Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to Press

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.) Ready? Ready. Are we going to do this in Spanish or English? In Spanglish. Let’s go.   

QUESTION: (In Spanish.) Yes, in Spanish and English  

QUESTION:  Spanglish. 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  In Spanglish? 

QUESTION:  Yeah.  (Laughter.)

QUESTION:  Secretary Rubio, will the tariffs on Colombia be lifted by you

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.) We are working on that.  Obviously, this is part of a legal process.  It does not apply specifically to Colombia, to every country in the world.  After there was a Supreme Court decision that knocked down the system that the President had implemented, we had to start this process again.  That is why we want to deal with this, there are active negotiations in progress at this time, and we expect that we will have a positive result for the United States and for Colombia as well.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.)  Mr. Secretary, former President Gustavo Petro says that being added to the OFAC list was a mistake and he states it is unfair.  Do you think he could be taken off (inaudible) from the OFAC list, are there any investigations currently underway against former President Petro?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.) I am not going to discuss investigations.  What I can say is that, obviously, all decisions taken at the OFAC level are fact-based, documents and evidence, and that was the determination made by the Treasury Department at that time.  Aside from that, I cannot respond to the specific investigation.  I also don’t have any announcements

QUESTION: (In Spanish.) Secretary, we are live for Noticias Caracol (Caracol News)…

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.) Live? Yes?  Oh, I can’t make any mistakes.  Go ahead.

QUESTION: (In Spanish.) President de la Espriella has announced a strategic security plan. You said it yourself. Security and prosperity for the region.  Regarding Shield of the Americas, what role will the United States play in relation to this request made by Colombia regarding military operations in our country?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish.)  First, two things. Number one, the relationship between the United States and Colombia concerning security issues has been on-going for almost 20-plus years; they’re the strongest in the hemisphere.  It was interrupted for a time, but not completely.

Obviously, we want to hear more details about what the President’s ideas are regarding how we can cooperate, but we are willing to do everything necessary within the bounds of the law in Colombia, within the decisions made by its sovereign leaders.

Obviously, we are willing to do a lot, everything possible between our two countries.  As to the Shield, the Shield is important.  The President has invited us to open an operations center in Medellin, for the entire region, not just Colombia.  And I think that the capability that exists in Colombia’s security system is enormous, it’s incredible. That hasn’t gone away.  Unfortunately, there were three or four years when they weren’t receiving the necessary resources.  But the key function of any government, any country in the world, is security.  It’s the most important thing any government does.  And we are willing to work in any way possible, in anything that is asked of us; they have to ask.  We are not going to dictate.  But whatever is asked of us, and is made possible for us, we are willing to provide.  If it is possible, if it is asked of us.  Because of the importance Colombia has and because it has been our strongest ally in security matters, and economic as well, in the region for over two decades.

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, did you speak with the president about tariffs at all?  They had – Colombia had asked that the U.S. lift tariffs to help with the reconstruction.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah.  As I explained earlier, and I did —

QUESTION:  And did you say yes?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, hold on.  But I answered this question in Spanish, so maybe I should have just answered in English. 

QUESTION:  Ah, I (inaudible).

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Okay, well, you’ve got to – you’ve got to brush up on your Spanish.  (Laughter.)

QUESTION:  Sorry.  Yes, I should.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Okay.  But it’s going to be the same answer.  As you know, the Supreme Court made that decision, and so the whole system the President had used for tariffs came down, so we had to – he had to reinstitute it all through the 301 process.  It’s a very legalistic process.  That said, I think the President has a desire – the President of the United States has a desire – to reach an agreement with Colombia as soon as possible.  Ambassador Greer has been working with Colombian authorities on that negotiation.  I think it’s going very well, and I hope to have good news soon in regards to that once such an agreement can be reached.  But that is really the way around the 301, or the way the 302 – I’m sorry – investigations and the 302 process, is you have to reach an agreement and an accord on a bilateral basis.  We are committed to doing that.  Those talks are ongoing.  They’ve already – I think there’s been two rounds of that discussion, and good progress is being made, but obviously no announcement today but hopefully soon.  And President Trump desires to reach an agreement on that. 

QUESTION:  Secretary, can you speak about the latest —

QUESTION: (In Spanish.) Secretary of State, as part of the Shield of the Americas initiative, are there plans to build U.S. military bases in Colombia?  And, my second question has to do with the anti-drug certification for Colombia.  Has the United States considered restoring that certification to our  country?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  Okay, the co-First, regarding the certification, obviously the cooperation this new government is demonstrating is different from the past, and that will be taken into account.

That determination is made once a year.  So, this year’s determination is based on activities that occurred last year.  The new determination has to be made next year.  But obviously, the cooperation is very different, and I think that will be reflected in the decision.

In terms of the first point, about the bases, look, this is sovereign Colombian territory.  We can open a military base; we have to be invited to do so.  We have to study whether it’s feasible. In many cases, these bases are joint bases, which we have in common, as we have in other parts of the world.  So, if that’s proposed, if that’s been discussed, it will have to be with the cooperation of the Colombian authorities, and they have to have requested it.  And obviously, the U.S. Department of War also has to study whether it’s feasible, what the cost would be, and everything else.  What is beyond doubt is that the United States will cooperate with the Colombian government with everything necessary to confront this regional threat, not just in Colombia.  It is a regional threat that affects many countries in the region, including the United States.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.) There has been talk about the border of Colombia and Venezuela- And it is a critical issue.  President de la Espriella will discuss it now.  Will the ELN, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, be bombed on the border?  Are there talks with Delcy Rodríguez?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  Well, without a doubt, that needs to be discussed, and it has been discussed in the past.  It’s not sustainable to have drug trafficking, criminal, and terrorist organizations operating within the national territory of another country and threatening others within this country.  They operate with impunity, and they have done so for a long time.  I’ve spoken about this for a long time.  This will undoubtedly be key to improving relations between Venezuela and Colombia because it’s a direct threat to Colombia.  Imagine if a criminal gang were operating from one territory across the border, entering your country, committing crimes, murders, and attacks, and then returning and hiding in another country.  That’s not sustainable. We have to confront it.  Obviously, we want to do so in cooperation.  And this has been discussed and will continue to be discussed, not only with the interim authorities now in Venezuela, but also with a future democratic government within Venezuela.  Because this will take time to resolve, but, without a doubt, we have to confront this threat.  This threat, as it exists now, cannot continue.  A solution must be found, and it must be quickly.

QUESTION: (inaudible) (In Spanish.)  Officer Number Three, in the Odebrecht corruption case, President de la Espriella has requested that the name of Officer Number Three, which was revealed in court documents in the United States, be disclosed.  Will the United States disclose who it is?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)   I don’t know about that specific case.  I can look into is and give you an answer. I know…that case, I have not been specifically told about that case.

QUESTION: (In Spanish.)  Secretary, what will the cooperation of the United States with Colombia look like? What private investment will arrive?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  Those are two separate things…

QUESTION: (In Spanish.) How to move from Plan Colombia to Plan Patriota (Patriot Plan) that the president requested?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  It’s the same question then.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.)  Exactly

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish.)  More or less. I will say.

Obviously, that plan is being formulated right now.  The President spoke openly and publicly today about different things: military purchases he wants to make, the radar system, the intelligence system, everything else.  Which is necessary and we are willing and open to cooperate in that area.

So, the Department of War is working very closely with the new administration on exactly what they’re asking for and how it can be provided.  Beyond that, the good thing is that it already exists, there have been many relationships.  That was suspended to some extent in recent years, but there’s more than 20 years of history of joint cooperation.  I even mentioned that a few years ago, when I visited Honduras as a senator, I found that the trainers of the Honduran forces were Colombians, who had originally been trained by the United States.  So that’s the level Colombia reached, being able not only to protect its own country but also to contribute to the training of police and military forces in other countries.

So that relationship with the United States, at the security level, was never suspended, and many of the same people are still there.  They just didn’t have the resources and emphasis in recent years. In terms of what we can specifically do, that’s being worked out at the Department of Defense level, our Department of War, with the Colombian authorities.  They will say, “This is our strategy.” Obviously, these are the needs we have.  And they will work together to determine what is specifically needed.  What I can tell you is that President Trump is willing to provide everything possible to help Colombia confront this threat, which for three or four years that threat was not really confronted.

QUESTION: (Spanish) It wouldn’t go through Congress in view of them having to approve it?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  Yes, but that already exists.  For example, there are already funds within our annual budget for security in Colombia.  Those funds are already there; what we’re discussing now is how those funds will be allocated, what specific needs they will address.  And obviously, the President of Colombia already has very specific ideas, but there are other ideas we could potentially propose.  In short, we are willing.  President Trump has said so-he told me personally, he is willing to do everything possible to help Colombia confront this threat, because we see a government of people with the energy and interest to do so.

QUESTION:  Secretary, can you speak about the war in – with a lot of American public attention focused on the latest status of affairs in Iran, can you speak about the U.S. strikes on the Iranian tankers and explain —

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  — what the back-and-forth has been in the last 24 hours? 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, the back-and-forth is pretty straightforward, and that is that Iran continues to try to hit U.S. naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers.   And I think you’ll see that again today. 

QUESTION:  Can you talk a little bit more – I know you already addressed this in Spanish, but for the English speakers here – about the security cooperation with Colombia?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  I mean, are the boat strikes going to continue?  They don’t seem – or are there —

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, those are tactical decisions.  What I – here’s what I can say to you, and that is that the United States already has a longstanding and very deep security relationship with Colombia.  Unfortunately, it was impeded over the last three or four years by political leadership here, but that has now changed.  So our hope is not just to get back to what we used to do together, which was a lot, but perhaps to build upon it.  And I think you have a president here now that’s very interested in making that happen.  And so I know that there are ongoing talks directly engaged between the security forces here and the Department of War on exactly the kinds of things they want to cooperate on, the kinds of equipment they would like to purchase.

In the end, the majority of this fight the Colombian authorities are willing to take on themselves.  They just need our help with equipment; they need our help with intelligence; they need our help sometimes with some specialized training.  But – and if I say “help,” I mean oftentimes that they want to purchase these things.  So that’s a very active and vibrant conversation that’s going on right now, and I think we have a great foundation to build on because we have almost two decades of very close – the closest security cooperation in the entire hemisphere was between the U.S. and Colombia for almost two decades.  So that’s an incredible foundation to build on.

So I don’t think it will take long to get back to the levels we were at before, and in fact, potentially exceed it, again, based on what the Colombia authorities ask for.

QUESTION:  Could that be boots on – could that mean boots on the ground for American, U.S. troops?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  I don’t think that that’s what they’ve ever asked us for.  The Colombians have never asked for American soldiers to come into Colombia and take on drug – they’ve asked for our help in training.  They’ve asked for our help with intelligence and targeting and things of this nature in the past.  They’ve asked for help with the specialized equipment.  So I’ve never heard anyone suggest that to us.

QUESTION: (In Spanish.) Regarding the report that President Netanyahu knew about the attacks before October 7, will this in any way change the cooperation that the United States has provided him?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.) I haven’t seen those reports, I’ve seen those rumors, but I’ve never seen that… 

QUESTION: (In Spanish) A report from the Haaretz newspaper, which published that the president.

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  Yes, but remember, Israel is having elections right now, and this whole election cycle is unfolding, and it depends on the newspaper.  I can’t comment on something for which I have no evidence.

QUESTION: (In Spanish.)  Now that the time has come for reconstruction after the earthquake, two issues arise: Is a reconstruction plan currently underway following this emergency?  And on the other hand, regarding what the President just mentioned about migration, complying with several of the protocols you have implemented.  Regarding reconstruction, have there been any specific announcements concerning investment, funding in this process?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish.)  No, first, what they’re doing right now here is studying exactly what the needs are for housing, infrastructure, energy, and so on.  And then what we want to see is how many American companies are willing to invest.  Obviously, it won’t all be American companies, and there will certainly be Colombian companies that will participate, either as partners in those investments or primarily as the main source of aid.

But, in short, we’re looking what the plan is.  They’re presenting, preparing that very specific plan about exactly which reconstruction areas they want to focus on and how we can work on a source, a reconstruction fund, in which we can use different U.S. agencies to attract not just investment, but also professional companies from the United States, and possibly from other parts of the world as well.  So that they can contribute to that effort in terms of work of reconstruction, cleanup work, everything that’s needed.

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, what’s your read on the latest – what’s your read on the latest with Russia and Ukraine after the weekend talks and the President’s call with President Putin?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, we had – look, there were – I think it was a good sort of a – there were substantive talks.  I don’t want to characterize them as good or bad or productive or unproductive, other than they were substantive.  New ideas were bandied about.  It’s a very difficult conflict, one that we’ve seen why – for now an extended period of time you haven’t seen much movement on either side in terms of their willingness to make accommodations, and both sides have very bright red lines up to this point.  But these were substantive talks over the weekend, both in Kyiv and in Moscow, and hopefully from that we can create a path forward to restart talks that the United States has always been willing to play the role of a mediator.

So I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but I also am not pessimistic in the sense that I think there’s an opportunity over the next few weeks to develop a roadmap moving forward to restart talks and maybe reach a conclusion there that’s acceptable to both sides.  Because that’s what it’s going to take in order for it to end; both sides will have to agree to it. 

So the way I would characterize this weekend was it was productive in the sense that it restarted engagement after months of not really being engaged in this, and from our end anyways, because we just didn’t see it progressing, and there were substantive ideas put on the table that for the first time at least there seemed to be some general openness to.  But a lot of work remains.  I don’t want to over-characterize.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) (In Spanish.)  The request for the consulate in Barranquilla.

SECRETARY RUBIO: (In Spanish) Well, that brought up to me for the first time today when I arrived at the airport.  The first time it’s been brought up to me.  So, we have to investigate it, and I’m not against it.  It would be wonderful if we could do it, but obviously we have an internal process we have to go through.  But that idea was presented to me three or four hours ago.  So, give me a couple of days, or even a couple of weeks, to make that decision.  But I certainly love being here.  This is a city with a lot of energy, with a great history, very similar to Miami in terms of the climate and the environment.  And yes, it’s logical, we want to do it.  And obviously the fact that the President is here for so long.  That he is here for so long also makes us think a bit about whether we should do it, because as he has said, he doesn’t simply want to be a president in Bogotá, he wants to be a president at the regional level, where Colombia lives, and specifically in the Caribbean area.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.) We are live.  There’s been talk about the possibility of a meeting between President Abelardo de la Espriella and President Donald Trump.  And what is that priority?  Or is your priority establishing a military base here?

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.) And why not in Barranquilla?

SECRETARY RUBI:  (In Spanish.) Well, I was asked about the military base, so as I said, that needs to be studied.  And that also… that has to come through a permit from the Colombian government.  There are still some steps to take.  I’m not against it.  It’s possible, but that’s something that hasn’t been discussed much up to this point, although the possibility is being studied.  If it’s not a military base, it’s a joint base, or a facility that both countries can use.  Obviously, that’s up to the Colombian government, because it’s a sovereign country that has the right to choose who enters its territory.  In terms of a meeting between the presidents, the President would love it.  He’s a big fan of the Tiger, as he calls him, and he’d like to meet with him.  As you know, the President made a promise-your president here in Colombia-that he wouldn’t travel abroad.  So, I would have to bring President Trump to Colombia.  Anything is possible.  It’s not scheduled at this time, but they’ve already spoken on the phone a couple of times, and I know the President is very enthusiastic about his election and what this could mean for the relationship between both countries.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.) Will the visas of former Colombian government officials continue to be reviewed in order to cancel those visas of people who are against?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish.)  That’s a normal process.  If I have evidence that someone is a criminal, or that someone is engaging in corruption within a country, or that someone is obstructing U.S. foreign policy, harming U.S. interests, or harming the interests of a U.S. ally, we can always suspend a visa.  So that happens all over the world, and it will continue to happen here as well.  I don’t have any announcement for you today, but I can tell you that if there is evidence here of someone who is doing harm, or has done harm in the past, or who is corrupt, a criminal, or a delinquent, we will take their visa.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.) Regarding the issue of migration, many of the people who currently reside here in Colombia are part of this population.  The president had announced operations starting in Barranquilla, and today he reiterated that the US strategy could be extended to our country.  From your perspective, what is your view on this proposal by the president, and what role will the United States play in this matter?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish) I only know what the president has told me, what I’ve seen, that is, publicly.  And what he’s said is very clear.  I share that view personally and as a public official.  We are not against immigration.  It needs to be immigration that is controlled, orderly, and legal, through a process, and what no country in the world can allow is for someone to enter without permission.  That is extremely dangerous.  That is not sustainable.  Look at what’s happening in Spain right now.  Look at what’s happening in Europe, because for years they let people enter without any permission.  And when you enter one European country, you’ve already entered every country in Europe.  No country in the world can sustain that. So, every country in the world has immigration laws.  The difference is between countries that comply with the law and countries that don’t.  I believe that Colombia has faced a lot of pressure due to various events that have occurred in the region.  When other countries in the region have been destabilized, people have come in, and these are decent people, not bad people.  But no country can take in millions and millions of people, or hundreds of thousands of people, coming in without any controls.  So that’s what I’ve heard your President say, which aligns with what President Trump has said as well.

QUESTION:  Secretary, do you have a (inaudible) of President Trump at the United Nations for the General Assembly later this month? 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yes.

QUESTION:  The UN has warned about potential for a humanitarian crisis in Cuba because of the lack of oil and electricity, and is it a concern in terms of the impact on the Cuban people, the average Cuban person?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, but – yeah, of course, but the problem is – the reason why Venezuela has – I mean Cuba has a lack of oil is because Venezuela doesn’t give them free oil anymore.  Understand they were getting free oil from Venezuela.  They were stealing oil from Venezuela and they were getting it for free.  Some of it they wouldn’t – they would use about 30 percent of it for their own needs and then they would resell the rest of it for cash, and that stopped.  So that’s number one.  That’s the number one reason why Cuba is having an energy crisis, is because Venezuela no longer gives away their oil for free, which was what was happening.

The second reason is they were having blackouts before that.  Even with the Venezuelan oil, Cuba had multiple blackouts over the last three or four years because they didn’t invest a penny into their own energy infrastructure.  Their economic model doesn’t work.  Cuba – if Cuba is a humanitarian catastrophe – and we’ve offered them $100 million of humanitarian aid.  Others have as well.  No one’s impeding that from coming in.  If Cuba is a humanitarian disaster, it is because their government, their regime is a disaster, because the economic model they follow doesn’t work.  In fact, it’s nonsensical, because they don’t allow a private sector to flourish, because they don’t allow individual Cubans to choose their own path in life.

So I think it’s important to remind everybody this did not start last week.  Cuba has been a humanitarian catastrophe now for three or four years, and maybe even longer, because they didn’t invest in their own infrastructure, they stole all the money to build hotels and line their own pockets, and because they’re no longer stealing oil from Venezuela for free.

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.)  Are we going to see in Cuba what we saw in Venezuela?  A similar operation to the one that took place there?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish.)  I’m not going to talk about operations.  What I can say is that the Cuban case and the Venezuelan case are different, because all cases are different.  In the case of Venezuela, it was very specific; there was an individual wanted for… who wasn’t the head of state recognized by us and not recognized by Europe.  Nor by many other countries.  And he was also a fugitive, a fugitive from U.S. justice who even had ties to drug trafficking. That was the operation in Venezuela. In the case of Cuba, it’s a different case, but a tragic one.

A very regrettable, very sad case.  But all the blame lies with (inaudible).  In Cuba, it has been a humanitarian disaster for more than ten, fifteen years, but specifically in the last year, for one reason: because they can’t keep stealing Venezuela’s oil.  In Venezuela, under Maduro, they

sold it to line their own pockets.  They only used a percentage of that oil.  But they had blackouts before, even when they were receiving aid from Venezuela, when they were stealing Venezuelan oil.  They were already having blackouts.  Because they haven’t invested a single cent in that country’s electrical grid, they haven’t invested a single cent.  What they do invest is in ways to oppress the people

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.) What is going to happen with the elections in Venezuela?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish.) Are we still live?

QUESTION:  (In Spanish.)  We are live. Yes, sir. What’s going to happen with the elections in-?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (In Spanish.)  You are a very aggrieve journalist. Go ahead.

QUESTION: What is going to happen with the elections in Venezuela?  And the second question is, when will the United States ambassador arrive in our country, in Colombia?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (in Spanish) Well, we would like to have an ambassador here as soon as possible.  That has to go through a process in our Senate.  Regarding the elections in Venezuela, that has to happen.  Obviously, at this moment we have negotiations-that is, negotiations-but it’s really a process of reconciliation and transition between the 2015 National Assembly, which was the last assembly we recognized as democratically elected, and the country’s interim authorities.  And they have progressed quite well.  They have to continue progressing.  Obviously, to have elections, you have to have institutions: you have to have a Supreme Court, you have to have a National Electoral Committee, you have to have voting machines, you have to have political parties, you have to have a free and open press so that candidates can run and express themselves.  All the necessary institutions.  So, that has to be built at the same time as we are rebuilding what is…helping Venezuela to have an economic reconstruction.  It also has to have a civic reconstruction, a reconstruction of institutions that allow for valid elections, and that as soon as possible, from my point of view.  But it has to be done properly. Otherwise, you’ll have another mess.  And nobody wants that when it comes to Venezuelans. Thank you very much.

QUESTION:  (Inaudible) you brought it to he president earlier, advocated for it (inaudible)?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  No, I think there was an opportunity, that it was an opportunity to bring stability.

QUESTION:  But you were – you first brought it to f and, like, told him that I think it’s a good idea but (inaudible)?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, I told them there was a possibility, among other possibilities, to help the Venezuelan oil industry recuperate.  Understand that the Venezuelan oil industry was nonfunctional.  It was largely controlled by PDVSA, most of its fields were unproductive, the little they produced was being stolen and sold below market rate.  None of it was benefiting the Venezuelan people, and a lot of the fields that were sitting there inactive and unused, their lease rights were being held by Chinese, Russian, and even Iranian companies.

So as part of reconstructing Venezuela, you have to professionalize that industry.  In this particular case, you had the largest private operator that offered the United States an equity position in the company and access to 20 percent of the production at cost, and it was an opportunity to help these fields come online much faster and produce royalties and revenues that will ultimately go into the hands of Venezuelan authorities but a democratically elected Venezuela in the future.

I don’t think there’s any mystery that a core component of reconstruction and rebuilding Venezuela will involve revenues from their energy, but you have to have that through a normal, systemized way, not through the system they had before in which the fields were unproductive and the profits, to the extent there were profits, were being stolen by individuals linked to the government instead of being provided – paying royalties to the government and benefiting the people of the country.

QUESTION:  Did you meet with or speak with Alejandro Betancourt?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  I’ve spoken to him before, but ultimately, that deal was negotiated through the Department of War because they have the ability to hold equity positions in companies.  It’s a phenomenal deal.  It’s an extraordinary deal that’s going to benefit the United States, no doubt about it.  I work for the United States of America.  That’s who I work for.  My job is to further the national interest of the United States, and this deal furthers the national interest of the United States in terms of energy security.

But it’s also beneficial to the people of Venezuela because those fields are going to produce more than they could have without our involvement.  They’re going to generate royalties and revenues that are going to go into government coffers, not into the pockets of individuals, and ultimately you will have a democratically elected government in Venezuela that will benefit from those royalties to rebuild that country so that its people can once again benefit from the richness of the country, not corrupt individuals or narco-trafficking rings.

All right, thanks.

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