Interview With Ed Henry of Fox News
Interview
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Grand Hyatt
Bali, Indonesia
November 18, 2011
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, I appreciate your time very much.
SECRETARY CLINTON: My pleasure, Ed.
QUESTION:
As a woman, in particular, it has to be pretty remarkable to think that
you’re heading out to this mission to Burma next month. And given
everything that’s happened there with Aung San Suu Kyi, what is the goal
of your mission?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well I
think, as the President said when announced it, we have as a country
followed closely what’s happened in Burma over the last several decades.
It’s been heart-wrenching and heartbreaking. And then when Aung San Suu
Kyi was finally released from house arrest, we began communicating with
her, seeking her advice, began talking to others in the country, and
particularly in the new government, the new parliament, as well as the
executive, and we sensed some changing attitudes and openings that
encouraged us but obviously have to be tested.
So we’ve had people
go out. We had the first special envoy to Burma that was a position
created by the Congress, but we appointed the first one. We’ve had
members of the Senate go to Burma. I know that both Senator Webb and
Senator McCain have gone, others probably as well. And the information
coming back was there is an opening. Now, let’s not get carried away.
There is still a lot to be done and it has to be tested, but I’m going
to go and meet with, obviously, Aung San Suu Kyi, but the highest levels
of the government, civil society, other members of the opposition, and
just convey that the United States is prepared to support a peaceful
institutionalization of democracy.
We’d like to see more political
prisoners released. We would like to see a real political process and
real elections. We’d like to see an end to the conflicts, particularly
the terrible conflicts with ethnic minorities. But we think there’s an
opportunity and we want to test it.
QUESTION: Now
they – obviously, the Burmese Government may have an agenda here. They
want to get rid of the sanctions; it’s been very tough on their economy.
How do you ensure that you’re not used here and that they get what they
want without really reforming?
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, and that’s what diplomacy’s all about. That’s why we are pursuing
for the last two years kind of a probing analysis. That’s why we’ve had
a lot of contact officially and unofficially with people there. But it
is, I think, appropriate now for us to do this trip. We’re not ending
sanctions. We are not making any abrupt changes. We have to do some more
fact finding, and that’s part of my trip.
QUESTION:
Do you think this puts more pressure on China to see somebody that they
have a good relationship with opening the door to the U.S. maybe
changing its record? Again, it’s early, but maybe starting to change its
own record on human rights? Does that put pressure on China?
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, I would think that the integration of this region, which is
really one of the key goals that the Obama Administration has – it’s
something I’ve worked on from the very beginning of my tenure as
Secretary of State – is an economic integration, but it’s also an effort
to promote universal values. We think the Burmese people have just as
much of a right to free expression and other freedoms that we take for
granted. And we think that everyone in the region has some work ahead of
us in order to realize the potential.
And I think if you look at
ASEAN, which is the kind of central organization here in Southeast Asia,
there’s been a lot of good changes. We’re doing this interview in
Indonesia, a country that has been a democracy now for a little over a
decade. Who would have predicted that when they had very strong
dictatorial regimes?
So we think that you’re on the right side of
history when you’re promoting freedom and democracy and human rights.
And countries and people move at their own paces, but we want to do
everything we can to support that.
QUESTION: And
part of the President’s trip – you were with him in Hawaii, now with him
in Indonesia – was trying to sell back home the idea that this
diplomacy also can, with trade missions in particular, can matter to
jobs back home. You have your ear still to the ground on domestic
politics as well. Do you think the President’s message on that is
breaking through?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I hope
after the announcements today it not only breaks through but it really
makes the case. I mean, obviously we’re interested in economic
integration, security, democracy, human rights. But on the economy, the
big announcements from Boeing, GE, Sikorsky, 120,000-plus job, that’s a
good message to have. Because if you’re looking at our economic
rejuvenation and what we need to do back home, we clearly have to be
selling more to the rest of the world. What part of the world has a lot
of money right now and is building infrastructure, buying airplanes,
building power stations, buying things that we are really good at? Well,
it’s the Asia Pacific region. So for anyone who back home says, well,
why is the President heading off to the Asia Pacific region, I think
Boeing, GE, and Sikorsky should answer that question.
QUESTION:
We only have a couple minutes, so a couple quick subjects. The
President had a one-on-one with the Russian president back in Hawaii,
and there have been reports suggesting that the Administration may share
sensitive data with Russia as part of the reset about missile defense.
And there are some critics sayings, “Why would you do that?” Why would
you do that, and are you – is there risk to sharing that information?
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, I’m not quite sure what that would refer to. We have from the
very beginning made it clear that the United States was going ahead with
missile defense. We think that the approach that President Obama set
forth, the phase-adaptive approach, actually will work better against
the threats that we face, namely missiles from countries like Iran or
other actors. And we’re also working closely with our NATO partners. As
you might recall, just a few weeks ago we announced that Turkey would
host a radar for missile defense for NATO. So we have that track that is
going.
Now, we have always said that if the Russians want to
cooperate with the United States and NATO in developing missile defense
that will protect them as well as us from the kind of threats that we
foresee in the future, we would be willing to work with them on that.
The details are so far in the distance because, of course, there’s been
no agreement.
QUESTION: Two last things. We were
talking beforehand about all your travels around the world. Do you ever
look at the Republican field out there going to Iowa, New Hampshire? You
used to be on the plane as well domestically. Do you ever look back and
miss it at all?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Ed, that was a
wonderful experience. I cannot tell you how really grateful I am that I
got to run for president. But that was then, this is now, and I’m very
focused on what I think needs to be done for our country. And that’s
where my time and attention is devoted.
QUESTION:
And we’ve also learned that your daughter is going to be joining our
business. You have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of our business.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Right.
QUESTION: What’s your advice for her?
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Well, she’s a grown-up, and I think it’s good for a mother to support
what her children do. And I’m very excited for her, and I think that
she’ll do an absolutely amazing job.
QUESTION: But she’s not going to get an unfair advantage if we want to get an exclusive with you, right?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I don’t think so. (Laughter.) I think you’ll always have an open door, Ed. I’ve known you too long.
QUESTION: I appreciate your time.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Good to see you.
QUESTION: Great to see you.
