STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING
JULY 13, 2010
SPEAKER: PHILIP J. "P.J." CROWLEY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS
[*] CROWLEY: OK. Continuing on, several things to mention before taking your questions. You obviously had the chance to hear from Secretary Clinton early this morning, following her meeting with Foreign Minister Zebari of Iraq. He's in Washington today leading Iraq's delegation to the second diplomatic Joint Coordination Committee meeting here at the State Department.
The JCC is an integral part of implementation of our Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, and they discussed a wide range of issues. But, as the secretary indicated, most of their discussion centered around Iraq's ongoing efforts to form a representative and inclusive government. And the secretary encouraged Foreign Minister Zebari to continue that effort and to form that government as soon as possible.
The secretary, I think, is finishing up as we speak a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun of Laos. He is in Washington today. In fact, I think this is the first -- the highest-level visit by a Laotian official since 1975.
The United States is committed to building our relationship with Laos as part of our broader efforts to expand engagement with Southeast Asia, and they will have discussed a wide range of old and new areas for bilateral cooperation.
Following that, the secretary will meet with President Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, discuss citizen safety and security, economic development in the region, and, as they did yesterday at the White House, Haiti's recovery and reconstruction.
The Dominican Republic has been active in developing the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. It is scheduled to host the next Pathways to Prosperity ministerial in March 2011. It cooperates extensively with the United States and others on law enforcement issues, including counternarcotics, counterterrorism and extraditions.
And as I said, you know, obviously the Dominican Republic has supported and it will be directly involved in the long-term recovery of Haiti.
Later this afternoon the secretary will host a reception for Hannah Rosenthal, the special envoy to monitor and combat anti- semitism. As part of that, the secretary will welcome a number of constituencies here to the State Department, including members of American -- major American Jewish organizations, members of Congress, foreign diplomats and inter-faith nongovernmental organization representatives.
CROWLEY: I also might mention, included among the people who will be attending this receptions will be Judy Gross, the wife of Alan Gross, who has been -- continues to be held in a Cuban jail without charge.
He was in Cuba to help the Jewish community better communicate with one another and the world through the use of Internet technology. And we continue to encourage Cuba to release Alan Gross on humanitarian grounds.
Continuing on Cuban issues, I think you've seen the release that we welcome, the release of seven political prisoners and their family members by the government of Cuba and the announcement by the archbishop of Havana that additional prisoners could be released in the coming weeks and months.
We applaud the efforts of the Cuban Catholic church, Spain and others who have worked toward the release of prisoners of conscience from jails in Cuba. And while the United States continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, this is a positive development that we hope will represent a step toward increased respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.
George Mitchell will depart tomorrow for the Middle East to have meetings with the parties and with other leaders in the region and Europe during that travel. The specifics of his travel are still being worked.
But during the course of his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, he'll have the opportunity to review the current situation in Gaza, the implementation of Israel's new policy with respect to goods entering Gaza.
In that context, obviously we are conscious of the fact that there is a Libyan aid ship enroute to Gaza as we speak. And that we, along with our partners in the quartet, urge all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected by the government of Israel and transferred via land crossings into Gaza.
We have urged the Libyan government to avoid unnecessary confrontations. We call on all parties to act responsibly in meeting the needs of the people of Gaza.
Senator Mitchell will also have the opportunity to review circumstances on the ground and the current environment that we hope will lead to direct negotiations as soon as possible.
In that -- in that vein, obviously we are concerned about reports today of a number of buildings in East Jerusalem being demolished. The United States has made it clear that it disagrees with some government of Israel actions in Jerusalem that affect Palestinians in areas such as housing, including home demolitions, and has urged all parties to avoid actions that could undermine trust.
We continue to oppose and will make clear to the government of Israel that we oppose unilateral actions that prejudge negotiations. The status of Jerusalem and all other permanent status issues must be resolved by the parties through negotiations.
Finally, turning -- turning toward -- to Uganda, the five injured Americans have been evacuated over the past 24 hours. Two were medevaced last night to Johannesburg, three were medevaced to Nairobi. As of today, we understand the number killed is 76, including the one American who has been identified.
We have Diplomatic Security agents on the ground, along with a small number of FBI agents, as we mentioned yesterday. I think the FBI is going to send a significant team, fly-away team, this afternoon -- that will depart the United States this afternoon for Uganda, at the request of Ugandan authorities, to assist in the investigation.
And, you know, Richard Holbrooke did the sentiment that, you know, most of us feel, that we value and, you know, the presence of Jack Lew as our deputy secretary and wish him well in his new role as the head of OMB.
QUESTION: (inaudible) begins with I-r, so I'm going to start with Iran and the scientist. Do you have anything more that you can add to what you said this morning about Mr. Amiri?
CROWLEY: I think (inaudible) my understanding is he remains at the Pakistani embassy here in Washington, as he concludes, you know, travel arrangements back to Iran.
And as we mentioned this morning, it was his decision to come to the United States and it's his decision to depart the United States.
QUESTION: You said this morning that you believe that he had been in touch with you all to let you know that he wanted to go back to Iran.
Do -- can you say when he got in touch with you about -- to tell you that?
CROWLEY: Well, he has been in the United States, you know, for some time. The United States government has maintained contact with him. I can't tell you specifically when he made this decision to return, you know, to -- to Iran, but as we indicated today and as the secretary mentioned a bit ago, he's here of his free will and he's -- this is his decision to depart. And we are -- are helping to facilitate that departure.
QUESTION: Why would the U.S. government have contact with him? Presumably, if he was just a student, why would the U.S. government have -- have any contact with him during the time that he was in the U.S.?
CROWLEY: You know, I mean, when you asked me a question, you know, did -- did...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: ... did he indicated to us, you know, prior to today an intention to leave? The answer is yes.
QUESTION: Well, why would he need to -- why would he need to express an intention to you to leave?
If he was just a regular Iranian here on visa, he's free to come and go as he chooses. He doesn't have to tell you...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: And you're exactly right. He is free...
QUESTION: Well, but he doesn't have to tell -- I mean, if a foreign national comes here on a visa...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: I'm sorry. If a foreign national comes here on a visa, they don't call up the U.S. State Department and say, hey, by the way, I'm headed back home. Why would he do that?
CROWLEY: And let me clarify. I'm not specifying who he was in touch with that. You know, the question was asked, did we know prior to today that he desired to leave the United States? The answer is yes.
And -- and we have been, you know, assisting him in his departure. I can't tell you who has -- who he called, why he called. These -- these are -- as the secretary said, you know, these were his decisions to make, and he's -- he expressed a desire to depart and -- and we expect that he will.
QUESTION: Why is this not a propaganda victory for Iran, considering they've maintained that he was here and then he -- his real intention was to come back home, but he was forced to stay in the United States. Now he says he wants to go back home. Why is not -- Iran not the victor here?
CROWLEY: And -- and the facts speak for themselves. He is here of his own volition and he has chosen to return to Iran of his own volition. That is how we do things here in the United States.
We didn't -- we didn't seize him and bring him here, and we're not preventing him from returning to Iran.
QUESTION: Just a moment ago, you said that the U.S. has been helping him, or assisting him in his departure. Can you explain how exactly you're doing that?
CROWLEY: I'll -- I can't offer you any -- a specific. You know, we -- I'm not aware that we helped transport him here. In fact, I think he made his own way here. But to the extent that we can be helpful in helping him arrange for appropriate travel documents so that he can transit certain countries on his way back to Iran, you know, we are -- we are -- if he wishes to leave, we're not preventing him from doing that.
QUESTION: And then just to -- are you in any way paying for his way back or (inaudible)?
CROWLEY: I don't -- I -- I can't say that we are, no.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: And -- and -- and since you're going to be helping him, do you know when he plans to leave now? You seem to know that he was going to leave yesterday. When -- when does he plan to leave now?
CROWLEY: As I understand it, he -- he, you know, he requires visas from other countries to be able to transit, you know, those countries on his way back, and those arrangements are still being made.
QUESTION: (inaudible) take opportunities -- is this a missed opportunity for the U.S.?
CROWLEY: Missed opportunity in what respect?
QUESTION: Why are you letting him leave?
CROWLEY: Because this is a free country. If people want to come here, they have the opportunity to do so. If people wish to go back to their home countries, likewise they are free to do so.
QUESTION: Why did he come here in the first place?
CROWLEY: That's a question you'll have to ask him. I -- I don't know the answer. I can't answer that.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: You said the government has maintained contact with him. Can you elaborate on that?
CROWLEY: No.
QUESTION: You have said that -- you said in the June 6th briefing, I believe, that the United States did not kidnap Mr. Amiri ...
CROWLEY: And we did not.
QUESTION: ... from -- yes, you said both you didn't kidnap him from Saudi Arabia, then you said categorically you didn't kidnap him at all...
CROWLEY: That's correct.
QUESTION: ... from anywhere. Are you aware of any other country having kidnapped him?
CROWLEY: I am not aware of any country that -- I mean, again, I can only repeat what I've said this morning and repeat it here. He came to the United States under his own free will and he will depart the United States of his own free will.
QUESTION: Was he -- was his transfer to the United States in any way facilitated by another country's government or intelligence agency?
CROWLEY: I do not know.
QUESTION: P.J., you said you don't know why he was here. His visa status would at least give us a hint. Did he apply for a visa before he came?
CROWLEY: Visas, as you know, visas are confidential documents.
QUESTION: P.J., does anyone -- do you or does the -- does the government have any opinion about the wisdom of his decision to return to Iran?
CROWLEY: This was his decision to make.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: I -- I -- I -- again, I have not -- I have not talked to him. As you know, I can't tell you where he's been. All I can tell you is that he -- he came here of his own free will and it's his decision to go back to Iran. And -- and these are -- these are decisions which free people are allowed to make.
QUESTION: Did -- did -- the question now is did you -- do you have any opinion about the wisdom of this? Or was -- or did you -- did the government offer him any advice as to whether...
CROWLEY: I can't say that we did.
QUESTION: ... would it be wise to go back?
CROWLEY: We did not coerce him to come here and we're not coercing him to stay here.
QUESTION: I know, but listen, you issue travel warnings of countries all over the world all the time. They're not personal in nature, but you say that this guy for some reason, whatever it is, has been in contact with the U.S. government during the time that he's been in the U.S. You say that you're assisting him -- you're helping him to leave. Did you give him any advice about whether it was prudent to go back there?
CROWLEY: I can't say that we have. I don't know.
QUESTION: And then one last thing. What you said when Karen asked you about kind of assistance you might give him, you said something about travel documents. What kind of travel documents could the U.S. government provide an Iranian citizen traveling on an Iranian passport to get to a third country?
CROWLEY: He -- he would not need a U.S. document to do that.
QUESTION: Then why would you be assisting him with that?
CROWLEY: I -- you know...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: I mean, doesn't Iran have its own -- they have their...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Yes, and it could well be that -- that the primary assistance here is being done, you know, by the government of Pakistan and the Iranian interest section within that embassy.
QUESTION: Can we stay with this just for a point of clarity? You stated that he was at the Pakistan embassy, but it's my understanding that the Iranian interests section is physically at a separate building from the Pakistani embassy. Is it your understanding that he's inside the Pakistani embassy off Van Ness Street or that he's at the interests section, which is at a different location?
CROWLEY: It's a fair question. Actually I was told he was still at the -- at the embassy. That's what I've been told.
QUESTION: We went over this a little bit yesterday, about Mr. Megrahi, the Libyan bomber of Pan Am 103, about the fact that he kind of seemed to have lived a lot longer than doctors predicted.
But now the senators that we talked about yesterday, they're also raising the issue that -- asking for a Senate investigation about possible deal with B.P. being part of the -- of the reason why the British let him go.
Can you -- do you support the senators' calls for an investigation? And are you at all concerned that, you know, oil and trade deals were part of the deal? I know we talked about it a little.
CROWLEY: Well, again, as to the -- as to the reason why Scottish authorities made the decision that they made, we will leave it to them to explain why they made that decision, what the basis was for making that decision, how they evaluated the medical evidence that was presented to them.
As we indicated them, as I indicated yesterday, I can repeat today, we felt that his release was a mistake.
QUESTION: But do you support a British investigate -- a Senate investigation into charges that the Brits kind of traded him for a deal -- for oil deals?
CROWLEY: You know, I can tell you that we have received -- you know, there was mention made yesterday of a letter by a number of senators encouraging us to raise this issue with the new British government. We have received that letter. I'm not aware that we've had a conversation yet with the British government about this issue.
It's unclear that there's anything that we can do at this point. A year ago he was -- or 11 months ago he was released. We thought it was a mistake. We haven't changed our view. He sits in Libya today. And -- and -- and, you know, it is -- it is for, you know -- you know, Scottish authorities to explain the basis upon which they made the decision that they made.
As I recall, a year ago they indicated this was made on humanitarian grounds. We disagreed with that judgment. But I can't offer an opinion as to whether we, the United States, ought to investigate, you know, a decision made by a previous British government in consultation with Scottish authorities.
QUESTION: So do you want the Scottish authorities or the British government to reinvestigate the medical evidence that was used to inform the decision to release Mr. Megrahi?
CROWLEY: Well, I mean we share the concerns raised, you know, in the letter to us that seems to draw -- to question the medical basis upon which the Scottish authorities made the decision that they made.
Again, you know, this may well be an issue for the British government, you know, to investigate. I'm not sure -- you know, we regret what's been done. I'm not sure at this point that there's anything that we can do on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
QUESTION: Just to be clear what the letter's -- there's been a number of letters that have been written by these four senators. The letter that I have today -- and I don't know if it's the same one that Lief (ph) is referring to -- is dated July 13th.
It asks not for a Senate investigation, but for a State Department investigation into reports that B.P. might have sought to secure his release.
The letter is addressed to Secretary Clinton. Do you have that letter, one? And do you have any...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: OK. I will...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: I can -- if there's a letter that was dated today, it is quite possible that that is in transit to us, as we speak.
As to the letter that was mentioned yesterday, we, in fact, have that letter. And we will -- we will respond to it.
Again, you know, there are some -- there are some serious questions that have been raised. We have had -- you know, we had extensive conversations with British and Scottish authorities last year, leading up to the decision that was made.
We had subsequent conversations with the former British government, making clear that we disagreed with the judgment that had been made. I'm not aware that we have brought this issue up with the -- the new British government, but we will -- we will obviously review letters that we've received, responded to them. And at that point, we'll make a judgment as to whether we think the actions that they have recommended are appropriate. QUESTION: Can you take the question, then? The letter is, indeed, on its way to you right now -- you personally. Can you -- can you take the question, once you've gotten it, as to whether you think a State Department investigation is merited in this case?
CROWLEY: Well, let me say that, you know, we -- we, when we receive correspondence from members of Congress, we...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: ... respond to them. We will respond to this letter. And I would make note that when we respond to it, we will find a way to communicate whether we think that the steps that they've taken in these various letters are (inaudible).
QUESTION: Speaking of legal decisions that you disagree with, have you had any contact with the Swiss yet about the Polanski decision?
CROWLEY: Not to my knowledge.
Not -- from here, I don't know that -- I don't know that we have. I can't -- you know, whether the -- whether Swiss authorities have had contact with our embassy, I can't say. I'm less sure about that. I'm not aware that we've had a high-level conversation with the government of Switzerland since yesterday.
QUESTION: So...
CROWLEY: You know, but I wouldn't rule out that we will -- we will have one if we haven't had one already.
QUESTION: OK. Well, do you expect to make -- the outrage that you vented yesterday -- will that be conveyed to the Swiss directly in any way, or are you just going to leave it to us to let the Swiss know?
CROWLEY: Well, we -- we, together with the Department of Justice, are reviewing the -- the decision that the Swiss government made and the -- their stated objections to -- to the extradition of Mr. Polanski to the United States.
And we'll evaluate our -- you know, options, going forward. I don't know that we've -- we've made any decisions yet on -- on next steps, but, you know, at some point, I would expect this to come up in a conversation that we have with Swiss authorities. I just can't say that it's happened yet.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: ... follow-up on a story that came out in the papers a couple days ago about this Colombian journalist, Hollman Morris, who was denied a visa, apparently, to do a fellow at Harvard under terrorism concerns under the Patriot Act.
There's a -- the National Association of Hispanic journalists is asking that decision be repealed. There's some concern that his criticism of the Uribe government led him to be blacklisted; there's some pressure from the Colombian government. I'm wondering if you have anything to say about that?
CROWLEY: Let me take the question. I -- I'm not familiar with that particular case.
QUESTION: Can we go back to Iran for one second? CROWLEY: Sure.
QUESTION: Can I ask just a very simple question about this?
Was Mr. -- did Mr. Amiri, with whom you have admitted the U.S. government has had contact -- did he provide any information to the U.S. government about Iran's nuclear program?
CROWLEY: I can't answer that question.
QUESTION: But why can't you answer that question?
CROWLEY: I happen not to know the answer.
QUESTION: So you don't know.
QUESTION: Can I follow up? He was not abducted, but he came to the U.S. of his own free will and he has been in touch with the U.S. government. He must have been important enough to have contact with the U.S. government. So was this a defection? And is it a defection that has gone wrong because the U.S. government let him down and he now faces the only option of going back to Iran?
CROWLEY: Again, I can't answer that question. I just don't know the answer. He -- he -- all I can do is tell you he came here of his own free will and he's leaving of his own free will.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (inaudible) contact while he was here? And why him of all people? Why did you keep contact with him while he was here?
CROWLEY: Again, I can't answer that question.
QUESTION: (inaudible)got to Spain, has any of them or their families contacted the United States to come to the United States in lieu of going to Spain? Or the ones who are in Spain will be readmitted to the United States if they want to come here later?
CROWLEY: Well, I think all I can say at this point is they are in Spain. As to any -- whether any of them have any follow-on travel plans, I -- I can't say at this point.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: But will they be admittee?
CROWLEY: It wouldn't surprise me if U.S. officials at some point have contact with them on the ground in Spain, but -- but at this point, I think it's premature.
QUESTION: And those who are in Cuba still, has any of them contacted to the interests section to -- to -- do you know -- to come to the United States in lieu of going to Spain?
CROWLEY: I -- I'm not sure that that, you know, I mean this was an arrangement that was, you know, carefully negotiated primarily through the Catholic Church in -- in Havana, supported obviously by the government of Spain. They're in Spain. As to what their future plans are at this point, I -- I...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: But there are who still in Cuba -- the ones who are in Cuba have not left yet, whether there is a chance that they would come here, and not go to Spain.
CROWLEY: Well, again, we -- you know, we -- we -- we want to see a process unfold in Cuba. We'd love to see eventually all political prisoners freed in Cuba. We will -- we will obviously have an interest in and talk to the relevant parties about how to help facilitate this. And you know, as to who else will come out and how that arrangement will be made and -- it's premature to talk about that.
QUESTION: (inaudible) there's a press report on Israel saying that the U.S. is threatening Jordan to cut aids because -- because of this agreement in the negotiations of -- on their nuclear program.
QUESTION: Do you have anything on this?
CROWLEY: Well, you know, that particular report is absolutely false. The United States maintains excellent and steadfast relations with Jordan. It's a strong partner on a range of issues, including the peace -- peace efforts, and including energy issues.
We support civilian nuclear energy in the Middle East region, including in Jordan, provided international standards for safety, security and nonproliferation of such programs are met.
This is an area that we continue to have extensive conversations with Jordan. It came up during the course of the meeting last week between the secretary and the foreign minister of Jordan. Those conversations are ongoing, but, you know, we are not making any adjustments in our extensive aid to Jordan.
QUESTION: P.J., on Mexico, the border communities are suffering due to the floodings in (inaudible). Is U.S. providing some relief to the Mexican government, some assistance perhaps?
CROWLEY: That's a good question. I'll take that question. I don't know at this point.
QUESTION: The Chinese Foreign Ministry today expressed concerns about the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises in the Yellow Sea. So do you have any comment on that?
CROWLEY: We don't have any announcements at this point on joint exercises. This is an issue that we continue to discuss with the -- with the Korean government.
QUESTION: (inaudible) Amiri incident, have there been any further discussions or advancement on the three American hostages being held?
CROWLEY: I can't point to any particular discussions. Obviously, as we have indicated, Mr. Amiri is free to leave the United States of his own volition.
We're very mindful of the fact that today we have three American citizens, the hikers, in an Iranian jail. They are there without charge. They're obviously there, you know, against their own free will.
So this is something that we will continue to encourage Iran on humanitarian grounds to grant their release. We'd like to see more information, as the secretary indicated a while ago, on Robert Levinson. We have called on Iran to provide us information. They have failed to do so.
So, you know, there is, obviously, clearly a contrast in terms of how we treat Iranian citizens in this country and how our citizens are treated in Iran.
QUESTION: Do you accept the premise of the question, that the three are hostages?
CROWLEY: They're in custody without charge.
QUESTION: Are they hostages? Do you regard them as hostages in the same way...
CROWLEY: I don't -- I don't know that I would use that terminology per se. But we would like to see them released on humanitarian grounds as soon as possible.
QUESTION: At a press conference today, Senator Levin again called for the State Department to place the Haqqani network and the Quetta Shura on the -- on the terror -- the foreign terrorist organization list.
Do you have any update on that process or whether that's being -- being considered?
CROWLEY: You know, these are issues that we have under continual review, but I have no particular decisions to announce.
QUESTION: (inaudible)?
CROWLEY: I'm sorry.
QUESTION: Could you give us some details about the Secretary Clinton visit to Asia next week?
CROWLEY: We'll have more -- you know, we're still trying to figure out how to bring some folks down to do a formal trip briefing. We'll have more details on her travel later this week.
QUESTION: One more question about (inaudible): In your understanding, who was Shahram Amiri? What is he? Just apart from being an Iranian citizen, is he a researcher, a scientist, just a student, a nuclear specialist? Well, what is he?
CROWLEY: I can probably try to find if we have a bio somewhere. I'm not -- it's not for me to characterize him. You know, he -- he obviously is an individual with some, you know, technical skill. But as to the basis upon which he made a decision to leave Iran and eventually come to this country, those -- you know, at some point perhaps he'll -- he'll tell his own story. But that's not something I need to do from here.
QUESTION: Have you been in touch with the Swiss about him or with the Iranians via the Swiss about him?
CROWLEY: I'll take that question.
QUESTION: And then, because I want to go to my other I-r question.
CROWLEY: OK. Hold that one.
QUESTION: Would you deny that he has ever discussed Iran's nuclear (inaudible) or anything to do with the arms nuclear development?
CROWLEY: Other than knowledge that he has put videos up on the -- on YouTube from time to time, I actually have no knowledge about what he's been doing since he's been here in the United States.
QUESTION: Have you reached an agreement with the Iroquois over this passport issue, the lacrosse team, I believe is at the airport now, expecting some kind of a resolution.
CROWLEY: Well, we -- I can't say whether we've had contact with them today. It's perhaps -- you know, perhaps we have, you know, been in touch with them today, just to reiterate that we stand ready to provide with U.S. passports to facilitate their travel to -- to the U.K. for this lacrosse tournament.
But the decision as to whether they accept that offer of assistance remains up to the team.
QUESTION: So your position is still that they have to travel on U.S. passports, they can't travel on their own passports, and you are not willing to provide the British with a letter -- or with letters -- that would confirm their ability to reenter the U.S. on the Iroquois passports?
CROWLEY: There are -- there are specific criteria as to the circumstance under which you can provide those letters. This situation does not meet that criteria. We -- we stand ready to help them, you know, gain, you know, the kind of travel documents that will allow their travel to the United Kingdom.
I would clarify that the -- the team is made up of -- of people who -- who live on both sides of the border, some on the U.S. side, some on the Canadian side. I think the Canadian government is taking the same approach to this. We're more than happy to provide them with U.S. passports, and I believe the Canadian government is -- is perfectly willing to provide them with Canadian passports which will help facilitate their travel to the -- to the tournament. But as far as I know, they have not applied for these passports.
QUESTION: So in other words, the only way they're leaving the country and getting back in is on a U.S. passport or a Canadian passport.
CROWLEY: Well that -- that is one way that we can be assured that they would have the... QUESTION: The whole letter thing and them using their own passports is...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: I -- I -- you know, we -- we are -- we are -- we are trying to see if there's a way to help them. The easiest way to accomplish what they want to accomplish is to -- is to get them a U.S. passport. We've been willing to do that, you know, for a number of days and we stand ready to do that today.
QUESTION: Thank you.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
END
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