Category: 2013

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Anne-Marie, for your kind words and for the invitation to be here today.  And thank you for your principled leadership—both in government, where we worked together so closely, and now at the New America Foundation.  I want to commend you and your colleagues here for the many contributions you make…

Since being issued on September 6 by 11 countries, additional countries have signed on to the joint statement on Syria. That statement condemns in the strongest terms the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons on August 21 in the suburbs of Damascus and calls for a strong international response. The statement explicitly supports the efforts undertaken by…

Today at the White House, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the members of the Advisory Council to the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking. As directed by the Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking that the President signed on July 1, the Advisory Council is comprised of knowledgeable private-sector leaders, representatives of nonprofit…

The President and Prime Minister Harper spoke today by phone to discuss their grave concern about the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against civilians near Damascus on Wednesday, August 21.  The United States and Canada agree that the international norm against the use of chemical weapons is longstanding and universal, and the use of…

WASHINGTON, DC — In his weekly address, President Obama makes the case for limited and targeted military action to hold the Assad regime accountable for its violation of international norms prohibiting the use of chemical weapons.  The President realizes the American people are weary after a decade of war, which is why U.S. action would…

The President yesterday declared a major disaster exists in the State of Missouri and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of August 2-14, 2013. Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private…

G20 Summit Site St. Petersburg, Russia   9:46 A.M. MSK PRESIDENT XI:  (As interpreted.)  Honorable President Obama, it’s my great pleasure to meet you again.  Our meeting today reminds me of the meeting we had this past June when we met in the Annenberg Estate.  In that meeting, we reached important consensus of mutual interest…

G20 Summit Site St. Petersburg, Russia 4:53 P.M. MSK PRESIDENT OBAMA:  (in progress) — I thank France and President Hollande for their outstanding efforts in Mali.  We congratulate the Malian people for their special presidential elections.  And our countries will continue to work with the international community, including the United Nations, to help Mali to…

G20 Summit Site St. Petersburg, Russia 5:55 P.M. MSK PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good evening.  Let me begin by thanking President Putin and the people of St. Petersburg and the people of Russia for hosting this G20.  This city has a long and storied history, including its heroic resistance and extraordinary sacrifices during the Second World War. …

Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Petersburg, Russia 7:31 P.M. MSK PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I just want to say thank you to all the participants in this roundtable.  This is an incredible and very diverse group of civil society leaders.  And this is something that I really enjoy doing at every country that I visit because it is…