement, the prime minister. >> hear, hear. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this is the first time the house has met since the tragic loss of malaysian airlines flight mh-17 last thursday, and i think it is right to make a statement about this and the ongoing crisis in israel and gaza. mr. speaker, flight mh-17 was traveling from amsterdam to kuala lumpur when it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over eastern ukraine. all 298 people on board were killed.

this includes 10 of our own citizens, as many as 80 children, and victims from nine other countries, including 193 dutch citizens. it also includes members of an australian family who have lost relatives on malaysian airlines flight 370 earlier this year. from adelaide to amsterdam, from kuala lumpur to newcastle, we are seeing heart-wrenching scenes of grief as communities come together to remember their loved ones. i'm sure the whole house will join me in sending our deepest condolences to the friends and families of everyone affected. mr. speaker, alongside sympathy for the victims, there is also anger. there is anger that this could happen at all. there is anger that the murder of innocent men, women, and children has been compounded by sickening reports of looting of victims' possessions and interference with the evidence. there is rightly anger that a conflict that could have been curtailed by moscow has instead

been fomented by moscow. mr. speaker, this has to change now. in the last few days, i've spoken with president hollande, chancellor merkel, and the prime minister of the netherlands, poland, australia, and we all agree on what must happen. those with influence on the separatists must ensure that they allow the bodies of the victims to be repack traded and provide uninhibited access to the crash site to enable -- be repatriated and provide uninhibited access to the crash to enable a proper international investigation into what happened. second, president putin must use his influence to halt supplies and training for the separatists. third, we must establish proper long-term relationships between ukraine and russia, ukraine and the european union, and above all between russia and the european union, nato, and the wider west. let me take each of these points in turn. mr. speaker, the first priority remains in sharing proper access to the crash site to repatriate the bodies and investigate what

happened. the u.k. has sent accident investigators and the police led victim identification team to help with the international effort. the ukrainian ministry of emergency situations has searched an area of 32-square kilometers around the crash site and recovered 272 bodies. the work has been made more difficult by the presence of armed separatists. the bodies sitting on a refrigerated train have still not been allowed to leave. the pictures of victims' personal belongings being gone through our a further sickening violation of this already tragic scene. it is welcome that international experts have been able to visit the site, but this should not have taken four days and, even now, they are still not getting the unimpeded access that they need. i spoke to president putin last night and made it clear there could be no more bluster or obfuscation. we expect him to help right now by using his influence with the pro-russian separatists to secure full access to international investigators and

to support the repatriation of the bodies by handing them over to the appropriate authorities and ensuring they are treated with dignity. mr. speaker, families want information and answers and we must make sure that they get them. the u.k. and australia have tabled a joint resolution at the united nations security council demanding proper access in support of a credible, international investigation. we expect this resolution to be voted on this evening. second, i also made clear to president putin that we expect russia to end its support for the separatists and their items -- into their attempts to further destabilize ukraine. no one is saying president putin intended mh-17 to be shot down. it is unlikely even the separatists wanted this to happen. but we should be absolutely clear about what caused this terrible tragedy to happen. the context for this tragedy is russia's attempts to destabilize a sovereign state, violate its territorial integrity, and arm and train thuggish militias. over the past month, there's been increasing amount of heavy

weaponry crossing the border from russia to separatist fighters in ukraine. and there is evidence that russia has been providing training to separatist fighters at a facility in southwest russia, including training on air defense systems. seconds before flight mh-17 dropped out of contact, a surface-to-air missile launch was detected from a separatist controlled area in southeast ukraine. according to experts, an sa11 is the most likely missile type. in an intercepted conversation, a known separatist leader was overheard claiming that their faction had down the aircraft. another separatist leader claimed to have shot down an aircraft at about the same time. while video showed an sa-11 missile system missing at least one missile system traveling back to russia. those who argue that ukrainians could be responsible need to explain. there is no evidence ukrainian

forces have fired a single surface-to-air missile during the conflict and no ukrainian air defense systems appear to have been within range of the crash. by contrast, pro-russian separatist fighters have downed more than a dozen ukrainian aircraft over the past few months, including two transport aircraft. i hope that he will end russia's support for the separatists. if he does not change the approach to ukraine in this way, europe and the west must fundamentally change our approach to russia. we should not shrink from

standing up to the principles that govern conduct between independent nations in europe and which ultimately keep the peace on our continent. it is time to make our power, influence, and resources felt. i agree that we should push our partners in the european union to consider a new range of hard-hitting economic sanctions against russia. we should take the first step tomorrow and if russia does not change course, we must be clear that europe must keep increasing the pressure. russia can't expect to enjoy access to european markets, capital, knowledge, and technical expertise while she feels conflict in one of europe's neighbors. they must do what is necessary to stand up to russia and

finance of the conflict in ukraine for more innocent lives are lost. let me turn to the ongoing crisis in israel. the crisis was triggered by hamas, indiscriminately targeting civilians. in the last fortnight, they have fired 1850 rockets is israeli cities. this barrage continues to this moment with thomas rejecting all proposals for a cease-fire including those put forward by the egyptian government. israel has the right to defend itself. those criticizing must ask how they expect their own government to react if hundreds of rockets were raining down on british cities today. i share the grave concern of many about the heavy toll of civilian casualties. the figures are very disturbing. 500 are reported in gaza.

you an estimate 83,000 people have been just laced so far. israel has also faced loss of life including 13 soldiers yesterday alone. i spoke to the prime minister again about the crisis last night and repeated a recognition of israel's right to take proportionate action to defendant health and the condemnation of the refusal to end rocket attacks despite international efforts to broker a cease-fire. but i urged them to do everything to exercise restraint and find ways to bring this situation to an end. prime minister netanyahu made clear that israel wanted to except each of these proposals and unilaterally attempt an immediate cease-fire. the foreign secretary wilkins's report for a cease-fire and underline our wish to see the palestinian authority back in

gaza. they issued a call for an immediate cease-fire last night. they expressed serious concern about rising casualties and called for respect for international humanitarian law. we strongly endorse that call. it is vital they recognize the need to enter serious negotiations to end this crisis and we urge them to engage in the cease-fire proposals put forth by the egyptian government. only then can space the created to address the underlying issues of building a lasting and secure peace that we all want to see. >> i thank the prime minister for his statement. the shooting down of inmate 17 over the skies of the ukraine is a tragedy that shocked the world. can i join the prime minister in

expressing a heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of those that lost their lives. all of us have been outraged by the images of the site, the site left open for anyone to trample over. the bodies have been hammered with what looks like casual indifference. we have all been horrified of what it must've been like for the families of the deceased to see this. they not only face grief and loss but multiple practical issues. will we identify a senior minister to court support for them? this was performed by the honorable member after 9/11, 7-7, and the tsunami. will he ensure his government does everything he can to enable international community to secure the site, repatriate the bodies, and together evidence

that shows who is rich ensemble? does he agree that as soon as the investigation is complete, there should be an emergency meeting of european heads of government to consider what further steps should be taken? as soon as the investigation is complete, there should be , can he say whether there is specific travel advice to british citizens planning on traveling abroad? he set out in his statement and the evidence has grown that this was not a tragedy. it was a terrible crime. this is a moment of reckoning for europe. this is the moment for a strong and determined eu to stand up and confront russians.

sorrow andw strength. i welcome the prime minister's the councilt meeting. can you tell us what measures he wants to see considered? will he support decisive steps not just against specific individuals but also against russian commercial organizations putin?uade vladimir , turning to the horror that is unfolding. it is terrible to see hospitals overwhelmed and militaries -- overflowing.

since the start of this conflict, 20 israelis have been killed and 18 were soldiers. over 500 palestinians have been killed including countless children. haveent young children their short lives ended in brutal circumstances. conflictt reduce this to a ledger of casualties. we must technologies the scale of suffering in gaza. we must acknowledge the scale of suffering in gaza because the life of a palestinian child is worth every bit as much of the life of an israeli child and and every death of a palestinian child will you will the hatred, embolden israel's and in -- enemies and recruit supporters terrorist groups. we stand up for israel's right to defend it., but this escalation will not bring lasting security.

does he agree with ban ki-moon that we must continue to press for an immediate cease-fire, an immediate and for the military operation in gaza? to end the rocket fire that all sides must respect international humanitarian law and that israel must exercise maximum restraint? and the report that suggests israel is using flusher shells -- fleschette shells? and addressing the root causes of the conflict, and that there must be an immediate return to the negotiating table. palestinians need to feel a sense of security. also israelis need to see -- >> let me think the lady for her

response and i think she is absolutely right to say that this is a deeply human tragedy. and that is how we should see it first and foremost. the thought should be with the victims and the families, they need to get the bodies out of that site and have the site properly dealt with. she asked a number of specific questions and made some specific points. in what is being led by the honorable member in the foreign office, he is dealing with that. i would also want to discuss very directly with the victims families in time how best to take care of all the needs and concerns. she raised the question of if they needed to be a of counsel emergency meeting.

i think what we should do is tasked our foreign ministers meeting on tuesday night as set out the tough measures necessary to show that europe is heading on a different path. she asked about the advice to u.k. citizens about travel. the euro controls the organization that sets the grandmothers for where airplanes can and cannot fly. that information is regularly updated on the foreign office's website. she is right to say this is a moment of reckoning for europe and i very hope the european council will not be found wanting. she asked what other steps can be taken. she has the tier two sanctions, some of which have been put in place. naming individuals, asset freezes and travel bans. i suggested that the should be broadened to include the cronies

and oligarchs around president clinton and other leaders even if there isn't a direct link between them and crimea and the ukraine. i think it is enough to go to tier three sanctions that would discuss future military sales. we have already stopped those from britain and there are a number of other suggestions that were made about airlines and banks that have not yet been acted on. there are a whole set of things. on gaza, we can't look at this in terms of a ledger of casualties but this is a deeply human tragedy and anyone seeing those pictures in gaza or pictures of the children are snuffed out. you can't help but be incredibly moved by that.

it is heartbreaking what happened in gaza. we need to be clear about how this can quickly be brought to an end, for her moss to stop the rocket attacks on israel. and the other things that we need. the end of the israeli operation and the cease-fire would all be in place. i agree about the root causes of this. we need to make progress with the two state solution. that will not happen while olmos -- hamas is objecting israel to rocket attacks. >> a form on president obama's middle east policy. including, comments from and a meeting of

the security council. >> the associated press state department correspondent, matthew lee joins us to discuss the israeli and palestinian 's nuclearnd iran program. unaccompanied minors crossing the us-mexico border. changingeace corps is their volunteer recruitment trust us. washington journal is live with headlines, facebook comments, ts. streets -- twee >> this weekend, -- >> i thought it would be compelling to tell the story of name andwith the same

coming from the same place. i followed them from slavery through the civil war, reconstruction, the civil rights .ovement and to today i compared and contrasted. tomlinson on the legacy of slavery and its effect. he talks about the tomlinson lineages. >> now, a discussion of president obama's foreign policy hosted by the middle east council. this is about 2.5 hours.

he said that the united states would use force unilaterally if our core interests were directly threatened and he emphasized strategyterterrorism which would rely upon supporting , training, and working with security partners. ,e invested $5 billion program having identified terrorism as the most direct threat to the ides states. -- united states. isis movester that, down the tigris river and the iraqi security forces retreated. of how muchuestion we can depend upon a strategy

like that in iraq or afghanistan, where we will be leaving soon. he said that syria would be a major focus of the strategy and we have had a difficult time finding security partners there because it is a fragmented opposition. it is hard to find moderates. our panelists will discuss that today. another point that he emphasized in the speech was the commitment to uphold an international order through support for international institutions and international law. he spoke about the multi-lateral sanctions against iran and the diplomacy with iran in that context. we know that the negotiations with iran were scheduled to conclude yesterday. they did not. they were extended for four

months. everybody feels that some progress was made. enough was made to go forward and continue trying. we will discuss that today. what terms should be in the final agreement? what would united states have to consider doing if we do not get a solution we consider excess factory -- satisfactory? he talkedck that when about international order and international institutions, he did not mention the israeli-palestinian issue. his support for john kerry's peacemaking

instead, we have a third escalation of the conflict in the last five years. we know how they go and we know how the and. they produce casualties. that is a situation we will try -- exploretoday today. the panelists are ready to do this. i will introduce them briefly. they will speak in which the order they are listed. i asked each of them to come to the podium because we have television cameras here. speaking to the microphone. i hope i have been doing that. way, each of these speakers has a biography that would take all day to read. you will find them on the back of your invitation. i am only going to give you the highlights. our first speaker is a senior for middlehe center

eastern policy at the brookings institution. before that, he was the director of the center. and, he also has been at the council of foreign relations. he had a career as an analyst at the cia and is a very well-known author. he has a recent book out. it is about the iranian nuclear program. paul, and speaker is non-resident senior fellow at the center for security studies at georgetown. a non-resident senior fellow at the center for 21st century security at the brookings institution. a contributing editor to the national interest. i recommend that you look up his articles there.

and, if former cia analyst. -- a former cia analyst. the third speaker is the director of middle eastern studies at the marine corps university and a senior fellow at the program of the middle east research institute. our for speaker is the chairman of projects international. the former assistant secretary of defense for the national security affairs. a former united states ambassador to saudi arabia. president of the middle east policy council. with that, i conclude and turn the mic over to kenneth. [applause]

>> good afternoon. thank you for inviting me up here today. when the obama administration took office, i had the occasion of talking with different members of the administration on their policy. the interaction has gone on ever since. what i consistently heard from the resident and his -- the was thet's team proposition that the united states had overinvested in the middle east. that was their perspective on u.s. policy through the region. the u.s. had needlessly squandered resources time, energy on the region. when i press them on this, i heard back a three-point argument. middle easts that experts and many other people

beyond that had greatly exaggerated the importance of the middle east and have graphically -- greatly exaggerated the capacity for things to go wrong. we do not needt to be there as much as we analysts believe. they go beyond that and argue that the united states is a major source of the problems. not only could the u.s. afford it would be better for the region if we have less to do with them. thatwould go on to argue it was not that important. even if at things happened there, it would not affect american interests. for all of these reasons, they felt it was possible and for the united states to pay less attention and devote fewer resources to the middle east. instead, benefit to other

things, asia and the american economy. waspresident believed that what the american people had elected him to deal with first and foremost. at the time, i questioned many of these assumptions. we can see the underlying the obama of administration's approach to the middle east in this a sick philosophy and sentiment -- in this basic philosophy and sentiment towards the region. run intocy has significant problems. certainly, the first set of assumptions, that the middle east can go to hell and the --ted states was necessary that has been proven demonstrably false. the reason -- the region has

gone to hell. i say this as someone who is not fond of george w. bush's approach to the middle east. 2014, ithought that, in would be looking at a middle east that could be worse than the middle east of 2006. and yet, that is what i see. iraq in syria aren't civil war. olivia is in -- olivia is in civil -- libya is an civil war. lebanon is experiencing problems. the arab spring is dead. egypt has returned to a dictatorship temporarily. any number of problems across the region. it is a deeply troubled region. not to mention, the point that was made about having yet another is really-palestinian more. lestinian war.

why don't think that everything the obama administration has argued is wrong, i think that the united states has made mistakes. the george w. bush administration has more than its fair share of those mistakes. madeunited states has it mistakes. the weight of the evidence is that the united states has helped the problems in the region more than we have h urt them. especially when you consider the handling of iraq and other issues. the obama administration recognizes this and how they have been handling the middle east. we have seen a significant change in the obama administration approach to the middle east with the selection

of john kerry as the secretary of state, our foreign minister. his decision to pursue a new peace process between arabs and israelis. that effort seems to have failed aptly. -- badly. he was willing to do so and me administration had wanted nothing to do with it. it is the first indication that the administration was beginning to question some of those assumptions and was recognizing that the region is not heading in a good direction. even threatening the last and premise, that the problems in the middle east are not problematic for the united states. we have seen other course corrections. allot $500n to million for unknown purposes

represents a dramatic departure on syria. the recent efforts since the l to become more andve in iraqi politics tried to pull it out of the civil war that it is to sending into. into.escending those of the right decisions. i wish they had come earlier. i talked about the fact that i had a strong sense that the fared states had swung too towards unilateralism and the militarization of middle east policy. terrorism overwhelm everything else in the region. the obama administration had pushed the pendulum too far in the other way, fords disengaging

and walking away from the region. they believe that whatever happened there would not hurt us. the administration is recognizing that that early position has become unsustainable. they are tacking back in the other direction. what i take away from that is that we need to do better. we do. a number of those cases, while i dislike the way the obama administration handle them, in some cases, i am largely in agreement. the iraq policy was an unmitigated disaster and caused the civil war in iraq. osul, theyfall of m have been following the right policy. aq represents what we have to think about moving forward and what the obama administration

failed to recognize in the first 4-5 years. east, the old aphorism that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is the best model for the united states to take. there are any number of occasions when the united states could have had an impact on iraq that would have allowed them to avoid the current impasse with much less commitment of resources, time, energy, and effort. areay have to sink in if we going to help them pull out of a civil war. we miss opportunities was syria and libya. missed opportunities in egypt after the fall of mubarak. had we made a greater effort with the government, we might have helped morsi avoid some of

his worst mistakes and headed o thate military coup overthrew him and replaced him with a dictatorship. around the region, we can find instances of this. embracing back to the central focus that the middle east needs help in the united states. the more that we are engaged on a regular basis and in the regular processes of diplomacy, public diplomacy, military willtance, the better we be able to head off the grid problems of the region to prevent the crises we are facing in the region. the more influence and leverage we will have when the inevitable crisis does break out. want toforward, i comment on a few things. i am glad to focus on whatever

things you are interested in postop i want to say a few things about a couple of the issues out there. the first is the arab spring. the arab spring is not what any would behad hoped it or what most arabs had hoped it would be. that.are good reasons for there are a lot of reasons for that. the desire for change on the part of a great many arabs has not gone away. it is frightened by fear of what happened in syria, yemen, libya, and elsewhere. protests have not gone away. the chances are that they will reappear and resurface at some point in the not so distant future. we need to be thinking about

what form they will take and how negativeead off the manifestations of that pressure. goes back to the idea that i and a number of others were advocating for, the idea of reform instead of revolution. i would suggest that we take a look at the ambassador's stamping grounds in saudi arabia. -- experience, the saudi system negotiated the arab spring without the same unrest that we saw in other countries. i rumor speaking to saudi's and saudis and saying, we don't need to do what the

egyptians did because we have of h and and not -- abdullar not mubarak. the useful role that we can play is helping the governments of the region that have not fallen into civil war and help them begin programs of reform that let off the pressure and diffuse the anger that led to the movements of 2011. the last point was iran. i am hopeful that we will get a deal. that would be the best outcome iranians, and our allies in the region. with theto be tempered realities that we face. it is going to be difficult.

we need to start thinking about what we will do if we do not get a deal and if we do get a deal. they are equally important. i am struck how many people around town are focused on what is next. there will be an important debate to be had. many do not get that deal, will take it as a sign that the irradiance are determined to get ians are determined to get nuclear weapons. they may be right. from my perspective, war is not a good option will stop war -- good option. war could be the worst option. thee do not what in place policy mechanisms and pathways that we might follow when that time comes upon us, i fear that

we will have no other good alternatives and will find ourselves push into and other middle east war that we do not need. i do not think obama got it right. towards dish far engagement. that does not mean that war with iran is the right way to center it. >> thank you. i should have said that there are cars on your seats. -- cards on your seats. my staff will collect them. please. paul, thank you. >> thank you. good afternoon. "e title of this event is, obama's foreign-policy vision and the future of the middle east." the vision thing, as the elder

george bush referred to it, is overrated. us like to deal with this as a way to encapsulate and get our conceptual hands around policy. usthing that would satisfy would, by definition, be too simple and simplistic to be the basis for sound and successful u.s. foreign-policy. the challenges out there are two complex and the interests at multifaceted to boil things down to a single vision and a bumper sticker kind of way. u.s. foreign-policy in the hoc.e east is more ad

as focused on voiding losses than scoring gains. foreign-policy strategy does not tend to get high marks for not doing certain things. as opposed to doing certain things with a positive vision. i would suggest that not doing certain things or not screwing inis as least as important protecting u.s. interests in that region. model, and outs of prevention. of prevention. oath,est the hippocratic first, do no harm. self, self -- ask your

what particular things, where the u.s. had control, has had the biggest impact? distractions from interest. legacy problems we are dealing with today. i would put squarely on the top of the list on the negative side , the launch of the iraq war in 2003. not doing certain things and not doing harm is an important part of judging a form policy, even though it is not get high marks from the vision people. mr. obama's speech did not get high marks and probably did not deserve it. criteria -- the one staff that the president took was a bad one.

he equated realism with isolationism will stop it was wrong will stop the rest was consistent with what i would consider a realistic view. -- with isolationism. it was wrong. the rest was consistent with what i would consider a realistic view. he talked about distinguishing our core interest from other interest. he made the point that that distinction is important in weighing what measures and means we should use to pursue those interests. thelso made very clear point that not every problem has a military solution. i think that this particular point is where we see the mr.pest distance between obama and his vocal critics in washington. probablythat mr. obama

privately regrets the mess in role of military force there. i may be wrong. that is just a guess. thepresident acknowledged many trade-offs between different u.s. objectives, even when dealing with a middle east country. as good anpt, example as any. we have interests in democratization and human rights . he also said that we have strategic military interests. on.an go on and he did not mention the egyptian role in the current tragedy that we are reading about over the last week. he is correct that there are conflicting objectives and it cannot be boiled down to a

vision. he made a good case for collective action, the need to rely on what other countries and not just the u.s. do in this region, even when pursuing u.s. interests. this is a major difference between him and some of his chief critics. they believe that if there is a problem out there, the u.s. can and should be the one to solve it. the president did not explicitly address -- but i think we should determiningria for who operation or lack of corporation with states in the region. we have a tendency to divide the allies and adversaries. a rigid division. we take that as the sole guide for determining who we are going

to walk rate with and who we are going to oppose. the label gets slapped on some if that is a substitute for careful thinking about what the government is doing that we may conflict with. we look at those who are traditionally labeled as adversaries and consider any influence that they may have as bad without taking the trouble to ask ourselves how they will use the influence and to what purpose. that may or may not be consistent with or in c onflict with our interest. there are conflicting and diversion interests around the region. there are others that are labeled adversaries. the most effective form policy, i would suggest, is a flexible

one that is not change to a set of fixed relationships. it leaves our policymakers and diplomats to do business where ever it serves interests. mr. obama, in his west point speech, voice conventional that seem innocuous enough. some may trap him into acting against his own principles or pressure on him to act in ways that are contrary to his own principles. asidentified terrorism contrary to u.s. interests. the counter-terrorists initiative that he announced is a worthwhile recognition of the principle that i knowledge earlier. bet other countries do can at least as effective as what we advancing ourn interests. speaking as an old hand, i can

tell you that on the issue of terrorism, the u.s. must rely on the actions of others closer to the front lines as on any other issue. the enshrinement of terrorism as the prime threat with a natural focus on the ogre of the day, isis, increase pressure to act aq with those who believe that every problem has a military solution. we see some of the same things with syria. there, the ogre is on the same side as those we would be assisting. obamarorism, mr. mentioned a very sound set of criteria to determine when to

pull the trigger on a drone strike. it still comes down to the individual decisions. there probably is, i would guess, with this administration as much as the last one, you can count the number of strikes we have had, a bias to pulling the aigger more often than careful consideration of criteria that would dictate because of pressures to do something about terrorism. a few closing thoughts. the approach to u.s. policy in s region the long-term vision, we may miss the rocks in front of us. there are many in this region. it sounds a little bit like

straight-lining. two particulary things that would be most likely change fundamentally what we are looking at in the middle east and change it for the better. one is unlikely. the political courage in washington will not be mustered. the first one is the curse to do something about the israeli-palestinian conflict and get the story off of the tragic course. the tragedy has been emphasized by the events in the last week more than anything i can say. that requires a conscience and political courage. likely.r thing is more it is one that 10 finish his thoughts on, completing the nuclear deal with iran. besides being the best way to preclude any iranian nuclear

weapon, it would open the door to a more normal relationship with iran and unshackle an important aspect of u.s. diplomacy in the middle east. it would enable us to do business with anyone labeled as an avid syria or ally when it serves our interests. the fact is, they are major players in places of high concern to us, even when we wish they were not. there are other places where they are a major player and their interests are parallel to ours. iraq anding of afghanistan as areas where neither we nor the islamic republic have an interest in endless conflict and instability on their borders.

finally, the world in which we had more normal relations with edging closer to it would bring us closer to a system where we had more flexibility and leverage in dealing with anyone else in the region who was troublesome. thank you very much. [applause] >> doctor? >> thank you very much. veat.t to put a copa for the united states government. i will be speaking with my fbi had on and not my marine corps hat on.

i agree with some of the main points. was one ofn of iraq the greatest strategic mistakes in our country's history and i still maintain that. maybe i am an idealist. maybe i go to the middle east too often. i will be there in three days. i understand the fact that we should look at ad hoc avoiding ithe rocks. you pick an area in this world and that includes sub-saharan place thatre is no has a place that the middle east has. this is not new. you talk about the psyche of the arabs.

is it a muslim problem? students of middle east studies study it last century, literally. unless we address those in some form or fashion, we go from crisis to crisis and it becomes a crisis management rather than trying to find a way as a reliable partner. not that the united states can fix everything. i am a former marine. we think that we can fix everything. we cannot. .e are a partner we have interest there for the poor sealable future, -- foreseeable future, despite fracking and all that. a little bit of

consistency is important. you talk to colleagues in the get,n and the world that i putting a policy for to confuse them, we are doing a for tacit -- fantastic job. friend and foe are confused. where the leadership of our is no longer unilateral. the united states was a sole power after the cold war will stop there are rising powers. in that environment, if you do not have a reliable partner as the strongest power in the world , you have a state where i think the middle east will have to havingocks rather than smooth sailing and protect ability.

-- predictability. if you talk about the foreign you may sayama -- that i am very ideological -- i and at inconsistencies making the situation worse with the promotion of democracy. this is not new. you look at the numbers. 2009, thecal year united states put more money on democracy then the entire decade of 1991-2001. look at the outcome. look of the input and the outcome. put this in a mathematical format and you would say that this is an amazing loss. the other aspect is, are we looking for partners beyond

these ad hoc friends and foes? iran is both. are we looking for something that is more stable? is it possible? yes. look at latin america and what is happening. they are not all friendly. in a process that is much better to deal with them we have in the middle east. i'm not saying that democracy is a panacea of all this. inconsistencies that we have had with democracy -- going back to cairo in 2009 and the speech in -- what has happened abterwards, the air uprisings, with the exception of

tunisia, things have gotten worse. you look at the -- the new york times had an editorial that said egypt, exhibit a. morsi athe ouster of restoration of democracy. if we are looking at the basic ideas of this new generation coming in in afghanistan or in morocco where are they going to look at? -- and thealmost cold war we always stated that we had supported regimes because of security or against communism. after 9/11, and terrorism. -- against terrorism. we have negated these allies.

we have to have a balance of hoc, and have a vision. you have to have a balance. i agree. it has to be a balance policy. you look at the past few years and that was a missing issue. you sit down and talk to the military side or the civilian side. i am not even talking about the grassroots. there are a lot of regions there. i have gotten used to that. there are fundamental issues that they look at and they look at where you stand on this issue. remove every single president after a year in office and called him a terrorist, the world would be without leaders. i'm not saying he was a good president.

the events that went down there was in the face of a democratic movement. i will use the remaining time, if i could, onto countries. afghanistan. i agree that the agreement with iran, and i'm speaking of my own behalf, is a wonderful thing. agreement where they stop trying to preach your nuclear weapons. e nuclear weapons is a great thing. it is wonderful. nobody is against that. the question i want to ask is something we forget. ranians were pursuing nuclear potential. if anybody thinks they were not,

i would argue against that. they were. they were telling us that they were. they werere not, doing a great job of tony outside world that they were trying to get a weapon system. they were mortgaging their country and coming close to having themselves be targeted by us or a regional state. at the same time, they went through all of this. why? -- iranians did and still do even after the speech in september where obama said that the united states is not interested in regime change -- by and large, and clean the including the ayatollah, believe that the number one objective is regime

change and not behavior change. i become worried. they believe, fundamentally, that having or pursuing weapons of mass destruction's and nuclear weapons, specifically, will alter american activity towards you. , one of the four countries that the united states state department recognizes as state sponsors of terrorism. read the state department human rights report on them. they sit down with the six top leaders of the world, for top topcracies, -- four democracies. why are they there? because they're nice? no. they cheated.

they get to keep their regime that kills more people today than began shouted. ahmadinejad did. why they weres delaying it. ouhani?mr. r he is a regime savior. discuss that and the q&a. there for one reason. the regime was hurting. there was a structural problem. the

ahmadinejad. it was easy to dislike him. the aspect is -- i'm not saying iran is going to invade anybody. i do not think they are going to invade anybody. i was just in israel and told that to my israeli friends in public. this is what somebody said before. in november this year, we had an agreement. then what? why questionis,

mark -- why? mad.dy who does it is if a country is building weapons that are only usable for the delivery of a specific type of warhead, why have them? we have to balance this. the second thing is that people with nucleariran weapons creates a domino effect. if they get an amazing deal, that will push a lot of countries in the region. they will attempt there after because of the policy towards them. always points towards libya. he says, look, you for. a gave you something. you gave them everything. they killed you like a dog.

they want a seat at the table with the big boys. it is dangerous and it is going to bite us if we do not follow it will stop -- follow it. i believe that the chemicals weapons -- chemical weapons used gave assad a lifeline. he may have saved his regime by using chemical weapons. this is a dangerous precedent. if we do not take leadership on this -- not to bag anybody -- all i have to say is, expedients agreement would be nice because of whatever. i am not going to go there. i want to keep my job. we have to have an agreement that is solid and that does not portray us as somebody who takes whatever comes in because it is

expedient. i have onetan, sentence. it is the longest war we have ever fought in our history. 80 countries have tried to democratize this country. there was an election in april that was applauded and we thought things were going and little bit further in a good way. the elections were pretty open fingers were cut. won the votes and we went back to square one. a fraudulentme was election. secretary kerry did a miracle to have it.

agreed on the mechanics of how to count the votes. there was an agreement. there was an expedients issue. the details are missing. for the last 10 years or so, we have built potemkin villages. they look good and have no foundation. they look good for picture taking. if you're not careful, sometimes these walls fall on intended people and on things that are bigger. thank you very much. [applause] >> i think those were interesting and stimulating.

the united states set out to reconfigure the middle east and our position in its is in shambles. much of what has happened seems irreversible. might be done but probably won't be. to begin, if we're at all honest, we must admit it is a deplorable state of affairs in the middle east, egypt, iraq, israel, jordan, lebanon, serbian , syria, the gulf and arabian peninsula, afghanistan. it is a product not only of the dynamic turnovers region but also of the lapse of in our capacity to think and act strategicically. we have answered the end of the bi polar cold war order with a mixture of denial, strategic incoherence and