The Briefing Skipper: Russia, Drugs, Zelaya, UNESCO, Israel

Posted By Josh Rogin Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 11:10 PM Share

In which we scour the transcript of the State Department's daily presser so you don't have to. Here are the highlights of today's briefing by spokesman Ian Kelly:

Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg will lead an interagency delegation to Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Republic of Korea and Japan, from September 25th to October 1st. Lucky guy.
The United States will not heed Russian demands that poppy fields all over Afghanistan be eradicated from the skies. Eradication hasn't worked to cut off funds to the Taliban, Kelly said, in fact it drives the affected farmers into the hands of the insurgency. Alternative crop development is the way to go, he added. Viktor Ivanov, Russia's head anti-drug guy, might need a downer after he hears that message tomorrow from White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske and State's assistant secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs David Johnson.
Water and power are back on at the Brazilian Embassy in Honduras, where ousted President Manuel Zelaya has been holed up while protesters bang on the gates. The United States played a role in getting the lights turned back on and getting embassy staff out through the crowds and back to their homes. The "de facto" regime invited an OAS delegation and the United States is working on a request by the Brazilians to hold a U.N. Security Council meeting on the issue, Kelly said. No comment on the supportive words for Zelaya from Hugo Chavez.
No comment on claims by Egyptian culture minister Faruq Hosni that the United States moved to prevent his election as head of UNESCO. I wonder if it had something to do with his assistance to the terrorists who seized the Achille Lauro cruise ship.
Following the Obama-Netanyahu-Abbas trilateral meeting, the United States is not backing off its call for a settlement freeze by the Israelis, Kelly said. "We still continue to believe that the best way for us to create the kind of context for successful negotiations is for all sides to live up to the commitments that they made. And you know what they are. For the Israelis, it's an end to settlement activity. For the Palestinians, it's raising trust in their ability to provide for security in the region. And for Arab states, it's taking steps to normalize. But our focus has always been relaunching the negotiations. So there's been no change in our policy."