Secretary Clinton is Wheels Up for Montevideo

About three hours ago, Assistant Secretary Arturo Valenzuela, accompanying Secretary Clinton on her Latin American tour, tweeted that they were Wheels Up from Andrews Air Force Base. We all, I am sure, wish everyone on board a safe and successful trip. The first stop is Montevideo Uruguay for the inauguration of the new President of Uruguay, Jose Mujica. Then they will head for earthquake-stricken Chile.

March 4, 2010: International Women's Day - Mark your calendar!

Half the Sky 03/04/2010

EVENT OVERVIEW
NCM Fathom and CARE, with the support of Delta Air Lines and Meredith Corporation, are partnering on a one night event inspired by stories from the New York Times bestseller “Half the Sky” by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Celebrate International Women’s Day and be inspired to help women and girls everywhere turn oppression into opportunity.

READ MORE>>> FIND PARTICIPATING THEATERS>>>

Reuters: Secretary Clinton Will Stop In Chile As Planned

Some people were wondering about this.

Clinton to make Chile stop despite earthquake

WASHINGTON

Sun Feb 28, 2010 1:16pm EST

Related News

• Factbox: Highlights of Clinton's Latin America trip
  1:08am EST
• Chile earthquake death toll rises to 122 - Pinera
  Sat, Feb 27 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will pay a scheduled visit to Chile this week as part of her Latin American tour despite the massive earthquake that hit the country, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday.

Read more>>>

Secretary Clinton Will Head The U.S. Delegation to the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

Susan Rice will be the Alternate Head of the delegation.

U.S. Delegation to the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women


Washington, DC
February 27, 2010

The Department of State is pleased to announce the U.S. Delegation attending the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, to be held from March 1 through March 12, 2010 at UN Headquarters in New York.

* Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, Head of Delegation.
* Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Alternate Head of Delegation.
* Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, Alternate Head of Delegation.
* Ambassador Rick Barton, U.S. Representative on the UN Economic and Social Council, Deputy Head of Delegation.
* Meryl Frank, Deputy Head of Delegation with the personal rank of Ambassador.


They will be accompanied by five Public Delegates.

* Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Public Policy, Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement at Ernst & Young.
* Ellen Chesler, distinguished lecturer and director of the Eleanor Roosevelt initiative on Women and Public Life at Roosevelt House, Hunter College.
* Connie Evans, President and CEO of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity.
* Geeta Rao Gupta, President of the International Center for Research on Women.
* Asifa Quraishi, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin, and founding member of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers and the California group American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism.

Other members of the U.S. Delegation include technical experts from the Department of State, the United States Mission to the UN, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The theme of this year’s session is “The sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.”

For more information, please visit:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing15/index.html

Secretary Clinton's Statement on the Earthquake in Chile

This statement was issued a short time ago.

Earthquake in Chile


Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
February 27, 2010

We are closely monitoring reports from Chile and across the Pacific rim, and our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have loved ones affected by this tragedy.

The United States stands ready to provide necessary assistance to Chile in the days and weeks ahead and is coordinating closely with senior Chilean officials on the content and timing of such support. Our Embassy in Santiago has established a command center and is working to ensure the safety of any affected American citizens.

I leave for the region tomorrow and will be in close contact with President Bachelet and other leaders. Our Hemisphere comes together in times of crisis, and we will stand side by side with the people of Chile in this emergency.

This statement from the Bureau of Consular Affairs provides information for those affected by the earthquake and related events.

This information is current as of today, Sat Feb 27 2010 17:13:46 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time).
Earthquake in Chile: Consular Assistance

* A large earthquake shook Chile at 3:34 a.m. with its epicenter in Chile's 8th district, 73 miles north of Chile’s secondmost populous city Concepcion and 197 miles south of Santiago. At the epicenter, the quake was measured at 8.8 Richter, at 7.5 in Santiago and shook for an estimate 3 minutes.

* There are rolling blackouts in Santiago, land telephone line service is intermittent and cell phones also appear to be affected

* There have been no reports of American citizen fatalities or injuries. As telephone and email communication becomes dependable, it may be easier to contact family and friends in Chile using SMS (Cell text message) or other forms of social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

* If you are concerned about a U.S. citizen in the affected area and have not been able to reach that person, you can contact the Chile Task Force by email at ChileEarthquake@state.gov. or by calling 1-888-407-4747. Please provide as much information about the individual (full name, birth date and birth place, location and contact information in Chile, any special circumstances) to assist us in locating the U.S. citizen.

* Chilean officials are asking that, unless there is an emergency need to leave, private citizens should remain in their homes, if not damaged, and stay off the roads.

* The following is a link to the FEMA website with instructions for what to do after an earthquake: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_after.shtm. In short:

• Expect aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent.
• Listen to a battery-operated radio or television. Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
• Open cabinets cautiously. Beware of objects that can fall off shelves.
• Stay away from damaged areas. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
• Help injured or trapped persons. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance.
• Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately. Leave the area if you smell gas or fumes from other chemicals.
• Inspect the entire length of chimneys for damage. Unnoticed damage could lead to a fire.
• Inspect utilities: Check for gas leaks, look for electrical system damage, check for sewage and water lines damage.

Americans living or traveling in Chile are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Chile. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile, phone number 56-2-330 30 00, fax 56-2-330 30 05, U.S. Citizen Services Unit email: SantiagoAmcit@state.gov

The Chile earthquake triggered tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin. Warden messages are going out to U.S. citizens who have registered their presence with Embassies in the affected countries.

The messages are advising U.S. citizens living near or visiting the coastal areas to take appropriate precautions and monitor tsunami warnings on http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/ and www.cnn.com, as well as local news sources.

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton's Remarks With Korea FM Yu

Remarks With South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan After Their Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
February 26, 2010

FOREIGN MINISTER YU: Should we say a few words?



SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, I will. I’m very pleased to welcome the minister from the Republic of Korea, especially the day after that magnificent Olympic Gold Medal-winning performance. And I think, although it was one young woman who did so magnificently, I believe the whole country is celebrating.

FOREIGN MINISTER YU: It was exciting.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I could see why. She was extraordinary. And we just finished a very in-depth, comprehensive discussion of a number of critical issues. Our bilateral relationship is strong and durable, and we are so appreciative of the leadership shown by Korea on a range of important matters, both regional and global.

As you might guess, we covered the usual topics of North Korea, the larger regional Pacific-Asia area’s concerns, Iran, and many other matters. But I am very pleased that Minister Yu could be here today.

FOREIGN MINISTER YU: Thank you. Well, I had a very good, (inaudible) consultation with Madam Secretary. And just let me say that this year marks the 60th anniversary of (inaudible) Korean War. And I want to say that our alliance (inaudible) has been the (inaudible) for the peace and prosperity and other (inaudible) in the region as a whole, and we appreciate (inaudible).

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much. Thank you.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, if I may ask, did Sung Kim come back with a very pessimistic report that talks would not resume anytime soon on North Korea? And two, did you raise with Minister Barak the Haaretz report about 600 new homes in East Jerusalem and how that might affect efforts to restart the peace negotiation?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Ambassador Sung Kim and Ambassador Stephen Bosworth are quite heartened by the movement that we see in our joint efforts. Obviously, we are closely cooperating with our allies – Korea and Japan – in anything we do toward North Korea. And we are working with the Chinese to bring about the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. Ultimately, it’s up to the North Koreans. But we are encouraged by signs of progress to return to the talks that we are seeing.

And on the other matter that you asked, we discussed all of the challenges to the resumption of peace negotiations, but the imperative of beginning to so do so as soon as possible.

QUESTION: Can you talk (inaudible) Foreign Minister (inaudible) Defense Minister Barak give you any reason to believe that the Israelis would take more steps on Gaza to try to improve the humanitarian situation there?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We discussed it at length. And Senator Mitchell and I made clear some of the concerns that we had and some of the ideas about what more could and should be done, and we hope to see progress there as well.

Thank you all.

Special Briefing on Secretary Clinton's Travel to Latin America

I am so glad Secretary Clinton is going to South America. She certainly has had a busy travel schedule through her first year as Secretary of State, and I was wondering when she would have a chance to visit our neighbors to the south. This briefing outlines some details of the trip which begins Sunday. As always, we all wish her a safe and successful journey.

Special Briefing on Secretary Clinton's Travel to Latin America

Arturo Valenzuela
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

Washington, DC

February 26, 2010

---

MR. TONER: Good morning, everybody. Very happy to have with us today Assistant Secretary Arturo Valenzuela who’s going to walk us through Secretary Clinton’s travel to Latin America next week. As you know, she’ll be traveling to Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Guatemala – again, from February 28^th to March 5^th.
And without further ado, I’ll turn it over to Assistant Secretary Valenzuela. Thank you.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Good morning. Yes, we’re delighted that the Secretary will be traveling this week to the Southern Cone and then to Central America. As you know, last year the Secretary did travel to Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago for the OAS General Assembly. And this travel this year is a continuation, of course, of our efforts to engage the countries of the hemisphere on a whole multiplicity of issues. As you know, President Obama and the Secretary have pledged greater engagement with the countries of the Western Hemisphere. We’re working on a whole host of bilateral issues with all of the countries in the region.
They’re grouped into sort of three general baskets. The first basket is what you might call competitiveness and on issues of social equity and social justice. The second basket is issues of public security, which is a major concern for most of the countries in the region where we’re trying to look to how we can repackage and rethink the way in which we do our collaborative work with countries in the hemisphere on such things as crime and organized crime and also the counterdrug effort. And finally, we’re concerned about how we can partner with other countries in the region on such issues as democratic governance and how we can have more effective governance in order to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of the hemisphere.
This is actually a very exciting time to go. As you’ll remember, this is – 2010 is the 200^th anniversary of the independence of the countries of the Americas. The actual independence in different countries comes at – on different dates. This time around, it’s Argentina – 2010 Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia.
We have common histories of having established in the New World societies based on the concept of popular sovereignty, profoundly influenced by the enlightenment that these are – this is the continent of the republican forms of government, so the 200^th anniversary is a very important time. These societies are very similar in many ways: fragments of Europe established in the New World on – in countries with indigenous societies, with forced migration of slavery, with a narrative of emancipation, with a search to try to strengthen the concept of democratic governance, based on the notion of social justice and equal opportunity to everyone. So have common, common sort of goals and history. And this is what we’re trying to do in our engagement with the hemisphere to have discussions that are respectful, that – where we are not going to come down and tell people what they need to do, but rather where we’re going to seek to come up with common solutions to common problems. And that’s what our dialogue will be in the entire – on the entire trip.
We begin in Uruguay on March 1 with the inauguration of President Mujica. This is the second time that the Uruguayans have inaugurated a president of the left, and it should be an exciting time. Uruguay, as you know, is a country with a long and strong democratic tradition. It’s a country that punches way up beyond its weight in terms of its engagement in the world. Uruguayans have always been well thought of, their leaders have been respected. And let me remind you that Uruguay is the second largest contributor to peacekeeping operations per capita of any country in the world. And indeed in Haiti, the Uruguayan contribution before the earthquake to the Haitian stabilization effort through the UN was almost equivalent in terms of its size to that of Brazil, and just a little bit lower than that of Nepal. The three countries were – had over 1,000 troops. And Uruguay continues to be very much interested in working in that regard.
From Uruguay, we travel then to Santiago, to Chile, that same day in the evening, March 1^st. She will be meeting with President Bachelet the next day. The Secretary has a relationship with the president. This will be her last week in office. They will attend an event, one of the signal events that – or projects that President Bachelet has to address issues of social inclusion, which has been one of the marks of her government. And then there will be a bilateral meeting with the president-elect, with Sebastian Piñera, who takes office on the 11^th of March.
From Chile, the Secretary will travel to Brazil. She will have meetings with President Lula, with the Foreign Minister Amorim in Brasilia, and then travel to Sao Paulo where she will be visiting certain activities in Sao Paulo, particularly an Afro American – an Afro Brazilian university in Brazil.
Then from there, the Secretary travels to Costa Rica for the Pathways for Prosperity meeting, which is a ministerial meeting of hemispheric ministers, and will be discussing many of the themes that I outlined at the top. Pathways is one the Secretary’s signature initiatives. She has expanded this initiative that began earlier to add a whole host of other components, including such things as micro credit, ways in which you can empower women. It all fits in within the theme of trying to look for ways to enhance competitiveness, with a significant component, too, of encouraging private-public partnerships in the search for greater competitiveness and to address issues of social inclusion. Issues like corporate social responsibility, for example, are also on the table.
She will then, on that same day, have a bilateral meeting with President Arias, who is also, as you know, leaving office, and will be meeting with the president-elect of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla, as well.
And then finally on the final day of her trip, which will be next Friday, she will travel to Guatemala and meet with President Colom in Guatemala, at the same time, with several of the other presidents of the Central American countries, including President Lobo of Honduras, President Funes of El Salvador. President Fernandez is coming from Dominican Republic as well. So this – and President Arias will attend.
The full attendance to that meeting is not quite settled because people have been adjusting their schedules. At any rate, that’s kind of our objective on this trip. We’re very excited about it and the Secretary is very excited about it, and I look forward to taking your questions on the trip.
QUESTION: Can I ask you about two countries that she’s not going to, Argentina and Honduras, and why not?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: On all of these things, it’s always a complication as to how you schedule trips in terms of everything from flight time to some of the other priorities the Secretary --
QUESTION: What’s the flight time between Montevideo and BA?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: It has --
QUESTION: About 10 minutes?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZULA: My impression, it has to do with --
QUESTION: And the flight time between Costa Rica and Guatemala and Honduras –
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Yeah. Right. Right. Guatemala.
QUESTION: -- is about?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: The flight to Uruguay is an overnight flight, and so it’s – just in terms of the logistics of the flight, it made much more sense to just go to Uruguay and then have a bilateral meeting with the president of Argentina, and so that will be held on the afternoon of March 1^st. This trip was built around the Uruguayan inauguration. So when we looked at the schedule and we saw how can we touch as many of the countries that we can in the Southern Cone around the Uruguayan inauguration, that’s the schedule that we came up with.
And the return trip also, the flight from Sao Paulo to Costa Rica, is something like seven hours as well. So it’s very – it’s a reminder of how large the continent is. And in fact, remember that to travel from Miami to Montevideo is probably equivalent as traveling from Miami to Moscow.
QUESTION: Right. Well then, I mean, you say it was built around the Uruguayan election. It could have just as easily have been built around – I mean, the inauguration – it could have just as easily have been built around the Chilean inauguration, no?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: That’s right.
QUESTION: So is there some kind of --
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: No, there’s --
QUESTION: Is there some kind of signal that you’re trying to send here, that --
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: No signal whatsoever, trying to send. It had to do in large measure with the scheduling issues that the Secretary has. And in an ideal world, we would attend all of these inaugurations, but obviously it’s difficult to do that. So when we looked at the calendar, the fact that the Pathways meeting had been on the agenda for some time earlier, and this was the best combination of things. And I think – I’m very pleased with the way in which we were able to sort of, I think, cover all of the interests that we wanted to cover.
QUESTION: Sir, the inaugural events in Montevideo are going to attract leaders from across the region, some of the leftist leaders that have been antagonistic at times with the United States – Morales, Chavez – I think even Raul Castro may come. Is that correct?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s – yeah.
QUESTION: Okay, I’m – will there be bilaterals with some of these people? And in the case of Chavez and Morales, will the Secretary interact with them at events?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Well, precisely because this – the focus of this was to be a Southern Cone trip, the only bilateral that is on the books is with Cristina Kirchner, the president of Argentina.
QUESTION: Can you elaborate on what the two will discuss, then, with the president of Argentina? Will the Falklands figure in pretty highly there? Are you concerned about what’s going on there?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: There’s an ample agenda with Argentina, and I think that with Argentina we’re not going to be discussing just simply bilateral issues but also some of the international issues. The Argentines have been fairly outspoken on issues like Iran and international terrorism. These are questions that we will discuss with them. We will not be discussing the Falklands issue with them. This is a matter for Argentina and for Britain. And it’s not a matter for the United States to make a judgment on.
MR. TONER: Could I just remind folks to give your name and media affiliation?
QUESTION: I’m (inaudible) with CNN en Espanol. Mr. Secretary, yesterday or a couple of days ago, President Kirchner spoke to us on CNN en Espanol and basically said that she was very disappointed of the way President Obama was handling all the issues and all the relationships with Latin America, that everything was very disconnected, and especially the issue with Honduras was really disappointed. (Inaudible) Chavez also said something along those lines. What is the reaction and is an okay environment to talk to Argentinians and kind of like bringing another message after what happened last year?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Well, she’s --
QUESTION: I don’t know if you can speak that in Spanish also later. Is that possible, please?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Do you want me to do a little bit in Spanish?
QUESTION: No, if you cannot --
MR. TONER: Transcription –
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: She’s entitled to – obviously to her opinion on this issue. We just simply disagree. We think that not only have we had a very significant engagement over the past year with countries in the hemisphere while at the same time having to focus on two very difficult and significant crises, the first being, of course, the Honduran coup d’etat that took place last June and then also the more recent earthquake in Haiti, which has really absorbed a lot of our attention and where we see, by the way, significant cooperation across the countries of the Americas, including the contribution that the Argentines have made to the peacekeeping operations in Haiti.
On Honduras, as we can see today, the – one of the reasons the Secretary is participating also in this meeting with the Central Americans is precisely because the Central American countries have taken a very significant leadership role in trying to bring about a resolution to the Honduran crisis. And we see indications now that not only the Central American countries but other countries in Latin America are moving forward to recognizing the Government of President Lobo and to – thinking about reinstating Honduras back into the Organization of American States.
So we see the outcome in Honduras is a very successful case of standing for a very fundamental principle and that is that you cannot tolerate a coup d’etat in a country. This sets a terrible precedent. And in that sense, we join the unanimity of the hemisphere in this regard. But at the same time, a solution had to be found to Honduras. As one Central American president told me in conversations, we cannot afford to have Honduras be Myanmar. We need to work to try to see how we can engage it back in. The election was an election that has been recognized by the international community as a valid one. It certainly reflected the desires of the Honduran people. At this particular point, the steps have been taken to move ahead to restore Honduras to the inter-American system and to fully restore the democratic and constitutional order in Honduras.
QUESTION: But if I can follow up on that, what about just meeting with Cristina Kirchner, what is that meeting going to be after saying that there is disappointment on the region and basically very vocal between Kirchner and Chavez saying that they are not – they are very disappointed with the way President Obama is handling the relationship with Latin America?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Well, when we have meetings, we also have meeting with people with whom we might disagree. In fact, one of the reasons why it’s important to schedule a meeting like this and we offered this meeting was precisely so that we could have an exchange of views on some of these issues. And I think that if that is indeed her position, we would disagree on the way in which the Honduran situation evolved.
But let me stress again that in our dialogue with the Argentines, there are a whole host of things that we’re doing on a bilateral – on the bilateral basis that are very constructive. There is very, very good cooperation on law enforcement issues that I stressed earlier are very important. And at the same time, we’ve been pleased at the votes that the Argentines have taken in the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran. And the Argentine position on international terrorism has been a very good one.
So this is a conversation that we’ll have. I think many things – we share very many things with the Argentines, and we would very much like to be able to strengthen our relationship with Argentina as we move forward.
QUESTION: I want to ask you a question about Brazil (inaudible), although I am from Argentina (inaudible). The question is that – is this: In May, President Lula will travel to Tehran. And yesterday, it was said in this same room that the – although Brazil has a lot of influence, also have to have responsibility. I want to go directly to the point: What kind of conversations are – is going to be with Lula? Are you going to tell him, Lula, you need to press more Iran? What is the real factor in the meeting with Lula in relation with Iran?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Well, as you know, Under Secretary Bill Burns is in Brazil today, and so he’s going to be having conversations with his counterparts on many issues, but also on this particular issue. And the Secretary will have the same conversations there.
And let me make it absolutely clear that we will be telling our Brazilian counterparts that we encourage them to encourage Iran to regain the trust of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations, which we feel that they have not fulfilled. So we will be urging the Brazilians to take a constructive role with regard to their engagement with Iran.
QUESTION: Assistant Secretary, you talk a lot about the common things that the United States has with the region. It seems the region, in recent months, and since this Administration came into office, is feeling a little bit more divided from the United States in that – you know, just last week, countries in the region formed a new regional alliance that left the United States out and included Cuba, for example. There have been divisions over Honduras, some would say disappointments with the U.S. over Honduras. There have been divisions over the base’s agreement with Colombia, disappointments for some countries.
And so they are – in some cases, these countries are forging economic and political relationships that supersede relations with the United States, and some say go against U.S. interests like Brazil and Iran. So does the United States at all feel perhaps that in its effort to sort of stop ordering the region around, it’s also beginning to lose influence in the region?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: I don’t think so, and if you actually go back and look at the history of the relationships between the United States and the region, I can think of many periods where there was a far greater dissonance between the United States and the countries of Latin America. And we can go way back if you want to, but we don’t have time to do that.
But certainly in the 19^th century, the United States began, as I said earlier in my remarks on the celebration of the anniversaries of – the 200^th anniversary of independence – the United States did support the countries of Latin America against the colonial powers when they were trying to re-impose colonial rule in the region. That was the famous Monroe Doctrine, at that particular time, was to have the European power stay out of the region.
There were – the period of big diplomacy was a very difficult period where the United States actually occupied several of the countries in the region. And then of course, we had the Good Neighbor Policy under Franklin Roosevelt and then the very difficult period during the Cold War. And if I think back at these various particular times and at the difficult moments, even as recently, for example, as the problems that we may have had over the Central American wars, this is a time that’s very, very different.
It’s the post-Cold War era. There really isn’t that much significant difference between the United States and the countries of the Americas. We have very common goals. We’re seeking the same objectives. We want to improve the quality of lives of our people. This is a continent where we don’t have the same kinds of challenges that we have in other places in the world. And it’s one of the reasons why the United States appears to pay less attention to the region at the level of, say, the President.
But that’s not the case. We’re continuously – the fact that we don’t have the problems in the Americas, for example, of nuclear proliferation means, of course, that that’s a whole area that we don’t have to deal with the Americas on. In fact, there’s consensus on so many broad issues. And what we’re looking to that is to sort of strengthen those – that consensus. And I know that there are dissonant voices out there, but let me get to your first observation.
Also, we do not see the fact that the countries of Latin America are trying to put together some of their own mechanisms for integration as, in any way, deleterious to the objectives that the United States are pursuing – quite the contrary. If, in fact, through efforts at integration, they can build better confidence measures between countries, if they can avoid protectionisms which they often have between their countries in order to expand trade, if they can build a better sense of integration, this reduces intrastate conflict. All of these things are important. They’re not deleterious to U.S. interests.
And let me say one final thing. This does not – the fact that they’re talking about setting up some of these other organizations, which they have done in the past as well, does not mean that they’re going to be abandoning the OAS. And the Organization of American States is a qualitatively different kind of institution. It’s one based on treaties. It’s one based on broad agreements like the Inter-American Charter, but also the Inter-American Human Rights Convention, and all of those sorts of things. These are obligated treaties that go way back. And we see an importance now of strengthening, in fact, the Organization of American States. The fact that other institutions arise too is not necessarily a problem.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR. TONER: One or two more questions.
QUESTION: To follow up on the --
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Sure.
QUESTION: -- last question, but Secretary Clinton last year pointed out that during what she said was a lack of engagement during the previous administration, other countries had made inroads there – China and Iran and I think maybe Russia as well. I can’t remember the exact countries she mentioned. But that – implicit in that is that the U.S. had lost influence in the region, so, I mean, are you gaining back influence, and how?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Well, if we looked at trade flows, if we looked at investment flows, if we looked at cultural flows, if we looked at flows of people, if we looked at such things as remittances – they’re what, $50 to $70 billion in remittances from the United States to the countries of Latin America also show the enormous integration of our hemisphere, and the important role that Latin American immigrants have played in the United States, and in forging greater bonds between our countries. So I see a really strong, strong process of engagement culturally, as well as on all of these other efforts that we’re making.
Now, on the question of China, this has also been a period that’s been very – where Latin America has been very successful economically. The – if we go back to the 1980s, at the time that we talked about tremendous disconnects in the region, we also had societies where you had – economies where you had hyperinflation and stagnation. And the reason why the countries in Latin America were able to resist the international financial crisis was because they did do some fundamental reforms and they began to really export to other countries. And China has become a very, very important exporter destination for the countries of the Americas.
So part of the answer is we want to encourage countries to export, we want to encourage countries to grow, to be more dynamic, to create jobs, and to become more engaged in the international community. So we don’t see that necessarily as damaging to our interests; quite the contrary, successful societies and economies are in our interest. What we would have to worry about would be incursions of countries like Iran. And it’s not quite clear what maybe some of their objectives might be in the region.
But generally speaking, Latin America engaged with the rest of the world – this is why the Chileans have been so successful. The Chileans have, I think, something like 57 free trade agreements with countries across the world, and their economy has grown enormously and they’ve reduced since 1990 poverty rates from 40 percent to 12 percent. It’s an engagement with the world which we welcome.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION: The engagement with Iran – can I just ask just one thing?
MR. TONER: Sure.
QUESTION: The engagement with Iran by Brazil, do you see that as helpful to the United States? I mean, I’ve heard conflicting reports that the United States in one way believes that Brazil can serve as an important mediator, in a way between the United States, and perhaps there’s some benefit to Brazil’s having a relationship with Iran. Can you tell me, does the United States see this as a good thing or a bad thing?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Well, let me say this. And in my conversations and other officials of the U.S. Government’s conversations with the Brazilians, they do say that. They say we want to be able to engage because we want to be able to have influence, and by having influence, we would be able to press them.
What we want to try to tell the Brazilians is yes, if you have engagement with Iran, we’d really want to encourage you and urge you to, in fact, use that engagement in a way that you can push the Iranians, in fact, to meet their fundamental international obligations. If you don’t do that, then we will be disappointed. If you do that, then I think that that will be an important step that they can take.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Thank you.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA: Thank you very much.

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton's Remarks With Ehud Barak

Remarks With Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Before Their Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
February 26, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: It’s a great personal pleasure for me to welcome back my friend and the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The defense minister and I will be discussing a number of issues. Certainly, as he knows and as we have made clear many times, the President and I are deeply committed to a comprehensive peace beginning with a re-launch of meaningful negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians as soon as possible. We believe a two-state solution is the best way to end the conflict and guarantee peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

We will also be discussing the situation in Gaza. The people of Gaza deserve hope for a better future, and making sure that they have that hope is in both the interests of the Israelis and the Palestinians. Minister Barak and I will discuss the need to do more in this regard while keeping in mind very real Israeli security concerns: the stranglehold that Hamas is attempting to place on life in Gaza and Gilad Shalit’s captivity by Hamas.

And we will also, I am sure, Minister, discuss Iran. We have pursued a dual-track approach to Iran. We remain committed to a diplomatic, peaceful resolution. But as the recent IAEA report makes clear, Iran is not living up to its responsibilities, and we are working with our partners in the international community to increase pressure on Iran to change course.

So, Minister Barak, it is indeed a pleasure. And we have so many serious matters to discuss together, but there is one matter that I have to raise that I was asked about in a congressional hearing yesterday, and that is trying to get nine containers of gefilte fish from the processing plant in Illinois to Israel in time for Passover. (Laughter.) So these are intractable problems; this one we might be able to solve. (Laughter.)

DEFENSE MINISTER BARAK: Thank you, Secretary Clinton. I am glad to be here. I can just tell you how much we appreciate the effort made by the Administration under the leadership of the Secretary and with Senator Mitchell at the front line to bring us and the Palestinians into substantial negotiations. We all want to see peace in our region. We understand that we’ll have to take tough decisions while not losing eye contact with our security needs and making sure that both sides will be able to live in security and peace.

We also highly appreciate the effort made by President Obama and the Secretary to make sure that sanctions against Iran will become effective and that whatever title it get, get effective, limited in time, consequential, and without losing eye contact with the possibility that in spite of all effort, it will not lead to Iran accepting the international norms. I’m looking forward for fruitful discussion of all issues, including the gefilte fish.

SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.) Thank you.

Secretary Clinton and Senator Schumer Unveil State Department Senate Liaison Office

For some mysterious reason the State Department has this dated February 25 when we all know that yesterday HRC wore a black suit, a pale green shirt, and a jade and pearl necklace and bracelet (and looked very color-coordinated with a green carpet behind her when she spoke to the Appropriations Subcommittee yesterday).



This event was not on her Daily Appointments Schedule, but she spent Wednesday on the Hill speaking in the Senate, and that was the day we saw this tweed suit.




SO! I guess the State Department likes to provide puzzles for us to figure out! Clearly this event took place some time on Wednesday February 24, when she was wearing this tweed suit that looks beautiful on her and was involved with the U.S. Senate, regardless of the date they put on it. I think she looks adorable in this picture - shallow comment over!

February 25, 2010 Secretary Clinton at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to Unveil Department's Senate Liaison Office State Department Photo by Michael Gross.

**UPDATED**Secretary Clinton's Daily Appointments Schedule for February 26, 2010

Daily Appointments Schedule for February 26, 2010 **UPDATED**



Washington, DC
February 26, 2010

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON

11:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton holds a Bilateral Meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING BILATERAL MEETING IN THE TREATY ROOM)


12:25 p.m. Secretary Clinton holds a Bilateral Meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY FOLLOWING BILATERAL MEETING IN THE TREATY ROOM)

2:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with President Obama, at the White House.
(MEDIA TO BE DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

2:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Vice President Biden, at the White House.
(MEDIA TO BE DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

4:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Secretary General of the Organization of American States Jose Miguel Insulza, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

Across the Aisle: Hillary Clinton and Chris Smith - A Beautiful Moment

Although she is, as she puts it, "out of politics." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when she visits Capitol Hill, does represent a Democratic administration, and when she presents proposals on the Hill, her opposition is not likely to come from the Democratic side of the aisle. Today she was before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. You might remember this exchange with Rep. Christopher Smith (R - NJ) over the issue of abortion when she appeared before that same committee last April 22.



What to make, then of this lovely photo that seems to show genuine mutual admiration? Note that Rep. Hill is clutching her hand.

Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks with House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, after she testified before the committee's hearing on the State Department's fiscal 2011 budget. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

The answer is that despite their differences, they worked closely as Secretary of State and Rep. from N.J. Hillary Clinton is very good at reaching across the aisle (and table). She is our top diplomat because of that ability. Part of that skill consists of knowledge. Did you notice in the video that she knew how many daughters John Fortenberry has? That kind of comment disarms adversaries. It is part of her charm and smart power. It takes the wind out of opposition sails and ultimately can result in some jumping aboard HER boat. Chris Hill is less of an adversary today, more of an admirer, and she appears genuinely to like him (her face is always a wide-open book, as we know). Why are they friends now? This little boy brought them together.



You might remember. He is pictured here with his dad, David, who fought for five years to get Sean Goldman home from Brazil to Tinton Falls, N.J. in what was essentially a case of kidnapping. David's Congressman, Chris Hill and Secretary Clinton worked in tandem to accomplish that, and succeeded. What a beautiful story all around!

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton Before House Foreign Affairs Committee

Promoting Security Through Diplomacy and Development: The Fiscal Year 2011 International Affairs Budget


Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Opening Remarks Before the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Washington, DC
February 25, 2010

Well, first, let me say to you and to the Ranking Member and to all of the members of the committee that it is a pleasure to be back with you today. When I was last here discussing our budget, I emphasized my commitment to elevate diplomacy and development as core pillars of American power. And since then, I have been heartened by the bipartisan support of this committee and the rest of Congress, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of the men and women who work every day for the State Department, for USAID here at home and around the world, putting our foreign policy into action, advancing America’s interests and values.

And that’s what this budget we’re presenting today intends to do. Our fiscal year 2011 request for the State Department and USAID totals $52.8 billion. That’s a $4.9 billion increase over 2010. Of that increase, $3.6 billion will go to supporting efforts in the front-line states – Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Other funding will grow by $1.3 billion, which is a 2.7 percent increase that will help us address global challenges, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that the State Department and USAID are equipped with the right people and resources.

Over the past six weeks in Haiti, we’ve been reminded yet again of the importance of American leadership. I am very proud of what our country has done. Our military and civilian personnel have performed extraordinarily. And we are continuing our work with our Haitian and international partners to address the ongoing suffering and transition from relief to recovery.

Now, Mr. Chairman, I know that this is a time of great economic strain for our fellow Americans. And as a former member of Congress, I know what this means for the people you each represent. For every dollar we spend, we have to show results. That’s why this budget must support programs vital to our national security, our national interests, and our leadership in the world, while guarding against waste, duplication, and irrelevancy. And I believe it achieves those objectives.

The figures in the budget are more than numbers on a page. They tell the story of the challenges we face and the resources we need to overcome them. We are fighting two wars that call for the skill and sacrifice of our civilians as well as our troops. We have pursued a dual-track approach to Iran that has exposed for the world to see its refusal to live up to its responsibility, and it has helped us achieve a new unity with our international partners. Iran has left the international community little choice but to impose greater costs for its provocative steps. And we are now working actively with other countries to prepare and implement new measures to pressure Iran to change course.

We also achieved, this past year, unprecedented unity in our response to North Korea’s provocative action, even as we leave the door open for a restart of Six-Party Talks. And we’re moving closer to a fresh nuclear agreement with Russia, one that advances our security while furthering President Obama’s long-term vision of a world without nuclear weapons. With China, we’re seeking areas of common purpose while standing firm where we differ.

We’re making concrete our new beginning with the Muslim world, and we’re strengthening partnerships with allies in Europe and Asia, with friends in our own hemisphere, and with countries around the world from India to Indonesia to South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey. And yes, we are working every day to end the impasse and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

At the same time, we’re developing a new architecture of cooperation to meet global challenges that cross national boundaries like climate change and the use of our planet’s oceans. In so many instances, our national interests and the common interests converge. And so from the Western Hemisphere to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, we’re promoting human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and internet freedom. We’re fighting poverty, hunger and disease, and we’re working to ensure that economic growth is broadly shared.

Our agenda is ambitious because the times demand it. America is called to lead. And we need the tools and resources to exercise that leadership wisely and effectively. We can bury our heads in the sand and pay the consequences later, or we can make hard-nosed, targeted investments now, addressing the security challenges of today while building a stronger foundation for security and prosperity in the future.

Let me quickly highlight the three areas where we are making significant new investments: First, in the security of the front-line states. In Afghanistan, we’ve tripled the number of civilians on the ground, and this presence will grow by hundreds more with the $5 billion in this budget. Our diplomats and development experts are embedded with our military. They have moved into Marja along with our forces. They are now helping to set up institutions, expand economic opportunities, and provide meaningful alternatives for insurgents ready to renounce violence and al-Qaida and join Afghan society in a peaceful way.



In Pakistan, our request includes $3.2 billion to combat extremism, promote economic development, strengthen democratic institutions, and build a long-term relationship with the Pakistani people. This includes funding of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman initiative. And I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your visionary leadership on this legislation. Our request also includes a 59 percent increase in funding for Yemen to help counter the extremist threat and build institutions and economic opportunity.

In Iraq, we are winding down our military presence and establishing a more normal civilian mission. Our civilian efforts will not and cannot mirror the scale of our military presence, but rather provide assistance consistent with the priorities of the Iraqi Government. So our request includes $2.6 billion for Iraq to enable us to support the democratic process and ensure a smooth transition to civilian-led security training and operational support. As these funds allow civilians to take responsibility for these programs, the Defense Department’s budget for Iraq will decrease by about $16 billion. That’s a powerful illustration of the return on civilian investment.

We are blessed, as we all know, with the best troops in the world, as we have seen time and time again. But we’ve got to give our civilian experts the resources that we ask them to exercise as they go about doing what they’re expected to do, and the budget takes a step in that direction. It includes $100 million for a State Department complex crisis fund, replacing the 1207 fund through which the Defense Department directed money toward crisis response. And it includes support for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, which previously also fell under the Defense Department.



The second major area is investing in development. This budget makes targeted investments in fragile societies which, in our interconnected world, bear heavily on our own security and prosperity. These investments are a key part of our effort to get ahead of crises rather than just responding to them, positioning us to deal with the threats and challenges that lie before us.

The first of these is in health. Building on our progress treating HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, our Global Health Initiative will invest $63 billion over six years, starting with $8.5 billion in FY2011 to help our partners address specific diseases, but also to build strong, sustainable health systems for themselves.

The Administration has also pledged to invest at least $3.5 billion in food security over three years. And this year’s request includes $1.6 billion, of which $1.2 billion will be funded through the State Department. This funding will focus on countries that have developed effective comprehensive strategies, where agriculture is central to prosperity and hunger remains widespread.

On climate change, our request of $646 million seeks to promote the United States as a leader in green technology and to leverage other countries’ cooperation, including through the Copenhagen Accord which, for the first time, brought developed and developing countries together on this challenge. This is part of the Administration’s total request of $1.4 billion to support core climate change activities in developing nations. Our request also includes $4.2 billion for humanitarian assistance programs. Our efforts in Haiti have made clear that State and USAID must be able to respond quickly and effectively to human tragedies.

These initiatives are designed to enhance American security, help people in need, and give the American people a strong return on their investment. Our aim is not to create dependency, but to help people develop solutions that they can sustain for themselves over the long term. And essential to this is a focus on advancing equality and opportunity for women and girls who are the key drivers of economic and social progress in the developing world.



And that brings me to the third and final area of investment. None of this can happen if we do not recruit, train, and empower the right people for the job. The State Department and USAID are full of talented and committed public servants, but too often we’ve neglected to give them the tools they need to carry out their missions on the ground. Rather than building their expertise, we have often relied on contractors, sometimes with little oversight and often with increased costs. This budget will allow us to expand the Foreign Service by over 600 positions, including an additional 410 for the State Department and 200 for USAID. It will also allow us to staff the standby element of the Civilian Reserve Corps*, which is a crucial tool we are developing to respond to crises.

Now, while deploying these personnel does generate new expenses in some accounts, it will reduce expenses in others by changing the way we do business. We are ending an over-reliance on contractors and finding opportunities to save money by bringing essential functions into government and improving oversight.

One thing that I hope is clear from this budget is that the State Department and USAID are taking a lead in carrying out the United States foreign policy and national security agenda. As we finish the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, we have a unique opportunity to define the capabilities we need, and then match resources with priorities. This budget aligns our investments with the strategic imperatives of our time. We are putting a lot of effort into the management of the State Department and USAID. We are asking a lot of hard questions. And we come to you with a commitment to be responsive, as we have done so this past year.

At a time of change and challenge at home and abroad, we believe these investments will enhance the security of Americans, assure the future of American leadership, and help build the foundations of peace, stability, and prosperity for the years ahead.

I look forward to continuing to work with you, and I would be pleased to take your questions, Mr. Chairman.

_____
*Should read "Civilian Response Corps."

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton Before House Appropriations Subcommittee

FY2011 Budget for the Department of State


Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Statement Before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Washington, DC
February 25, 2010

Well, thank you, Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, members of the subcommittee, Chairman of the full committee Obey, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today. When I was last here to discuss our budget, I emphasized my commitment to elevating diplomacy and development as core pillars of American power. And since then, I have been heartened by the bipartisan support of this committee and the rest of Congress. So let me take a minute to thank you on behalf of the men and women of the State Department and USAID who work every day around the world to put our foreign policy into action.

The budget we are presenting today is designed to protect America and Americans and to advance our interests. Our fiscal year 2011 request for the State Department and USAID totals $52.8 billion. That is a $4.9 billion increase over 2010. Of that increase, $3.6 billion will go to supporting efforts in “frontline states” – Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Other funding will grow by $1.3 billion, or a 2.7 percent increase, that will help us address global challenges, strengthen essential partnerships, and ensure that the State Department and USAID are equipped with the right people and resources to meet the challenges of our time.

Over the past six weeks in Haiti, we have been reminded yet again of the importance of American leadership. I am very proud of what our country has done, and we continue to work with our Haitian and international partners to address ongoing suffering and to help them move from relief to recovery.

Yet I also know this is a time of great economic strain for so many Americans. As a former member of Congress, I know what this means for the people you represent. For every dollar we spend, we have to show results. That is why this budget must support programs vital to our national security, our national interests, and our leadership in the world, while guarding against waste, duplication, and irrelevancy. And I believe it achieves those objectives.

Now, these figures in the budget are more than just numbers on a page. They tell the story of the challenges we face and the resources we request to overcome them.

We are fighting two wars that call on the skill and sacrifice of our civilians as well as our troops. We have embarked on a dual-track approach to Iran that has led to a growing consensus and a new unity with our international partners. Because of our efforts at engagement under the President’s leadership, we are now coming together with our countries to meet Iran’s continuing refusal to live up to its obligations with a unified and effective response.

We are fighting two wars that call on the skill and sacrifice of our civilians as well as our troops. And we believe strongly that that what we are doing is essential to achieving our objectives. Specifically, as you mentioned it with Iran, we believe that the President’s offer of engagement, combined with the dual-track approach, has left the international community little choice but to impose greater costs for its provocative steps.

With China, we are seeking areas of common purpose while standing firm where we differ. We are making concrete the promise of a new beginning with the Muslim world. We are strengthening partnerships with allies in Europe and Asia, with our friends in our hemisphere, and with countries from India to Indonesia, from South Africa to Brazil and Turkey. And we are working every day to end the impasse between Israelis and Palestinians.

At the same time, we are developing a new architecture of cooperation to meet global challenges like climate change and the use of our planet’s oceans. In so many instances, our national interest and the common interest converge, and so we are promoting human rights, the rule of law, democracy, and internet freedom; we are fighting poverty, hunger, and disease; and working to ensure that economic growth is broadly shared.

Our agenda is ambitious because the times demand it. America is called to lead and we have no alternative. We can bury our heads in the sand and pay the consequences later, or we can make hard-nosed, targeted investments now.

Let me just highlight three areas where we’re making significant new investments. First, the security of frontline states.



In Afghanistan, we have tripled the number of civilians in one year on the ground, and this presence will grow by hundreds more with the $5 billion in this budget. Our diplomats and development experts are going in to Marjah with our troops. They are embedded with our troops. They are, as we speak, working to help set up institutions of government, expand economic opportunities, particularly in agriculture, and provide meaningful alternatives for insurgents ready to renounce violence.

In Pakistan, our request includes $3.2 billion to combat extremism, promote economic development, strengthen democratic institutions, and build a long-term relationship with the Pakistani people. This includes funding of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman initiative. Our request also includes a 59 percent increase in funding for Yemen to help counter the extremist threat brought to our shores by al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula and to build institutions and economic opportunity as an alternative.

In Iraq, we are winding down our military presence and establishing a more normal civilian mission. Our civilian efforts will not and cannot mirror the scale of our military presence, but rather provide assistance consistent with the priorities of the Iraqi Government. So our request includes $2.6 billion to help support the democratic process and ensure a smooth transition from the Department of Defense to civilian-led security training and operational support. These funds will allow civilians to take full responsibility, and at the same time the Defense budget for Iraq will be decreasing by about $16 billion. That’s a powerful illustration of the return on civilian investment.

We are blessed with the best military in the world, as we have seen time and again in today’s wars. But we need to give our civilian experts the resources to do the job expected of them. This budget takes a step in the right direction. It includes $100 million for a State Department complex crises fund – replacing the 1207 fund through which the Defense Department directed money toward crisis response. And it includes support for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, which previously also fell under the Defense Department.



The second major area is investing in development. So this budget makes targeted investments in fragile societies – which, in our interconnected world, bear heavily on our own security and prosperity. These investments are a key part of our efforts to get ahead of crises instead of just responding to them all the time. I think it’ll help us be better positioned to deal with them and maybe prevent them, and I believe also can be less expensive.

The first of these is in health. Building on our progress treating HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, our Global Health Initiative will invest $63 billion over six years, starting with $8.5 billion in FY11, to help our partners address specific diseases and to build strong, sustainable health systems for themselves.

The Administration has also pledged to invest at least $3.5 billion in food security over three years, and this year’s request includes $1.6 billion, of which $1.2 billion will be funded through the State Department. This funding will focus on countries that have developed effective, comprehensive strategies, where agriculture is central to prosperity and hunger remains widespread.

On climate change, our request for $646 million seeks to promote the United States as a leader in green technology and to leverage other countries’ cooperation – including through the Copenhagen Accord, which for the first time brought together developed and developing countries. And this is part of the Administration’s total request of $1.4 billion to support core climate-change activities in developing nations.

Our request also includes $4.2 billion for humanitarian assistance programs. I think, again, our efforts in Haiti have made clear that State and USAID must be able to respond quickly and effectively to human tragedies.

These initiatives are designed to enhance American security, help people in need, and give the American people a strong return on their investment. Our aim is not to create or perpetuate dependency. We’re not going to be just aiming at giving fish to people forever. We want to teach them to fish and help them devise solutions that will be in their best interest over time. And essential to this is a focus on advancing equality and opportunity for women and girls, who are the key drivers of economic and social progress.



And that brings me to the final and third area of investment. None of what we propose can happen if we don’t recruit, train, and empower the right people for the job.

The State Department and USAID are full of talented and committed public servants, but we too often they have been missing the tools needed to carry out their missions on the ground. And rather than building their expertise over time, we have too often relied on contractors, sometimes with very little oversight and often at a greater cost.

This budget will allow us to expand the Foreign Service by over 600 positions, including an additional 410 for the State Department and 200 for USAID. It will also allow us to staff the standby element of the Civilian Reserve Corps, a crucial tool for responding to crises.

Now, while deploying these personnel does generate new expenses in some accounts, it will reduce expenses in others by changing the way we do business. We are ending an over-reliance on contractors. We are saving money by bringing functions into government and improving oversight. And we take very seriously the IG lessons that we are applying.

So I hope, Madam Chairwoman and Ranking Member, we can see from this budget that the United States State Department and USAID are taking the lead in helping to carry out foreign policy and national security. And as we finish the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, we will have a unique opportunity to define the capabilities we need and match them with the resources and the priorities.

I hope that we will continue to be able to work together in the year ahead. This is essential if we’re going to enhance the security of Americans and assure the future of American leadership. And I look forward to that, as I look forward now to taking your questions.

Secretary Clinton's Daily Appointments Schedule for February 25, 2010

Back on Capitol Hill again - this time at the House. Yesterday, in the Senate she was her same awesome self as we saw in her days as Senator. When she speaks to the legislators, she almost does not take a breath. She wants to make every point and obviate every objection right then and there.

She was all: We're getting rid of the expensive contractors and hiring in-house, and the additional developmental budget is offset by a reduction in the defense/military budget, so don't even ask!

Daily Appointments Schedule for February 25, 2010



Washington, DC
February 25, 2010

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON

9:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton appears before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Capitol Hill.
(MEDIA TO BE DETERMINED BY HOUSE)

1:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton appears before the House Appropriations Subcommittee for State, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies, on Capitol Hill.
(MEDIA TO BE DETERMINED BY HOUSE)

On Hillary's Latin American Agenda

Hillary Clinton to give keynote
speech at Costa Rica event



Hillary Clinton, the United States secretary of state, will be in Costa Rica next week as part of a Latin America tour that also will include Brazil, Chile, Guatemala and Uruguay, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

Clinton will visit this Central American country, a close U.S. ally, on March 3, where she will be the keynote speaker at the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas Ministerial Meeting. Clinton has said she believes the Pathways initiative, a 14 nation - network to promote the benefits of free trade, will help improve the distribution of economic benefits to women, rural farmers and small businesses, as well as to indigenous and Afro-descendents who have been left on the sidelines of the open market.

Read more>>>

UPCOMING!!!! Secretary Clinton to Celebrate International Women's Day With Events in Washington, D.C. on March 10th

Secretary Clinton to Celebrate International Women's Day With Events in Washington, D.C. on March 10th

Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
February 24, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will celebrate International Women’s Day with two events on March 10th in Washington, D.C. During the day, Secretary Clinton will host the annual International Women of Courage Awards at the Department of State. In the evening, Secretary Clinton will present an award at the ninth annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center. Information on additional events in recognition of International Women’s Day will be forthcoming.

Secretary Clinton will host the annual International Women of Courage Awards on March 10th at the Department of State. Then-Secretary Condoleezza Rice established the annual International Women of Courage Award in March of 2007 to recognize women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights. This is the only award within the Department of State that pays tribute to outstanding women leaders worldwide. It recognizes the courage and leadership shown as they struggle for social justice and equal rights.

The International Women of Courage Awards will be open to the press. Additional details will be forthcoming.

Secretary Clinton will present an award at the ninth annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on March 10th at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center. Secretary Clinton founded the Vital Voices Global Partnership, a leading international NGOs dedicated to supporting emerging women leaders, after the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal. This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Beijing UN World Conference on Women.

Secretary Clinton will present the Global Trailblazer Award to Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation. Other presenters include Vital Voices Honorary Co-Chair Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair, Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon, Avon Chairman and CEO Andrea Jung, NPR’s Michele Norris, New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof, CNBC’s Suze Orman, Academy Award-winning Actress Sally Field, Artist Angelique Kudjo, Businesswoman Shelia Johnson, Vital Voices Chair Susan Davis, Vital Voices Vice Chair Bobbie Greene McCarthy and Vital Voices CEO Alyse Nelson.

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton Before Senate Foreign Relations

Opening Remarks Before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
February 24, 2010

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Senator Lugar, members of the committee. It’s a real pleasure to be back here in the Senate to be with all of you and participate in this important hearing. When I was last here to discuss our budget, I emphasized my commitment to elevating diplomacy and development as core pillars of American power. And since then, I have been heartened by the bipartisan support of this committee and the rest of Congress. I want to thank the Chairman and the Ranking Member and all of the members for your bipartisan support in moving State Department nominees; 114 were confirmed in 2009. We are now looking to get up and get nominated for your consideration the leadership team at AID and we are very grateful for the expeditious support and we hope they can move quickly when they hit the floor. But I thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And let me also take this opportunity to express appreciation on behalf of the men and women who work every day at the State Department, at USAID, here in our country and around the world, to put our foreign policy into action.

The budget we are presenting today is designed to protect America and Americans and to advance our interests and values. Our fiscal year 2011 request for the State Department and USAID totals $52.8 billion. That is a $4.9 billion increase over 2010. But as the Chairman has pointed out, of that increase, $3.6 billion will go to supporting efforts in “frontline states” – Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Other funding will grow by $1.3 billion, which is a 2.7 percent increase that will help address global challenges, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that the State Department and USAID are equipped with the right people and resources.

Over the past six weeks in Haiti, we have been reminded yet again of the importance of American leadership. I’m very proud of what our country has done, and we will continue to work with our Haitian and international partners to address ongoing suffering and transition from relief to recovery.

But I am also acutely aware that this is a time of great economic strain for many of our fellow Americans. As a former senator, I know what this means for the people you represent every single day. So for every dollar we spend, as Senator Lugar said, we have to show results. That is why this budget must support programs vital to our national security, our national interests, and our leadership in the world, while guarding against waste, duplication, irrelevancy. And I believe that we have achieved those objectives in this budget.

Now, these figures are more than numbers on a page. They tell the story of challenges we face and the resources needed to overcome them.

We are fighting two wars that call on the skill and sacrifice of our civilians as well as our troops. We have pursued a dual-track approach to Iran that has exposed its refusal to live up to its responsibilities and helped us achieve a new unity with our international partners. Iran has left the international community with little choice but to impose greater costs for its provocative steps. And we are now working actively with our partners to prepare and implement new measures to pressure Iran to change its course.

We have also achieved unprecedented unity in our response to North Korea’s provocative actions, even as we leave the door open for a restart of the Six-Party Talks. And we are moving closer by the day to a fresh nuclear agreement with Russia – one that advances our security while furthering President Obama’s long-term vision of a world without nuclear weapons.

With China, we seek areas of common purpose while standing firm where we differ. We are making concrete our new beginning with the Muslim world. We are strengthening partnerships with allies in Europe and Asia, with friends in our hemisphere, and with countries around the world, from India to Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey. And we are working under the leadership of former Senator George Mitchell to end the impasse between Israelis and Palestinians.

At the same time, we are developing a new architecture of cooperation to meet transnational global challenges like climate change and the use of our planet’s oceans. With regard to the latter, I want to reiterate my support for U.S. accession to the Convention on the Law of the Sea. Our country stands to gain immensely from this treaty. Everything we know from what we are picking up with respect to other countries’ use of the tools under the Law of the Sea demonstrates that we will lose out, in economic and resource rights, in terms of environmental interests, and national security.

In so many instances, our national interest and the common interest converge. We are promoting human rights, from Africa to Asia to the Middle East; the rule of law, democracy, internet freedom. We are fighting poverty, hunger, and disease; and we are working to ensure that economic growth is broadly shared, principally by addressing the role of girls and women. And I want to applaud the Chairman and the subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer for putting this issue on the map of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Now, our agenda is ambitious because our times demand it. America is called to lead – I think we all believe that – and therefore we need the tools and the resources in the 21st century to exercise that leadership wisely and effectively. We can bury our heads in the sand and pay the consequences later, or we can make hard-nosed, targeted investments now.

Let me just highlight three areas where we are making significant new investments.



First, the security of frontline states.

In Afghanistan, we have tripled the number of civilians on the ground. Civilians are embedded with our troops in Marjah in the combat operations going on. As soon as an area is cleared, they are part of the American team, along with our international allies, who go in to hold and build. Our diplomats and development experts are helping to build institutions, expand economic opportunities, and provide meaningful alternatives for insurgents ready to renounce violence and join their fellow Afghans in the pursuit of peace.

In Pakistan, our request includes $3.2 billion to combat extremism, promote economic development, strengthen democratic institutions, and build a long-term relationship with the Pakistani people. That is the vision of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman initiative, and this includes funding for that. And I want to thank you again, Mr. Chairman and Senator Lugar, for your leadership. Our request also includes a 59 percent increase in funding for Yemen, Senator Feingold, to help counter the extremist threat and build institutions and economic opportunity.

In Iraq, we are winding down our military presence and establishing a more normal civilian mission. Our civilian efforts will not and cannot mirror the scale of our military presence, but rather they must provide assistance consistent with the priorities of the Iraqi Government. So our request includes $2.6 billion for Iraq. These are resources that will allow us to support the democratic process and ensure a smooth transition to civilian-led security training and operational support. As these funds allow civilians to take full responsibility for programs, the Defense budget for Iraq will be decreasing by about $16 billion. That is a powerful illustration of the return on civilian investment and illustrates the point that the Chairman was making that this is really part of the security budget for the United States and should be seen as part of that whole.

We are blessed with the best troops in the world, as we have seen time and time again. But we also need to give our civilian experts the resources to do the civilian jobs. And this budget takes a step in that direction. It includes $100 million for a State Department complex crisis fund – replacing the 1207 fund through which the Defense Department directed money toward crisis response. And it includes support for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, which previously fell under the Defense Department as well. Secretary Gates and I are working literally hand-in-hand and are committed to having a seamless relationship between the Defense Department and the State Department and USAID to further American security.



The second major area is investing in development. And this budget makes targeted investments in fragile societies – which, in our interconnected world, bear heavily on our own security and prosperity. These investments are a key part of our effort to get ahead of crisis rather than just responding to it, positioning us to deal effectively with threats and challenges that lie ahead.

The first of these is in health. Building on our success in treating HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, our Global Health Initiative will invest $63 billion over six years, starting with $8.5 billion in FY11, to help our partners address specific diseases and, equally importantly, build strong, sustainable health systems as they do.

The Administration has also pledged to invest at least $3.5 billion in food security over three years, and this year’s request includes $1.6 billion, of which $1.2 billion is funded through the State Department. And I greatly appreciate the work that Senator Lugar and Senator Casey have done to help target the United States effort when it comes to global hunger and food security. So this funding will focus on countries that have developed effective, comprehensive strategies, where agriculture is central to prosperity and hunger remains widespread.

On climate change, we could not agree with the Chairman more. Therefore, we have requested $646 million to promote the United States as a leader in green technology and to leverage other leaders’ cooperation – including through the Copenhagen Accord, which for the first time, to underscore the Chairman’s point, brings developing and developed countries together. This is such an important initiative. We need leadership from the rest of the world. This is an opportunity for us to push this initiative and to ensure that we have support to give to core climate change activities and to spread the burden among other countries so that they share part of the responsibility in meeting this global challenge.

The budget also includes $4.2 billion for humanitarian assistance programs. Our efforts in Haiti have made clear that State and USAID must be able to respond quickly and effectively.

All of these initiatives are designed to enhance American security, help people in need, and give the American people a strong return on their investments. Our aim is not to create dependency. We don’t want to just pass out fish; we want to teach people to fish. And we want to help our partners devise solutions they can sustain over the long term. And essential to this is a focus on advancing equality and opportunity for women and girls. They are the key drivers for economic and social progress.

And that brings me to our third area that I want to highlight. None of this can happen if we do not recruit, train, and empower the right people for the job.

The State Department and USAID are full of talented, committed public servants, but unfortunately, we have too often failed to give them the tools they need to carry out their missions on the ground. Rather than building their expertise, we have too often relied on contractors, sometimes with little oversight and often with greater cost to the American taxpayer.

This budget will allow us to expand the Foreign Service by over 600 positions, including an additional 410 positions for the State Department and 200 for USAID. It will also allow us to staff the standby element of the Civilian Reserve Corps, a critical tool for responding to crises.

Now, while deploying these personnel generates new expenses in some accounts, it does reduce expenses in others by changing the way we do business. We are ending an over-reliance on contractors and finding opportunities to save money by bringing these functions into government and improving oversight.

So Mr. Chairman, one thing should be very clear from this budget: The State Department and USAID are taking a lead in carrying out the United States foreign policy and national security agenda. As we finish the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, and as the White House finishes the coordination of the Presidential Directive, we have a unique opportunity to define the capabilities we need and then to match resources with priorities.

The QDDR will help ensure that we are more effective and accountable. And I want to thank all of you for your individual contributions on so many of these issues that are important not only to your constituents but to our country and the world. And Mr. Chairman, I look forward to continuing to work closely with this committee and I would be pleased to take your questions.