Then walter jones and John Garramendi will talk about the bill to withdraw u. S. Troops from afghanistan. Watch cspans washington journal live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern tuesday morning. Join the discussion. Now secretary of state Rex Tillerson hosts a Foreign Ministers from 68 Different Countries to discuss global efforts in combatting isis. Both secretary tillerson and the iraqi Prime Minister addressed the group. This is about 45 minutes. Good morning, and thank you all for traveling to washington, d. C. , to participate in this counter isis daesh ministerial conference. It is encouraging to see the attendance when the forces of isis and daesh tune into their tvs and their computer monitors they will see the strength of a combined 68 nations and organizations. Together, we share a resolve to deal isis or daesh a lasting defeat. Our coalition is united in stopping an isis resurgence, halting its global ambitions and discrediting its ideological narrative and were ready to grow stronger and stay aggressive in this battle. President trump in his recent address to his joint session of congress made clear that it is the policy of the United States to demolish and destroy this barbaric terrorist organization and that is what we are going to do. Many of us here today represent countries who know isis carnage first hand. In fact, today marks one year since 32 innocent people were killed and 300 wounded in attacks in brussels. The belgian foreign minister is home commemorating this day for his country but we are grateful for to have the ambassador from our ally belgium joining us today. In the same month as the attack in brussels, a child was killed and 600 iraqis were injured in an isis chemical weapons attack in gaza just south of kirkuk. Isis has carried out horrific attacks in the streets of paris and istanbul each planned from its headquarters in raqqah. The United States has also experienced attacks inspired by isil on social media, a phenomenon which we are working to combat together which will be a point of discussion today. As we commemorate and mourn for the victims of isis hatred, let us also honor them with unwavering dedication to victory. The great commonality among we who have gathered today is a commitment to bringing down a global force of evil, and i emphasize the word commitment. The success of our mission depends on the effort to defeat this terrorist organization. In the run up to this meeting we have 2 billion in humanitarian, stabilization and demining needs for liberated areas in iraq and syria for 2017. I am pleased to announced that we have surpassed that total in dollar pledges. Lets fulfill our pledges so we can quickly disperse the funds we need to carry out operations for the rest of the year. Reflecting on the past year or so, we should be encouraged by the significant progress we as a coalition are making. In addition to the latest meaningful financial contributions, the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into syria and iraq is down 90 over the past year. It is harder for terrorists to get in and more importantly, harder for them to get out to threaten our homelands. Turkey has pushed isis off the turkeysyria border through operation euphrates shield. This entire border is now inaccessible to isis and we will ensure that it stays that way. Near all of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadis deputies are now dead including the mastermind behind the attacks in brussels, paris and elsewhere. It is only a matter of time before baghdadi himself meets this same fate. The Libyan Government of National Accord aligned fighters from misrata routed isis from outside of iraq and syria. We are pleased to have representatives of the Libyan Government here with us today. In iraq and syria, our partners on the ground have liberated 50,000 square kilometers of territory from isis freeing nearly 2. 5 Million People in cities, villages and towns. Most importantly, the liberation of all of this territory has held. Isis has recovered none of it. 17 Coalition Members are producing content in five languages to counteract isis propaganda and its attack on its online presence. These efforts have yielded a 75 reduction of isis content on the internet in one year and the takedown of 475,000 isislinked twitter accounts. In iraq, more than 1. 5 million iraqis have returned to their homes in areas that had been under control of isis. The displacement flow outward has been reversed and this is a trend we must ensure continues. In neighboring countries closest to the conflict like jordan, turkey and lebanon have undertaken a widespread humanitarian response to the regional refugee crisis including the acceptance of millions of refugees, many of whom they are working to reintegrate into normal life and their own nations. We especially should recognize the republic of iraq. Prime minister abadi who is with me on stage has shown commitment and courage often visiting the front lines to encourage his troops and ensure that people are being cared for after the battles. His desire for stability and Inclusive Governance drives his vision for the future of iraq. The ongoing iraqiled retaking of mosul is pushing isis out of a key stronghold and liberating more than a million civilians. Iraqi forces, many trained by our coalition are performing heroically and placing protection of civilians at the forefront of their military plan. This Mosul Campaign could not have succeeded without the cooperation between the Iraqi Security forces and the kurdish peshmerga. I am pleased to see a representative from Kurdistan Regional government with Prime Minister abadi. It is this close cooperation between the iraqi people and their leaders that hastens isis ultimate defeat and ensures it can never return to iraq. Hardfought victories in iraq and syria have swung the momentum in our coalitions favor, but we must increase the intensity of our efforts and solidify our gains in the next phase of the counter isis fight. Degradation of isis is not the end goal. We must defeat isis. I recognize there are many pressing challenges in the middle east, but defeating isis is the United States number one goal in the region. As we said before, when everything is a priority nothing is a priority. We must continue to keep our focus on the most urgent matter at hand. At this moment we are still in a phase characterized by Major Military operations, the expansion of isis has necessitated a largescale military response and our offensive measures are reclaiming areas in iraq and syria in which isis has had a large and destructive footprint. Our end goal in this phase is the regional elimination of isis through military force. The military power of the coalition will remain where this fraudulent caliphate has existed in order to set the conditions for a full recovery from the tyranny of isis. Under president trumps leadership and with the strength of this historic coalition, our common enemy will remain under intense pressure. Soon, our efforts in iraq and syria will enter a new phase defined by transition from Major Military operations to stabilization. In this transition to the stabilization phase, our coalition will continue to clear landmines and return water and electricity, the basic elements that permit people to return to their homes. We will pursue regional Diplomatic Solutions for the underlying political and sectarian disputes that helped isis to flourish. The coalition and future partners will continue to provide assistance to affected communities as necessary. We appreciate the work of the u. N. Managed funding facility for immediate stabilization which has helped iraq return home over half a million displaced persons in Anbar Province alone. Continuing coalition of sport for Police Training will be essential as will be Coalition Support for demining and clearing hazardous materials. We will continue to facilitate the return of people to their homes and work with local political leadership. They will provide stable and fair governance, rebuild infrastructure and provide the essential services. We will use our diplomatic presence on the ground to facilitate channels of dialogue between local leadership and coalition partners. These initiatives are working well in iraq and we are working to taylor a similar approach specific to the challenges in syria. While a more defined course of action in syria is still coming together, i can say the United States will increase our pressure on isis and al qaeda and well work to establish interim zones of stability through ceasefires to allow refugees to go home. As a coalition, we are not in the business of nation building or reconstruction we must ensure that our respective nations precious and limited resources are preventing the resurgence of isis and equipping the wartorn communities to take the lead and rebuilding their institutions and returning to stability. A successful stabilization period will improve daily life for millions of people. Today, in east mosul, stabilization projects are clearing rubble, clearing land mines, restoring Water Services and electricity and nearly 30,000 boys and girls are now back in school. These efforts are being led by iraqis locally in cooperation with the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister abadi. A successful stabilization phase will set the stage for a successful normalization phase. In the normalization phase, local leaders and local governments will take on the process of restoring their communities in the wake of isis with our support. The development of a rejuvenated Civil Society in these places will lead to a disenfranchisement of isis and the emergence of stability and peace where there was once chaos and suffering. But none of this will happen automatically. We all need to support this effort. To date, in iraq and syria, the United States provides 75 of the military resources supporting our local partners in their fight against isis for humanitarian and Stabilization Support the ratio is reversed. With the United States providing 25 and the rest of the coalition providing 75 , the United States will do its part, but the circumstances on the ground require more from all of you. I ask each country to examine how it can best support these vital stabilization efforts especially in regard to contribution to military and financial resources. As we stabilize areas encompassing isis physical caliphates in iraq and syria, we also must prevent their seeds of hatred from taking root elsewhere. Loss of territory in iraq and syria has forced isis to extend its current branches and build new bases of operation in countries around the world. Already we are seeing isislinked cells from the pacific rim to central asia to south america. Just this month dozens of people were killed and wounded when members of isis disguised as doctors attacked a hospital in kabul, afghanistan. We know military strength will stop isis on the battlefield, but it is the combined strength of our coalition that will be the final blow to isis. In order to stay ahead of a global outbreak we must all adopt the following countermeasures. First, continue to persist within county counterterrorism and Law Enforcement operations. All of us must maintain pressure on isis networks within our own countries and take decisive Law Enforcement action to stop its growth. Isis is connected across every continent and we must work to break every link in its chain. Interpol is the newest member of our coalition and is critical to closing all routes through which isis terrorists seek to travel and threaten our homelands. Second, we need greater intelligence and information sharing within our own Domestic Intelligence agencies and among our nations. Our information sharing as a coalition has prevented a number of attacks and this must expand and accelerate regardless of departmental or international rivalries. One example of this is west african nations who have put aside National Differences to combat boko haram. Let us build on this good example. We also must look this enemys ideology in the eyes for what it is, a warped interpretation of islam that threatens all of our people. As his majesty King Abdullah ii of jordan has recently said, and i quote, everything they are, everything they do is a blatant violation of my faith, end quote. Isis fighters are not all from poor or impoverished communities. Many come from middle class or even upperclass background drawn to a radical and false utopian vision that purports to be based on the quran. Muslim partners and leaders of their faith must combat this perverse ideological message and we are grateful that so many have and are ready to take up this responsibility. Lastly, in tandem with our aggressive pushback on the ground in multiple countries, we must break isis ability to spread its message and recruit new followers online. A digital caliphate must not flourish in the place of a physical one. As we have seen in attacks in nice, berlin, san bernardino, the internet is isis best weapon for turning a recruit into a selfradicalized attacker. As traveling to iraq and syria as a fighter has become more difficult, isis new call has become, and i quote, stay where you are, wage war in daeshs name wherever you live. Isis handlers around the world spend their days at keyboard communicating with a wouldbe terrorist methodically feeding a recrews desire to carry out attacks in their own countries. We are making progress, but we need to do more to attack this threat. Our coalitions 24 7 counter messaging hubs in the uae, and uk and malaysia are having an impact and these types of efforts should be replicated and expanded elsewhere. Counter messaging efforts should continue both in the online arena and on the ground in countries where religious lead verse opportunities to speak out against radicalization. Our muslim partners, particularly saudi arabia and egypt have important roles to play in combatting the message of isis and other radical islamic terrorist groups. We all should deepen cooperation with the Tech Industry to prevent encrypted technologies to serve as a tool that enable extremist organization. We need the global Tech Industry to develop new advancements in the fight and we thank those companies which are already responding to this challenge. We must capitalize on the extraordinary advancements in Data Analytics and algorithmic technologies to build tools to discover isiss propaganda and identify imminent attacks. Researchers in the United States are already developing tools for sweeping the dark corners of the internet for isis material, but they need help to get to their destination even faster. Later on we will hear at lunch from ali jabbar who will speak in great detail on how to achieve victory in this arena, but let me be clear, we must fight isis online as aggressively as we would on the ground. In closing, isis presents an ongoing challenge to our collective security. But as we have seen, it is not more powerful than we are when we stand together. We must thwart isis as it tries to maintain a presence on the ground and in cyberspace. We must enhance cooperation and border security, aviation security, Law Enforcement, financial sanctions, counter messaging and intelligence sharing. And we must keep making the investment in liberated areas in iraq and syria to help innocent people rebuild and stabilize their communities. Right now this means continuing to clear explosives, restore water and power and deliver humanitarian and resettlement assistance and for its partnerships when reject extremism. Our time today is an opportunity for the open and Honest Exchange of information and encouragement, as allies dedicated to defeating a common enemy we should strive to understand and respect each others perspectives and achieve our mission. Most of all, now is the time to strengthen our shared commitment to security and invest in a fight in which we all have a stake. Thank you very much. [ applause ] as i mentioned in my remarks our next speaker is a leader who has been a courageous ally in this fight. His army has shown bravery and persistence against a fierce enemy, and we admire his people who though they have suffered were resolute in their commitment to throw off tyranny. Please join me in welcoming Prime Minister abadi of iraq. [ applause ] translator in the name of god most compassionate and most merciful, secretary tillerson, your excellencies, heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen, peace of god be upon you. Since our previous meeting for the Global Coalition in this coalition against daesh, we have achieved many great victories. We were able to achieve all these victories by cooperating together and the brave fighting of the iraqis on the ground, fighting that went from the south of baghdad to its western part and today were fighting with bravery in mosul. Before coming to this meeting in washington i was in mosul and visited the front lines and found the arab fighting side by side with the kurd and the christian with the muslim and with the yazidi and the turks. All of them believe steadfastly in the unity of iraq and the common determination and destiny for all against an enemy that wanted to break us apart and kill the min