Washington: US President Barack Obama will address the nation on Wednesday night to spell out America's policy on ISIS terror group which has gained control over large parts of Iraq and Syria, threatening peace in the entire Middle East region.
"What the President will talk about in the speech is what that next phase entails. Generally speaking, at the core of that next phase is understanding and protecting the core national security interests of the United States and protecting the American people," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
"So there are a couple different ways in which the President will talk about this in ways that are important," Earnest said. "The President is looking forward to giving an address to the nation at 9 pm Eastern time tomorrow," he said in response to a question, adding that Obama will talk about US' continuing efforts to support the Iraqis.
Noting that the Iraqis have formed an inclusive government and united the country, Earnest stressed that there is an important role for the US and the US military to play in supporting the Iraqis as they take the fight to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in their country.
He said the US will continue to work using its diplomatic influence around the globe to build international support for the efforts that are underway by the Iraqis. The strategy, Earnest said, will include supporting the Syrian opposition as they take the fight to ISIS in their country.
"Our efforts will continue as we build and strengthen the international coalition to confront the threat that's posed by ISIS. That means engaging regional governments in this effort. There are senior members of the administration that are travelling to the region this week," he said.
Earnest argued that continuing to engage members of the international community, including allies in NATO, in this effort is directed toward US' core national security interests that include degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS. Justifying Obama's decision to address the nation on Iraq, Earnest said the President believes it is important for the American people to understand what progress we have made so far and the progress that the US has made so far is important and substantial.
"The President also believes it's important to communicate with the American public about a key turning point, and the formation of an inclusive Iraqi government is a key turning point," Earnest said. "And the President wants to make sure that he's clear with the American public and with members of Congress about what our strategy is going to be moving forward," he said.
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