It is regrettable that some are politicizing such suffering to achieve certain goals that have nothing to do with humanitarian principles or the interests of syrians themselves. Some countries continue to shed crocodile tears over the situation of syrians in some areas, accusing the Syrian Government of employing a policy of sieges and starvation. All the while, these same countries continue to support an arm the terrorists that siege beseech civilians inside and use them as human shields and prevent the delivery of humanitarian eight or aid or confiscate it. Ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake. No one is more committed than the Syrian Government to ending the suffering of syrians and providing them with a life of dignity wherever they may be and without exception. This is a duty and not a favor. We will spare no effort to that end, including in cooperation with the United Nations. Despite all the difficulties we are facing as a result of the systematic destruction by externally supported terrorist organizations. Unilateral the coercive economic and Financial Measures imposed on the Syrian People by the same parties that falsely claim to have the interests of syrians in mind. Measures havel adversely affected many vital sectors in the country, including health, education, and energy. Mr. President , ladies and is confrontinga mercenary terrorists on its territory today. But it has long confronted a different kind of terrorism. The terrorism of israel. That has occupied a precious part of our land and the syrian golan since june of 19 city 1967. 1960s seven our people continue to suffer as a result of israels aggressive practices. These practices are no longer confined to the occupied gola n and are currently affecting the security and life of syrians in the southern of a country. Israel is intervening militarily and directly to assist in every way possible a terrorist organizations operating in that area. Syria calls on the International Community to put an effective to all these practices and compel israel to implement relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly revolution 497 on the occupied syrian golan. The United Nations should also compel israel to allow the Palestinian People to enjoy their inalienable rights, including the establishment of their independent state with jerusalem as its capital and return of palestine refugees to their land in accordance with internationally recognized resolutions. Syria reaffirms that israels aggressive policies do not only threaten syria but the whole region, especially given israels nuclear arsenal. We have stressed time and again the need to compel israel to join the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear onpons and other treaties weapons of mass destruction. And to subject its Nuclear Installations to the oversight of the International Atomic energy agency. Stresses the right of state to use Nuclear Technology for peaceful purposes. We have always called for creating a wmdfree zone in the middle east. Efficiently and responsibly eliminated all chemical weapons in syria in cooperation with the joint sommission of the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons and the United Nations. In this regard, syria reiterates that it will continue cooperation with the joint mechanism as well as to continue the syrian relevant investigations in this regard. Mr. President , we congratulate cuba and iran on reaching agreements to lift the embargo imposed on them and we look forward to their implementation. We renew our call for removing the illegal economic measures imposed on the Syrian People and on other independent people in the world. Notably, the people of the d prk, venezuela, and belarus. In closing, we wish you and your people lasting security and prosperity. We hope our organization will be able to regain the trust of the people by holding or upholding the provisions of the charter which calls for respecting the sovereignty and independence of Member States and ensuring noninterference in their internal affairs. This principle, if implement it, would lay the foundation for genuine and fair relations among nations after the greed and arrogance of some have shaken them to their core. Thank you. [applause] i thank the deputy Prime Minister and minister for Foreign Affairs for his statement. Mondayo cspan. Org evening for the president ial debates. Watch live streams of the debate and video on every question to the candidates and their answers. Use our tool to create video clips of your favorite debate moments to share on social media. Not able to watch . Listen to the debate live on the cspan radio app, free to download from the app store or google play. Live coverage on cspan. Org and the cspan radio app. Next, c. I. A. Director john brennan talks about priorities for the Intelligence Community. This is part of a conference hosted by George Washington university. It also included a discussion with foreign intelligence officials who talk about the challenges russia and china pose. My name is john brennan. Thank you for being here and supporting this important endeavor. I want to first thank president forhen that, b. J. Penn, their outstanding hospitality. Thank you to all of the staff and support here at gw university. George washington is a true center of excellence, particularly in the realm of National Security and cyber studies. I am thrilled to have some individuals with ties to gw involved in todays proceedings. Im confident it will be a fascinating day of panel in debate. Having gw serve as our setting made a lot of sense for several reasons. For starters, it is nice to return to ones roots. Myself asalking about much as i would have enjoyed being an alum. Instead, im talking about the organization i have had the honor of leading for 3. 5 years, the Central Intelligence agency. We are currently sitting a few blocks from the former headquarters of the office of strategic services, c. I. A. s predecessor during world war ii. It was later c. I. A. Headquarters until 19 safety one. In fact 1960s one 1961. We have a sign in our museum that proves that point. Originally, the only marker read government renting office. A number of president s had difficulty finding headquarters. A president place a call and a more accurate sign went up. I can tell you firsthand you do not want to be on the receiving end of an annoyed phone call from a president. Welcome to the conference. It has only been two short years since we held our first conference. I believe we have established a lasting tradition. Looking at the agenda, i am excited about the topics and what our panelists will bring to the dais. Today, we will delve into great power rivalries, discuss the destructive potential of the the rolege, highlight of intelligence in addressing humanitarian disasters, and debate the right balance between secrecy and public accountability. You can see we kept our focus for this conference quite narrow. I cannotriousness, think of another setting were such a wide range of deeply significant issues could be so coherent. Each Panel Addresses and of what c. I. A. Nt and the Intelligence Community have to deal with day in and day out. Is regional and functional. It is tactical and strategic. Todays agenda puts the Global Nature of c. I. A. s and the Intelligence Communitys mission on display. The conferences first panel is proof that although our responsibles have evolved over time, some elements of our Mission Never change. The topic is great power rivalries and their future. The potential for conflict involving the most powerful countries of the world has always been a focus of c. I. A. Looking back at the president s daily briefs recently released to the public, these issues were at the forefront of our operational and analytic minds. They remain so for the duration of the cold war and are still a priority today. With the surge of activity by , many in our country shifted their attention to threats from nonstate actors. But all the while, strong nations such as china and nation did not dampen their global ambitions. We still see evidence of that today as their efforts to project power beyond their borders are provoking tension in the South China Sea and in Eastern Europe. Todays panel promises to pose tough questions. Have we directed to much of our attention away from the weighty issues of great power politics . Where are the flashpoints that could turn local conflicts into something much more serious . What can intelligence officials and organizations do to better understand these rivalries and best equipped our policymakers to address them . Is no lesspanel provocative. It is entitled Disruptive Technologies and digital dilemmas. It will examine how the rapid emergence of Innovative Technology is a doubleedged sword. The u. S. Government and the Intelligence Community are at the forefront of our nations efforts to meet this challenge. C. I. A. And the Intelligence Community have been slow at times to embrace aspects of the digital revolution. Concerns about security serve to caution and restraint our instant is yes and our enthusiasm. Most recently, c. I. A. And the Intelligence Community are catching up and even shapeiing this moment. I would have loved the opportunity to stretch my creative muscles as a science and Technology Officer at c. I. A. I find these fields to be endlessly fascinating and i know our panelists will provide us with incisive discussion of the latest trends. They will be addressing crusoe questions crucial questions such as how best to harness and leverage these new technologies in a manner that allows us to optimize our nations security as well as our Civil Liberties and privacy. What should we be keeping an eye out for just over the horizon . What is the governments role in all of this . Todays third panel, which i have the honor of moderating, is a special one. I will be joined by three of my colleagues, all current serving intelligence chiefs will, as we oflicly discuss the role intelligence, liaison partnerships, and more in a complex and pressing world. Espionage dominates the Public Discourse about the intelligence realm. What is missing is an understanding of how important liaison relationships are two c. I. A. s mission. Despite the size of the community, there are things we cannot do easily and places we cannot go without risks and publications which is why we rely heavily on liaison relationships. From our closest alliances that have been with us throughout our 69year history to the more recent Global Network of partners in the fight against al relationships, around the world are a force multiplier. I do not see how c. I. A. Could fully carry out our responsibilities without those foreign intelligence relationships. It supplies not only operational matters but also to a host of other activities. Im sure my colleagues from the united kingdom, australia, and afghanistan agree. I look forward to hearing what they have to say. I know they will provide unique insights that we at langley always eagerly await and from which we will always benefit. Our fourth panel will focus on the topic the generally does not the public generally does not associate with intelligence organizations. That is assessing the potential toll of humanitarian disasters. This discussion will shed light on aspect of intelligence work that really receives the recognition it rightly deserves. Instability is a defining feature of the International Landscape today. It foments some of the greatest challenges we face, specifically the syria that once was a refugee safe haven is a serious source of massive population displacement. It is a country that has lost at least 35 years worth of development in terms of income, education, and health. More than 13 million syrians need some form of human terry and assistance humanitarian assistance. You may not think this quite an similar ones consumed much of my time sca director. Before, have stressed the Intelligence Communitys mission is global in scale and scope. We have offices devoted to covering these issues as well as the hurdles that lie ahead as our government tries to mitigate the effects of such vast destruction and displacement. For example, c. I. A. Treats its role on the atrocities prevention board with the utmost gravity as our offices collect, assess, and share intelligence related to threats of genocide. We at c. I. A. And the Intelligence Community are honored to contribute to this crucial mission and our governments many other humanitarian efforts. As our panelists will tell you, they are critical to our National Security interests. Finally, our last panel, will look at the often provocative and always essential issues of intelligence oversight, public accountability, and openness. I know there are people who wish we could return to an era when n. S. A. Stood for no such orncyf or the existence secret and unacknowledged. That is no longer a feasible is an for democracies reasonable one. The American People have the right to know the types of activities the federal government performs on their behalf. Trust isas shown blind a false currency. C. I. A. And the rest of the Intelligence Community have to maintain the requisite level of Public Confidence in order to do our jobs effectively. We have seen the consequences when that faith is lost. This does not mean opening our doors wide without regard for repercussions. Secrecy is a necessary element of what we seek to do. But not secrecy for secrecys sake. Secrecy for the sake of security and safety. In our profession, concepts such as need to know are critical. Asy are essential because, we have seen, when they are discarded or ignored, people have lost their lives and our National Security is harmed. The topic of intelligence activity and the public trust is a complicated one where different people will have reasonable disagreements. As you can see from the panels makeup, we are not shying away from those differences of opinion. I am positive the results will be enlightening. There is a need for public debate about the serious issues facing our great nation and the world we live in. Deeply complex and emotional issues such as cyber and surveillance. These are difficult topics where differences are to be expected. While there are legitimate disagreements to be had about the nature of government involvement in the cyber realm, what i do know with certainty is there is a role for government to play. The threats and adversaries we face are far too dangerous for the government to simply stand back and admire the problem. C. I. A. And the Intelligence Community have a vital place in this debate and the larger one about the role of intelligence in our democracy. We cannot return to the passive posture of years ago. We cannot cloak ourselves in secrecy and simply hope for the best. We have an obligation to earn the sacred trust of the American People have placed in us. Otherwise without such debate, misperceptions rather than the reality of the intelligence upfession and up end driving discourse. Thank you for joining us. Your participation and perspectives are the reasons why we put this conference together. At c. I. A. , weve tried to instill a sense that our employees should be Intelligence Officers first. Excelling at their individual craft but always knowing how the t within skill sets nes the larger goals of the agency and our National Security establishment. After today, i hope we all have a better sense of where c. I. A. And the rest of the Intelligence Community fits within our own National Security apparatus and how we can strengthen our performance Going Forward. From my perspective, professional intelligence has never been more important to the security and defense of the United States than it is today. From what i can tell after 36 years in this profession, the success of our intelligence practice ultimately comes down to the women and men who join our ranks and selflessly serve their fellow citizens. Intelligence officers with integrity and courage, devoted teammates who know they are stewards of this profession, are what we and they are all about. I certainly hope many of the students here today will think about c. I. A. And the Intelligence Community as a future place for them to pursue their professional ambitions. Those selfless qualities are at the core of what c. I. A. Is all about. They are the defining characteristics of the ss of intelligence ethos of intelligence we strive to uphold a in and day out. It is my pleasure to introduce b. J. Penn, former assistant secretary of the navy, trustee of George Washington university, and the individual w