Hillary Clinton was on U.S. soil for all of 22 hours on March 18, 2011, the only day of the week that began Monday, March 14, with her departure for meetings in Paris, for which a public schedule has not been published by the State Department. She arrived from North Africa at one that morning, and was on her way back to Paris around ten that night.
We can piece her day together. Cable TV news was reporting a meeting in the Situation Room that morning she was said to have attended. We saw her meeting with Ireland's foreign minister in the morning and officials from Northern Ireland in the afternoon. Sandwiched between the Irish was a speech she made on Latin America at the Center for Strategic International Studies, and by late afternoon President Obama was on TV announcing that we would indeed be joining the coalition to implement a No-Fly Zone over Libya, and that he was sending Secretary of State Clinton to a meeting in Paris the next day. Busy day for a busy lady! Somehow, she managed to squeeze these two interviews with Spanish-language news channels into that already packed day.
Interview With Lourdes Meluza of Univision
InterviewHillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateWashington, DCMarch 18, 2011QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
At this point, do you have any evidence that the offer by Libya – the ceasefire – is real? Would you have to – what would you have to see to trust it? And will this in any way slow down the operations that have set in motion the Security Council approving this resolution?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we are waiting to see what Mr. Qadhafi actually does. The Security Council called for a ceasefire, and President Obama has made very clear we expect to see a ceasefire – but not just by words. We want to see actions on the ground. We want to see Qadhafi’s troops begin moving away from the cities that they were marching toward that they have sieged. We want to see them pull out of the cities that they’ve taken by violence and force. We want to see them open up the country to real humanitarian assistance coming in to help the people.
And so he knows what he is expected to do. He’s on a very tight timetable, because the international community has made its will known with the Security Council resolution. So we will know whether he is going to abide by the Security Council or whether the international community will have to enforce the resolution.
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
If your goal, as you have stated, is that Qadhafi leaves, is the military action inevitable?
SECRETARY CLINTON: We don’t know yet, and so I don’t want to prejudge it. Because it is possible that he will see the overwhelming opposition of the world and begin to behave in a way that a leader should behave, in which case he will have begun to answer the demands of the Security Council. Now, I don’t know what he will do, but by this time tomorrow we will have a much better idea.
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
What will be your goal in your meeting in France?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, what is so remarkable about what happened in the Security Council and it will be demonstrated at the meeting in France tomorrow, is that this is not a U.S. unilateral action. This is not even an action by NATO. This is an action that came from the demand of the Arab League. The Arab League, last Saturday, said to the international community, we want a Security Council resolution that will stop this man from what he is doing, and then said we will help you. So this was remarkable that we had for the first time an Arab League decision to suspend a member and then to call for action, including the potential of military action.
So tomorrow in France we will have the heads of state of a number of European countries, of Arab countries, and everyone will work to determine the best way forward.
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
The United States will, in fact, participate in this no-fly zone?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes. Now, we will be aiding the efforts of the Europeans and the Arabs because we have some unique capacities. But the President has made clear this will be a well-defined, limited, discrete mission that the United States will go forward in helping others to make sure we do this.
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
Are there discrepancies in what Japan is communicating to the U.S. as to the safety of – particularly on the nuclear situation? And is the U.S. prepared to evacuate thousands of Americans, if necessary?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we are always prepared to evacuate American citizens if we believe that they are in danger. And where we stand right now is that our nuclear experts are working very closely to reach our own judgments based on the information we can obtain about what’s going on and working closely with the Japanese to assist them in dealing with this unprecedented disaster that they are facing.
But we have said we will assist those Americans who wish to leave, and we are doing so. We have also worked with our military, which has, as you know, many people stationed in Japan, to make sure that we are closely coordinating.
It is not yet at a point where we would order people to leave, but we have said, based on our information, we would like to see Americans at least 50 miles away from the plants.
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
Despite widespread concerns here and elsewhere, Jean-Bertrand Aristide has returned to Haiti. Are you concerned that he could be a destabilizing force at this moment?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think it is going to be up to former president Aristide what kind of force he is inside Haiti. What’s important is that the people of Haiti are looking to the future, not to the past. They have an election on Sunday, which is so significant because it will be the first time there will be a handoff of power between a democratically elected president to the next democratically elected president. And the United States is going to do everything we can, along with our international partners, to make the election successful – free, fair, transparent, with credible results. And that’s what I think people are looking at in Haiti.
QUESTION: But the U.S. had preferred he had not returned?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, putting together this election, still in the midst of all of the destruction from the earthquake, is a huge undertaking. And we just want it to be done as smoothly as possible. And I’m hoping that that will be the case on Sunday.
QUESTION: Okay, on the trip of the President to Latin America. (In Spanish.)
One of the reasons of the trip of the President, he has said, is to reestablish economic ties, to strengthen them, and to talk about job creation. And do you think, for instance, that China is gaining terrain on the United States with Latin America?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think China is certainly expanding its commercial relationships in Latin America, which it is doing all over the world. There’s nothing unusual about that. But Latin America is America’s biggest trading partner, and we are very committed to doing everything we can to strengthen those economic ties and also the relationships between the United States and the countries of Latin America, because we have so much more in common when it comes to democracy, when it comes to dealing with challenges from climate change to energy security to social inclusion and income inequality. And that’s what we’re focusing on and that’s what the President will be talking about.
QUESTION: (In Spanish.)
Do you expect any concrete initiatives to come out of this trip?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, I think you will see some very important announcements on the economy and greater economic cooperation between the United States and Brazil. You will see a reaffirmation and a very strong statement of support for democracy and the need to continue to improve it in Chile. And you’ll see a real commitment on the part of the United States to helping El Salvador and Central America deal with the twin challenges of security problems caused by the criminal gangs, the narco-traffickers, and inequality and poverty, which has to be addressed.
QUESTION: Okay, on Mexico. (In Spanish.)
As you know, the ATF Operation Fast and Furious has created an uproar in Mexico. They claim that they didn’t know anything about it. Were you aware that it was taking place, and how has it affected the relations with your partner?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I was unaware of it. It was a law enforcement initiative. But I do think it’s important to recognize it was aimed at doing something that we are in full agreement with Mexico about, and that is stopping the flow of illegal guns across the border.
But we’re still working on making sure there is good cooperation and good information sharing. We’ve come a very long way in working with our Mexican friends on this shared challenge of criminality. And the Department of Justice has announced it will be investigating that particular program.
QUESTION: Does the U.S. ambassador in Mexico, Carlos Pascual, does he still have your confidence after the WikiLeaks scandals?
(In Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I deeply regret the WikiLeaks situation, and I’ve told President Calderon that. But I do really appreciate what Ambassador Pascual has done in his time as our ambassador because he’s worked closely with many parts of the Mexican Government. We are close friends and partners with Mexico but we don’t always agree on everything, as no two countries do. And so I’m going to continue to really support the important work that’s being done, and it will be up to the ambassador to determine how effective he can be going forward.
QUESTION: Okay. (In Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: One more?
QUESTION: One more? Okay, one more. It seems that Cuba returned to the United States (inaudible) Cuba, like in the recent measures that were announced, Cuba comes back with something, and this time it’s being the sentencing of an American citizen.
(In Spanish.)
What can you do about it?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we deeply deplore the sentencing of Alan Gross. He should not be there in the first place, having been in prison for so many months. He should not have been brought before a court and charged with crimes that he did not commit. We believe he should be released and returned to his family on humanitarian grounds as soon as possible. And we hope that the Cuban Government will do that, because I think everyone knows that President Obama came into office and has demonstrated a willingness to try to assist the Cuban people and provide greater relationships and connections between the Cuban people and Cuban Americans and other Americans. But it is very regrettable that Alan Gross is being treated the way he is.
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, we wish you the best in your trips and your diplomacy in Europe. Thank you for this time, the best of luck to you. Thank you for this time.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much.
Interview With Jose Diaz-Balart of Telemundo
InterviewHillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateWashington, DCMarch 18, 2011QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) Thank you for being with us. (Speaking in Spanish.) Is the United States going to be entering into a new battlefield in Libya?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No, but what we are going to do is to work with the international community to convince Mr. Qadhafi to stop the violence against his own people, and we’ve laid out very clear demands in the United Nations Security Council. This is not an American initiative; this is an international initiative. And then we will be prepared with European partners and Arab partners, which has never happened before, to enforce the will of the international community. But the United States has a very time-limited, discreet, well-defined role to play in accomplishing this.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) But the U.S. Armed Forces may be involved?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, they will be. We have some unique capacities that neither European, Arab, nor anyone else has to contribute to this effort, and we will do so. But what has been really important about this is that it’s not just everybody saying, “Oh, we need to do something, go do it, United States.” It’s other people saying, “We want to be part of it. We’re willing to put our planes, our pilots, our military assets to work.” So that’s a big difference than many of the other situations that have occurred in the past.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) The message directly to Qadhafi is what?
SECRETARY CLINTON: As the President said very clearly: You must end your violence. You must have a ceasefire. You must withdraw away from the cities that you have taken by force. You must return power and water to your own people. And you must open up access for humanitarian assistance to be provided.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) -- Japan what an amazingly destructive incident --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh my goodness.
QUESTION: -- and many are worried about the nuclear after-attack.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes. Well, first, I think every American was horrified by what happened in Japan – a 9.0 earthquake followed by an enormous tsunami, which is a Japanese word for obvious reasons, and now, these very catastrophic developments in the nuclear reactors. There is no danger to Americans from radiation coming from Japan to the United States. However, we are worried about Americans and Japanese and others who are near these plants.
And we have sent our nuclear experts to Japan. They are working to try to determine what exactly is going on, and how we help advise the Japanese about what to do about it, because it’s a really unpredicted, unprecedented chain of events. We actually ordered that Americans get much further away from the plants than the Japanese have. We are providing --
QUESTION: Why is that? (Speaking in Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, our assessment was that the potential for radiation fallout was beyond the 20-mile radius that had originally been discussed. In fact, it would be safer to go to a 50-mile radius. We moved a lot of our military forces who were helping with the events out of a wind pattern and further away from shore.
Now, Japan’s been fortunate in the last couple of days because the wind has been blowing out to sea, so we haven’t seen the impact that we were worried about. But we are literally watching this minute by minute, and we have told American citizens in Japan that they should take prudent precautions, and we have told the families of our civilian and military employees that if they wish to leave, we will facilitate that.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) Let’s talk about Mexico. Is Mexico Colombia during the ‘80s?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No, but it faces serious security challenges, and we’ve been working closely with the Mexican Government, as has Colombia, because Colombia, as you know so well, has a remarkable success story to tell. It was a courageous effort by the Colombian people and a series of Colombian leaders who have moved Colombia out of the category of being a failed state, which it was, because of the combined effects of the narco-traffickers and the guerillas.
So what we’re doing with Mexico is to make sure that they get all the lessons that the United States, Colombia, and others have to offer, and we are determined to assist Mexico in President Calderon’s very courageous fight against these unbelievably ruthless criminal gangs.
QUESTION: You know there’s been a flare-up on the WikiLeaks issue because the president has expressed very little confidence in the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Is he going to be there? Do you have confidence in the U.S. Ambassador? (Speaking in Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, this was a very unfortunate situation. I spoke personally with President Calderon about it and expressed our regret. But at the same time, the Ambassador has been very instrumental in working to make sure that the United States Government responded to the Mexican needs. I think the Ambassador will make an assessment as to whether or not he can continue to be as helpful as he has been in the past.
QUESTION: Fast and furious, this operation that has caused a lot of headlines in Mexico, arms going into Mexico and people are saying, “Is that the way the United States should be acting?” (Speaking in Spanish.) What’s your reaction to that?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, of course, we are committed to doing everything we can to stop the flow of what we consider illegal guns being trafficked into Mexico and being used by the criminals against innocent Mexicans. Different methods have been tried. The one that you mentioned is under review by the Department of Justice, because everything we do, we want to lead to the right result. And I think that questions have been raised about this by the Mexicans themselves and we should look into it.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) How would you describe the position or the condition of U.S.-Mexican relations right now?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I think it’s good, and it’s a relationship between friends and partners who are very candid and open with each other, which I personally like, because being the Secretary of State, I see people often saying one thing in private and then an entirely different thing in public. With our Mexican counterparts, they’re very straightforward. President Calderon’s administration, it just lays it on the table. And we don’t agree on everything, but we don’t agree on everything with any country in the world.
So this has been hard. I mean, what the Mexicans are trying to do is to build an effective, professional, national police force, which didn’t exist; strong prosecutorial and judicial responses; a better corrections system to keep these bad guys behind bars; build good, strong community responses against these narco-traffickers. It’s a huge agenda. So I understand that it’s a pretty stressful time, and we support them and we’re going to continue to support them.
QUESTION: On the issue of Alan Gross, 15 years, other than talk and condemn, what can or should the United States be doing? (Speaking in Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first, I think that the 15-year sentence is deplorable. Alan Gross was in Cuba to help people literally connect with the rest of the world, and as we’re seeing around the world, that’s a tide that is coming. You’re not going to be able to push it back out to sea, even in Cuba. He has served a very long time for doing what was not in any way criminal, in our view. And he should be released, and at the very least, on humanitarian terms. He should be sent home to his family, and I’m hoping that the Cuban Government will do that.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) Separate from condemning, is there anything you can or should be doing?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we are working closely with Alan Gross’s attorneys, who want to be very supportive of what they’re trying to do on his behalf. We don’t want to take any actions or say anything that will undermine the chances for this man to come home to his family.
QUESTION: Last thing – (Speaking in Spanish) –
SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.)
QUESTION: You know this, we talked about this a lot, the Hispanic community admires you and your husband, but especially you because of your actions with us for many, many decades. And many were taken aback and, quite frankly, upset with you when you said that you weren’t going to be in the public eye in the near future. You want to talk to us about that a little bit, please?
SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.) Well, I cherish my relationship with the Hispanic community in our country, and it goes back really to the time I was a young girl and I was --
QUESTION: You were helping people register. (Speaking in Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah, that’s right, and through my church, working with the children of farm workers. So it is incredibly important to me, but I think that – I have signed on and am very honored to serve President Obama as Secretary of State, but at the end of his first term, I will have been 20 years in very high-level political positions, both appointed, elected, and by marriage. And so I’m looking forward to taking a deep breath.
And I think for many of your viewers, I will always continue to serve, and I will look for ways to continue to serve here at home and around the world, particularly on behalf of women and children.
QUESTION: Yeah, I think I’m going to let you slide on that, because I want to know exactly what you are going to be doing --
SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.)
QUESTION: -- and where our community can be finding you. (Speaking in Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I’ll make a promise.
QUESTION: All right.
SECRETARY CLINTON: When I get near the end of my tenure, you and I will talk, and I will give you everything that I can to be specific.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks.
QUESTION: (Speaking in Spanish.) Thank you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
