At Caijing Conference, Hillary Clinton Warns on NK

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Hillary Clinton Hits Trump, Xi in Remarks at Beijing Event

Bloomberg News

4-5 minutes

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November 27, 2017, 8:56 PM EST Updated on November 27, 2017, 10:40 PM EST

• Says Trump has retreated from diplomacy, warns on Xi’s power
• China could also fall victim to spread of fake news: Clinton

Hillary Clinton hit out at both U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in remarks via video to a conference in Beijing.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, said the Trump administration had retreated from diplomacy. She called on both the U.S. and China to avoid “bluster” or “personal taunts” in dealing with North Korea, and said the six-party talks on denuclearization should resume.
“Beijing should remember that inaction is a choice as well,” Clinton said on Tuesday, referring to China’s approach toward North Korea.
Read more >>>>

Hillary Clinton's National Security Session: In the Room Where It Happens

Hillary Clinton convened a bipartisan panel of experts on national security at the New York Historical Society today.  The group included those who have made policy and those who have implemented policies for a broad-based discussion of threats and how we deal with them.




After the meeting, Hillary held a press briefing.




I made sure to include a few pics of Hillary smiling for Reince Priebus.  She was talking about deadly serious issues, but she is personable with the press.


The issue of the North Korean nuclear test arose in the press briefing after the meeting.

Statement From Hillary Clinton On North Korea’s Nuclear Test

Hillary Clinton released the following statement Friday on North Korea’s nuclear test:
“North Korea’s decision to conduct another nuclear test is outrageous and unacceptable.  I strongly condemn this reckless action, which – coupled with its recent series of missile launches – makes clear Pyongyang’s determination to develop a deliverable nuclear weapon.  This constitutes a direct threat to the United States, and we cannot and will never accept this.
I support President Obama’s call to both strengthen the sanctions passed earlier this year with the United Nations and to impose additional sanctions.  At the same time, we must strengthen defense cooperation with our allies in the region; South Korea and Japan are critical to our missile defense system, which will protect us against a North Korean missile.  China plays a critical role, too, and must meaningfully increase pressure on North Korea – and we must make sure they do.
This is another reminder that America must elect a President who can confront the threats we face with steadiness and strength.  We need a Commander-in-Chief committed to a bipartisan foreign policy, who can bring together top experts with deep experience to solve the toughest challenges.  And we need a President committed to reducing – not increasing – the number of nuclear weapons and nuclear states in the world.  More countries with nuclear weapons in Northeast Asia would increase the chances of the unthinkable happening.  We cannot take that risk.”

Hillary Clinton on the NK Nuclear Test

Statements

Statement From Hillary Clinton on North Korea’s Apparent Nuclear Test

Hillary Clinton released the following statement Wednesday about North Korea’s apparent nuclear test:

“I strongly condemn North Korea’s apparent nuclear test. If verified, this is a provocative and dangerous act, and North Korea must have no doubt that we will take whatever steps are necessary to defend ourselves and our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan. North Korea’s goal is to blackmail the world into easing the pressure on its rogue regime. We can’t give in to or in any way encourage this kind of bullying. Instead, we should increase pressure and send Pyongyang an unmistakable message that its nuclear brinksmanship won’t succeed.

“The United States and our partners, including the UN Security Council, need to immediately impose additional sanctions against North Korea. The Chinese government, which wields influence with the North Koreans, must be more assertive in deterring the North’s irresponsible actions, and it should take actions to halt prohibited activities transpiring across its borders or its firms that participate in illicit trade or proliferation will have to face sanctions. We should also work with our allies to strengthen our missile defenses.

“As Secretary I championed the United States’ pivot to the Asia Pacific - including shifting additional military assets to the theater – in part to confront threats like North Korea and to support our allies. I worked to get not just our allies but also Russia and China on board for the strongest sanctions yet.

“North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, its human rights record, the cyber hack of Sony this past December – highlight the continuing threat that North Korea poses.

“And threats like this are yet another reminder of what’s at stake in this election. We cannot afford reckless, imprudent publicity stunts that risk war. We need a Commander-in-Chief with the experience and judgement to deal with a dangerous North Korea on Day One.”

Read more >>>>

Hillary Clinton: The Passing of Kim Jong Il

The Passing of National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Il

Press Statement

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

December 19, 2011

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With the passing of National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Il, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is now in a period of national mourning.  We are deeply concerned with the well being of the North Korean people and our thoughts and prayers are with them during these difficult times.  It is our hope that the new leadership of the DPRK will choose to guide their nation onto the path of peace by honoring North Korea’s commitments, improving relations with its neighbors, and respecting the rights of its people.  The United States stands ready to help the North Korean people and urges the new leadership to work with the international community to usher in a new era of peace, prosperity and lasting security on the Korean Peninsula.

She has this look of "I'm not afraid of you, little boy! Bring it on!

Hillary Clinton in Asia Today: Pictures and Commentary

To provide a glimpse into Mme. Secretary's day today, I am including some remarks from today's press briefing. The speech to which Ms. Nuland refers was the posted previous to the public schedule.

Victoria Nuland
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DCJuly 25, 2011

MS. NULAND: Well, I think the Secretary spoke very clearly, obviously in Hong Kong, about the fact that she has great confidence, that we have confidence, that we’re going to get through this, and that you have democracy in action as the two parties on the Hill work towards an agreement and work with the President on this.

There have been a lot of questions around the world, as people try to understand how our system works, how our democracy works, about where all of this is going, so that was one of the reasons why the Secretary felt it was important to make a strong statement about democracy in action and about the fact that we will come through this, and about the adjustments that our strong, democratic economy has been able to make over time whenever we faced these kinds of challenges.

More broadly, though, I hope you caught the key themes of her speech, which were to ensure that not only in the East Asian region, but around the world, that we are working together on the basis of open, free, transparent, and fair market systems in which all countries can compete on the basis of a level playing field, whether they are developing nations, developed nations, and all businesses can compete, whether they’re big businesses or small businesses.

...

I think what we have are countries, leaders, businesses trying to grapple with how the American system works. They see us engaged in a democratic debate about what the right moves are going forward in the U.S. economy, but a lot of countries find our system hard to understand. So those are the kinds of questions we get – how long will this go on, are you confident that there’ll be an agreement? And I think it was important for the Secretary to make a strong statement of confidence that our system will produce a good result not only for the American people, but for the world economy as a whole.

...

QUESTION: Can you tell us a little bit more the upcoming meeting in New York between U.S. and North Korea? Who’s leading the delegation and when it’s going to take place; what’s your expectation?

MS. NULAND: In terms of the timing, we’re looking at the end of the week. I don’t know whether the precise date – Thursday or Friday – in New York has been set. I think you know that the expected DPRK representative is Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kae-gwan, and I think you heard the Secretary speak to what we’re looking for in this meeting, that we see this as a preliminary session where we’re going to lay out very clearly our expectations for what will be necessary to not only resume Six-Party Talks, but to improve direct engagement between the U.S. and the DPRK.

...

QUESTION: Was there any outcome regarding those issues come out when she was meeting the State Councilor Dai Bingguo and the other officials on the North Korea issues?

MS. NULAND: They did talk about North Korea today. They met for more than four hours in Shenzhen. And it was very broad-ranging conversation about the U.S.-China relationship, about our shared interest in regional issues, but North Korea was certainly one of the subjects of the meeting.

More that four hours! Comes in a close second to that six-plus hour meeting with Bibi Netanyahu at the Waldorf last December. (I think it was the Waldorf.) I want to say here and now that for someone who took a pay cut from what she voted for as her predecessor's salary (for Constitutional reasons), this Secretary of State certainly gives us more than our money's worth. But, of course, she has never been in any of this for the money, or even for the credit. All she cares about is that the work gets done.

Hillary Rodham Clinton: IAEA Resolution on Syria

IAEA Resolution on Syria

Press Statement

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

June 9, 2011

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Today in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by fourteen nations, finding Syria in noncompliance with its international nuclear obligations. This is an important step given the troubling findings in the IAEA’s latest report -- including Syria’s demonstrated refusal to cooperate with the IAEA investigation and its attempts to construct a secret nuclear reactor with the assistance of North Korea. We fully welcome the IAEA's actions today to address this issue with the seriousness it deserves.

The IAEA’s latest report outlining the very likely construction of a covert nuclear reactor makes clear that Syria was violating its nonproliferation obligations. The report is also a troubling update of Syria’s continued refusal to cooperate with the IAEA investigation and efforts to conceal the true purpose of the facility, which raise further serious concerns about Syria’s compliance with its international obligations. Syria must fully cooperate with the IAEA by providing necessary access to all sites, items, and information related to the Dair Alzour investigation and allow the IAEA to verify that Syria is fully complying with its safeguards agreement.

Syria is challenging the authority of the IAEA and the integrity of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime. The only way Syria can demonstrate that it has come back into full compliance with the NPT is by cooperating with the IAEA and providing the necessary information and access.

Upcoming: On Hillary Clinton's Agenda

As already mentioned in an earlier post, Secretary Clinton spent a good deal of her weekend on the phone, first with Asian allies over the situation between North and South Korea, and later with allies all over the world in connection with with anticipated, now actual, Wikileaks release of embassy cables.

Among the reports, and I can no longer locate the story, was a proposed meeting of the Secretary of State and the Japanese, South Korean, and Chinese Foreign Ministers in DC this week. If that meeting is on I see no news of it, and, according to the press release below, it would have to occur on Monday since Mme. Secretary will be traveling again on Tuesday. She is, however, scheduled for a bilateral with Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu. That, we have to guess, will probably be scheduled for Monday for the same reason.

Turkish foreign minister to hold talks in US

(AFP) –

ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu starts a four-day visit to the United States Saturday for talks on bilateral ties and regional issues, the foreign ministry said Friday.

Davutoglu was to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, national security advisor Tom Donilon and the head of the Senate foreign relations committee, Senator John Kerry, the statement said.

Read more>>>>>

A press release this evening reports the following travel plans.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Travel to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain

Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs

Washington, DC

November 28, 2010

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain November 30 - December 3. In Kazakhstan, she will attend the Summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as head of the U.S. delegation. Prior to the Summit, she will host an event for local and international non-governmental organizations, underscoring the importance of a vibrant civil society. She will also meet with Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbayev and Foreign Minister Saudabayev to discuss various aspects of the U.S.-Kazakhstan strategic partnership.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, Secretary Clinton will meet with President Otunbayeva and other government officials. She will review political developments in the wake of Kyrgyzstan’s historic election, and discuss a range of issues of mutual concern.

In Uzbekistan, Secretary Clinton will meet with President Karimov to discuss a wide range of matters in our bilateral relationship and in regional affairs.

In Bahrain, Secretary Clinton will deliver the keynote address on the role of the United States in regional security at The Manama Dialogue 2010, an annual forum hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain.

With her other hand, Mme. Secretary will be juggling the Wikileaks fallout, which, from what I have seen so far, is surprisingly bland. Angela Merkel not creative? To my knowledge, she has not claimed to be Martha Stewart. Putin an alpha dog? Yes, he has probably said that himself. Of course there is more. Much much more. The SOS will deal with it as she wings her way through this next tour.



God Bless you, Mme. Secretary. Godspeed. Have a safe trip!

Hillary Calling!

The State Department, via spokesman P.J. Crowley, promised updates over the weekend as stories were expected to develop. No updates have been forthcoming from State, but foreign ministries (presumably not in national turkey comas) have provided some insights into the kind of Thanksgiving weekend our lovely and hard-working Mme. Secretary is having.

South Korea says joint military drill to send message

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday a joint military exercise with the United States due later this month will send a clear message to North Korea.

"Over telephone talks with Secretary (of State) Hillary Clinton, we agreed that through the drill, we will be able to ...send a clear message to the North in relation to the recent situation," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Read more>>>>

South Korean, US and Japanese foreign ministers to meet

The Japanese and US top diplomats agreed Thursday to set up a meeting with their South Korean counterpart to coordinate their policies towards North Korea, news reports said. Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton agreed to arrange the meeting for December in Washington, Japan's Kyodo News reported. During their 15-minute phone conversation, Maehara and Clinton confirmed the need to enhance their cooperation in the wake of North Korea's attack on a South Korean island Tuesday, and its uranium enrichment programme, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Read more>>>>>

China holds talks with Clinton on N.Korea: foreign ministry

BEIJING (AFP) – Beijing held phone talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday on the tense situation following North Korea's deadly bombardment of a South Korean island, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Read more>>>>>

Under the surface there is an unrelated story that was probably the one Crowley was expecting to break over the weekend when he spoke to the press on Wednesday. My opinion is that these leaks are dangerous, violate national and international security, and should be stopped. Assange should be in prison for doing this. These are not old, expired communications. They are recent, sensitive, and protected. His actions are criminal. Your freedom of speech ends where it endangers the safety of others. Wikileaks is dangerous.

US rushes to contain new WikiLeaks damage

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States raced Friday to contain the fallout from the looming release of millions of sensitive diplomatic cables by the WikiLeaks, warning governments around the world of embarrassing disclosures.

US diplomats headed to foreign ministries in hopes of staving off anger if the whistleblower website puts out the leaked cables, which are internal messages that lack the niceties that diplomats generally voice in public.

The documents, the third tranche since WikiLeaks published 77,000 classified US files on the Afghan conflict in July, could affect some of the most sensitive US relationships including with Russia, Israel and Turkey.

Read more >>>>>

So it appears that Mme. Secretary's holiday weekend is not free of work or concerns. She is spending portions of it on the phone, but we hope that she is making the calls from the comfort of home and otherwise enjoying some downtime with her family.

Happy Thanksgiving, Madame Secretary!

Dear Madame Secretary,

I wish you a warm, peaceful, restful, and Happy Thanksgiving with your loving family. We are lucky to have you at the helm of State, and that is something for which I am thankful every day of the year. Your hard work is much appreciated. That you go about your business with such humility and good cheer sets a wonderful example for all Americans as well as for people the world over.

Your admirers are equally grateful to your family for so generously sharing you with us and with the world. Your mother has given us an American treasure.

I say this every year, and I shall once again: I am grateful that I have the chance to be on earth at the same time as you are. The accident of birth can separate us by centuries from people in history that we might have wanted to know. That I have the chance to watch you making history in real time is a privilege. Thank you for all you do and have a wonderful holiday.

Best,

Still4Hill

Readers might like to have a glimpse into some of Mme. Secretary's activities for the next few days. This comes, not from some social calendar, though. It is from P.J. Crowley's press briefing today.

Philip J. Crowley

Assistant Secretary
Daily Press Briefing

Washington, DC

November 24, 2010

MR. CROWLEY: First of all, happy Wednesday and, one day early, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Just to kind of set expectations, under current thinking, we will not brief on Friday. We will, through the next four days, keep you updated through various forums, including Twitter. We would expect the Secretary to have a series of calls in the coming days with her counterparts, expect, for the most part, with counterparts discussing the situation in North Korea. I think Mark flagged for you yesterday that we have calls pending with her counterparts from Japan and Korea. I wouldn’t rule out other discussions as well.

We’re mindful that Friday is the anniversary of the attack in Mumbai. I would expect that we’ll have a statement to put out. Maybe we’ll try to put that out sometime tomorrow so that it can be reported for Friday in India. But – not that there’s anything coming up this weekend, but we will be available to you during the weekend as we anticipate an emerging story, shall we say.

Hillary Clinton v. NK via Newsy.com

The folks at Newsy.com were nice enough to send me this video, so I thought I would share it. Interesting point raised here is how the US/SK alliance (specifically the military exercises) affects US - China relations. My guess, not much. They got over our sale of weapons to Taiwan. They will get over this, too. Exercises are scheduled for Sunday through Wednesday of this week.

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Video: Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates at the DMZ

I am sure the troops were pleased to meet our lovely SOS. It's such a God-forsaken place. This must have been a treat for them.

Secretary Clinton's Statement at the DMZ

Statement at the DMZ

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Seoul, South Korea

July 21, 2010

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This is my first visit to the DMZ, to Freedom House, to the UN Armistice Headquarters.

And as we were at the Observation Post looking out at what is a thin, 3-mile separation between the North and the South, it struck me that although it may be a thin line, these two places are worlds apart.

The Republic of Korea has made extraordinary progress. It has leaders who care about the well-being of the people. It has an economy that is growing and creating jobs and opportunities. It has a commitment to common values of democracy and freedom.

By contrast, the North has not only stagnated in isolation, but the people of the North have suffered for so many years.

I am grateful to the men and women from the Republic of Korea, the United States of America and the multinational force, who today are standing watch for freedom and who are in a long line of those who came before over the last 6 decades, who have helped to protect South Korea.

At the same time we continue to send a message to the North. There is another way. There is a way that can benefit the people of the North.

But until they change direction, the United States stands firmly on behalf of the people and government of the Republic of Korea, where we provide a stalwart defense along with our allies and partners.

secretary Clinton: Gaggle with Traveling Press

Gaggle with Traveling Press

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Embassy Kabul

Kabul, Afghanistan

July 20, 2010

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QUESTION: (Inaudible) concerns of women, and what do you really think you would be able to do once the reconciliation is (inaudible)?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think there are a lot of things we can do, and it is in keeping with what we’ve been doing. The United States supports most of the NGOs that are supporting women’s activities and rights, some of whom were represented in the room this morning. We are actually increasing our support to assistance that helps women, that empowers women. I have consistently raised with all levels of the Afghan Government, with everyone else from the EU to ISAF and the UN, the absolute necessity of our standing firmly together in our demands that women not be marginalized in the process of reintegration and reconciliation. I have pushed hard for women to have, literally, seats at the table in the loya jirga and the London conference and the Kabul conference, et cetera.
And I think we just have to continue to make that case. And I’m even thinking maybe we should be looking for ways we can make a stronger public education case, because in listening to the women this morning, I asked them if they thought mindsets had changed, and several of them said that they had, that there had been people who said, well, it was a mistake not to let our girls go to school during those five years, or it was a mistake to take our women teachers out of the classroom. And one woman said that one of – some man had said to her that the way he convinces people to be in favor of women is to say, “If your wife has to go to the hospital, do you want her treated by a male doctor or a female doctor? And if you want a female doctor, then we have to have female doctors.” So there’s a discussion going on in the society, and I want to really encourage that.
And then finally, the parliamentary elections in September hold out a lot of promise. How many women have signed up, Karl?
AMBASSADOR EIKENBERRY: About 330, a significant increase over 2005.
QUESTION: Yeah, 20 percent more.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah. A lot of women are running for office and a certain number of women’s seats are guaranteed. So we’re pushing every way we know to, because we feel so strongly about it.
QUESTION: But, Madam Secretary, if there is a political solution that would come at the expense of women but allow foreign troops to cede an end in sight for their presence here, don’t you think you would take that political solution?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Kim, I don’t think there is such a political solution that does – I don’t think there is such a political solution that would be a lasting, sustainable one that would turn the clock back on women. That is a recipe for a return to the kind of Afghanistan, if not in the entire country, in significant parts of the country, that would once again be a breeding ground for terrorism. So we’ve got our red lines and they are very clear: Any reconciliation process that the United States supports, recognizing that this is an Afghan-led process, must require that anyone who wishes to rejoin society and the political system must lay down their weapons and end violence, renounce al-Qaida, and be committed to the constitution and laws of Afghanistan, which guarantee the rights of women.
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, a couple of questions on Iran.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Mm-hmm.
QUESTION: Did the U.S. have any back-channel or direct contact with Iran during this conference? Have you done anything to reassure them about the presence of U.S. troops on their eastern border? And what do you see their role in Afghanistan as?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Iran was here today for the simple and unavoidable fact that they are a neighbor with longstanding historical, cultural, even religious connections inside Iran. And the very first conference I went to about Iran back in the Hague --
QUESTION: About Afghanistan.
SECRETARY CLINTON: About Afghanistan. Yeah, that I went to about – thank you, Matt – that I went to about Afghanistan was in the Hague, and Iran was there. So we were fully expecting Iran to be present here. It was at a higher level at this conference because the foreign minister came. There were many messages that people were conveying back and forth about what they thought was going on, but the bottom line is that we certainly believe that it’s important for all of Afghanistan’s neighbors to play a constructive role in the future of Afghanistan. And we’ve certainly had conversations about that with Pakistan and with Afghanistan’s northern neighbors, and I know that a number of other countries were meeting with and talking to Iran today.
QUESTION: Can I follow up? Yeah, but a couple years ago, after 9/11, the U.S. and Iran were able to kind of talk --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Right.
QUESTION: -- sit down, have conversations about Afghanistan. And that was seen as a way to kind of break the ice. Do you think that there’s enough common interest on Afghanistan that perhaps you and Iran could talk, and maybe that could kind of break the ice to begin the kind of engagement that you originally talked about and talk about other things?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, you’re right; that did happen right after 9/11. I think that we have to wait and see what Iran is willing to do. We’re in a post-sanctions environment and I’m not sure yet what will come from Iran’s attendance at this conference, but we’ll wait and see.
QUESTION: Would you be willing to send Ambassador Eikenberry, for instance, to talk to the Afghan –
SECRETARY CLINTON: We’re not going to --
QUESTION: -- the Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m not speculating. We’ll just have to see whether anything develops in the future.
QUESTION: There was no handshake (inaudible)?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No, unfortunately no handshake. No.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) discuss art?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No, no discussion of art.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) what the foreign minister had to say?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I did not. I missed it. So I’m sure you can give me a readout.
QUESTION: Was it characterized for you?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Not yet.
QUESTION: Basically, he accused the U.S. of using Afghanistan and Pakistan as a staging ground for terrorist attacks inside Iran.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Really? I missed that.
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, can I ask about that 2014 target date? It’s been endorsed now.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Right. By Karzai.
QUESTION: How do you read that? How achievable is it and what should Americans read into that regarding the American timeline in Afghanistan?
SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s not the first time that a date has been put on President Karzai’s aspiration to have control over his own country through the Afghan National Army and Police. I think at his inauguration, he said in five years, if I’m not mistaken, so that would be 2015.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) 2014. He said in 2009 (inaudible).
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah, so 2014. So he’s been consistent. And others have also said, look, we need to be working toward a time when the – excuse me, Richard, I’m trying to talk, thank you very much – (laughter) – one person at a time here. And he’s been very consistent in saying that he wants to see as effective a move toward Afghan control as possible. And so do we. I mean, that’s what we’re working toward. So we have increased dramatically our training effort for both the army and the police. We have made it clear to President Karzai, as I said today, that in July 2011 we’re going to start looking on a conditions-based appraisal as to whether we can responsibly transition to Afghan control in certain parts of the country. So this is all very much in line with what we’ve been saying for at least as long as I’ve been Secretary of State.
QUESTION: Does that mean that the transition, the beginning of the transition, which people had once hoped to begin toward the end of this year, has now slipped into July of next year?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No, in fact, Matt, in my statement I said that the transition process may be able to begin by the end of this year. And remember, it’s not just a military transition; it’s also a civilian transition. And one of the benefits of this particular conference is that the Afghan Government presented a comprehensive plan, the likes of which we haven’t seen before. It was much more detailed and specific with accountability built into it. The UN, under Staffan de Mistura, is pushing very hard on benchmarks and milestones and agreed-upon accountability measures that the international community will accept.
So there – I know it’s – I mean, some of you have been covering what’s going on, what’s been going on in Afghanistan, since 2001. Certainly, the ambassador was here as a military commander. I was here several times as a senator. But I have to just tell you, it was not until the Obama Administration came in that we had a strategy for Afghanistan. The prior administration had received requests for additional troops which they had not acted on. President Obama inherited troop requests. The Government of Afghanistan was in a holding pattern. There wasn’t the kind of partnership that was demanding results and expecting to see changes made that we now have put into place.
So I really think of what we’re doing as an 18-month strategy that I think has the pieces in place. We have what Ambassador Holbrooke’s team has done and the regional approach looking at Afghanistan and Pakistan together, which was not done prior to this Administration.
So I understand the frustration. I feel it myself, especially every time we lose somebody or some young man or woman serving in the uniform of our country gets blown up and loses legs and arms and so many other grievous injuries. Yet at the same time, I think today was a real turning point. I had so many foreign ministers come up to me and tell me that they feel so much better based on what happened today. There were, if you looked around, many more representatives from Muslim-majority countries, from Arab countries. There is a coalition that is very committed to trying to make the Afghan Government successful, and I think that we’re seeing progress.
STAFF: We’ve got to get to Korea, guys.
QUESTION: Yeah, could we have one question about Korea, actually, just before we go? What are you expecting to achieve in South Korea? Why the visit to the Demilitarized Zone? And is there any talk of further sanctions on North Korea?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we are – Bob Gates and I were planning to go to Korea for quite some time before the Cheonon because we needed to have what’s called a 2+2, where the defense and foreign ministers meet, and because it’s the 60^th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, where we lost more than 55,000 Americans. So we had always planned to do this.
Now, following the attack on the Cheonon, I think it’s particularly timely to show our strong support for South Korea, a stalwart ally, and to send a very clear message to North Korea: Now look, we’ve offered a different path ever since the beginning of this Administration; you know what the price of admission is – denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But I think that tomorrow is a real show of solidarity.
And on that point on South Korea, we did – we fought a war for South Korea, lost 55,000-plus Americans. We saw South Korea struggle to become a functioning democracy, huge amounts of instability, coups, corruption, scandal – you name it. And now we see a country that is among the G-20, one of our strongest allies, a real anchor in Northeast Asia.
And I think it’s good to remind ourselves that the United States has stood with countries that went through a lot of ups and downs for a lot longer than eight years, and it is important to recognize what’s at stake here in Afghanistan. This is a country that we left before, much to our dismay, and we can’t do it again. And I think that the Karzai government has some very well-thought-out plans, some very competent people who put this together for the government. And we’re going to do everything we can to support the implementation.
Thank you.

On Hillary Clinton's Silence Re: the Oil Disaster

If there are people who find the silence deafening, there are some reasons why we are not hearing from Hillary Clinton on the subject of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

First and foremost, she is not POTUS. People should not complain about her not doing something they failed to hire her to do. In 2007 and 2008, Hillary told us of many things she would do if we hired her. I, personally, voted to hire her, but she did not get the job!

Second, she has been a little busy lately:

• The Japanese decided NOT to press us to move the Futenma base thanks to her.

• She managed to get a U.S.A. Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo built, staffed, opened.

• She has been trying to convince China to support a strong North Korea sanction.

• She has been supporting our ally, South Korea.

• She spent the better part of a week .getting Hamid Karzai back under our tent and away from the Taliban.

• For the past month, she has been the leader of the U.S. delegation to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference.
  

This conference ended about a half hour ago, and her meeting this morning with Ambassador Rice had everything to do with her position as chief of that delegation since that Treaty hit some rough spots, and we still have no news of whether the final draft was approved. Read about that here.

UN nuclear conference gets last-minute draft statement

**UPDATE** The State Department just posted the highlights of the adopted treaty document.

Now directly prior to attending the opening of that conference, she appeared on Meet the Press and she did speak about offshore drilling then. You can see her remarks on video at that link. However, since that appearance she has been a bit busy doing the job she DID get, and doing it very well.

So if she's silent on the Gulf disaster (in fairness, her State Department has conferred with Cuba about this, and I am certain the subject came up during President Calderon's visit, also) so what? What do people expect her to say? The guy who got the job should be acting on that. Speeches and comments are one thing. Actions speak best.

CORRECTION: She did address the spill in her press availablitity yesterday with Sri Lankan External Minister Peiris.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, thank you. So many eyes today on the oil spill, and we know there have been some offers of assistance from other countries. From where you stand, from your perspective, do you want more offers of assistance? And are you disappointed that more hasn’t been accepted by the United States and the oil company, as so many people in the United States are clamoring for more booms, et cetera? And also, what message do you have to America’s neighbors who may experience the ill effects of the spill?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Charley, the United States Government is working every second of every minute to mitigate the effects of this terrible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We are very grateful for the generous offers of assistance that we’ve received from 17 countries and the European Union, including the European Maritime Safety Agency, the environment unit of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Environment Program, and the International Maritime Organization.
Countries from all over the world have offered general assistance and then some have made very specific offers, including experts in various aspects of oil spill impacts, research, and technical expertise and equipment, including booms, dispersants, oil pumps and skimmers. And we are very thankful for all of these efforts. The U.S. Coast Guard, which is the lead agency in the U.S. Government’s response efforts, continues to monitor developments, evaluate specific needs, assess offers of assistance, and determine our response.
While no offers of direct material assistance have been required by the United States Government thus far, we have accepted and are grateful for assistance in the form of notification regarding the spill sent by the International Maritime Organization to its member states and coordination of EU offers of assistance. And BP has accepted boom and skimmers offered by the governments of Mexico and Norway in coordination with the Unified Area Command. We are in very close, constant communication with other countries that border the Gulf.
This is just a terrible environmental disaster and we are working very hard with all of our partners to try to contain it, prevent further damage. But because of the extraordinary nature of this particular disaster, it is taking some time to fully bring to bear all of the material that is needed. But as the President said yesterday, this is the highest priority from the President on down to every federal government representative that is in the Gulf trying to work to mitigate the impact. But we are, as I said in the beginning, very grateful for the concern and the offers from our partners and friends around the world.

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

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

Hillary Clinton's Statement on Bill Clinton's Rescue of Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Statement from Secretary Clinton in Nairobi, Kenya

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Intercontinental Hotel

Nairobi, Kenya

August 5, 2009

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I wanted to stop in and I will have more to say about this later as the day goes on.
But obviously I am very happy and relieved to have these two young women - Laura Ling and Euna Lee - on their way home to their families. I spoke to my husband on the airplane and everything went well and we are extremely excited that they will be reunited soon when they touch down in California. And it is just a good day to be able to see this happen.
But as I said I'll have more to say later. I want to wait until they are actually at home, they've landed, they are with their families, and they've had a chance to have a little time with each other.
Thank you.