Remarks With Taoiseach Enda Kenny After Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Government Buildings
Dublin, Ireland
December 6, 2012
TAOISEACH KENNY:
Good evening and welcome. Our Secretary of State has got a meeting at
5:30 so we’ll keep this fairly brief. Firstly I’d like to welcome the
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here to Government Buildings and
thank her for attending at the OSCE meeting for the engagement that
she’s had during the course of the day. I might say that as First Lady,
as Senator, and as Secretary of State, she has shown an enormous sense
of belief and conviction in politics and in the work that she has done,
not only in the United States, not only in Ireland, in Northern Ireland
in particular, but now on a global stage as Secretary of State for the
most powerful nation in the world. In that sense, we thank you very
much, and your husband, for all of the work that you’ve done.
I’ve
had a wide-ranging discussion with the Secretary of State in which we
covered issues about the Irish economy, our relationship with Europe,
our forthcoming presidency, the opportunity to begin discussions with
the United States on the (inaudible) of a free trade between Europe and
the U.S. I’ve also spoken to the Secretary in regard to her visits in
Northern Ireland, her prompt condemnation of the murder of David Black
recently, and of her continued interest in keeping peace, the peace
coordination, the forming of a peace coordination, very much a central
issue because of the fragility of a number of communities on either side
of the peace divide. And we discussed elements of that.
We also
discussed the European issues, the situation facing the Eurozone, the
European Union, the priorities for Ireland’s presidency. We referred
equally to issues that the Secretary of State has been involved in
recently, thanked her for her efforts in coordination with Cairo and
Egypt in bringing about the resolution to the recent difficulties
between Palestine and Israel. I’ve spoken with a number of (inaudible)
country issues in that region.
And as I say, we are very glad to
have you here. We thank you for your contribution to this country, for
the unfailing commitment that you and President Clinton have shown to
Ireland and to its people. And we are extremely grateful to you for all
those efforts, and we hope that you’ve had a pleasant visit and an
enjoyable trip to Belfast tomorrow when you go there. SECRETARY CLINTON:
Thank you so much, Taoiseach. And I just want to express my gratitude
for your hospitality and also for your government’s hosting of the OSCE
meeting here. And congratulations as you assume the EU presidency and
the responsibilities that go with that, and also congratulations on your
election to the Human Rights Council, where we will be working
together.
I’m always happy to be in the Republic of Ireland and to
have a chance to see a lot of my friends, catch up on matters. And as
the Taoiseach said, we covered a wide-ranging number of issues of
importance to us both, as well as the global situation. And I want to
applaud the Irish Government under your leadership for making some very
tough decisions to shore up the Irish economy for the long term. The
budget passed yesterday meets the terms of the Troika program. It will
keep Ireland on the path back to competitiveness in the European and
global economies. And it’s been an extraordinary example of Irish
resilience and determination, the way that you have met these challenges
head-on. That’s good news, of course, for you, but also for the
European and global economy more broadly.
Ireland has been a
critical leader and partner in the ongoing work toward reconciliation
and peace building. And I’m looking forward to my visit to Belfast
tomorrow to see for myself what the situation is.
And I want to
thank you for, despite the difficult economic challenges you face, your
continuing engagement in regional and global concerns. You’ve reaffirmed
OSCE’s core principles. You work tirelessly to promote peace, combat
intolerance, defend universal human rights and dignity. And of course,
you’re a great partner with us as we work together on food security,
improving nutrition for pregnant women and children, helping women have
access to clean cookstoves, and in short, trying to demonstrate what our
values really mean in practice.
I also am happy to report the
U.S.-Ireland Research and Development Partnership has made progress to
strengthen the ties between our countries in research and development,
and the economy and technology. A delegation of American entrepreneurs
visited Dublin and Belfast a few weeks ago to explore new investment
opportunities in high-tech enterprises.
So in short, it’s a pleasure, as always, being here, and I look forward to our continuing work together in the future. TAOISEACH KENNY: Thank you, Secretary. MODERATOR: David. QUESTION: David
Davenport of the Irish National Broadcasting. As the Taoiseach has
said, there’s a warm relationship, I think, between the Clintons and
this country (inaudible) and you personally. You’re stepping down soon.
What are your career plans? (Laughter.) Do you rule out a tilt at the
presidency four years down? (Laughter.) And what do you think of the
suggestions in the media that Bill Clinton might be on the short list
for U.S. Ambassador here? SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.)
Well, as to the first question, I’m right now too focused on what I’m
doing to complete all the work we have ahead of us before I do step
down. And I’m frankly looking forward to returning to living a life that
enjoys a lot of simple pleasures and gives me time for family and
friends and other pursuits. And I cannot comment on what President Obama
might do in the second term – obviously, it’s his decision – but I
would think that my husband will be here many times in the future doing
the work that he’s been doing without having to have the title of
ambassador. MODERATOR: Anne. QUESTION: Madam
Secretary, since we understand that you are to see Lakhdar Brahimi and
Sergey Lavrov today, can you say what you think this three-person
meeting can accomplish, whether it is an indication that the Russians
have changed their calculation about Assad’s staying power? And secondly
on Syria, there are new reports that sarin gas has been weaponized. Is
that true? And is it part of the reason that there’s been new urgency
from you and President Obama about Syrian chemical weapons this week? SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, Anne, obviously I’m looking forward to the meeting, which is
supposed to start in 10 minutes, and I want to hear what the Special
Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has to say to both Sergey Lavrov and myself. We
have been trying hard to work with Russia to stop the bloodshed in Syria
and start a political transition toward a post-Assad Syrian future. And
we very much support what Lahkdar Brahimi is trying to do.
Events
on the ground in Syria are accelerating, and we see that in many
different ways. The pressure against the regime in and around Damascus
seems to be increasing. We’ve made it very clear what our position is
with respect to chemical weapons, and I think we will discuss that and
many other aspects of what needs to be done in order to end the violence
and begin that transition that I referred to.
So I’m looking forward to the meeting. I will obviously have more to say about it after we hold it. MODERATOR: (Inaudible.) QUESTION:
Madam Secretary, (inaudible). You’ve been here many – 12 – times over
the last 20-odd years, (inaudible). You’ve referred to the shoring up of
public finances. What kind of message of hope do you think you could
pass on to the Irish people about the tough economic constraints that
we’re going through at the moment?
And Taoiseach for you, as you
know, (inaudible) always said all politics is noble (inaudible) domestic
issue. Are you steadfast in your belief that the government is not
going to change its mind on any (inaudible) in the budget, in particular
(inaudible)? SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me just quickly
say that after years of economic turmoil, we are delighted to see
Ireland on the rebound. And as I’ve said, the Taoiseach has taken a
number of very tough, important steps that have placed Ireland on the
right track. This has not been easy. I understand the real sacrifice and
even suffering that many people have gone through because of the
economic challenges, but the view from the United States is the
resilience, the hard work, the determination of the Irish people getting
up every day and getting the job done. Coming at it with a practical,
can-do spirit, and an unwavering resolve to meet what lies ahead. The
United States is confident in our economic partnership with Ireland. Our
foreign direct investment here already tops $191 billion, which is more
than U.S. companies have invested in Brazil, Russia, India, and China
combined.
So don’t just take my word for it – take our investors’
actions and look at what they’re doing, which is understanding that
investing in Ireland is a good bet for the future. More than 600 U.S.
subsidiaries in Ireland employ more than a hundred thousand people, and
these are in good jobs in electronics manufacturing, medical supplies,
pharmaceuticals, et cetera. And by comparison, Irish companies employ
80,000 people. So we know that these are tough times.
We’ve had
some of that ourselves. We have a different economic situation because
of our currency and the like, and we’ve had to do some very difficult
things. But our economy is turning around and so is the Irish economy.
But it’s going to take some more time, and we want to continue to see
our economic relationship grow. TAOISEACH KENNY: I’d like
to thank the Secretary of State for her message of hope to the Irish
people. I think this is something that the – that as First Lady and as
senator and now as Secretary of State, both you and your husband have
always given that clear message of courage and belief and conviction to
the Irish people, and I thank you for that.
At the budget
yesterday, was – and it will be the toughest of this Administration’s
lifetime – none of the choices were easy, all of them were unpalatable.
When you recall budgets of the 90s, which could have been done in 15
minutes, the question was not how much you could take in but how much
you could give out. And that’s what landed us in the unprecedented
economic situation that we find ourselves in.
Budget’s gone
through yesterday, fear not, and it’s the intention of the government to
carry through with the budget as put through the dole yesterday. I
might just say in conclusion that Ambassador Dan Rooney is not here. As
you are aware, his daughter died in the United States, and I’d like to
pay a tribute to him, to his wife, and to their staff for their very
generous commitment to this country and to express our sympathy and our
condolences to him, his wife, and family, on their very sad loss. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. MODERATOR: And finally, Jill. QUESTION:
Thank you. Madam Secretary, thank you – make it brief here – concerning
Ambassador Rice. There has been a lot of criticism, a lot of attack,
coming from some Republicans in Congress who accuse her of not having
the necessary qualities that a Secretary, a prospective Secretary of
State, should have. Do you feel that this criticism – or how deeply do
you feel that this criticism has wounded her? And should she be
nominated and it turns into a protracted battle in the Senate, how long
would you be willing to stay on? SECRETARY CLINTON: Well,
first, Jill, let me repeat what I have said many times publicly and
privately. Susan Rice has done a great job as our UN Ambassador. She has
been a stalwart colleague in a lot of the tough decisions that we’ve
had to make, and certainly with respect to defending our national
interests and national security at the United Nations. And she’s played
an important role in what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last four
years. I worked very closely with her in shaping the sanctions on North
Korea and Iran, and she has been on the go for us in every way that was
required.
And it’s important to remember what Susan said was
based on the information that had been given to every senior official in
our Administration. And she made very clear in her appearances that the
information was subject to change as more facts were gathered and
analyzed by the intelligence community. And look, as is often the case,
our understanding evolved over time, and we’ve done our best to keep the
American people and the Congress informed. That was her goal, that was
her mission, and she should not be criticized for doing exactly that.
And
this decision about who succeeds me is totally up to the President, and
of course, I will support whatever he decides. And I’ve told him that I
will certainly do what I can to help to expedite a transition, but I’m
not going to make any comment beyond that.
Thank you all.
