White House — The Biden administration is hopeful over a deal to reach a cease-fire and free hostages held in Gaza, where war has raged for more than nine months after Hamas’ stunning October 7 attack on Israel. VOA spoke to John Kirby, White House national security spokesperson, about the deal and more, in this interview with VOA’s White House Correspondent Begum Ersoz on Thursday. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: Does the administration accept a cease-fire deal only with phase one, that does not guarantee any way forward for the other phases of the deal? What stands in the way of a deal? And what are the sticking points? KIRBY: The whole purpose of the proposal is that you get to phase one, you get a six-week ceasefire, get some hostages out and you begin the negotiations on phase two. That’s the whole purpose of this proposal. What we want to do is to get to phase one, get the six weeks started. …I will not get into the details and negotiate in public. But we believe the gaps are narrow enough, that with compromise and leadership on both sides could be closed. VOA: Is the administration concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be using this visit to the U.S. to bolster his own domestic political standing? KIRBY: I think it’s important that the American people had a chance to hear directly from the prime minister with comments [before the U.S. Congress] on Capitol Hill. And we obviously look forward to any opportunity we have, including the one today, to sit down and discuss these issues in a private setting. We also believe it was important that the prime minister hear directly from the families of the American hostages and understand their anxiety, their fear, their desire to get their loved ones home. I won’t speak for the domestic considerations of the prime minister, that’s for him to speak to, but it’s pretty clear that the Israeli people also want to see those hostages returned. They want their loved ones back too. VOA: Netanyahu also had talks with Vice President Kamala Harris. As the presumptive nominee for the Democratic party, to what extent she will follow the same trajectory as the Biden administration? KIRBY: I’m not going to speculate about the future. Those are the questions for the vice president. Because what I can tell you, without question, is that she has been a full partner in the pursuit of the policies that this administration has made clear are important to us with respect to the Middle East and the war in Gaza. She has been a full partner and had conversations with Israeli counterparts on her own. She’s been involved in virtually every conversation that the president has had with the prime minister. VOA: Some NATO officials express concerns about an arms race with the axis of Russia-China-Iran-North Korea – and some say it has already helped Russia reconstitute its forces and capabilities more quickly. How potent is the Russian-Chinese-Iranian-North Korean axis? And do you see their cooperation expanding? KIRBY: We have certainly watched with concern the burgeoning defense relationships between Russia and China and between Russia and North Korea. The way that it’s manifested itself, particularly in Ukraine – Chinese companies now providing components for some Russian systems North Koreans providing artillery shells and ballistic missiles. Obviously, that’s of concern to us. And we have and will continue to take the appropriate action to make sure these countries are held accountable for what they’re doing in terms of supporting the war in Ukraine. VOA: The Taliban claim Afghanistan is a victim of the destructive activities of groups with operations in neighboring countries and in the region. They warn that if the world neglects this, it could face a dangerous outcome. Does the U.S. perceive or sense any potential threat from Afghanistan? KIRBY: First of all, we don’t recognize the Taliban as the governing authority of Afghanistan. They made some commitments when they took over Kabul. They have not met those commitments. If they want legitimacy on the world stage, if they want to be taken seriously, they need to start making good on some of those commitments. They do have internal security issues, particularly an ongoing terrorist threat inside Afghanistan. And that is something that they’re going to have to reconcile with. But the idea of playing victim here after they forcibly took over governance in Afghanistan rings pretty hollow to the international community. VOA: During the NATO summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the approach of Western allies fuel the fire in the war in Ukraine instead of bringing about peace. Any reaction to that? KIRBY: All I can tell you is that everything that President Biden has been doing since the beginning of this illegal aggression by Russia and unprovoked war has been to put Mr. Zelenskyy and Ukrainians in the best position possible, a position of strength, so that if and when they’re ready to negotiate an end to this war, they can do it, knowing they’ve been supported by the United States and the international community. We all want to see this war end. And it’s worth reminding people that the war could end tomorrow if Putin did the right thing and got his troops the hell out of Ukraine. So we make no apologies, none, whatsoever about what we’re trying to do to make sure that Ukraine can find a way to end this war on terms that are acceptable to them.
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