I have retooled this post from its previous version enough to make it an entirely new preview of Mme. Secretary's upcoming week. This first event promises to be bittersweet since it is probably the last official event at which this amazing pair of colleagues will appear. Power and Persuasion indeed! What terrific teamwork we have seen from them!
Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates to Convene the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee Meeting on June 21
Notice to the Press
Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCJune 17, 2011
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
For Immediate Release June 17, 2011
NOTICE TO THE PRESS
On June 21, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will host Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa for a Security Consultative Committee (SCC) meeting, at the Department of State.
As part of the SCC meeting, informally known as the 2+2 Ministerial, the ministers will release a comprehensive joint statement articulating common strategic objectives and efforts to enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance. Demonstrating the breadth and depth of the alliance, the officials will discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Afghanistan, missile defense technology transfer, and realignment of our forces in Okinawa. This is the first such meeting in four years, and builds upon the progress that the U.S.-Japan alliance has made over the past half-century.
A pooled camera spray will take place at the beginning of the meeting. Following the meeting, the four ministers will hold a joint press availability at approximately 10:00 a.m.
Secretary Clinton to Host the Annual World Food Prize Laureate Announcement on June 21
Notice to the Press
Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCJune 17, 2011Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the 2011 World Food Prize Laureate Announcement Ceremony on June 21 at approximately 12:00 p.m. at the Department of State. Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, the president of the World Food Prize Foundation, will announce the winner of the 2011 World Food Prize during the ceremony. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah and Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs Robert Hormats will also speak at the event.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the World Food Prize, which recognizes individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. The World Food Prize includes a cash award of $250,000 and a sculpture by world-renowned designer Saul Bass. Each year more than 4,000 institutions and organizations are invited to nominate candidates for the prize.
The award will be formally presented in a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 13, 2011 in conjunction with the Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium. In honor of World Food Prize founder Dr. Norman Borlaug, this year’s October events will also include the Grand Opening of the Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates, an educational center and place to honor all those who have made strides in the fight against hunger.
The World Food Prize is guided by a distinguished Council of Advisors that includes former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush. For more information on the World Food Prize, visit www.worldfoodprize.org.
Secretary of State Clinton's Travel to Guatemala and Jamaica
Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCJune 16, 2011On June 22, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Guatemala City to participate in the International Conference of Support for the Central American Security Strategy. Central American heads of state and international partners will attend the conference. The Secretary’s participation in the Conference of Support, following the President’s visit to El Salvador in March, is a clear indication of the United States’ firm commitment to partner with Central American governments and the international community to address the underlying root causes of crime and citizen insecurity and to enhance the impact and effectiveness of our collective efforts in the region.
Secretary Clinton will also visit Montego Bay, Jamaica, to meet with her Caribbean counterparts. Building on the June 2010 Caribbean Ministerial Meeting in Barbados, the Secretary will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the region, and underscore our joint partnerships in enhancing citizen and regional security; promoting clean energy and combating climate change; promoting economic development; and strengthening democratic institutions.
Quartet Envoys' Meeting (Taken Question)
Taken Question
Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCJune 17, 2011Question: What is the date of the Quartet meeting at the Envoy level in Brussels?
Answer: The next Quartet Envoys meeting is currently scheduled for June 24 in Brussels.
I am not certain this last entry implies that Secretary Clinton will be attending the Quartet Meeting in Brussels. It might. I simply do not remember the meetings she has attended billed as "envoys meetings." They were billed, if I remember correctly, as "Quartet Meetings." If this is a meeting of people at the level of our own "Special Envoys," then George Mitchell's successor, David Hale. would be attending. Anyway, I added it in case it is the SOS who attends.
