QUESTION: Sir, thank you for this opportunity. Let’s talk of the latest news. The Congress approved your package, aid, for the Syrian rebels. What does that mean on the ground immediately?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, it doesn’t mean anything immediately. That’s a process that’s going to take a matter of months. What it could mean immediately is the knowledge, the morale boost to people that they know that this process is going to take place now more robustly and in the open for people to see. It also means that people know that this is not just – this is not America. This is the community, this is the neighborhood, these are the interests of the nations that are there, and we’re there to help. We’re not there to come back in the way that occurred in Iraq. We don’t want that, and people in the region don’t want that. We know that. But nobody can tolerate the insults to Islam that ISIL represents.
QUESTION: Okay. Sir, you went to Jeddah and had a meeting with most of the major countries there. Did you get ironclad guarantees from the Turks, for instance, that they would really control the borders and stop the flow of the jihadists to Syria? Did you get from the Gulf states, particularly Qatar and Kuwait, guarantees that they will stop the flow of private funds to ISIS and Nusrah?
SECRETARY KERRY: We got significant guarantees of one kind or another from everybody that was there. Different people have different pressures or different concerns at this moment. But absolutely, every one of those issues was on the table. We must shut borders. We cannot have foreign fighters flocking to a country – and most of them are coming because of the way Assad has treated the people of Syria. So they’re coming to fight back and to push back, and unfortunately it’s taken a very dangerous and very ugly turn. But there are guarantees to help on foreign fighters, on financing, on borders – border control, on military, on aid, training, and even on direct military action.
QUESTION: Do you envision a military role for some Gulf states like UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others?
SECRETARY KERRY: They envision – it’s not what we envision, but we welcome the broad support of a lot of countries. This is not the responsibility of one country, one place; this is a global responsibility. This kind of terrorism threatens every country. It threatens women, children, stability, the future. It’s hard to grow the economy in a country in the middle of this kind of turmoil and chaos.
So everybody has an interest in stopping people from committing genocide. Tying hands behind the back, shooting people in the head, cutting off heads, raping women, selling children. No – this is unacceptable by any standard of behavior, and it is important for the entire Islamic world to reclaim the legitimacy of Islam. The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia said that ISIL is enemy number one of Islam. The 21 clerics who represent this order that is permitted to issue fatwa – the only one that can do so legitimately, invoking the Prophet’s name and invoking the Qu’ran, the only one can do that – they have said clearly this is the order of Satan.
So I think that everybody understands this is – what we’re trying to do is provide the capacity for peace and stability to exist, and for inclusivity in the governments. We don’t want to see the sectarian division. We’re trying to see if this is a moment where people could really come together and help to shape the future.
QUESTION: Sir, you spoke with Iran about ISIS. Where does Iran fit in this struggle now?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, ISIS is an enemy of Iran. Iran is threatened by ISIS. And Iran clearly has an interest in not allowing ISIS to continue its current activities. We welcome whatever Iran chooses to do or thinks it can do to deal with ISIS. We’re not in a position right now to coordinate in some way that we know of, but we’re open to a communication. We’re open to understanding how they feel they could be constructive.