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Archive for September, 2012

Hillary Clinton at the U.N. Security Council Session On Peace And Security in the Middle East

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, Security Council, state department, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012| 6 Comments »

As acting head-of-state at UNGA today, Hillary Clinton delivered remarks to the Security Council at a session on the Middle East peace and security.

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Remarks at the United Nations Security Council Session On Peace And Security in the Middle East

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

United Nations

New York City

September 26, 2012

Thank you very much, Minister Westerwelle, for calling us together at this critical moment to discuss peace and security in the Middle East on the heels of two tumultuous weeks during which violent protests rocked countries across the region. And although anger was directed against my country, the protests exposed deep rifts within new democracies and volatility that extremists were quick to instigate and exploit.

As President Obama made clear yesterday in his address to the General Assembly, the United States rejects the false choice between democracy and stability. Democracies make the strongest, most capable partners. And we know that it takes a lot of hard work and oftentimes struggle.

But the fact of new, emerging democracies here in the 21st century should be a cause for great satisfaction and hope. But these emerging democracies need champions, not fair-weather friends. And during this past week, as I met with leaders from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen, I expressed to each of them America’s unwavering support for their country’s continued journey along the democratic path.

But making good on the promise of these transitions will take many hands working on many fronts. And of course, there are political and economic dimensions to the work that must be done, but today I’d like to focus on the security concerns, because that has to be the starting line on the road to true democracy.

Of course, the Arab revolutions come from within, and the greatest responsibility for their success or failure lies with the people living them each day. But the nations gathered in this room also have a powerful stake in seeing that these democracies succeed, and it is our shared responsibility to help countries in transition find the right path forward.

International support is critical. Consider what happened when the Arab League and the Security Council came together to protect civilians in Libya. That show of solidarity helped produce a strong Security Council resolution that saved Benghazi from destruction at the hands of a tyrant. And thanks to the support of this broad coalition, the people of Libya now have the chance to write their own future.

We saw earlier this year, Libyans turning out in droves to cast their ballots – most for the first time in their lives. Then last Friday, we saw thousands of Libyans pour into the streets to condemn the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. They made it clear that those who would promote violence and division do not speak for the new Libya, and that armed bands who would sever Libya’s ties with the world are not welcome. And the new Government of Libya is working closely with us to find the murderers and bring them to justice.

Now each country in transition has its own security challenges, and therefore each need our support in different ways. In Tunisia, where the Arab Awakening began, extremists seek to hijack its progress. But Tunisians are working steadily to dismantle a long legacy of dictatorship and lay the foundation for sustainable democracy.

The riots underscored the challenges of building security forces focused on protecting people, not regimes. These nations are not the first to struggle with the challenge of policing a new democracy. And the international community has stumbled in the past, failing to offer needed support or offering the wrong kind of support.

So we should heed the lessons we have learned from our success and our failure, including this most basic understanding: Training, funding, and equipment will only go so far. It takes the political will to make hard choices and tough changes that will build strong institutions and lasting security. So I’m pleased Tunisia has agreed to host a new international training center that will help security and criminal justice officials pursue policies grounded in the rule of law and human rights.

Now Egyptians chose their leadership for the first time in history, and we are committed to helping that transition succeed. The Egyptian people, proud of the freedoms they have claimed, must decide what kind of a country they want to build. And the choices of the largest Arab nation will echo far beyond its borders. And like all nations, Egypt knows it too has responsibilities not only to its own citizens but to its neighbors and the international community, responsibilities to honor international commitments, to share power broadly, to keep faith with all the Egyptian people, men and women, Muslim and Christian. And we want to help Egypt and all new democracies live up to these vital responsibilities.

In Yemen, we are working through the GCC-led transition process, but providing basic security for the Yemeni people is a great challenge that is heightened by Yemen’s unique needs. Yemen has a fast-growing population of young people and not enough jobs – a familiar story not only through the region but the world. But in addition, Yemen is facing the depletion of their oil and water supplies. And al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula remains a serious threat. The urgency of these threats must be matched by the urgency of our response. In the Friends of Yemen meeting later this week, countries are coming together to address Yemen’s challenges, both in the immediate and the long term.

Unfortunately, in Syria, Bashar al-Assad clings to power, and his campaign of brutality has sparked a humanitarian crisis. The United States has committed more than $100 million to help the Syrian people. And we continue to insist that the violence must end and a political transition without Assad must move forward.

The Arab League suspended Syria from its activities and has strongly condemned the Assad regime’s brutal violence against its own people. And the Arab League created a plan for peaceful political transition that was endorsed by an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly resolution that launched Arab League-UN mediation efforts, led first by Kofi Annan and now by Lakhdar Brahimi.

Yet the atrocities mount while the Security Council remains paralyzed. And I would urge that we try, once again, to find a path forward that can bring the Security Council together on the urgent business of both ending the violence in Syria and preventing the consequences that all of us around this table fear.

And although this forum was not primarily intended to discuss the peace process, I certainly would like to reiterate the President’s message from yesterday. The future of Israel and Palestine must belong to those who embrace the hard work of peace – not those who thrive on conflict or reject the right of Israel to exist. And the United States stands ready and prepared to work toward a just agreement to finally accomplish our clear goal – a secure, Jewish state of Israel, an independent, secure, prosperous Palestine, fulfilling the aspirations of the Palestinian people.

No discussion of the Middle East would be complete without a mention of Iran and the profound threat its activities pose to the region and beyond. Despite numerous demands by this Council, Iran still has not taken the necessary steps to cooperate fully with the IAEA and to resolve doubts about its nuclear program. In addition, Iran continues to sponsor terrorist groups and smuggle weapons for the Assad regime’s use against the Syrian people. Meanwhile, the Iranian people themselves suffer gross violation of their rights at the hand of their own government.

Serious challenges like these call for leadership and partnership. Yesterday, I was privileged to sign an agreement with the Arab League through its Secretary General and I was delighted that Secretary General Elaraby and I could build on the unprecedented cooperation of the last two years. We support Germany’s call to make Security Council-Arab League cooperation more systematic and sustainable. The United States is also one of 28 countries and international organizations working through the Deauville Partnership to support democratic transitions in the Middle East and North Africa.

When violence came to our doorstep at embassies around the globe, this body joined the Arab League, the OIC, the AU, and the EU to give voice to the world’s condemnation of the attacks and call for restraint. You stood with us, and now we must stand together in support of the common aspirations of the people, of all people, for security and safety for our families, the freedom to live lives according to our own conscience, the dignity that comes only through self-determination. And as President Obama said yesterday, the United States will never shrink from defending these values. And we will not walk away from these new democracies.

We are not alone in this commitment. This is the work of all responsible nations. And we look forward to working closely with anyone who speaks out on behalf of our shared values. Thank you.

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Video: Hillary Clinton at a UN Secretary General Meeting on the Sahel

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012| 5 Comments »

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Remarks at a UN Secretary General Meeting on the Sahel

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United Nations
New York City
September 26, 2012

 

Secretary General, thank you for calling this meeting and co-chairing it along with so many distinguished heads of state and government and ministers and excellencies. And let me recognize the leadership of President Hollande. I think we all respond to President Hollande’s sense of urgency and passion, and therefore, it is imperative that we leave this special high-level meeting resolved to immediately get to work. And it is the work that should begin in the Security Council to consider the various proposals by ECOWAS, France, and others because the chaos and violence in Mali does threaten to undermine the stability of the entire region. We all know too well what is happening in Mali, and the incredible danger posed by violent extremists imposing their brutal ideology, committing human rights abuses, destroying irreplaceable cultural heritage.

But it’s not only the violent extremists. We now have drug traffickers and arms smugglers finding safe havens and porous borders, providing them a launching pad to extend their reach throughout not only the region, but beyond. And nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and 4.5 million more are suffering from dwindling food supplies. This is not only a humanitarian crisis; it is a powder keg that the international community cannot afford to ignore.

The United States supports the appointment of a senior UN envoy empowered to lead a comprehensive international effort on Mali and the creation of a diplomatic core group. This effort must include coordinating the delivery of emergency aid, helping address longstanding political grievances of ethnic groups in the north, and preparing for credible elections. We need to bring together all of the nations affected, and I appreciated President Yayi’s very strong statement about what is at stake for the countries of the region, and also his speaking on behalf of the African Union. The African Union must be at the table, ECOWAS must be at the table, because these are complex and interconnected security, political, and humanitarian challenges.

The United States has already provided more than $378 million to meet the escalating humanitarian needs in the Sahel, and we call on all parties to ensure unhindered access so that emergency aid meets those who need it most. We encourage fellow donors to increase their pledges and follow through quickly and fully. The need is urgent and growing.

It is also critical for all the actors in the region to redouble their efforts to develop a sound approach to tackling what is happening coming over their borders. We have to train the security forces in Mali, help them dislodge the extremists, protect human rights, and defend borders. We have seen the success of African-led efforts to do just that in Somalia and in Cote d’Ivoire and elsewhere. We need to now get about the business of examining seriously proposals to do the same. Because in the end, only a democratically elected government will have the legitimacy to achieve a negotiated political settlement in Northern Mali, end the rebellion, and restore the rule of law. So it is imperative that the interim government meet the April deadline for holding elections that are fair, transparent, and free of influence by the military junta. And all parties must do more to protect human rights and punish abuses.

But let us be clear. What is happening inside Mali is augmented by the rising threat from violent extremism across the region. For some time, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and other groups have launched attacks and kidnappings from northern Mali into neighboring countries. Now, with a larger safe haven and increased freedom to maneuver, terrorists are seeking to extend their reach and their networks in multiple directions. And they are working with other violent extremists to undermine the democratic transitions underway in North Africa, as we tragically saw in Benghazi.

This is a threat to the entire region and to the world, and most particularly, to the people in the region themselves who deserve better. They deserve better from their leaders and they deserve better from the international community. The United States is stepping up our counterterrorism efforts across the Maghreb and Sahel, and we’re working with the Libyan Government and other partners to find those responsible for the attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi and bring them to justice. But we are also expanding our counterterrorism partnerships to help countries meet their own growing threats. We’re taking aim at the support structure of al-Qaida and its affiliates – closing safe havens, cutting off finances, countering their ideology and denying them recruits. Let me mention briefly three initiatives.

First, our Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership is now helping build the capacity of 10 countries across the region, providing training and support so they can tighten border security, disrupt terrorist networks, and prevent attacks. This program brings together civilian, law enforcement, and military experts to pursue a comprehensive approach to counterterrorism.

Second, we are expanding our work with civil society organizations in specific terrorist hotspots – particular villages, prisons, and schools – trying to disrupt the process of radicalization by creating jobs, promoting religious tolerance, amplifying the voices of the victims of terrorism.

And third, we are working with our partners to reform security services and strengthen the rule of law. For example, Tunisia has agreed to host a new international training center that will help police, prosecutors, and other criminal justice officials across the region move away from the repressive approaches that helped fuel radicalization in the past, and instead develop strategies grounded in the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Ultimately, our perspective is that strengthening democratic institutions must be at the heart of our counterterrorism strategy. It is democracies that offer their citizens constructive outlets for political grievances, create opportunities for upward mobility and prosperity, and are clear alternatives to violent extremism. And their success offers a powerful rejection of the extremist ideology of hate and violence as we also saw in Benghazi last week.

So all this work, from meeting the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel to bringing stability back to Mali to combating violent extremism across the region is a shared responsibility. And there is no place where that shared responsibility can be actualized other than the United Nations. So in the days and weeks ahead, I look forward to deepening our cooperation and accelerating our common action. I personally don’t believe we have any time to waste.

Thank you. (Applause.)

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Video: Hillary Clinton at the UNAIDS Shared Responsibility Event

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , on September 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Remarks to the UNAIDS Shared Responsibility Event

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United Nations
New York City
September 26, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much. Michel, thank you, and thank you for your years of leadership. President Yayi, thank you. Everywhere I go at the UN this week where there’s an important issue being discussed, the President is here on behalf of Benin and on behalf of the AU – (applause) – and we thank you so much, Mr. President. And thank you, Chairman Ping. Thank you for the work that you have done in raising the visibility and the importance of health-related issues at the African Union.

And good morning to all of you excellencies and ladies and gentlemen. It is such a pleasure for me to be here at this event to demonstrate very visibly America’s commitment to shared responsibility as we all work together toward a historic goal: creating an AIDS-free generation. It is an ambitious goal that we have set, but I know we can reach it. In part, that’s because of the commitment of every one of you and the many others you represent here today. I also know because of the investments that the United States and our partners have been making for decades to understand, prevent, and treat this disease.

But there’s another reason we can foresee an AIDS-free generation, and that is because nations are stepping up to their own responsibilities to care for their own people. Because ultimately, if we are going to win the fight against AIDS, the societies that are the hardest hit will have to lead the way. That’s why the United States, under the leadership of Dr. Eric Goosby, who is the head of our PEPFAR program and a long time physician who treated some of the very first AIDS patients in San Francisco, to an advocate and manager and champion of what we all can do together – he and I have worked closely together in the Obama Administration to make country ownership a hallmark of PEPFAR and other health programs.

But let me be very clear: Country ownership is not code for abandoning our partners. We are continuing our support, but we are reshaping our programs in ways that make them more sustainable. We want to help our partners, all of you, help set priorities and get the capacity to manage resources, develop your own plans, implement them, and eventually fund them as well. Because in the end, there must be commitment from communities and from governments across the world.

I’m often asked by those who I serve with in the Obama Administration as well as colleagues in Congress, “Tell me, are our partners really taking ownership of the fight against AIDS?” More and more I can say without hesitation the answer to that question is yes.

I can tell people about Namibia, which now provides half of the financing for its fight against HIV/AIDS. (Applause.) Dozens of doctors and nurses who used to be supported by PEPFAR or the Global Fund are now paid by and overseen by the Namibian Government. Soon many pharmacists and nurses will make this same transition, and I thank Namibia for its leadership.

I can also tell you about South Africa, where the government now accounts for about three quarters of all HIV/AIDS spending in the country. Under the new Partnership Framework that I signed when I was in Cape Town with the Health Minister of the Zuma Administration, South Africa will pay for nearly 90 percent of its HIV/AIDS response by 2017. So let me thank President Zuma and South Africa for their commitment and leadership.

Or I can tell you about Rwanda, which has taken over the management of treatment programs at 70 medical facilities, serving over 30,000 HIV-positive patients. And Rwanda’s increased ownership and capacity then helps to free up our resources to work with Rwanda to train local healthcare workers. That is a priority that Rwanda identified, and it’s one that we are very proud to help Rwanda meet.

So Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda; they are not alone. I could cite many more examples, including many of the countries represented here. But we know that change can be difficult, and some of our practices and habits go back decades. And so often in life it is easier to keep doing the same things the same old way. So when we talk about holding each other accountable, we are really agreeing to help each other overcome inertia, to make hard choices, to do the tough work of finding new ways to work together. And that, to me, is the message that I hope you will take with you, because we have to be more innovative, creative, and smart about the resources we have and how they can best be deployed.

So to that end, the United States is pilot-testing a scorecard that will allow us and our partners to assess our joint programs and progress in building sustainable, country-owned health programs, including our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. And I know that the members of the AU, Dr. Ping, are undertaking your own efforts along similar lines. That is a great step forward if we are serious about shared responsibility, and we should work together to learn from each other so our efforts are complementary.

So the steps that you are discussing here today represent measurable progress, but to deliver on that promise, the promise of this moment, we have to maintain the progress and build on it. If every nation devastated by HIV follows the example of many of the leaders in this room and steps up to shared responsibility, we won’t just keep up our momentum; we will accelerate our progress and move even faster toward the day when we can announce the birth of an AIDS-free generation.

Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

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Hillary Clinton’s Tuesday Bilaterals at UNGA Part 2

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Yes, there were more bilaterals last night after which she hosted the Transatlantic dinner. The snip below is from a briefing last night by a senior official providing  background.

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Readout of the Secretary’s Meetings With Belgian Foreign Minister Reynders, Greek Foreign Minister Avramopoulos, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Hague, and the Transatlantic Dinner

Special Briefing

Senior Administration Official
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York City
September 25, 2012
MODERATOR: Thank you very much, and again, sorry that this evening has gone on so long, but we thought it would be worthwhile to provide you a readout on background from our Senior Administration Official. For your records, that is actually [Senior Administration Official]. We will do a brief readout of the dinner that just took place, the Transatlantic Dinner with our NATO and European partners, and then have time to take some of your questions.

So with that, let me just turn it over to our Senior Administration Official.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, and thanks to everyone for waiting up so late. Apologies it’s so late, but the dinner went on for some time. I’ll get to the Transatlantic Dinner. Maybe I can just start with the other Transatlantic engagements, European engagements the Secretary’s had since she arrived on Sunday.

This actually began with her bilat with European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy Cathy Ashton on Sunday evening. And just briefly on that, she – the Secretary spent a good hour with High Representative Ashton covering a wide range of issues starting with Iran. The High Representative is leading the negotiations, recently had some talks in Istanbul with the Iranians, was able to report on those talks, and I think both of them concluded that there’s still time and space for diplomacy, and that effort needs to go on as we pursue both tracks – the pressure track – and I think we’ve heard from a number of Europeans in the course of the week that they’re looking for ways to increase the pressure track even as High Representative Ashton leads the way on negotiations on the diplomatic track. And we’re very serious about both tracks at the same time.

They talked about Burma, obviously, with Aung San Suu Kyi recently being in Washington and the EU having its own engagements with her, and talked about how the U.S. and the EU can coordinate on supporting democratic reforms in Burma. And then they actually spent a considerable time – amount of time on democratic reforms closer to home, which is to say across Eastern Europe. As the Secretary and High Representative were meeting, we were getting election results from Belarus – not that there was much question about how those elections would come out – and unfortunately they came out as expected, which is to say reflecting an unlevel playing field. And Secretary Clinton and High Representative Ashton talked about how we together in the U.S. and Europe can keep the pressure on Belarus and make clear that so long as there are political prisoners and so long as elections are repeatedly falling well short of international standards, then Belarus is not going to be able to have the relationship with Europe and the United States that it needs.

They also talked about upcoming elections in Ukraine, and I think it’s fair to say that we – the United States and Europe are working extraordinarily closely together when it comes to pressing for and supporting free and fair elections that are going to take place on October 28th. Ukraine is hugely important to European security and stability. We have been very clear how much we regret what we see as selective prosecutions, including the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Tymoshenko. And Secretary Clinton, High Rep Ashton agreed the U.S. and the European Union really have the same policy, which is to say that our relations with Ukraine can only really move forward when we see an end of those selective prosecutions and free and fair elections. And they talked about how we can use the time between now and October 28th to support those goals.

There are also upcoming elections in Georgia on October 1st, and once again, I think the two of them agreed how important it was for us collectively to make clear to Georgia how important it is to have a fair and transparent and competitive campaign environment. The most important thing Georgia can do for its future is to consolidate its democracy. We have respectively raised concerns about different issues on the road to those elections, and we’ve been appreciative that the Georgian Government has heard those concerns, and in most cases, taken measures to make sure that the elections that we are going to be very active in monitoring will indeed be free and fair.

And then finally, Secretary Clinton and High Rep Ashton talked about the Balkans. Catherine Ashton is leading an effort to promote the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. Together, we support the path to the European Union of both of those countries. We think Serbia needs to come to term with an independent Kosovo in order to move forward along that path. And it’s something the United States and European Union are working very much hand in hand on to consolidate the Balkans as part of a unified Europe.

And then this evening, the Secretary, prior to the Transatlantic Dinner, had the opportunity to meet with a number of foreign ministers, including, in particular, several whom she hadn’t had formal bilats with who are new since certainly the last General Assembly, which includes the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Avramopoulos; the Belgian Foreign Minister, Didier Reynders; and the very new Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide. And the Secretary also met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Just very briefly with Greek Foreign Minister Avramopoulos, of course, they focused considerably on the Greek economy, and the Secretary expressed our understanding and appreciation for the great sacrifices that the Greek people are making in the reforms that have been deemed necessary to keep Greece in the Eurozone and to turn around its economy. We know how difficult those reforms are, but it’s a core American interest to see the Eurozone not just survive but thrive, and that entails also supporting Greece. And she was able to hear from the Foreign Minister the difficult budgetary cuts and tax increases and structural changes they’re making, but we were impressed with the seriousness of the effort, and I think it was useful for the Secretary to hear about the important reforms that Greece has undertaken, and for Foreign Minister Avramopoulos to hear how strongly the United States supports what Greece is doing.

With Foreign Minister Reynders of Belgium, she – Secretary Clinton thanked him for Belgium’s strong cooperation with the United States on a number of areas, including Afghanistan, where they’ve been very much involved and are – have agreed to help support Afghan National Security Forces after 2014; our cooperation on Syria and Iran, where again Belgium is a core member of the Transatlantic community, is cooperating closely with us. And they also talked about a couple of areas of particular interest not just to us, but to Belgium, which is to say Central Africa, the Congo, and the Sahel where the Belgium Foreign Minister explained what Belgium is doing to try to promote stability in those regions.

Seeing the new Norwegian Foreign Minister Barth Eide was a good opportunity for the Secretary, who had worked very closely with his predecessor, Jonas Store. She congratulated the new Foreign Minister and noted that the United States and Norway are extraordinarily close partners who work very well together. The Secretary, of course, traveled to Norway last summer, and it was a good chance for her to touch base with the brand new Foreign Minister and talk about a number of areas of common interest.

Finally, she did a bilat with Foreign Secretary Hague, mostly focused on Syria, where it was a good chance for the two of them, who have both recently seen Special Representative Brahimi, to coordinate policy on Syria. They also touched on Afghanistan and the challenge of dealing with some of these so-called green-on-blue attacks.

A lot of these themes that I’ve already mentioned, these bilats were also the subject of the Transatlantic Dinner, and I’ll end with a readout of that, which I guess went on for almost two hours. The Transatlantic Dinner, as you all know, is something we do every year at the General Assembly, meeting of European Union foreign ministers, NATO foreign ministers, as well as Macedonia and Switzerland, plus the NATO Secretary General and the High Representative of the EU. And it’s an opportunity to talk about a number of issues on the agenda of European and North Atlantic countries. They can obviously not cover everything; they cover a number of things, but I think particularly worth highlighting would be three topics – Syria, Afghanistan, and Europe and this question of democracy in Europe that I already flagged as being one of the subjects of the bilats.

And I think what is really worth stressing when I mention these topics of Syria, Afghanistan, and democracy in Europe is how much on the same page these members of the transatlantic community are. Members of the EU and NATO are really working in an unprecedented way on each of the topics I mentioned.

Again, just briefly on Syria, there was really a consensus around the table behind the approach that I know you’ve heard about that we’ve been taking in terms of supporting the opposition and trying to coordinate the opposition so that when the Assad regime does fall, as we believe it will, there will be something in place that can provide stability, efforts to respond to the huge humanitarian crisis; of course, Turkey is present at this meeting, was able to speak about the challenges they’re facing with refugees and preparing for a post-Assad Syria and keeping the pressure on the regime.

On Afghanistan, as in previous years, the Secretary was able to thank our European allies and partners for all the contributions they have made to our efforts in Afghanistan. This was the first meeting of this group since the Chicago Summit where important decisions were made on the milestone towards Afghan lead in 2013, and then the full transition by the end of 2014. And to follow up on some of the pledges made, our belief, as you know, is that the key to transition and successful transition in Afghanistan is training, and that requires trainers and it requires funding. And we were very pleased at all of the contributions made by European and other allies in Chicago towards ANSF funding after 2014. And the Secretary reiterated the importance of continuing to finance that project and to contribute the security force assistance teams that are needed to make this a success.

I think it’s worth stressing the Secretary made clear, and I think others around the table also made very clear, that notwithstanding some adjustments to the approach in Afghanistan to deal with these so-called insider attacks, the goal and the strategy and the timeline in Afghanistan remain absolutely unchanged. And Secretary General Rasmussen made that perfectly clear as well. What leaders agreed first in Lisbon and then complemented in Chicago is very clear and has not changed, and again, I can – I think I can say that every single minister on the table who spoke about it reiterated their commitment to the same goal, strategy, and timeline, and their commitment to doing what they can to support those goals.

Finally, and I think it’s really worth stressing, the discussion on democracy in Europe was important. This group gets together, and the world in which we live so often finds itself talking about Libya or Syria or Iran or Afghanistan, but there’s still some concerns in Europe to this group. And the Secretary herself highlighted her personal concerns about some of the upcoming elections that I already mentioned – Ukraine and Georgia, the highly imperfect election that took place in Belarus, and also the climate for democracy and human rights in Russia. And the Secretary noted a number of steps taken recently in Russia that aren’t pointing in the right direction where transparency and democracy are concerned.

And we’ve already raised in other fora our concerns about the new NGO law that requires registration of foreign agents, the increased fines for protests, some selective cases of prosecution, and now most recently, a new draft law on treason which would widen the definition of treason, and then of course the Russian decision to ask our USAID Office to cease its activities in Russia. And the Secretary reiterated our regret of that decision and our belief that USAID has accomplished a lot in Russia, and our commitment to carry on as we can in supporting those in Russia who want to see a free and fair and democratic Russia.

So that’s really the highlights, I think, of the Transatlantic Dinner and the bilat….

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SECRETARY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: Public Schedule for September 26, 2012

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, U.S. Department of State, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012| 6 Comments »

Public Schedule for September 26, 2012

Public Schedule

Washington, DC
September 26, 2012

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
PUBLIC SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

SECRETARY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

9:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton delivers remarks at a UNAIDS Shared Responsibility Event, at the United Nations.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY UN)

10:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton delivers remarks at a UNSYG meeting on the Sahel, at the United Nations.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY UN)

10:45 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Foreign Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING MEETING)

12:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Jordanian King Abdullah, in New York City.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING MEETING)

1:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, at the United Nations.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING MEETING)

2:45 p.m. Secretary Clinton participates in a United Nations Security Council meeting on Mideast Peace and Security, at the United Nations.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY UN)

4:10 p.m. Secretary Clinton participates in a UNSYG Summit on Somalia, at the United Nations.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY UN)

5:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Burmese President Thein Sein, in New York City.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING MEETING)

7:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in New York City.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING MEETING)

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Photos: Hillary Clinton’s Tuesday Bilaterals at UNGA

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

As acting Head-of-State at UNGA,  Hillary Clinton, in addition to her own scheduled events as Secretary of  State,  met with the following dignitaries today.   President Obama was on ABC’s “The View” with Michelle. (Well, OK, he also spoke at CGI, but so did Hillary and so did Mitt.  I saw that as more of a campaign appearance than a head-of-state function.)

FYI I am adding below a snip from a press briefing by a senior official on these meetings.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Al-Araby

U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Brahimi

Iraq’s Vice President Khudayr Musa Jafar Abbas al-Khuzai

Yemen’s President Hadi

Background Briefing on Secretary Clinton’s Meetings With Iraqi Vice President al-Khuzai, Arab League Secretary General Elaraby, and Yemeni President Hadi

Special Briefing

Senior Administration Official
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York City
September 25, 2012

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The Secretary has been going full steam all afternoon with a number of bilateral meetings, and we thought we maybe could squeeze a readout a little bit earlier, but we got caught up in them.

Just to go over what we’ll cover tonight, just a little bit of programming, we’ll provide you now, as a Senior Administration Official, background readouts of her meeting with the Iraqi Vice President al-Khuzai, followed by a brief readout as well of her meeting with Arab League Secretary General Elaraby, and as well as her meeting with Yemeni President Hadi.
SNIP
With that, let me just turn to the meeting that the Secretary had with Iraqi Vice President al-Khuzai. A good portion of the discussion focused on Syria, which you’ll see was a very common refrain in almost all of her bilats. The Secretary, as you heard earlier, had her meeting with Brahimi that was read out, and there’s a lot of work that’s being done consulting with key partners, allies in the region in terms of how best to achieve the goals that we all share. And this was certainly a focus of the discussion with the Iraqi Vice President. And it was a discussion of the shared goals of trying to achieve an inclusive, stable, and pluralistic democracy for the Syrian people, the need to bring about a political transition, clearly a need to stop the violence.

And in that context, Secretary Clinton made very clear to the Iraqi Vice President the need – urgent need to ensure no passage of over-flights by Iran in supply of – military supply of the Assad regime. It was then a focus of discussion in terms of the urgency of continuing to provide humanitarian support. The Secretary urged the Iraqi Vice President to ensure that the borders remain open, allowing for refugees to come in as needed into Iraq, and to work with the UN to provide the support that is needed.

The Secretary also had the opportunity to thank the Iraqi Government, express appreciation for the way in which it has facilitated the peaceful relocation of the MEK from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya. And then also the Vice President of Iraq took the opportunity to also express his sympathies to the United States in the wake of the tragic loss of Ambassador Stevens and the violence that has resulted from the video. And he also welcomed, very much so, and thanked the Secretary for getting – in working with the Senate to confirm Ambassador Beecroft, noting the importance for Iraq of having an American ambassador on the ground and doing his job.

Moving on to Elaraby, the meeting with the Secretary General of the Arab League, you have seen the Media Note that we released, so hopefully you have some sense for the importance of the cooperative MOU that was signed with the Arab League. There was a fair amount of discussion that you heard the Secretary talk about, as well as the Secretary General, of the importance of increased cooperation with the Arab League, the results that we saw achieved in Libya, the work that is ongoing on trying to resolve the situation in Syria, and other areas where we can be working more closely together, be it the Sudan or other areas of common interest, noting, as the Secretary did, that perhaps on occasion we will disagree, but that there has been great progress and advancement in terms of our relationship with the Arab League.

They spent the great majority of their meeting discussing the situation in Syria, as you might expect, talking about the role of the UN Representative Brahimi, and in preparation for what is expected in terms of the Ad Hoc Ministerial on Syria on Friday. I should note, just going back on the Iraqi meeting, that the Iraqis are going to be participating in that meeting with their Foreign Minister, so we welcome that as well.

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Hillary Clinton on Water Security at UNGA

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, U.S. Department of State, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Roundtable on Water Security

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United Nations
New York City
September 25, 2012

Thank you very, very much, Maria, and I am delighted to be able to join you for this meeting. Sometimes when you look at the busy schedule of the UN General Assembly, you see only the headlines, the problems, the hotspots, the conflicts, the challenges, and all of those are certainly important. But you also have to look at the trend lines, and you’re here because you know that water is an issue that cuts across borders and affects every human being.

You know better than any that water management and resource issues are both a moral imperative and a strategic investment, and I want to thank everyone who has participated in this, because whether you’re talking about economic development or improving global health, whether you focus on promoting food security or building peace or coping with climate change or providing sustainable energy, access to clean water is critical. And the problems that are already coming to the forefront around the world will only intensify as populations grow and demands increase.

Now, this year alone in the United States, we’ve experienced extreme drought conditions in some parts of our country and devastating floods in others. We are well aware that Europe, Asia, and Africa have all experienced similar challenges. Now, you’ve already heard about our Intelligence Community Assessment on Global Water Security, and I hope that you will have if you didn’t today have a chance to really study it, because water scarcity could have profound implications for security. The report found that dwindling supplies and poor management of water resources will certainly affect millions of people as food and crops grow scarcer and access to water more difficult to obtain. In fact, in some places, the water tables are already more depleted than we thought and wells are drying up.

In other parts of the world, water resources could become a real source of manipulation and increasing instability. And we want to get ahead of what those potential problems might be. We can’t wait until we already have a crisis. So I think water should be a priority in every nation’s foreign policy and domestic agenda, and we need to work together to advance cooperation on shared waters. Here at the UN, we have to work in our continuing efforts to ensure no child dies of a water-related disease and certainly no war is ever fought over water.

Now, to give just one example of what we need to be doing, the United States is working with the UN Development Program and other partners from not only governments but the business world, civil society, philanthropy, and academia on the shared waters partnership to help build really robust institutions. And also, as part of that, we will be looking for ways to establish online platforms to facilitate cooperation and to facilitate regional dialogues. All of us are here today because we understand the urgency. It is for me a critical issue that we have to start asking ourselves what are we going to do today and tomorrow to address.

Many of you are already working on developing practical solutions. How can we better connect and share what you’ve already learned? How can we build more effective institutions for managing shared water resources? And how do we bring safe drinking water and sanitation to all the world’s people? I’m sure it’s been said many times already today, but there are countries where there are more cell phones than toilets. How do we look for every possible creative, innovative approach to safe drinking water and sanitation? I’m excited, because I think this is now getting the attention that it so richly deserves. I thank Under Secretary Otero for leading our efforts inside the United States Government, and I look forward to hearing the results of your deliberations and working with you to try to implement your very practical solutions. Thank you all. (Applause.)

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Hillary Clinton With League of Arab States Secretary General Nabil Elaraby

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, U.S. Department of State, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

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Remarks With League of Arab States Secretary General Nabil Elaraby at Memorandum of Understanding Signing

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York City
September 25, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much, and Secretary General, this is a historic and important event for the United States. Under your leadership at a time of great challenge and change, the United States and the Arab League have worked more closely together than ever before. Our work on Libya broke new ground in U.S.-Arab League cooperation, and I appreciate your strong leadership on Syria as we continue to work to address this crisis.

We also consult on many shared challenges, from Yemen to Sudan and beyond. Today, we broaden our partnership to take on new challenges together. The MOU we signed today launches an annual U.S.-Arab League dialogue. It outlines areas in which we hope to work together to bring tangible improvements to people’s lives, including education and our response to humanitarian emergencies.

As a start, I am pleased to announce a small professional and cultural exchange program to bring Arab League officials together with their American counterparts. I believe in the potential of multilateral organizations, and as Secretary of State, I have made it a priority to deepen our engagement with regional organizations that are playing a growing role in world events, from the African Union to ASEAN to the Arab League.

Now of course, that doesn’t mean we are always going to agree on everything. That doesn’t happen with any two people, let alone two organizations or countries. There will be times when we do differ on principles and approaches. But our hope is that dialogues like this can help us understand each other better, to narrow any areas of difference, and to find as much common ground as possible.

Our hope is not only to strengthen ties between our institutions – the Government of the United States and the Arab League – but between our people, the people of the Arab world and the American people. Recent events remind us we have a great deal of work to do, and we look to partners in regional organizations to help us build mutual understanding and work to uphold and defend principles such as nonviolence and tolerance while we work in very constructive and practical ways to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.

So, Secretary General, thank you.

SECRETARY GENERAL ELARABY: Madam Secretary, thank you very much for this ceremony, and thank you very much for the effort that the State Department has put with the – my colleagues in the League of Arab States in finalizing the text that we have signed now.

Let me, first of all, say two preliminary comments. First of all, the statement – the (inaudible) statement made today by President Obama was very impressive, and I think it was timely, and thank him for that.

The second point of a general nature that I would like to make is to convey personally my condolences for the tragic death of the Ambassador in Benghazi. It touched us all. I called (inaudible) right away to convey my condolences. She was not in. I (inaudible), and the League of Arab States issued a statement.

On this point, let me just say that the League of Arab States, along with the European Union, the African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, who issued a statement, all of us, on this. And in this statement, there is also a reference at the end that we all should work on further measures to ensure that such events will never happen (inaudible).

As a lawyer – and you are a lawyer – I think the first (inaudible) should be an international treaty that would ensure that certain matters, if happened – should not happen, and if happened, the perpetrator would be punished and the rule of law would apply.

This Memorandum of Understanding is very important for us. The Arab world has a lot of contacts, and historic contacts, with the United States. And most of our, I would say, problems depend on what the United States will do to resolve them. Just to refer to Palestine, we need the United States participation. Now we have Syria; we need United States participation, active participation.

So I think it was said that you are indispensible. But in the world today – and we continue – we think that this Memorandum of Understanding will open new avenues for further cooperation and understanding. And you also – as you rightly pointed out, what is needed is not to start by agreement, agreeing on something, but to, in all honesty, exchange views and see how we can reach a common understanding of certain matters. And I think this is a very good beginning.

We do have also a matter that I have to refer to, is that there is – we have an office here in New York, we have an office in Geneva, and we very much would like that this matter will be taken up and the facilities needed to carry out their mission could be extended at the right moment when we decide that (inaudible).

I’m indeed grateful for the program – the cultural program and the exchange that you have referred to, and I’m sure that you will benefit (inaudible). That’s very generous of you. I hope that this is a beginning, and that there will be many other steps in the future to strengthen ties between the United States of America and the League of Arab States.

Thank you very, very much.

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Hillary Clinton at the Heads of State Luncheon

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, U.S. Department of State, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , on September 25, 2012| 3 Comments »

Remarks at the Heads of State Luncheon

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United Nations
New York City
September 25, 2012

Secretary General, heads of state, excellencies: on behalf of President Obama and our government, let me again warmly welcome you here on behalf of the host country. And let me also express our very great appreciation to the Secretary General for your leadership, sir.

You have, over the course of your time at the helm of the United Nations, continued a reform effort as well as advanced and advocated for a number of important initiatives, and we salute you and express our deep gratitude.

As the Secretary General just said, we meet in the wake of a great loss, not only for the United States, with the killing of our Ambassador and three of his colleagues, but also a reminder of the important work that these men and women do every single day. The blue-helmeted peace keepers, the dedicated aid workers – they are out there at our behest. Our governments ask them to serve; the United Nations and other multilateral organizations do as well.

And in the last weeks, we have seen the price that too many of them pay. As the Secretary General said, in addition to our loss, very recently an Algerian diplomat also lost. Last year, Nepalese, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, UN officials and guards killed in Afghanistan; all those lost in the bombing of the UN facility in Nigeria last summer. As President Obama said this morning in his address to the General Assembly, attacks such as these, against embassies, consulates, diplomats anywhere in the world, strike at the heart of the mission of the United Nations.

So let us stand together against violence and extremism on behalf of those values and principles that we ascribe to and that we aspire to see fulfilled. And let me ask you to raise our glasses in a toast to all of our diplomats and development experts from every nation serving and sacrificing far from home. They represent the best traditions of our international community. They are committed to the peace and progress that brought about the establishment of this extraordinarily important institution, and we owe them our full support and gratitude.

Thank you.

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Photos: Hillary Clinton’s Bilaterals at UNGA Day One

Posted in Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, UNGA, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2012| 5 Comments »

Yesterday, Mme. Secretary covered all the meetings she would have attended as well as the bilaterals with heads of state that the current chief executive chose to skip. Here are some photos of her with Presidents Zardari,  Magariaf, Karzai,  Kabila, Kagame, and Morsi.

Should President Obama have gone along for the ride?  In the words of the inimitable (or not) Sarah Palin, you betcha!  This blog has been following Hillary Clinton’s nearly four-year charm offensive as Secretary of State right from the beginning.  Obama is about to lose the gold standard in diplomacy dealing with presidents of young and fragile democracies.  Should he be reelected, no matter who replaces Mme. Secretary, he or she will not bring the same appreciable set of personal skills to the job.  This was a last gasp chance to capitalize on her prodigious work, and instead of  (wisely)  sticking around for a few days and reassuring these new partners,  he skipped out of Dodge.  He frittered away a great opportunity, a decision he may regret  in the future.  By the way, Mika Brzezinski,exactly how did you expect President Clinton to answer your question about the wisdom of this decision?  Just curious.

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