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Hillary Clinton: Statements and Remarks on the Security Council Vote **UPDATED with Video**

Posted in Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, Secretary of State Travel, state department, U.S. Department of State, tagged , , , , , , on June 9, 2010| 1 Comment »

The Secretary of State, on foreign travel in Bogota, Colombia, issued a formal statement regarding the Security Council vote today, and also held a press briefing on that topic.

First, here is her formal statement.

Adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1929 on Iran

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 9, 2010

I commend the United Nations Security Council for its adoption today of UN Security Council Resolution 1929, aimed at addressing the international community’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Despite consistent and longstanding demands by the Council, Iran has not suspended its uranium enrichment and other proliferation-related activities that are in direct violation of its commitments to the IAEA and its obligations under the NPT.

This resolution sends an unambiguous signal to Iran that the international community holds it accountable for its actions. The measures in this resolution go well beyond the pre-existing sanctions on Iran. That said, we have worked hard to minimize their impact on the Iranian people. They target instead elements within the Iranian government, with the aim of changing the leadership’s calculations.

Effective implementation is critical. I am pleased that Robert J. Einhorn, the State Department’s Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control, will serve as the U.S. coordinator for the implementation and amplification of sanctions related to Iran, to ensure the best enforcement of this resolution, as well as previous sanctions. He will take on these new responsibilities while continuing to serve as Special Advisor.

Resolution 1929, like the resolutions before it, offers Iran a clear path toward the immediate suspension of these sanctions. We will continue to respect Iran’s rights to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. But we have consistently said that with these rights come responsibilities: Iran must fulfill its international obligations, suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities, and meet the requirements of the IAEA. I reaffirm the United States’ commitment to engage in principled diplomacy to remove all doubts about Iran’s nuclear program.

As was noted in the statement by the P5+1 Foreign Ministers earlier today, the adoption of Resolution 1929 keeps the door open for continued engagement between the P5+1 and Iran. The United States is committed to a diplomatic solution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program and we hope the Council’s adoption of this resolution will make clear to Iran’s leaders the choice that is before them: how much they have to gain from real engagement with the international community, and how much more they stand to lose from continuing down their current path.

Now for her remarks to the press. Her traveling corps can get very informal and humorous with her. I wish I had the video. If it comes up later, I will stick it in here.

Remarks by Secretary Clinton in Bogota, Colombia

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Charleston Hotel
Bogota, Colombia
June 9, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: This was a very important decision by the international community to demonstrate resolve and unity in the face of Iran’s continuing defiance of the rules and norms of the IAEA and the expectations of the Security Council. This set of sanctions, the first agreed to under the Obama Administration, adds to and strengthens the sanction regime. We are gratified by the positive response that our year of engagement has produced.

When we started this effort, there was no appetite in the international community for further pressure in the form of sanctions on Iran. The challenge that President Obama faced in trying to reach out and engage Iran was politically difficult, but it served a very important purpose: to demonstrate clearly that the United States was willing to pursue diplomatic engagement and therefore our efforts were always on a dual-track approach.

And starting in September and October of last fall, we began to see greater awareness on the part of our P-5+1 partners, particularly China and Russia, about the continuing recalcitrance and refusal by the Iranians to abide by existing obligations or fully engage diplomatically as we had offered. As you remember, we disclosed the secret facility at Qom during the United Nations General Assembly and the G-20 meeting last September. And we held our first P-5+1 meeting in October in Geneva and there was unanimity among the P-5+1 about the way forward. If Iran would meet and engage on their nuclear program, there was receptivity.

Well, we know that Iran did not and would not. It refused to engage on the nuclear program, to hold another meeting with the P-5+1, denied the significance of the Qom facility of their reaction, which was very unsatisfactory, as to why they would need a secret, undisclosed facility if their program was committed to peaceful purposes. And then the Tehran research reactor proposal, which was meant as a confidence-building measure, initially seemed to draw Iranian receptivity, and then that was not realized.

So every step along the way, we have demonstrated that our goal is to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is only and can only be considered for peaceful purposes. And we set that goal and we said we would pursue it in various venues. But at the end of the day, it became clear that Iran was not willing to abide by the expectations of the international community.

Its announcement that it was going to move toward 20 percent enrichment was another wake-up call for a lot of countries that were undecided about how to proceed. So during the past months, in an intense diplomatic effort, we made a case along with others that we needed to take Iran back to the Security Council.

Simultaneously, Brazil and Turkey were pursuing an additional diplomatic effort and we appreciate their willingness to work very hard to get to some satisfactory outcome. At the end of the day, they were not successful, but we do recognize and acknowledge their good faith in pursuing their course.

So the sanctions have now been passed by an overwhelming vote, and we will move to implement them. I am appointing Bob Einhorn, our special advisor for nonproliferation, to head up our government-wide team to oversee the implementation of these sanctions. We want to be sure that we don’t just pass the sanctions and then leave it to chance as to whether or not they are being implemented.

We continue, as the President just said in his remarks from the White House, to hold open the possibility of engagement to Iran. Our goal is not to punish Iran. Our goal is not to sanction Iran. Our goal is to end any doubts and questions about the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program and to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. And that is a goal that is widely embraced in the international community.

QUESTION: Can we ask you a bit more about the way forward? Obviously, you just said the President left the door open to diplomacy. On the other hand, you’ve got two important countries who voted no today. Are you concerned that as you try to strike this balance between pressure and diplomacy that that is a solidarity that could be attacked from one side or another or could be somewhat weakened over time?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Mark, we understand the reaction by the Brazilians and the Turks that their intense efforts were not able to be realized with some definitive action that was acceptable to the international community, undertaken by Iran prior to this vote. They’re members of the Security Council and we expect them to abide by the resolution, as all other member states of the UN will be expected to do so, and we have every reason to believe they will.

But in the ongoing diplomatic outreach to Iran, I think that Turkey and Brazil will continue to play an important role. They chose for whatever reason, which perhaps they will explain later, to vote no, in part, I am sure, in their minds, to keep the door open between themselves and Iran. That’s a legitimate assessment. We disagreed with their vote, but I can understand from a diplomatic perspective why they might be able to make a convincing case for how they voted today.

But we now are able to expand the pressure through these sanctions that we can put on Iran’s nuclear program, now their conventional program, the Revolutionary Guard. We have additional inspection authorities. So we have tools now that are sanctioned by the international community that we will be using, but at the same time, continuing to tell the Iranians, directly and through others, that we’re willing to engage on their nuclear program. And the sanction resolution itself holds open the door for doing so.

QUESTION: You made the point —

QUESTION: (Inaudible) that the sanctions resolution (inaudible) come back to the bargaining table? Isn’t that what your ultimate goal is?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, our ultimate goal is to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon. That is our ultimate goal. And we think these sanctions give us additional tools in our arsenal to be able to achieve that. Now, we can, we believe, slow down and certainly interfere with and make much more difficult their continuing nuclear program through these sanctions. So that, in and of itself, is an important accomplishment.

At the same time, we do want them back at the negotiating table. And whether they come back with the P-5+1 or they come back in some other configuration as yet to be determined – they say now they won’t come back. But we think that the sanctions send a kind of message to the entire Iranian leadership, which is quite diverse in their assessments and reactions, that there is still an opportunity for you to participate and to work with us in the framework of being able to have a nuclear program for peaceful purposes, but to give up, as Brazil did, as others have, the potential of seeking nuclear weapons.

QUESTION: And just – I’m sorry, just to clarify, you said P-5+1 or some other configuration. Are you open to adding the Brazilians and the Turks as part of some sort of —

SECRETARY CLINTON: We’re open to effective diplomacy. We’re open to achieving our ultimate goal. And I think that’s what everybody is. I mean, people may have come at this from different perspectives, and it was extremely difficult to make the case for a lot of members of the Security Council over the last months. But at the end of the day, there was a supermajority who believed that this was a necessary step to take on its own. But it was also a significant and important step to take to try to get back to diplomatic engagement and, hopefully, negotiations.

QUESTION: You mentioned that the leadership is diverse. Do you anticipate some squabbling over the result that just happened in New York? What other events might you anticipate in Iran because of the —

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Lachlan, I can’t predict. But I do know from reports coming from a number of other countries that have had firsthand negotiations over the nuclear program with the Iranians that there is a diversity of opinion within the leadership, not over their right to enrich to use for peaceful nuclear purposes – that is absolutely agreed to by everyone in the leadership – but whether or not there should be a move toward a breakout capacity or toward weapons. There is a lot of debate within the leadership.

QUESTION: Are you trying to make that (inaudible) Lebanese?

QUESTION: She got (inaudible).

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.)

QUESTION: You were on the phone with the president.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I was. I was this morning. And a lot of people have been calling him. I think I probably made the last call.

QUESTION: “Oh, no, not again.”

SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.) That’s right.

QUESTION: “Leave me alone.”

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I mean, I made two points. I mean, first, that this is not only about Iran. This is about the international order, the role that the Security Council plays in enforcing the rules that govern relations between and among nations, that one of the founders of the UN was a Lebanese diplomat and that Lebanon, as much or more than any country, knows how important it is to have some kind of internationally agreed-upon norms. And it would be a vote for that, at the very least.

And then secondly, with respect to Iran, there was a vocal minority within the Arab world that was siding with Iran, but a very concerned majority that was not. And that was a responsibility that Lebanon essentially carried as the Arab member of the Security Council right now.

STAFF: All right, you guys.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Okay.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

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Videos: Hillary Clinton’s Remarks on North Korea and Iran

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 25, 2010| 1 Comment »

Here are a few videos of Secretary Clinton’s remarks before leaving Beijing for Seoul today.

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Secretary Clinton’s Fact Sheets on Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The State Department has not posted a Daily Appointments Schedule so far today (OK, while I was posting this, they just did),  but we all know Secretary Clinton is in New York heading up the U.S. Delegation to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations.  They have sent, however,  three fact sheets outlining the positions she will put forth on three crucial agendas:

  • Promoting Disarmament
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad arrived in New York yesterday, and as Secretary Clinton said on Meet the Press yesterday, she does not know what he is here for.  On the other hand, we  very much know what she is there for.  I expect that she will not be tolerating any nonsense.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Promoting Disarmament

Bureau of Public Affairs
Fact Sheet
April 27, 2010

“So today, I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. This goal will not be reached quickly—perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence.” — President Barack Obama

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) rests on three interrelated and mutually reinforcing pillars: nonproliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and disarmament.

Disarmament
The NPT is critical to sustaining progress toward disarmament. It is the principal legal barrier to the spread of nuclear weapons, and its Parties undertake in Article VI “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective control.”

The United States has made significant progress on disarmament. The Cold War era nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union ended two decades ago. Treaties banning chemical and biological weapons are now in force. At the 2000 NPT Review Conference, the five NPT nuclear weapon states reiterated an unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament.

Challenges
The obstacles to achieving a world without nuclear weapons are great. Despite massive reductions in nuclear arsenals since the height of the Cold War, thousands of these weapons remain in stockpiles. After decades of discussion, there remains no international ban on nuclear explosive testing or the production of fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons. The United States remains committed to meeting these challenges and moving forward on an ambitious disarmament agenda.

U.S. Actions in Support of the NPT’s Disarmament Pillar

  • Reducing strategic nuclear weapons: Since 1988 the United States has dismantled more than 13,000 nuclear warheads. It has reduced the number of operationally deployed nuclear weapons from approximately 10,000 in 1991 to 1,968 as of December 31, 2009. The United States has also dismantled more than 3,000 non-strategic nuclear weapons. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, signed in April 2010, will limit the United States and Russia to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads each. It places significant new limits on strategic nuclear delivery vehicles and includes an effective verification regime.
  • Reducing the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy: The April 2010 Nuclear Posture Review declares that the United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against NPT non-nuclear weapon states in compliance with their nuclear nonproliferation obligations; affirms that the United States will not conduct nuclear explosive tests, develop new nuclear weapons, or pursue new military missions or capabilities for nuclear weapons; promotes strategic stability with Russia and China; and improves transparency and mutual confidence.
  • Reducing delivery systems and fissile materials for weapons: The United States has eliminated more than 1,000 launchers for strategic ballistic missiles, 350 heavy bombers, and 28 ballistic missile submarines. It has removed 374 tons of highly enriched uranium and almost 61.5 tons of plutonium from the weapons inventory.
  • Taking further steps toward a world without nuclear weapons: President Obama has pledged that the United States will pursue ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and seek a new treaty that verifiably ends the production of fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons.

For more information about the NPT, please visit http://www.state.gov/t/isn/npt/index.htm.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Promoting Non-Proliferation

Bureau of Public Affairs
Fact Sheet
April 27, 2010
“Together we will strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a basis for cooperation. The basic bargain is sound: countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament, countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them, and all countries can access peaceful nuclear energy.” — President Barack ObamaThe Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) rests on three interrelated and mutually reinforcing pillars: nonproliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and disarmament.

Nonproliferation
As the only legally binding agreement that provides a global barrier to the spread of nuclear weapons, the NPT is the cornerstone of the global nonproliferation regime. It enhances the security of every state, as well as global and regional security. Articles I and II seek to prevent the further spread of nuclear weapons. Article III requires non-nuclear-weapon states to accept International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards to verify that nuclear activities serve only peaceful purposes. The NPT encourages regional groups of states to conclude treaties to assure the total absence of nuclear weapons on their territories. Five such treaties have been concluded.

Challenges
Challenges to the NPT’s nonproliferation pillar are several and serious. Robust verification of the NPT depends upon the IAEA having the necessary authorities and financial resources to fulfill its obligations. The revelation of the A.Q. Khan network’s illicit activities makes clear the potential threat of illicit nuclear supply to states and non-state actors. Concerns are growing about the potential for abuse of the NPT’s withdrawal clause, particularly if a Party seeking to withdraw from the NPT is already found to be in violation of its Treaty obligations.

U.S. Actions in Support of the NPT’s Nonproliferation Pillar

  • Supporting the IAEA’s safeguards program and working to ensure that the Agency has the resources it needs to fulfill its safeguards obligations.
  • Currently working with eight countries to prepare the infrastructure necessary to effectively implement the IAEA’s model Additional Protocol, designed to require more detailed disclosure regarding a states’ nuclear program by providing bilateral and multilateral workshops.
  • Working to revitalize international safeguards technology and expertise through the U.S. Next Generation Safeguards Initiative.
  • Bringing our Additional Protocol into force in January 2009 and encouraging all other states to do likewise.
  • Addressing Iran’s non-compliance with its NPT and IAEA safeguards obligations and North Korea’s announced withdrawal from the Treaty after violating its NPT and IAEA safeguards obligations.
  • Working with concerned NPT Parties to identify effective mechanisms to dissuade both violation of the Treaty and subsequent withdrawal.
  • Implementing a comprehensive system of export controls for material, equipment, and technology that could be used for nuclear explosive purposes.
  • Meeting our obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1540 which, among other things, requires all States to adopt and enforce effective laws prohibiting proliferation, and supporting the efforts of other states to meet theirs.
  • Strengthening cooperative international nonproliferation efforts such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, and encouraging their growth.
  • Having led the initiative to amend the Convention of the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials to cover physical protection of nuclear materials in domestic use, storage and transport and of nuclear facilities.
  • Hosting the Nuclear Security Summit in April 2010, as part of President Obama’s initiative to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years.
  • Signing and ratifying the protocols to the Latin American Nuclear-Weapons- Free Zone (NWFZ) and having signed the protocols to the South Pacific and African NWFZs.

For more information about the NPT, please visit http://www.state.gov/t/isn/npt/index.htm.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Promoting the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy

Bureau of Public Affairs
Fact Sheet
April 27, 2010

“We should build a new framework for civil nuclear cooperation, including an international fuel bank, so that countries can access peaceful power without increasing the risks of proliferation. That must be the right of every nation that renounces nuclear weapons especially, developing countries embarking on peaceful programs… We must harness the power of nuclear energy on behalf of our efforts to combat climate change, and to advance peace and opportunity for all people.” — President Barack Obama

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) rests on three interrelated and mutually reinforcing pillars: nonproliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and disarmament.

Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy
Article IV of the NPT acknowledges the right of all Parties to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, in conformity with their nonproliferation obligations and to participate in exchanges of related material and information. In the 40 years since the NPT’s entry into force, cooperation in this area has grown tremendously. Today, peaceful nuclear applications improve the daily lives of people all around the world.

Challenges
Peaceful uses of nuclear energy are helping to address modern challenges such as climate change, energy security, and sustainable development. The benefits are clear, and we must work with all NPT parties to ensure continued access to them without increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation.

U.S. Actions in Support of the NPT’s Peaceful Uses Pillar

  • The United States has formal agreements for cooperation with almost 50 states, and U.S. technical agencies have agreements with over 40 countries.
  • The United States is working with other states to develop mechanisms to guarantee states reliable access to nuclear fuel.
  • The United States is expanding cooperation programs aimed at civil nuclear infrastructure development for countries newly considering nuclear power.
  • As the largest donor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Technical Cooperation (TC) program, the United States contributed about $235 million for TC programs between 2000 and 2009. These contributions have enhanced the peaceful-uses capabilities of more than 100 IAEA Member States in fields such as nuclear power infrastructure, health care and nutrition, water resource management, food security, sustainable development, and nuclear safety and security.

Peaceful Uses – Making an Impact

Activities supported by the United States include:

  • Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): The United States has contributed more than $3 million to the IAEA project to integrate SIT for tsetse fly eradication in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, which will positively impact cattle production and the standard of living for local families.
  • Program for Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT): The United States has contributed almost $1.2 million to PACT, which aims to establish safe and effective radiotherapy programs, providing higher quality treatment to cancer patients worldwide.
  • Support for nuclear power infrastructure: The United States has launched regulatory building pilot programs in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Vietnam; is helping establish a Virtual Reactor Laboratory for education in Jordan; and has held regional workshops on infrastructure development.

For more information about the NPT, please visithttp://www.state.gov/t/isn/npt/index.htm.

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Tomorrow: Secretary Clinton to lead U.S. Delegation to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, United nations, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Ahmedinejad is also showing up. Secretary Clinton this morning on Meet The Press: “I don’t know WHAT he’s showing up for!” (Huge blue eyes!)

Secretary Clinton to lead U.S. Delegation to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations

https://i0.wp.com/msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-mtp-100429-clinton-9a.grid-3x2.jpg

Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
April 27, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will lead the U.S. delegation to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations in New York City, which begins Monday, May 3.
Secretary Clinton will deliver remarks on Monday afternoon. Additional details will be forthcoming.
The Secretary’s role underscores the Obama Administration’s top-level commitment to revitalizing and strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Other members of the delegation will include Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; Tom D’Agostino, NNSA Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator; and Ambassador Susan Burk, Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation.
The Review Conference meets every five years to assess the status of the world’s nuclear nonproliferation efforts and to reach a consensus on further steps to strengthen it. For 40 years, the Treaty has been the cornerstone of our efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, material and technology. As more states and non-state actors seek to acquire nuclear weapons, nuclear terrorism and proliferation have become the gravest threats of the 21st century.
Secretary Clinton will underscore the need to revitalize and strengthen the grand bargain in the NPT: nations with nuclear weapons will move toward disarmament, nations without nuclear weapons will not seek them, and all nations have the right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

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Remains of Hillary Clinton’s Busy, Busy Day (Almost)

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2010| 19 Comments »

Every time I had a free few minutes, today, I posted what was popping up in the press releases, and the Secretary had had a very busy day already by the time I went to class. Well, I came home a little while ago to find these few items that she was doing while I was teaching, but these are not yet the end of her day since, while I was driving home, she was at her final event of the long day (and evening): The Dorothy Height Memorial. I have just this one photo from that and must share it immediately.

Here are a few events  and an update on tomorrow.

Remarks With Honduran Foreign Minister Mario Canahuati Before Their Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
April 28, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: I want to welcome the foreign minister of Honduras here today. He’s been in Washington holding a series of meetings with a number of officials both from our government and others as well. And I’m looking forward to my conversation with him.

As I have said on numerous occasions, I think that the steps that President Lobo and his government have taken deserve our support, and we want to work with the government and the people of Honduras to get them back fully on the path of democracy, the rule of law, good governance. I had a long conversation a few weeks ago with President Lobo about his plans to try to improve the standard of living and the quality of life of the Honduran people, to deal with the drug trafficking and the crime that stalks all of Central America.

So, Minister, I appreciate your coming so that we can have an in-depth conversation about these and other issues.

FOREIGN MINISTER CANAHUATI: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: If you would like to say anything, you’re welcome to.

FOREIGN MINISTER CANAHUATI: Well, it’s a great honor to be here with you. Our relationship with the U.S. have been (inaudible) on values and respond to the needs of the people. I think this is not just an approach where we want to review our relationship as governments, but really evaluate what we’re doing for our people.

Democracy has to do with opportunities, with strong institutions, with respect of human rights. And in this moment, our president has shown his commitment on the political side to move forward with initiatives like the Truth Commission, appointing a minister of human rights, which will be his advisor in terms of making sure that this issue, which is a state issue, is being managed the right way.

And the main, important thing for him is how to respond to the needs of the people. He believes that we have to change our economy in terms of making it more inclusive. We cannot have strong democracies when people are not being – that don’t have the increase of – the spaces to have increase of opportunity and increase of income.

So those are the challenges that we have as a country, and no doubt, we’re here to combine or to share these principles with Madam Secretary and see how we can work together. We cannot improvise anymore. This is not a matter of what’s happening with the government, with the people who are governing the countries, but with the people that are suffering because of the lack of decisions and because of the lack of consciousness, that there is people suffering because we’re more in control or we’re more aware about the decision we have to make in the political level, but in terms of the decision we have to make to respond to the needs of the people.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, sir.

FOREIGN MINISTER CANAHUATI: Thank you, Madam.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you all very much.

This has no video component.

Remarks to Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Staff Involved in Iran

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 28, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first, this is really just a way of saying thank you. Thank you for the work you’re doing. It is such important work. We are incredibly grateful to you. And I am very convinced that it is vital to our national security and our foreign policy.

When we don’t have an embassy, we don’t have an ambassador, where normal diplomatic channels don’t exist for us, we do really rely on Washington and field staff to inform our policies, to try to dispel myths, but also to confirm concerns and information that can be of importance to us as we go forward.

As you well know, the Obama Administration and our country remain committed to broader engagement in the region. We made very specific offers to the Iranians, including outreach by the President himself directly to the Iranians. And unfortunately, we didn’t get much of a positive response, and that was a disappointment and it was discouraging because we wanted to try to give the leaders in Tehran a clear choice to uphold their international obligations, enjoy the benefits, therefore, of normal relations with the United States, or face increasing isolation and the consequences.

But at every turn, unfortunately, the Iranians have rejected our overtures and remain to this day in a rejectionist mindset. But the fact that we have reached out, often based on information and insights that you have brought our way, has given us much more credibility in our dealings internationally, and therefore, the ability to build an international consensus on the need to apply pressure to Iran’s leaders to change course.

As you know, we’re working very hard in the United Nations right now with the members of the Security Council and particularly the P-5+1 to develop a resolution that would help really put that international pressure into action. We’re not targeting the people of Iran, but we are trying to focus on changing the calculation on the part of the leaders as to what is in their interests.

Now, our concern with Iran extends beyond our focus on their nuclear program. As you know, it also encompasses their grave human rights violations. And over the last year, as you have reported to us, so many Iranians have been subjected to arbitrary punishments, detention, brutalization by their own government. And we will continue speaking out about those abuses. When I leave here, I will be going to meet with the mothers of the three hikers who remain in prison. They’ve been given no notice of charges against them. They are, by every shred of evidence we have, three young people who were hiking in the Kurdish north of Iraq on a break from their studies and their work, and allegedly, crossed the border and were arrested.

So we are going to do all we can to try to get them released on humanitarian grounds. I know that when the international media turns to other stories, you remain focused on getting us the information we need to try to chart the best course forward with respect to Iran.

And we really need your continuing advice and your guidance. All of us understand the challenges of your jobs, and we really, really appreciate it.

Finally, (well not really, there will be more) there is this update about tomorrow.

Secretary Clinton to Deliver Remarks to the American Jewish Committee on April 29

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 28, 2010

Secretary Clinton will deliver remarks on the need to reach a comprehensive regional peace in the Middle East at the American Jewish Committee’s annual gala on April 29 at 7:20 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Secretary’s speech will be her third in a series reaffirming the commitment of the United States to Israel’s security and making the case for peace. At AIPAC’s national conference on March 22, she spoke about the challenge that continuing conflict poses to Israel’s future, and how dynamics of ideology, technology and demography make the status quo unsustainable and the pursuit of peace a necessity. At the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace on April 15, she highlighted the urgency of the struggle between those in the region, especially in the Palestinian territories, who seek peace and progress and those who seek to perpetuate conflict.

Secretary Clinton will be introduced by American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen will also participate in the event.

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Three video shorts: Hillary Clinton in Estonia on Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, NATO, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2010| 2 Comments »

Well I do not know how on earth I missed these three outtakes from Secretary Clinton’s press availability on Thursday in Estonia, but there they were at the State Department website which I had been checking all weekend!

Since it is impossible to have too much Hillary over a Hillary-free weekend, I am posting them even though they are a few days old and the text of this P.A. went up days ago.

Here is Hillary, for your viewing pleasure!

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Breaking: Hillary WILL Meet With Putin After All

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, tagged , , , , , , , on March 18, 2010| 2 Comments »

Courtesy of and buried toward the end of an article in the L.A. Times:

…the project has since regained its momentum. Putin, who views nuclear power as a promising industry for Russia to pursue around the world, appears eager to see the plant generating power.

Clinton was not originally scheduled during her two-day visit to meet with Putin, who is widely seen as Russia’s top ruler. But a meeting between the two was hastily added to the Friday agenda.

Read the article here>>>

Because I had posted both the video and text of the Clinton-Lavrov encounter earlier today, I almost bypassed this article since I had heard and read her words although Lavrov’s were not included.  Several advance press releases and  schedules made a point of the fact that she would not be meeting with Putin.  I posted something last night wherein I was sorely tempted but refrained from making reference to those new pictures of Putin with his horses that Rachel Maddow showed.  So it seems that she will be meeting with Putin after all.  I have to say, though, I think that, like Netanyahu, Putin is singularly impervious to Hillary Clinton’s considerable powers of persuasion.

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Video: Secretary Clinton’s Remarks on Armenia, Iran, and Honduras

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 6, 2010| 1 Comment »

This from the Washington Post on the status of the Security Council vote on sanctions:

Key U.N. Security Council nations hedging on calls to sanction Iran
The United States and its European allies are confident that they can secure at least 10 votes, including from nonpermanent members Austria, Bosnia, Gabon, Mexico, Nigeria and Uganda — one more than the nine required for passage in the council. But the failure to secure a united front, particularly from the five veto-wielding members of the council, would send a weak signal to the Iranians, diplomats said.

Read the whole article>>>

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Secretary Clinton: Further Remarks on Iran

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 26, 2009| 2 Comments »

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
New York, NY
September 25, 2009

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as President Obama, President Sarkozy, and Minister Brown said in their statement today, Iran’s efforts over a number of years to build a covert enrichment facility near Qom deepens our already deep concern, and the growing international understanding about the scope and intent of Iran’s nuclear program.
This is further evidence of Iran’s continued defiance of IAEA and the United Nations obligations. Iran is breaking rules that all nations are expected to follow, and we fully support an immediate IAEA investigation. We remain committed to the October 1st meeting of the P-5+1, and we are encouraged by the work that was done this week here in New York, the very important statement that was agreed to by all members of the P-5+1, including China and Russia, and of course, the European Union as well, setting forth what we expected out of these negotiations.
The nuclear program was on the table before. It is on the table with increased urgency now. And this revelation that has been shared with the world makes clear, we hope, to those who have either not formed an opinion or doubted the necessity of the dual-track approach we are pursuing to work with us. This is now a clear challenge to the international community because this facility sharpens our sense of urgency, it underscores Iran’s absolute need to engage seriously with us on October 1st, and take immediate steps to demonstrate the exclusively peaceful nature of their nuclear program, which they have been claiming despite growing evidence to the contrary. So we are very clear and very resolved about what we are attempting to accomplish here.
QUESTION: If the Iranians don’t engage seriously on October the 1st, is that it, from your point of view? Are you willing to engage in further conversations?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Arshad, we’re going to take it one day at a time. This is an unfolding narrative. As more and more information is shared with the world, as the comments made by Ahmadinejad during his recent appearance, and both before and since illustrate attitudes and approaches that are really at variance with almost universal principles and understanding of historical reality. So we are going to wait and see what Iran says when the meeting is held on October 1st.
STAFF: Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m not going to prejudge it, but clearly, this is an incredibly important disclosure that the world needs to digest.
STAFF: Thanks, everybody.

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Video: Secretary Clinton’s Remarks on Iran

Posted in Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 24, 2009| 2 Comments »

Hillary made these remarks afte the P5+1 Meeting yesterday.

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