STATE DEPARTMENT NEWS BRIEFING - TechMIS

STATE DEPARTMENT
                    NEWS BRIEFING
                             Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
                                            By TechMIS
                                      www.TechMIS.com

                                       Mobile User Copy

TO:         State Department & Staff
DATE:       Saturday, January 22, 2022 5:00 AM ET

State Department News

NATO shoots down Russian ultimatum as dispute flares after Blinken-Lavrov
meeting
The Washington Examiner [1/21/2022 6:16 PM, Joel Gehrke, 555K, Neutral] reports
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s team renewed its demand for U.S. and Western
European countries to abandon NATO’s Eastern European members, drawing a prompt
rebuke just hours after a dialogue in Geneva that Western officials hoped would ease the
risk of additional war in Ukraine. “We are talking about the withdrawal of foreign forces,
equipment, and weapons, as well as taking other steps to return to the set-up we had in
1997 in non-NATO countries,” Lavrov’s team said in a Friday bulletin. “This includes
Bulgaria and Romania.” That reiteration of Russia’s position drew a prompt response from
NATO. “NATO will not renounce our ability to protect and defend each other, including with
the presence of troops in the eastern part of the Alliance,” replied NATO spokeswoman
Oana Lungescu. “Russia’s demands would create first and second class NATO members,
which we cannot accept.” That sharp exchange exemplifies the persistent risk of an
expanded invasion of Ukraine, despite Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s effort to find an
“off-ramp” from the brewing crisis. Lavrov’s team touted the demand most intolerable to
U.S. and European allies as “one of the cornerstones of Russia’s initiatives,” an ominous
signal from Moscow, as Blinken confirmed that the United States will respond "in more
detail and in writing” next week to the maximalist “draft treaty” that Russian officials unveiled
before Christmas. Yahoo News/AFP [1/21/2022 8:35 PM, Francesco Fontemaggi, 14195K,
Neutral] reports in Berlin, the city once split by a wall that became the emblem of the Cold
War, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Thursday that any Russian invasion of

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Ukraine, which Westerners fear could happen at any moment, would bring the world back to
a time "when this continent, and this city, were divided in two... with the threat of all-out war
hanging over everyone’s heads."

US Embassy in Kyiv asks State Dept. to authorize departure of nonessential
personnel
CNN [1/21/2022 11:10 PM, Matthew Chance, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood, 5705K,
Neutral] reports the US Embassy in Kyiv has requested that the State Department authorize
the departure of all nonessential staff and their families, according to multiple sources
familiar with the matter. A State Department spokesperson said they have "nothing to
announce at this time," adding, "We conduct rigorous contingency planning, as we always
do, in the event the security situation deteriorates." A spokesperson for the embassy
declined to comment. A source close to the Ukrainian government told CNN that the US has
informed Ukraine that it is "likely to start evacuations as early as next week" of the families
of diplomats from the embassy in Kyiv. The source said President Volodymyr Zelensky has
spoken to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the matter and told him that if the
United States took such a dramatic step, it would be an "overreaction." CNN has asked the
Ukrainian government for comment. A State Department official said the department would
not comment on private discussions, adding that decisions about overseas staff are based
on a single criterion: the safety and security of Americans.

Germany will not supply weapons to Kyiv for now
Reuters [1/22/2022 1:27 AM, Sabine Siebold, 5304K, Neutral] reports Berlin is ruling out
arms deliveries to Ukraine in the standoff with Russia for now, German Defence Minister
Christine Lambrecht said in an interview published on Saturday, a few days after Britain
started supplying Kyiv with anti-tank weapons. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators also
promised weapons to Ukraine, which could include missiles, small arms and boats, to help
the country defend itself from a potential invasion amid a Russian military build-up on its
borders. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, however, has stressed Berlin’s policy of not
supplying lethal weapons to conflict zones. "I can understand the wish to support Ukraine,
and that’s exactly what we are doing already," Lambrecht told the Welt am Sonntag weekly.
"Ukraine will receive a complete field hospital together with the necessary training in
February, all co-financed by Germany for 5.3 million euros ($6.01 million)," she said, noting
that Germany has been treating severely injured Ukrainian troops in its military hospitals for
years. But Berlin is not ready to supply Kyiv with weapons for the time being, the minister
said. "We have to do everything to de-escalate. Currently, arms deliveries would not be
helpful in this respect, there is agreement on this in the German government," Lambrecht
said.

US announce naval exercises in Mediterranean
Yahoo News/AFP [1/21/2022 4:14 PM, Staff, 14195K, Neutral] reports the United States on
Friday announced large-scale NATO naval exercises in the Mediterranean beginning on
Monday and with the participation of aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman, as tensions flare
with Russia, which is to hold its own maritime maneuvers at the same time. "Neptune strike
22 is going to run through February 4 and it’s designed to demonstrate NATO’s ability to
integrate the high-end maritime strike capabilities of an aircraft carrier strike group to
support the deterrence and defense of the Alliance,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Kirby said preparations for the exercise had begun in 2020 and that it had nothing to do with
fears that Russia could invade Ukraine, on whose borders Moscow has massed tens of

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thousands of troops. "Neptune Strike 2022" however does not appear on the list of
scheduled exercises for 2022 published by NATO on its website on December 14. "The
exercise itself is not designed against the kinds of scenarios that that might happen with
respect to Ukraine," Kirby said. "It really is a NATO maritime exercise to test... a wide range
of maritime capabilities that we want to make sure we continue to improve." The
announcement came a day after Russia announced its own all-out naval exercises, with
more than 140 warships and about 10,000 soldiers taking part in January and February in
maneuvers that will take place in the Atlantic, the Arctic, the Pacific and the Mediterranean.
Kirby acknowledged that tensions with Russia had sparked discussions among the allies on
the holding of exercises. "There was due consideration about -- given tensions right now --
about our exercise posture. And after all that consideration and discussion with our NATO
allies, the decision was made to move ahead,” he told reporters.

[Iran] Russia proposed interim nuclear deal to Iran, with U.S. knowledge
NBC News [1/21/2022 9:56 PM, Carol E. Lee, Courtney Kube and Dan De Luce, 4794K,
Neutral] reports as part of an effort to revive the international nuclear deal with Iran, Russia
has discussed a possible interim agreement with Iran in recent weeks that would involve
limited sanctions relief in return for reimposing some restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear
program, according to two U.S. officials, one Congressional official, one former U.S. official
and four other people familiar with the discussions. The sources said the U.S. is aware of
Russia’s proposal to Iran, which comes as concern grows within the Biden administration
that time is running out on negotiations between Iran and world powers over a full return to
the 2015 nuclear deal, called the Join Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA. The Trump
administration withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018, and Iran is reportedly closer than
ever to attaining the ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. While the officials and people
familiar with the discussions said Russia’s talks with Iran about an interim deal have been
conducted with the knowledge of the U.S., senior Biden administration officials distanced
the U.S. from the Russian effort. Iran has so far rejected the proposal presented by Russia,
the officials and other people familiar with the discussions said. The Iran Permanent Mission
to the United Nations said on Friday that Tehran does not want an interim deal, and
declined to discuss specifics of the Russian proposal.

[Lebanon] U.S. sanctions “financial facilitators” tied to Hezbollah
Axios [1/21/2022 5:59 PM, Staff, 526K, Neutral] reports the Treasury Department on Friday
announced sanctions against "financial facilitators" and companies connected to Iranian-
backed Hezbollah. The three people — Adel Diab, Ali Mohamad Daoun and Jihad Salem
Alame — and 10 companies targeted by the new sanctions helped Hezbollah obtain funds
through global "networks of companies that disguise themselves as legitimate businesses,"
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Friday. Yahoo News/The Hill
[1/21/2022 4:09 PM, Staff, 14195K, Neutral] reports "These financial facilitators have helped
Hizballah obtain funds through networks of companies that disguise themselves as
legitimate businesses," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "The
sanctions evasion efforts of those designated today are a stark example of how Hizballah
abuses the international financial system to fund its acts of terrorism and illicit activities."

[Qatar] Biden officials talking to Qatar about supplying gas to Europe
Bloomberg [1/21/2022 9:01 PM, Jennifer Jacobs, Annmarie Hordern, Negative] reports
Biden administration officials have been talking with Qatar about possibly supplying Europe
with liquefied natural gas if a Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to shortages, according to

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people familiar with the matter. President Joe Biden plans to ask the Persian Gulf nation’s
emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to visit the White House, possibly as soon as later
this month, two of the people said on Friday. The meeting between Biden and the emir has
been in the works for some time, a White House official said Friday night. Some European
nations have expressed fears that punishing Russia with harsh sanctions over the Ukraine
crisis could wind up damaging their economies and prompt Russian President Vladimir
Putin to cut off or scale back gas supplies in the middle of the winter. Europe gets more
than 40% of its natural gas from Russia, and about a third of Russian gas flowing to Europe
passes through Ukraine. Qatar is one of the world’s biggest producers of LNG, with about
three-quarters of the fuel sold to energy-poor Asian countries such as Japan and Korea.
Qatar provides about 5% of Europe’s natural gas.

[Syria] Deadly ISIS prison break attempt fuels fears of the groups resurgence
CNN [1/21/2022 4:58 PM, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Joshua Berlinger, 5705K, Negative]
reports at least seven fighters from the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces were killed
when ISIS attempted to break thousands of its fighters out of a Syrian prison on Thursday,
an attack underlining concerns the terror group could be quietly resurging. The assault on
the Ghweran prison, located in the northeastern city of Hasakah began Thursday when a
car bomb exploded outside the facility, according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Kurdish-led SDF is the dominant military force in the region and a key US partner in the
fight against ISIS. ISIS fighters then snuck into the area and struck local forces guarding the
prison, while the militants inside burned blankets and plastic items inside dormitories "in an
attempt to create chaos," the SDF said. It is not clear if the actions were coordinated or if
the inmates simply saw an opportunity to sow confusion at an opportune moment. The SDF
said Thursday it "thwarted" the attempted jailbreak; however, small clashes were still
reported in the area Friday. ISIS said in a statement Friday it was launching a "large-scale"
attack to liberate the entire prison. The head of the SDF said later Friday they had fended
off the attack with the support of airstrikes from the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria
fighting ISIS. The Washington Examiner [1/21/2022 3:46 PM, Mike Brest, 555K, Neutral]
reports Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed on Friday that the United States
“provided some airstrikes to support [SDF] as they deal with this particular prison break,”
though he didn’t provide many details about them.

[Bosnia] Envoy: US will sanction those who undermine peace in Bosnia
ABC News [1/21/2022 3:53 PM, Staff, 23K, Negative] reports the United States remains
committed to Bosnia and will continue to impose sanctions on individuals who engage in
corruption and “sow divisions” in the Balkan nation, which has never fully recovered from its
brutal 1992-95 war, a top U.S. official said Friday. “Across 26 years, the United States has
stood by the people (of Bosnia). Initially, back in the day, through war, over this last quarter
century through peace, and we stand with you now,” said Samantha Power, the
administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Power, the first U.S. official
to visit the Balkan country after the U.S. recently slapped new sanctions on Bosnian Serb
leader Milorad Dodik, added that more sanctions would be coming against others who
engage in corruption and threaten to undermine the U.S.-brokered peace accord for Bosnia.
“We recognize the gravity of sanctions and the impact that they have on individuals’
financial holdings, on their travel and on their reputation,” she said. “On the question
whether the U.S. is considering more sanctions, the answer is yes.” Power spoke at the end
of a three-day visit to Bosnia during which she met with members of the country’s multi-
ethnic presidency which, alongside Dodik, also includes a Bosniak and a Croat official.

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[Germany] Biden to meet Germany’s Scholz in Washington in February
Yahoo News/AFP [1/21/2022 1:52 PM, Staff, 14195K, Neutral] reports US President Joe
Biden is to host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington in February, a US official
said Friday, denying reports of a spat between the two leaders. Germany’s "Der Spiegel"
magazine reported Friday that the country’s new leader had declined an invitation to a "last-
minute meeting" this week with the US president to discuss Ukraine’s crisis with Russia. "I
can tell you that the reports that the Chancellor has already turned down a last-minute
invitation from President Biden are not accurate," a spokesman for Scholz told AFP. "This
story is completely false, it’s made up, and the President has already had a good
conversation with the Chancellor and is looking forward to welcoming him to Washington in
February," said a US official accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his flight
back from Europe. The visit to the White House has not yet been officially confirmed by
Berlin.

[Cambodia] Dredgers spotted off Cambodian base where China is funding work
Reuters [1/21/2022 5:06 PM, David Brunnstrom, 5304K, Neutral] reports dredgers have
been spotted off Cambodia’s Ream naval base, where China is funding construction work
and deeper port facilities would be necessary for the docking of larger military ships, a U.S.
think tank said on Friday. The United States, which has sought to push back against
Beijing’s extensive territorial claims and military expansion in the South China Sea,
reiterated its "serious concerns" about China’s construction and military presence at Ream.
"These developments threaten U.S. and partner interests, regional security, and
Cambodia’s sovereignty," a spokesperson for the State Department said. The report from
the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank said the dredgers could
be seen in photos released this month by the Cambodian government and in commercial
satellite imagery. "Dredging of deeper port facilities would be necessary for the docking of
larger military ships at Ream, and was part of a secret agreement between China and
Cambodia that U.S. officials reported seeing in 2019," the Asia Maritime Transparency
Initiative at CSIS reported.

[China] U.S. Suspends 44 Flights to China Operated by Chinese Airlines
The Wall Street Journal [1/21/2022 5:44 PM, Alison Sider, Neutral] reports the Biden
administration Friday suspended dozens of flights operated by Chinese airlines, in response
to similar measures taken by China’s aviation authorities in recent weeks. The U.S.
Department of Transportation said Friday it would suspend 44 flights from the U.S. to China
operated by four Chinese carriers. It followed after the Civil Aviation Administration of China
in recent weeks canceled a number of flights from the U.S. and other countries, citing
Covid-19 containment rules. Under China’s previously announced rules, airlines whose
flights arrive with more than five Covid-19 positive patients will have that route suspended
for two weeks; 10 or more cases, four weeks. The flight suspensions announced in recent
weeks forced airlines around the world to cancel flights from the U.S. to China, including
several by American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., and United Airlines Holdings
Inc. Chinese carriers have also had flights affected by the rules. The U.S. government has
repeatedly raised objections over China’s so-called circuit-breaker measure and believes it
is inconsistent with an agreement that governs air travel between the two countries, the
DOT wrote in its order. China’s rules can penalize airlines if their passengers test positive
for Covid-19 up to seven days after arrival, something the DOT said is “wholly outside of the
carriers’ control.” “We find that CAAC’s recent actions impairing the operations of Delta,
American, and United as described above are adverse to the public interest and warrant

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proportionate remedial action by the Department,” the DOT wrote. The department said it
would revisit its action if China’s authorities adjusted their policy, but would take additional
action if the situation worsens. Liu Pengyu, a representative for the Chinese Embassy in
Washington, said China’s policy has helped effectively block the spread of virus across
borders.

[Haiti] Haiti’s Henry Says He’ll Remain in Office Until New Elections
Bloomberg [1/21/2022 4:04 PM, Jim Wyss, 8629K, Negative] reports Haitian Prime Minister
Ariel Henry pushed back against those who claim his mandate ends next month and that he
should make way for a transitional government, as the search for answers about the July 7
murder of President Jovenel Moise continues. In a tweet Friday Henry said that his term
does not end on Feb. 7, as some local political parties argue, and that his administration will
organize “free and democratic elections” at an undetermined date. “The next tenant of the
National Palace will be a president freely elected by all the Haitian people,” he wrote. On
Friday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols
stressed the urgency for an election, saying the sooner “Haitians are able to go to the polls
and select a new democratic government, the better it will be for the Haitian people.” Henry
has been leading the country since Moise was murdered by a hit squad six months ago,
and some contend that his presidential term ends Feb. 7, when Moise was due to step
down. Among those making that argument is a group of Haitian politicians who met in
Louisiana last weekend and named an interim prime minister and interim president they
said should assume office and organize the vote. “There needs to be adequate security for
candidates to campaign, for parties to hold rallies, to have the provisional electoral council
carry out their duties, and for voters to be able to safely go forth and cast their ballots,”
Nichols said in a conference call after a virtual meeting with officials from Canada and Haiti.

[Mexico] U.S. airs concerns over Mexico energy plan, points to economic risk
Reuters [1/21/2022 7:54 PM, Dave Graham, Raul Cortes Fernandez, Paul Grant, 5304K,
Neutral] reports U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday flagged concerns
about Mexico’s plan to tighten state control of the electricity market, saying it could impede
investment and economic development in North America. Granholm met President Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador and senior members of his Cabinet, including Energy Minister Rocio
Nahle, on Thursday and Friday on a visit to Mexico City in which the Mexican power market
initiative drew close scrutiny. "In each meeting, we expressly conveyed the Biden-Harris
administration’s real concerns with the potential negative impact of Mexico’s proposed
energy reforms on U.S. private investment in Mexico," Granholm said in a statement. "The
proposed reform could also hinder U.S.-Mexico joint efforts on clean energy and climate."
Later, Granholm said the United States wanted to partner Mexico on economic integration
and development, but that this had been rendered "a challenge" by the electricity proposal -
even as she expressed hope matters could be resolved. Granholm said competitive energy
markets that benefit North America should be upheld, and that she had been assured
Mexico is committed to supporting clean energy and working out current disputes with
projects within the rule of law.

[Mexico] Two Canadians are killed in shooting at Mexican beach resort
The Washington Post [1/21/2022 7:53 PM, Mary Beth Sheridan, 12515K, Negative] reports
two Canadians were fatally shot and another was wounded at a hotel in Playa del Carmen
on Friday afternoon, the latest attack at Mexican beach resorts that have been rattled by
organized crime violence. The secretary of security in Quintana Roo state, Lucio Hernández

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Gutiérrez, said in a tweet that the violence erupted after an “argument between hotel
guests.” He said he had been informed by Canadian authorities that both victims had
criminal records. The shooting occurred at the Hotel Xcaret, an all-inclusive resort near an
eco-park popular with tourists that features snorkeling, swimming with dolphins and nature
activities. In another tweet, the security chief appealed for information about a gunman
shown in a photo wearing a light gray sweatshirt and sweatpants firing a pistol in what
appeared to be the leafy patio of the hotel. The Wall Street Journal [1/21/2022 9:06 PM,
Anthony Harrup and José de Córdoba, Negative] reports the shooting occurred
midafternoon at the Hotel Xcaret Mexico in Playa del Carmen, some 40 miles south of
Cancún. “The three wounded people were taken immediately to hospital, where
unfortunately one of them died,” Quintana Roo state security secretary Lucio Hernández
Gutiérrez said via his Twitter account. “The three guests are of Canadian origin.” State
Attorney General Oscar Montes de Oca told Mexico’s Radio Fórmula that a second
shooting victim later died at the hospital. Mr. Hernández said the incident stemmed from an
argument among hotel guests. He posted several images of a man in a sweatsuit—in one
holding a phone, and in another brandishing a handgun. He said the person in the images
was a hotel guest who fired the shots, and was being sought by security forces. He didn’t
identify any of the victims. The attorney general’s office said that according to Canadian
police, the first victim had a history of criminal activity in Canada including robbery, drugs,
and weapons offenses, and that the second victim also had a criminal record. Canada’s
foreign ministry said in a statement that consular officials were contacting local authorities to
gather more information, following reports that Canadian citizens had been affected, but
that no further information could be disclosed for reasons of privacy.

{End of Report}

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