00:00Thanks.
00:01Can I go back to South Africa, the ambassador?
00:03Sure.
00:04The Secretary, of course, had his tweet – had his ex posted on Friday.
00:07Could you explain a little bit the reasons?
00:09It's quite an extraordinary step.
00:10I was looking back.
00:11I mean, if I'm not mistaken, even in the height of tensions with Russia, there was
00:14no expulsion of the ambassador and no PNG there.
00:18What is it?
00:19I mean, essentially, this is remarks that the ambassador made at a think tank or at
00:22a conference that were critical.
00:23That's correct.
00:24What I'm getting at is should other ambassadors be on alert?
00:28Can they not criticize President Trump without fear of being expelled?
00:32Well, I think it's not about criticism.
00:36This was the equation of the president and the country with white supremacy.
00:43It was an allegation that casts such an awful light on the nature of the country, on individuals.
00:51It is – I mean, if we don't have a standard about the nature of someone who is in this
00:56country who is supposed to be a diplomat to help facilitate the relationship between
01:01two countries, and that this is the standard of it, we deserve better.
01:07We want – we've had a decent level of diplomacy with South Africa.
01:14There are some challenges.
01:15But you want people in each embassy who can actually facilitate a relationship.
01:21And these remarks were unacceptable to the United States, not just to the president,
01:26but to every American.
01:27It was – they were pretty much obscene when it came to the nature of what was alleged.
01:33And so that is, I think, at the very least what we should expect, is a standard of some
01:41respect, basic, low-level respect, if you're in a position that is going to help facilitate
01:48any kind of diplomatic relationship with another country.
01:54This particular individual certainly didn't meet that standard, and it is a message to
02:00people of what America expects, what the president expects, what the Secretary of State expects,
02:05what this whole administration expects when it comes to treatment of the nation itself
02:09and as a result of the people in this country.
02:12And so that's why it was done.
02:13QUESTION.
02:14Sure.
02:15Can I just expand on that?
02:16South Africa today said that it wants to have a better relationship with the United States.
02:20Are you open to that?
02:21I mean, there's been other – the Secretary of State aware from the G20.
02:24What are you of the view that South Africa can report the relationship despite the criticism
02:27that's come from this building already?
02:29Well, they – I think the – both the president and the Secretary of State have made it clear
02:34what the problems are and what they have an issue with when it comes to South Africa.
02:40The unjust land expropriation law, as well as its growing relationship with countries
02:46like Russia and Iran, it is a prompted – that's what prompted the serious review of our South
02:52Africa policy, which continues to be underway.
02:55They have taken also the South African Government aggressive positions toward the United States
03:00and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International
03:06Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relationship with Iran to develop commercial, military,
03:11and nuclear arrangements.
03:12So this isn't one just of demeanor or decorum, however they add into it.
03:18This is a matter of a nation that is – we've, again, made it very clear – taking steps
03:23that are not in the interest – the best interest of providing a safe, secure, more
03:30prosperous America, let alone world, when it comes to the decisions they're making.
03:34So all of this is under review, and – but obviously, part of it is, within the diplomacy
03:40of it, is to encourage a change in policy and posture.
03:45Of course that would be the point.
03:46The point is to encourage a change.
03:50What I've seen with the trips with – we've made with the diplomatic adventures, of course,
03:56as well as the G7 Summit in Canada, is the nature of the Secretary of State is to make
04:03things better for people.
04:05It is not to punish or to target people or countries.
04:11It's a nature of changing policy and creating better environments for all of us.
04:16And I've seen that in motion in every dynamic, and that's the case here with South Africa as well.
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