nitiative to help very -- poor seniors. and that is paid for by increasing to mr. hughes: i am the president of the national press club. we are committed to our profession's future through programming just like this and we fight for a free press worldwide. for more information visit our website, press.org. to donate to programs offered but thrur club's journalism institute, visit press.org/institute. on behalf of members worldwide, i want to welcome you all here in our live audience to today's newsmaker dinner. i'd also like to welcome our c-span and public laid yow -- public radio audiences. you can follow the action on twitter by using the hashing to,

#npcdinner. remember the public attends our dinner. applause of evidence is not evidence of a lack of journalistic objectivity. after our grest's speech we will have a question and answer period. i will ask as many questions as time permits. our head table includes guests of our speaker and also working journalists who are club members. let me introduce them to you now. i ask each foreign stand briefly as names are announced. from the audience's right, baha al-tawil, correspondent for egypt's on tv network. kathy bank a nebraska of the -- a member of the npc journalism

institute board. rachel oswald, writer for "roll call." wu-han bo, undersecretary

ed he's been on the job since 2007. he's the eighth person to hold this pest. during ban's tenure, the u.n. has responded to the crisis in darfur, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the effects of global warming, and terrorism. ban also faces challenges such as water shortages worldwide. the ebola outbreak in western africa and civil conflict in ukraine and syria. despite these immediate challenges he has focused on long-term goals as well such as ending violence against women

and improving education for the largest generation of young people the world has ever known. one of ban's predecessors said the position of secretary general is, quote, the most impossible job on earth, end quote. we look forward to hearing the secret of how to handle a job such as this. please join me in giving a warm national press club welcome to united nations secretary general ban ki-moon. [applause] mr. ban: thank you for your very kind introduction, mr. john hughes, president of the national press club. distinguished members of the npc, distinguished guests,

ladies and gentlemen. it is a great honor and pleasure to meet with you and thank you for your kind invitation and thank you for your taking time today. i know that you are eager to have tonight's main course, i know that you have finished your main course but you must be interested in your main course, a question and answer session. before that i would like to say a few words as some food for thought. recently, i asked one of our very senior advisors who has been working longer than 30, 40 years, long-serving advisors. i asked him, because i have been so much troubled by what is happening in this world, have

you ever seen during your 40-year plus life with the united nations such a time when we are having so many fires taking place all around the world at once? at a time like this one? i can name at least 10 hot spots immediately continuing the economic difficulties around the world. she said she has never experienced such time, mostly one or two crises happening here or there. but now we have at least 10 headline news, headline crises. the headline crisis you follow on a daily basis will have -- necessary to the headline crises we have on a daily basis we

have many forgotten crisis. i will not name the forgotten cases, you will know better than i do because you have been following those. we face many, many crises at once. there are minimum 50 million refugees around the world. that's our job provide daily food sanitation, water, education. it's a huge, huge burden for many people who are sick, many people who are out of school, many children. united nations responsibility is getting more and and more tougher and tougher. the united nations has appealed $16 billion to cover humanitarian relief for this year. almost five times what we needed

a decade ago. it's a huge increase exponential increase. millions of people face hatred and persecution. millions suffer hunger and exploitation and billions of dollars continue to be squandered on nuclear weapons and other items. beyond these numbers, we see several transformative trends. first, new economic powers have emerged. second more people are migrating than ever before seeking better opportunities. now more people live ining me fwa cities. people are coming to the cities, making a lot of programs for good governors extremism and

terrorism and crimes have taken on more violent forms. extreme weather patterns are hitting our world. and destroying and killing many people and infrastructures. states alone can't solve these problems. not a single country, however powerful and resourceful we may be. for example, living in the united states people often immediately think that the united states is the most powerful, most resourceful country. u.s. cannot do it alone. they look to the united nations. the united nations cannot handle this alone. we need collective power solidarity. otherwise, our world will get more and more troubles.

ladies and gentlemen, billions of people continue to suffer from the devastating consequences of governance failures injustice inequalities violations of human rights and unbearable poverty. now let me just mention several cases. what i'm going to say is not all but they are some of the very serious situations. let us think about syria. this is the 50th year syrians have been abandoned displaced refugees. parties continue to show little or no willingness to solve this through dialogue. this is why i have asked my

special envoy to do maximum efforts to relaunch a political dialogue as a way to implement je knee -- geneva communique. if anyone is truly serious about engaging in meaningful negotiations to end this nightmare, he has to walk on this -- has to work on this matter. i would like to make a special plea on palestinians in the refugee camps in damascus. they are caught between the mill tear machine of the syrian government and the brutality of extremist groups like isil. they have little way out. and the aid can find little way in. and the suffering is largely out

of the spotlight. i have been working very hard recently to protect almost 18,000 people who have been trapped in between government forces and terrorists. there are at least 3,500 children who need our immediate protection. yemen is also troubled. they are caking -- taking care of the humanitarian works. even before the latest escalations, two out of three yemenese relied on humanitarian resistance. levels of food insecurity were higher than in the farthest stretches of africa. recent fighting have only

multiplied the insecurities. hundreds of dead. humanitarian supplies are being blocked. unicef has reported that an astounding one third of the fighters are children. that's why i'm calling for an immediate cease fire in yemen by all the parties. it is time to support corridors of lifesaving aid and a pass abbling to real peace. [applause] the saudis have assured me that they understand that there must be a political process. i call on yemenis to participate in good faith. the united nations supported

diplomatic process remains the best way out of a problem with terrible implications for stability. in nigeria the new government can promote a return to normalcy and a return home for the schoolchildren who have been kidnapped and mistreated during the last year. in sudan more than 115,000 people are being accommodated within united nations camp. united nations camp has never been designed to accommodate that many refugees. but the situation is very fragile. and the frame of the p-5 plus one to limit iran's nuclear

program and remove sanctions. once a comprehensive agreement is finalized by the end of june, the united nations will do our best to help implementation process including stringent monetary and verification by the international atomic energy agency iaea. this breakthrough can also create space for efforts to address the many other serious challenges in the region. we have all been horrified by the terrorist attacks and violence committed by groups such as boko haram and others. your colleagues in the media have been among the victims and i continue to stress the need for journalists to have the

security they need to do their vital work. [applause] the united nations is working to present a comprehensive plan of action to address this extremism and terrorism and look to present it to the general assembly this year. next week in the united nations, i, together with the president of the general assembly, are going to convene a high level debate on the conciliation and tolerance, how we can address this violent extremism by enhancing mutual respect and

consolation. all these are very important issues. without addressing these issues we will not be able to have sustainable peace and sustainable development of our society. we are working very closely with allies. i have invited many world renowned religious leaders. i believe that there are very important roles to be played by religious leaders and educators to teach their followers and their students what are the correct meaning of mutual respect and civilization and understanding and conciliations and ar moans you living together. this is very important issues. that's why, as i said, i'm going to present a comprehensive plan of action. we must ensure that counterterrorism efforts respect human rights and international

humanitarian law. as we have seen time and again overreaction is the extremist's best recruiting tool. ladies and gentlemen, we must not let the smoke from these fires obscure longer term opportunities. we must not be detracted by all this so-called headline newses. there are many more important issues to make our world a better one and our longer term visions for development sustainable development and how to address climate change issues. for the past 15 years, the world has been discussing the millennium development goals. there has been remarkable progress. the world has lifted at least 700 million people from out of

poverty. we have avoided millions of death from malaria and aids. millions of children including girls have better access to education. our target was to have all the school aged children have primary education but unfortunately, we still have 50 million schoolchildren out of school. we have to bring them back to school through a new vision. our challenge is now to finish this job. that is why the united nations member states are working very hard to shache the post-2015 development agenda with a set of sustainable development goals. we have identified the 17 goals which may -- which shall be able

to address the oldest spectrums of our world people centered and planet sensitive. economically socially, and environmentally. beyond the focus on shared prosperity and harmony with a planet, the new agenda will also emphasize the crucial role of justice, institutions and fundamental freedoms. and for the first time, the goals will apply to all countries, even the richest are witnessing rising inequality and no country has ended violence and discrimination against the women. tackling climate change is an important part of the picture this climate change is a defining issue of our times.

but international community has been talking they have not taken action. we have to take action now. it may be too late but we may not be too late if we take action now. when i first became secretary general in 2007, i first met president bush. at that time we were talking about what kind of agenda i should discuss with president bush, a lot of security and peace issues were raised. i wanted to raise this climate change issue but i was advised by many senior advisors you better not discuss with president bush. but i made the decision at that time the press only said i

discuss -- only contained one line that i discussed climate change with president bush. but later that year we talked about the environmental road map, the first one we adopted i was able to have that with the help of president bush, american government. i really appreciate, that was an important step at the time. there are still some people who do not want to acknowledge there is climate change but there is a climate change. by any standard, scientific evidence clearly tell us the climate change is happening. it's approaching much, much faster than one may expect. moreover, no one can deny the phenomenal shifts that are already under way. investment in renewable energy

are growing rapidly. the cost of solar and wind energy are plummeting and are less expensive than fossil fuel. not only is the science sound so are the economics. climate action pays. the markets of the future will be our sustainable solutions. over the next 15 years, the world will make massive investment in energy and other infrastructures. we can do this sustainably or we can lock ourselves into the path that raises the global thermostat higher still. the choices -- the choice is quite clear. scientists say we may be stepping at a tipping point.

depending upon how you put your foot that we may be able to work toward sustainable path or we may be regreating, we may regret for our succeeding generations. therefore we must act now. the united states -- intended climate action. i commend president obama for his leadership and visions. in announcing u.s.-china joint statement in november of last year. that was a major impact. and i also commend the european union for their very solid visionary plans toward climate change. u.s.-chi -- u.s., china,

european unions championing roles are now putting all of us on the right path. every country has a role to play. they have a commitment. i have been emphasizing that china has made important commitment, government businesses, and people everywhere are more intent than ever on finding a way forward. the world is now recognizing a basic truth of our time. we need to buy insurance for the planet. we must all be ambitious as we look to coon collude -- conclude an atwreement at the climate change conference in paris in december. there's a strong moral dimension to this effort. today, i'd like to announce i will visit the vatican late they

are month and meet with his holiness pope frances, to discuss common concern including the cyclical on the environment he plans to issue in the month ahead. i think this will be the first time for any secretary general to be invited by the pope. [applause] for my part, i have invited pope francis to the united nations and also president obama and all the leaders of the world to a special summit meeting in september at the united nations asking them to adopt this visionary and ambitious sustainable development agenda. and i'm sure that all the leaders will come and declare

their visions to the world as a way of celebrating 70th anniversary of the united nations. this week's meetings of the world bank and i.m.f. in washington are an important building block. another key step will be the third international conference on development which will be held in addis ababa next july. ladies and gentlemen we are the generation that can end poverty and we are the last generation to address climate change. this is a fact and we must act now. in the -- the year 2015 is the

year of global action. a year of big decisions ambitious decisions for humanity from safety to sustainability, the united nations relies on the active engagement of the united states. i know from my own experience growing up in war torn korea what a transformation the united nations can help make possible. ive seen in the past years the remarkable solidarity of the united states with the people of guinea liberia and sierra leone in coping with the outbreak of the ebola crisis. the united nations coordinated a wide ranging response and now we are now within the case.

our goal is to get these countries to have zero cases and remain zero cases so we are able to declare the world is ebola free. [applause] i'm going to meet the presidents of these three countries in washington tomorrow and we will discuss again how we can help those countries to be table declare ebola free as soon as possible. at the same time we have a very important mission to do, recently, earlier this month, i have launched another high level panel of independent leaders and experts to have lessons learned process. what has gone wrong, what has been done and if we have to

experience another epidemic crisis how we can mobilize our efforts financially and providing logistical support to those countries. ladies and gentlemen i will try to finish by saying that i count on the united states to continue to support the work of the united nations. as i said, when i was young, our country was very poor. i was just 6 years old when korean war broke out and we have seen the united nations' flags and this united nations brought all, not only security, but social and climate assistance. and united nations was the beacon of hope to us, to me.

now i'm humbled whenever i travel around the world, i still see many people who look to the united nations as their beacon of home. now without your help, the united nations cannot deliver. in the middle of this united states -- in the middle of this, the united states can play a very important role, that's why i'm speaking to the people of the united states and you may represent all different denominations but the people of the united states and government are to provide generous support for humanitarian issues and also show some strong political leadership role. this is the 0th anniversary of the united nations -- 70th

anniversary of the united nations at a time when we face major decisions that will shape lives for generations to come. this is a time of test and far more one of tremendous opportunities. as the distinctioning between the -- distinctions between the national and international continue to fall away, we can and must come together to track the course toward a safer and more sustainable future for all of us. ladies and gentlemen you have a very important role as a journalist. you are collecting from the united nations and the world, the people should be enlightened by your use and by educating them what is happening now, but more importantly how we should work together to make this world a better world where everybody's

human dignity and human rights will be respected. i count on your strong engagement and leadership. thank you very much. [applause] mr. hughes: thank you mr. secretary general. this year marks anniversaries including the 0th anniversary of this e-- of the end of world war ii, the 40th anniversary of the end of the vietnam war yet we still see so many conflicts employering up around the world you mentioned some of them in your speech. has the world's ability to resolve conflict diplomatically improved since the end of world war ii and vietnam or do these ongoing troubles show that diplomacy hasn't lived up to its

promise? secretary general ban: i think we have many different means and tools to resolve conflict issues. we have first of all, when there's actual fighting, we have peacekeeping operations. we maintain now 120,000 military police and civil servants for working in 16 different hot spots. at the same time we have a very dedicated and experienced mediation team, diplomatic facilitations. preventive diplomacy is much more important which we are using to prevent. when we see some symptoms of problems we immediately send

our expert mediating teams. we can send within 72 hours any place we see symptoms. sometimes despite our diplomatic efforts, the violence may happen and it has been such a way, we are living, as i said, in a very difficult situation, troubled situation. but what is necessary at this time is the political realty, thousand to resolve these issues in a peaceful way. and that's our most important priorities through this -- priorities. through this we have been saving a lot of lives and protecting marginalized people. human rights particularly women and girls who have been

physically abused of their human rights. we will continue to improve our capacity to resolve these issues. mr. hughes: on the issue of yemen, you called for a cease fire in yemen yet the country remains fractured. do you expect your call to be respected? and can there be stability in yemen when the u.s.'s -- when the u.n.'s envoy there is no long for the place? secretary general ban: i myself visited yemen a couple of years ago when there was a heightened political environment. we were about to help them establish community government for national dialogue. and then as you are well aware

the former president used military means. that's the beginning of this crisis at this time. we are about to see the very harmonious resolution of this unity government. in that regard, i took note of what the saudis and coalition of councilmembers have taken military actions at the request of the yemeni government and present. now with this four weeks into military operations we have seen many casualties, civilians and many people wounded and destruction of infrastructures. yemen is one of the poorest of countries. still, they are destroying their

future. therefore as secretary general i have been urging all the times, there should be an immediate cessation of violence and return to political dialogue. that's a firm principle. i still believe that the dialogue is the best option. now as you have already read my special advisor has resigned and i'm now in the process of finding some other special advisor who can immediately be deployed for political solutions. thank you. mr. hughes: received several questions about syria including one saying the u.n. security council has received a video that details alleged chemical weapons use on civilians in

syria and will the u.n. take any kind of specific action in response? but also questions about disarray in syria and the war, what will it take to ultimately get to a solution in syria? and does president bashir assad have to go? secretary general ban: you have asked the war aspect. i have been trying to address the decision during the last four years, since the beginning of this crisis. i think march, 2011. when it comes to chemical weapons, this is weapons of mass destruction which is a complete -- which is completely prohibited. using chemical weapons is a crime against humanity.

that's why the first time the security council who have been divided completely in the last four years was able to show their unity of power they have adopted upon my request a strong resolution. and that's where we were able to see the destruction of chemical weapons. now, the oldest facilities are now being destroyed dismantled. we are very much concerned by the news that the syrian government has been using chlorine and other chemical weapons the security council has taken this very seriously and the opcw has inspections to

investigate this one when it is shown there is chemical weapons used we have to take decisive action to eliminate all these. chemical weapons are used for anybody. then why the syrian situation has not been resolved like this way. four years during four years, minimum 420,000 people have been killed. 12 million people have been displaced and refugees. more than half of their population have been affected. united nations has been mobilizing all possible humanitarian agencies, providing assistance to four million

refugees who are now being accommodated in five countries and also trying to provide the humanitarian assistance inside syria. but there are many people where the united nations and red cross have not been able to have access because of fighting. because of fighting inside. this is quite the difficult situation. then why does the situation has been like this? first of all, it's a completely divided society. you see disarray. divided among syrian people. they're fighting between the two. the syrian regime and opposition. opposition then serves fighting. the powers are divided and

united nations security council is divided. therefore three most important parties are all divided. there are so many divisions then there's no way for us to address the decision. that is why recently i have instructed my special envoy to do all possible efforts to relaunch the political dialogue. to implement the geneva agreement as soon as possible. now he's in the process of talking to key partners. i sincerely hope that we'll be able to have resumption of political dialogue as soon as possible. there is an issue of president

assad what to do about him. there's been many different views, that he should go out, whether he should be part of the solutions. we'll have to see how to address the decision. it's a matter of how, first of all to be decided by the people of syria but how to address the issue then we have to continuously discuss this matter. mr. hughes: you discussed climate change and the importance of pressing forward and the challenge of pressing forward. does there need to be more leverage applied to get countries and companies to move forward on this issue? should there be a consideration of civil penalties by respective governments for people who don't adopt policies in this area?

secretary general ban: i have explained enough therefore if i say anything, it will be repetition. but when -- but the last point of your question, if any country or any individual or any community would not be participating and engaging in our common global efforts, i'm afraid that, you know, they will be punished by natural disasters. there's no such rule that we punish or sanction any government. but that's why i'm asking world leaders to first of all show, mobilize their political will. it's the most important part. the political leaders they must have a firm conviction that this

climate change is a top priority. there's a tendency to believe that whatever you invest for climate change is a separate -- is separate from your economic development. economic development and investing in climate change is two sides of one coin. if you invest wisely in addressing climate change, then you help boost your national economy. and it will be beneficial. it's a wise investment. i'm going to ask the final finance ministers who are in washington, d.c. to participate in i.m.f. and world bank annual conference. they have to have correct vision. there is not only the government leaders. it is communities. and civil society leaders.

they have to be all united. one of the big experiences which i have learned as secretary general is that without the tripartite solution, government, business communities, and civil society, then nothing can be done. we need to the -- we need the finance community's strong support. it is business leaders they speak voluntarily themselves, let's do this. we are ready to do that. when i convene the special summit meeting on climate change in september of last year, thrmp many who commented, and raised $200 billion in one day. i'm asking world leaders to have trajectory for $100 billion by 020 and thereafter, annually $100 billion.

i was able to have $10 billion last december. for green climate fund. it happened to be, it is located in my country, korea. it is not because of that. the green climate fund should be fully operationalized. we have to have $100 billion by 020. that's a way of giving trust to many developing worlds, they should be supported in their efforts for mediation and adaptation. most of these developing countries do not have capacity to mitigate and adapt to the cheablinging situation. therefore it's only natural that developed world, the member state, they should be ready to

provide technological and financial support. at the same time, the south cooperation is very important. there are many emerging economies like china india brazil south africa. those countries should also do their role in working together with the developed world. therefore i'm asking that the world leaders should show their political leadership so that the business community and civil society will follow. and i'm asking the united states as the richest, most resourceful country, should lead this campaign. thank you. mr. hughes: i received some questions about journalists being held captive in conflict zones.

how could the u.n. better implement the u.n. security council resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists covering conflicts? i got a specific question about jason ra stmbings ion of the "washington post" and there are others being held as well. is there anything the u.n. can do in these situations? secretary general ban: unfortunately, in the course of covering the news, we have seen many journalists who have even been killed and detained and arrested and ha razz rassed. -- and harassed. this is not acceptable. this is violation of freedom of expression. therefore it is important that -- fundamentally important that their freedom and access to news should be fully protected.

as for specific case i'm aware of the case you mentioned who has been detained by the iranian government. i'm asking again that there should be full protection and access to the legal and humanitarian systems to have access. it is important that whatever the charges may have been there for any reporters and journalists, their freedom of expression and their right to legal system should be fully protected. again i'm asking the authorities to take necessary actions on that. [applause] mr. hughes: i had several questions related to the u.n. effort to create a new set of

sustainable development goals to be considered by the u.n. in september. how is the world going to pay for these goals, one questioner wants to know, and how will the u.n. ensure that these goals are well financed and successfully implemented? secretary general ban: sustainable development goals which are now being negotiated in the united nations is two of the most important priorities. i call them twin priorities for the united nations. as i said earlier in my remarks the m.d.g. may have been the basic vision during last 15 years. after 15 years, we know that not all goals have been achieved. therefore whatever has been

unrealized has to be carried over. but this time this vision should be much broader and more comprehensive. addressing the old spectrums of our life economically, socially, and environmentally, this vision should be people centered and sense ty and friendly. we have to both address our friends and others. the way we are using our resources seem to suggest that people believe, people may think we have two planet earths but we have only one planet earth. we have to really care for nature. nature does not wait for us. they just impact us.

therefore it is human beings who have to adjust ourselves and be more sensitive to our nature. that's one important thing. and this sustainable development goals which have been identified 17 goals with many targets, how to address. the most important thing is how to support these goals. we should have a robust mechanism to support so that these goals can be implemented as we have envisioned. that's why the united nations is going to have a high level conference in july in addis ababa. this will be an international conference for development. this is going to be very

important. if we are not successful in this meeting, all these sustainable development goals or climate change maybe just something in just -- it's what do we say? pie in the sky. something nice, flowers in the pictures. we have to have a real practical, implementable framework to address these issues. therefore, this international conference on development in addis ababa will be very much important. i'm asking the world leaders to lead their delegations and show their political will again. [applause] mr. hughes: we're almost out of time but before i ask the last question, i want to remind our

audience about upcoming speakers. navy secretary ray naves will address the club may 30. the chief execive for google will speak may 4. i'd now like to present our guest with the traditional national press club mug and we're sure you've got plenty of coffee pots around the u.n. that might be able to put that to good use. and now before we -- [applause] before we let you go we want to end, we often end on a lighter note. four years ago, you made a humorous and fictional video vignette showing yourself skateboarding on new york city's first avenue and having a wild night out on the town. while we know that was just made up fun when you do eventually

get a break from trying to solve the world's problems, and this may be a ways into the future, we know, but what are two or three things you plan to do to relax and not think about the world's problems? secretary general ban: well, that video that was quite something. very funny. i went skateboarding. even danced gangnam style at the time. but that was private one. but i think somebody must have had very good help because privacy has been leaked. i do not have much free time to be frank.

during last eight and a half years, i have been extremely busy as you may imagine. but sometimes i try to see action movie, that's the best way to get some tension through. [applause] i think two days ago, i met -- i welcomed a very special guest to my office 007, daniel craig. i appointed him as united nations global advocate for elimination of mines and he gladly accepted. i'm very much grateful for his using global star power. i told him, you are 007 i'm sec

re-- i'm eighth secretary general of the united nations, therefore i am ban ki-moon: he said instantly , " i will talk to my producer." [laughter] when i retire from my job, i will become 008. i told him, you have a license to kill. now i am giving you something very important humanitarian. i am giving you a license to save. [applause] [laughter] ban ki-moon: i have been married 45 years with my wife. [applause]

my wife has been extremely patient. very much cooperative and understanding of my vision. when i retire, first of all, it may be a good idea i drink might like to a nice restaurant and enjoy something. but most importantly, i can looking for the days when i will be able to have more time with my grandchildren. when you have your own kids, it is a responsibility. you have to be sometimes very tough and a disciplined. but grandchildren you have only the right to spoil them. [laughter] ban ki-moon: whenever i want to be strict, that does not work. all of the strictness goes out

the window. i am looking forward to the days when i will be just a tension free and completely free and spending more time with my family. thank you very much for this opportunity. [applause] >> thank you so much mr. secretary general. i would like to ask our live audience to stay in your seat when i bring county gavel. -- bring down the gavel. please stay seated until the general leaves the room. i would like to thank the journalism of broadcast center for organizing today's event. if you would like a copy of

today's rim or more about the national press club, go to our website. that is press.org. thank you very much, we are adjourned. [gavel clacks] [applause] >> later, u.s. korea forces

commanders testify about the risk in the pacific region posed by north korea. yemen was the main topic as they the depends department -- defense apartment breathing. ashton carter and martin dempsey answered questions about yemen and saudi led airstrikes. this was secretary carter's first official news conference. this is 30 minutes. ashton carter: good afternoon, welcome. tomorrow it will be almost two

months since i took the oval office as secretary of defense. and then, i have been working to make the priorities that i set out for the department when i was sworn in progress. as i settle my first date as secretary of defense my first hierarchy is to help the president make the best possible national security decisions and implement those decisions. the second hierarchy is to ensure the strength and health of our wonderful personnel around the world. my third is about the future of our force, our people, and our technology. to think outside our fight decidedve sided box. to meet with american personnel working on two important missions in kuwait. securing the resources we need to protect the country to continue to build the force of the future, and get stability in

the defense budget. i have spoken with our partners in the state department, other agencies about working together in a new ways and on it endeavors. and visited with allies both your in washington, and just last week in the asia-pacific. i met with our men and women in uniform or out in the country and abroad to say thank you, and to make sure it that all of our people past, present, and future are treated with dignity and respect. for example, this week we had productive discussions with the iraqi prime minister and defense mr. about the u.s.-iraqi security pact and the progress we are making against isl. a lasting victory against isil requires governance in baghdad

and liberating areas from isil control. it will continue next week. on wednesday, i will speak with a midshipman in washington about sexual assault prevention and response. i will meet with italian and kate level first responders -- battalion and brigade level first responders to get their thoughts on combating sexual assault. next week, i will travel to california to silicon valley, deliver a lecture at stanford university on the future of technology innovation and a cyber security. i will meet with some technology executive out of there to discuss how we can work together better. much more to say but i am open to questions on any topics whatsoever that you may have. before i do that, let me just

tell you how much i appreciate what you do every day. the role you play in our society, the role you played in this building. i have worked in the pentagon for many years, and we all account on you to explain to citizens and the world what we are doing to defend our country. on occasion, i understand to hold us to account. but i know it is always the best of intentions. and i thank you. i will turn it over to secretary martin dempsey. martin dempsey: a pointer to of emphasis after our meeting the iraqi prime minister. we are moving in the right direction. there remains a lot of hard work in integrating their militias under state control as iraq continues to prepare its forces to sustain momentum against isil. the efforts of the prime minister of iraq are a good

step. we will continue to consult iraq's leadership. you may know that there has been in addition of 300 australian troops and 100 new zealand troops to the training mission. that will certainly contribute to the outcomes we all see. they join a notable list of international partners, building our partnership capacity mission, including the united kingdom, spain germany denmark, the netherlands, and of course the united states. our men and women in uniform are focused in doing the mission that leads them to do. this security environment remains as dynamic as it has ever been. we remain focused on ensuring that our troops have the leadership training, and resources to a college the tasks we asked of them. without, that, i too am happy to answer any questions. >> mr. secretary, the question

for each of you on yemen. al qaeda forces have captured a seaport and oil terminal today. what do you think the focus on the kooky huthi rebels has provided new opportunities for al qaeda in yemen? for general dempsey as well if you cannot might. general dempsey, you were talking about iraq. today, there have been reports that isil forces have been advancing on ramadi. i am wondering if you feel that the money is in danger of falling -- if ramadi is in danger of falling, and the difficulty of the iraqi forces in anbar. martin dempsey: yemen first. i have seen reports to that

effect also. what that suggests is that uap provides opportunity in the environment provided by the turmoil in yemen. aqap is a branch of al qaeda that has shown a particular determination to attack us on our homeland, and is therefore of serious concern to us. we continue to watch them and take action against aqap. it is obvious that it is easier to do our counterterrorism operations against aqap when there is a settled government even given. -- government in yemen. there is not that now. for those reasons and others, we will work in that direction. in the meantime, we need to and

do, through other means protects ourselves against aqap, because they are dangerous. there are things we can do to act against them, and we are. >> on iraq, if i may make a distinction between the military offensive north of active -- north of baghdad into tikrit along the anbar province. ban ki-moon:ashton carter: the offensive has made steady progress. anbar has always been pockets of isf, iraqi security forces, and isl. -- and isil. it has been a dynamic back-and-forth. this latest attack against ramadi is an indication that the iraqi government is to correct these inkblots of security

forces. that was the topic of our conversation he prime minister yesterday. it is his intent to focus on all anbar province. >> anything on weapons? ashton carter: it is part of the reason. we did not talk about any specific offensive to the anbar province, while maintaining pressure north of baghdad as well. >> thank you very much mr. secretary, welcome. or i should say, welcome back. aqap is consistently described by counterterror officials as a severe threat to the u.s. homeland. with u.s. military asset out there along with diplomats a great number of u.s. intelligence resources can you

articulate for the american people how much greater is the aqap to americans today due to their advances in gaining territory and due to the loss of american assets on the ground? they can target them, track them, etc. ashton carter: as imartin dempsey: our efforts have to track their character but maintain efficacy. this group, as i indicated earlier, shows determination not only to fight on the ground in yemen, which is what you referred to, but also to strike on the united dates. it is easier for us to operate against a group like that when we have the corporation against the state government. -- the cooperation of state government, as it was in the past. if we do not have a stable government as is the case in the current circumstance, we have to use overt means to

protect ourselves, and that is what we are doing. -- use other means. >> the listening post in the capital, cooperating with the government it is hard to imagine there is the same in control and response as aqap. martin dempsey: it is easier if there is a government with which we can cooperate in existence. we will not find that in all places in the world. that is why we have counterterrorism keep abilities -- capabilities that do not depend upon that. we use them in a circumstance like this. >> if i could follow up with ukraine. it is more than a year since russia took crimea. of course, you have the action following in eastern ukraine place following the cease-fire. i took notes today that russian residen president vladimir claimed that there are no russian troops on

the ground, where intelligence shows the country. i am wondering how you can move the four forward, where the adversary will not even grant the fact on the ground. as you come into this, i am wondering what you've seen about administrative policy is having any effect whatsoever on the ground in ukraine. ban ki-moon:ashton carter: the principal point of pressure russia has been playing for some time now in account for the fact that russia is a participating in fomenting trouble in eastern ukraine, is economic pressure. that is not just ours, jim and important to note, not especially ours, it is especially european sanctions.

they have the most economic leverage over russia. i am not an economist, but i understand that those sanctions are having an effect on russia along with plummeting oil prices. those are the two factors ringing pressure to bear upon the russian economy. -- bringing pressure to bear. the first line is economic and political. we are doing that. with respect to the question of russia's role, i think we have abundant evidence of that. the international community has evidence of that, the europeans have evidence that convinces them to take strong economic steps that they have. my understanding is, my observation is that this is having a real effect on the russian economy. at some point, the russian people will ask themselves whether these guys are what the price. -- are worth the price.

>> mr. secretary good to see you again after a few years. a ceremony a well back, where secretary kerry noticed your joint efforts in attempting to denuclearize north korea and that those efforts failed. my question to you is, what lessons from that experience would apply to the current situation with iran? if i could follow with asking each of you a question, china and if youme in if you want, i am curious about getting these advanced air systems from russia. do we take the military option off the table at some point or at least make it enormously more coveted? -- more complicated? ban ki-moon: ashton carter: a couple

of things. the negotiations conducted with the iranians have the objective of rarresting the iranian nuclear program. obviously, that process is not complete yet. the president has indicated he is looking for a good deal, and there is no deal yet sewn yup. it will take time for secretary kerry and the others to negotiate that, and see what kind of agreement they are able to reach with the iranians. we have made it clear what is necessary to satisfy us, that the agreement is a good agreement from our point of view . for me here, our role is not to

conduct those negotiations, but two other things. the first is to make sure that we have the president's other options on the table. that is something we take seriously, and we do have other options on the table. the second is to continue to play a stabilizing role in the region as a call with all of our friends and allies, of which we have many. they continue to strengthen their capabilities and competence. those are our two jobs here in the department of defense. i'm a very attentive to them, as is chairman dempsey and everyone else. >>martin dempsey: to your question the air defense system, we have known about the potential of that system to be

sold to iran for several years and have accounted for it in all of our planning. >> would present a military optical if there was a need in the future-- martin dempsey: the military option i go the president to encourage diplomacy, and if it fails, to ensure iran achieves a nuclear weapon is intact. >> thank you. first, for general dempsey i wanted to ask you about yemen and saudi arabia. there is wide agreement that the huthis are backed by iran, but the saudi's scene to take a further and say that the huthis are not only backed by iran, but controlled by iran. do you agree with that, that the huthis or a tool of iranian power.

duty saudi's -- do the saudi's have anyone on the ground? for secretary carter, post tikrit, what role do you expect the shia militia to play in iraq? martin dempsey: to the question about the degree of control. you have not the same control as they have over the lebanese and hezbollah, for example. but there are resources for the houthis. the houthi leadersh himself considers himself to be one of the heirs of the prophet. one sect of shia islam, from which the houthis draw their inspiration of islam wants to

continue the empire that includes parts of southern saudi arabia. i don't see them as having the same kind of relationship as lebanese hezbollah does with iran. to that extent, the saudi's are right to be concerned. >> second question. martin dempsey: i forget what it was. [laughter] >> duty saudi's have anyone on the ground? ashton carter: i will not speak was on the ground from any coalition partners. we were in riad today for a daylong consultation. >> with respect to shiite militias in iraq, this is a subject that we discussed with the prime minister and the defense minister of iraq, who

worked through thisere here this week. to go back to the important point with which they agreed, it is important that all forces acting against isis in iraq be under the control of the central iraqi government. that is the principle we certainly adhere to, and the principle that the prime minister has. therefore, to get to europe about shiite militias, there are shiite militias that have that characteristic, and there are those that don't. the prime minister made it quite clear that the latter, the ones not under his command and control, but were not welcome there, would not participate in their operations, and would not

be supported, and they certainly won't be supported by us. we support forces under the command and control of the iraqi government irrespective of their sectarian makeup, which is the whole point. the weight got the way they did in iraq -- the way thigns got the way they did in iraq is because of the collapse of i multi-sectarian approach. what the prime minister is trying to do in his own government is to create a fight against isil that consists of shia forces, sunni forces, and kurdish forces in sectarian makeup, but all under the control of the government in iraq. it is those forces, and only those forces that we will provide support to. >> mr. secretary, do you think it is time for saudi arabia to

consider winding down airstrikes. could further airstrikes risk destabilizing or prompting a wider role? general dempsey your russian counterpart today talked about targeting nato missile defense systems, the russian defense minister talked about u.s. exercises on it nuclear weapons. how worried are you about russia and aggressive acts like last week? ashton carter: we are assisting the saudi's to protect their own territory and to conduct operations that are designed to lead ultimately to a political settlement to yemen. that is our understanding and

our objective. that is why we are working so closely with the saudi's, as the chairman indicated, general austin has been in riad earlier today. we are coordinating closely with him, both on military and political objectives. >> the issue of russian rhetoric about missile defense systems. this goes back a very long time. martin dempsey: we have a channels that remain active in getting together the russians and laying out the intentions, the capabilities of the air defense system as a way of trying to insure them that it is not being built against them. we haven't done this for several years. -- have done this. the rhetoric is unsurprising. the channels remain open, as

they do for dealing with things like unprofessional work reckless intercept. this intercept was in fact, both unprofessional and reckless. and foolish actually, in the sense that it was conducted for no apparent reason. what we are doing is contacting the russians through appropriate channels. to ask them to investigate the incident and asked him if he was purposeful or an isolated incidence. but it is serious. >> for chairman dempsey, you mentioned a moment ago with the coalition concentration into the military offensive. it almost sounds there may be insufficient forces or resources to keep ramadi from falling. how critical it would be if it fell in the hands of isis in the overall war?

it appears isis controls the city of beijing and critical infrastructure of that refinery. they made advances on that. are the iraqi and u.s. forces be able to hang on to the refinery? what would that mean if isis were able to secure that refinery? martin dempsey: ramadi is already a problem, and we are working with the iraqi government on. the city itself is not symbolic in any way. it has not been declared part of the caliphate were central to the future of iraq. i want to get back, the issue here is not brick and mortar, it

is about defeating isil. i would much rather that ramadi not fall, but it would not be the end of a campaign should it fall. it will be tragic for the people, as we have seen. once the iraqis have no control they will have full control of all of their oil for structure both north and south, and the night isil -- and deny isil the ability to make profit from oil. it is serious in the sense that they penetrated the outer barriers. it is an extraordinarily large expensive facility. the refinery itself is at no risk right now. we are investing in air support. >> a follow-up question on iraq.

given the proximity of u.s. military personnel to the fighting was there any u.s. military issues, where people were calling in strikes to tikirt? martin dempsey: with respect to tikrit, our troops that are there are in the location of the easily identified, which is to train, advise, and assist. there are not security forces in tikrit. we are still effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have

americans in their command centers and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets. doing everything that we usually do to ensure that there is no collateral damage, or that it is minimized. we are going through all of the steps that we normally do to ensure that airstrikes can be both effective and precise. we are not using our own forces for controllers to do that, in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. that hasn't changed. >> last question. >> my question is for you general demspsey. the prime minister said tikrit

was a model. is that your assessment, given that there have been reports of executions in tikrit? i wanted you both to talk more broadly about dietrich threat -- the strategic threat imposed in yemen? what is the u.s. strategic inference in that fight in yemen? martin dempsey: i will start with the question of tikrit as a model. it is a conventional brigade and that's part of the popular vote is under direct control of the iraqi government in this model. this is the first time at those three groups work together under the control of the ministry of defense. we were able to support that and provide the necessary fires too late to that campaign. -- to light that campaign.

we watched and continue to watch reports of looting and burning afterwards although we have seen images. the investigation is ongoing collaboratively with the iraqi government, there is no evidence of widespread activity. there was likely to be isolated incidents. we have a long history of being able to do with this. the leahy amendment tells us that we can support those forces that behave in a way consistent with our values. and when a particular unit does not, we isolate it and no longer supported. if this investigation revealed that a particular part of the iraqi security forces or popular mobilization force did not leave appropriately, -- did not behave appropriately, we will not support them going forward. >> conducted the investigation? martin dempsey: the prime

minister himself took responsibility for that investigation. >> how many, how many were involved? martin dempsey: i can't remember. there is a certain village south of tikrit where there was evidence of buildings that had been scorched on the outside of the masonry. in some cases, that was probably a result of the fighting, in others it was the result of misbehavior. they are trying to sort that out. not so much in tikrit, by the way. >> sorry, saudi arabia? i am curious if you could elaborate on the u.s. strategic interests in providing intelligence to saudi arabia. ashton carter: i can do that. two things. first, saudi arabia is a long-standing and an ally of ours. we have undertaken to help them

protect themselves and their own border and so forth. that is a long-standing obligation and friendship that we have. with respect to events in yemen we are supporting their operations in given in the way i described earlier. the objective is to restore a political process there in which a legitimate government can be established in yemen and things can settle down. that is good for the people of yemen, first and foremost, it is good for saudi arabia, which doesn't need to secure its borders, as ruler questions indicated, it is good for us among other reasons, because of aqap's presence in given. but that will require more than military action. it will require political

settlement, and that in turn will require the houthis to wants to pursue a political settlement as well. >> does the u.s. agree with the decision of saudi arabia to conduct airstrikes in the first place? ashton carter: we not only support that verbally, we are supporting that with assistance. again, en route to a political settlement, that is things where they need to go. i was able to speak to ban k i-moon precisely about that today. that is where we would like to see things headed or everyone's sake. >> a question about the

gyro copter. >> mr. secretary congratulations. >> on the next washington journal, chris young and erin quinn from the public for center integrity will talk about legal loopholes that allow companies to add ingredients to food without safety reviews. and the women partnership for families talk about family leave policy and pregnancy determination. we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. washington journal live at 7:00 on c-span. >> the new hips or republican party kicks off it leadership

summit on friday. expected speakers include chris christie former texas governor rick perry, senator and presidential candidate marco rubio, and former florida governor jeb bush. live coverage starts at 5:15 eastern on c-span. >> this weekend full lvie event coverage with politics on c-span la's politics of books and a discussion of the civil war on history tv. live all-day coverage of the new hampshire republican party first in the nation leadership summit. speakers include ted cruz, scott walker, john kasich, and kentucky senator rand paul. saturday at 1:30 p.m. eastern on c-span two, book tv is live from the university of southern california for the los angeles times festival of books with

panels on journalism and publishing and author colin programs throughout the day. some of the offers you hear from include scottsburg, kathryn smiley and talkshow host hugh hewitt. the coverage of the l.a. festival of books continues at 2:00 with panels on crime and u.s. history. authors will be taking your phone calls throughout the day. and on c-span3, saturday morning at 8:45 eastern for an all day event on the end of the civil war. sunday at 8:00 a.m., and again it 10:00 p.m. eastern, the anniversary of president lincoln assassination with a ceremony at lincoln's cottage. re-creations from ford's theater, and we will take a tour of teachers and health, -- a tour of peterson house, where the president died.

thursday, before a live studio audience, russian president vladimir putin answered questions on domestic and foreign policy on his annual call-in program. morgan at 2 million questions were submitted via call, text, and e-mail. the entire event lasted more than four hours. during this 90 minute portion putin addressed relations with ukraine and the west, as well as the recent nuclear iran agreement. from moscow, this is courtesy of u.s. english news channel russia today. >> we are watching the russian president right now, getting ready for his q&a address. over 2 million question already posed to the russian president. he said records in the past by going on for more than four hours before. as the russian president it's ready for his annual q&a address live i will step aside and let the russian president man the helm from here. >> hello mr. president, our call

center has been working for a week and of course we will keep taking your calls and questions. right now our operators are prepared for a peak load of questions. you can call 8-800 force in the text from abroad. use the number easy on the screen right now. during the last seven days, we have set a record. as of now we have received more questions than last year by the time the show was over. we have 2,486,000 calls and text messages. this year, we had an interesting novelty. you can send your mms, photo question to the president

demonstrating the problem in so many words. we also take video questions. you can upload them through the moscow ru website. again, we have sign language translation available. we will keep taking your questions until the end of the show. send your questions in, maybe the president will answer your question. here in the studio we have people of different questions, from different segments of russian society teachers, agricultural workers, rescue workers, military officers. they all have their questions. should we start? good morning. mr. putin, this year you had to face a lot of challenges. this was a time for you to make executive positions. -- executive decisions. you are the only person capable

of doing that. you had to take counter sanctions, you had the situation with crimea, difficult economic situations, outside pressure, and you had to personally get involved to these matters. what is the outcome of this year? can you give us a list of successes and failures? president putin: that is a traditional question. i knew it would be coming, and i have to give you the results of the year. i jotted down some of the figures for myself. just to give you some fresh data happy to share them with you and the whole country. you mentioned some of the results, we now have the reunification with crimea. we also worked on the difficult

conditions-- it was last year when we had the sochi olympic games. it was a very successful sports event. that was what happened last year. also, we faced restrictive measures by our foreign partners and it had an impact on our pace of growth. but as you see the ruble has been strengthening. stock exchange is growing inflation has stayed within certain limits. if you take last year, it grew by 0.6%. slight growth, but still, the economy is growing. manufacturing has been up for us. 1.7%.

processing is 2.4%. oil production has been at a record high. it is 525 million pounds. russia saw one of the biggest target in its industry. 1.5 million tons. agriculture has been growing. 3.7% growth. this year, first quarter has demonstrated a good results. we also have good figures across other categories. chemicals, 4.1%. fertilizers, 4.2%. sure we do have problems, and

direct investment were down 2. 5%. but we still have good results in housing construction. i would like to highlight the record amount of construction. again, russia has never seen such figures. even the soviet union is wasn't able to match the figures. 81, or even 82 million square meters. these are stunning figures. also unemployment was up. it was 5.3% in 2014, now it is 5.8%. but still, we kept the growth of unemployment at a certain limit.

inflation in the consumer sector was 11.4%. it is not good. of course it has a living standard on our people. inflation was down three fold. as you know, we have indexed pensions. we adjusted them to inflation. butbut still, there is a lot of economic uncertainty. there has been a lot of capital outflow, we have to bear that in mind. for further questions on the issue, i will be happy to take them and reply in more detail. despite fluctuations in the stock market, demonstrating good

growth. retail loans were up. and assets of the russian banking system grew by 17 trillion rubles. for the first time they have a bypassed the gdp of the country. that is a good sign that the russian banking system has been very stable. it is great that both legal entities and now the individuals take their currency that they have are justpurchased. the number of deposit has grown 9.4%. we see that the amount of deposits is still going.

-- still growing. this year it is 19.5 trillion rubles. legal entities now have 26 trillion rubles in the deposits in russian banks. now, moving on to the budget. we have a 0.5% deficit. but nevertheless, it is still not very much. so i think we will statey within 3.7% at the . one of the positive results of 2014 was a positive demographic trend. the birth rate was up, and mortality was down. life expectancy has been growing across russian regions. this is a very good sign.

it means we have the upward trend and the sentiment of the people. that is the overview of 2014. host: mr. president, most of the figures have been macroeconomic indicators. if we talk about the common person's experience, judging by the questions we have received and are still receiving on the hotline, it does not look as rosy. let us talk about economics first. let us start with economic issues. i would like to start with the question that came after a recent article in a certain periodical. a person who is wasn't after meeting with a business number -- who was present at a meeting with a business number said that sanctions would not be lifted anytime soon. president putin: first of all

did you actually say that, and if yes what do you think of the situation? -- host: what do you think of the situation? president putin: you did not listen carefully to what i said. you have missed some things i said. i have said there were positive things. i talked about macroeconomic factors, it is a critical importance for our growth. but i also said that income has shrunk. that was due to inflation 11.4%. i mentioned that. that's the sanctions. indeed, we had our meeting with interpreters. i said it was highly unlikely that pensions would be lifted anytime soon. -- sanctions would be lifted anytime soon. it is a political issue.

the warrant to restrain our growth, i don't think it has any relation to the conflict in ukraine. we are doing everything we can to whom it the next implement the mengsk agreements, but our partners have not caught up. the most important thing for us is to use more sophisticated ways of management. of course, a lot depends on us todomestically. we just mentioned inflation, we mentioned real wages. what is the reason for the decline? of course, there is a lot of pressure on the ruble. it has depreciated. it depends on oil prices.

it is well-known that unfortunately we have this economy that is too dependent on oil. it is difficult to change the situation. over the past years, we saw real wages growing at a higher pace than productivity gains. this is something very important. regardless of any sanctions and adjustment was imminent. the central bank in the government -- and the government took those sanctions as a helping hand, so to speak. they could have said, ok, these are the measures we need for adjustment and we have to be careful of the sanctions.

that adjustment took place. it is important and the markets have responded to that. which means our economy is getting healthier. it means we have the basic conditions for growth. of course, sanctions have an impact. we will talk further about that in questions. but it is not the most important thing. host: still is it possible that the situation in russia will be similar to that in iran with decades of sanctions? president putin: russia is not i run. -- us not iran. it is much more diverse than the iranian economy. we do not have the same policy in terms of energy that i run is anran is conducting. we have a approach that is much

more market-based. it is not a good comparison. in terms of how long we should wait for the sanctions to be lifted, i would like to rephrase the question. we have to take advantage of the situation to reach new levels of development. we are now or's jubilant measure -- we are now forced to whom it measures. -- to implement measures. we will achieve development faster then we projected earlier. look at agriculture, especially after joining wto. we have made this sector healthier. sure the groceries are more expensive.

we have to wait for sometime. you just have to be patient. the agriculture sector will surely happen. in meats i know agriculture users are not very happy about the situation. the government still provides support. and of course, we make sure that we help agriculture and food safety. host: what about the food embargo? we implement it them because of sanctions. >> russia is a strong nation, and we can tolerate a lot of things, but many foreigners say that they do not leave sanctions as we are currently developing our own production, and it would be a real disaster. can you talk about this later. people talk about your big press conference six months ago.

you said it will take two years to rebuild the economy. would you adjust your forecast? president putin: the ruble's anthony, the stock market is growing. -- the ruble is strengthening. i think it will take about two years, maybe faster. the output will be down given all the factors, internal and external. even at the beginning of the year we projected that the outputs will be significantly down. this has not happened. according to the latest data, if we take march data year to year the output is 99% of all we had last march.

the production has been stable. of course, it's the on the interest rate -- it depends on the interest rates. there has been flat growth, but we still need to do everything to kickstart the economy. host: but now do you have a feeling you should have done something differently? president putin: i think we have taken the right measures. host: but do we have enough strength and resources? president putin: we have enough resources, human capital, we are proud of our talented people. we are determined, we will work

hard. i talk to people and i know the sentiment. in relation to sanctions. i'm sure that they are discerning but the central bank , the government needs to pass this with minimal costs. can we do that yes. it is about patients. we have to take advantage of this time and we can do it. >> what about the new threats that can emerge this year? president putin: well, there are so many threats, we cannot forecast, but if we maintain the domestic situation presently, if we still have our society, there are no threat that w