United States: ICRC president completes Washington visit

Geneva/Washington D.C. (ICRC) – The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, has just completed a two-day official visit to Washington.

During his visit, Mr Maurer met with National Security Advisor Susan Rice; Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan; Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work; Acting Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates; Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken; and Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne Richard.

Mr Maurer's discussions with US officials covered a broad range of subjects, including the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the unfolding crisis in Yemen and the ICRC's ongoing humanitarian concerns Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, South Sudan and Nigeria. The humanitarian consequences linked to migration in the Western Hemisphere were also raised.

"It's important for me to regularly engage with the US government on legal and policy matters, such as the extraterritorial use of force and detainee transfers out of Guantanamo," said Mr Maurer. "The ICRC continues to maintain a constructive dialogue with the US on such issues."

In addition, Mr Maurer met with the leadership of the American Red Cross and the President of the United States Institute of Peace, Nancy Lindborg.

For further information, please contact:
Anna Nelson, ICRC Washington, tel: +1 202 361 1566 @ICRC_DC
Alexis Heeb, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 218 76 10 @AHeebICRC