Secretary Clinton on Northern Ireland **UPDATE** Includes Background Briefing

(heh- heh! Enjoy the snow! Cute!)

Hillary spoke about Northern Ireland yesterday morning at the prayer breakfast, and I know she cares deeply that this devolution succeeds. Just a little over a week ago, when she was in London, Sinn Fein and the Unionists had come to an impasse. Behind the scenes, she and Gordon Brown negotiated with both parties according to a UK source. The good news is that the parties have gotten past that particular bump in the road, and the devolution continues. The photos are from her visit there in October.

**UPDATE**
A background briefing on Northern Ireland was released, so I am adding it to this post. I have not found a transcript for the Q&A with the press at the end of the video. If I do, I will add it here as well, so that everything is in one location.

The passages I bolded in the background briefing reflect, I think, what is so typical of the Hillary Clinton so many of us know and love, the Hillary who works tirelessly in the background and declines credit for the good she does. I am very certain that her intervention was integral in attaining this latest ascension up the tall ladder of unity in Northern Ireland. But Hillary Clinton will always deflect the praise and aim the limelight on others with whom she has labored to reach an accord. That is simply who she is and how she operates. It is also very much a quality of character so many of us accept and admire about her. I, for one, am very mindful of the role she has long been playing in this peace process. I know the devolution will succeed, and there will be a final and lasting peace. When it does, I and many, will forever remember the key role she played in the process, even as she disclaims it.
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Regarding Northern Ireland



Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
February 5, 2010

Today, Northern Ireland has taken another important step toward a full and lasting peace. Its political leaders have agreed on a roadmap and a timeline for the devolution of policing and justice powers, and they have taken other productive steps as well. The accord they reached today will help consolidate the hard-won gains of the past decade.

This has not been an easy road. There were plenty of bumps along the way. I have been in regular contact with the parties since my trip to Belfast in October, and I know that at times the path forward was far from clear. So I want to applaud all the parties for ultimately choosing negotiation over confrontation. In finalizing this deal, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness and their teams displayed the kind of leadership that the people of Northern Ireland deserve.

I want to recognize the leadership and patient resolve of Prime Minister Brown and Taoiseach Cowen, as well as Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward and Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin. They have stayed resolutely focused on moving this process forward, forging common ground, and reaching an outcome that would keep Northern Ireland on the path of peace and stability.

This is not the end of the journey. So far, the devolution process has enabled Northern Ireland’s leaders to enact a range of needed reforms, from health to housing to environmental safety. Now they have even greater authority, and with that authority comes greater responsibility. They must continue to lead. The people of Northern Ireland are poised to build a thriving society on this stronger foundation—a country where neighbors can live free from fear and all people have the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential.

This is a dream nurtured for so long in the hearts of people across Northern Ireland. It is also a dream that lives far beyond its borders, in all countries and communities where ethnic and religious conflicts persist. This latest success in Northern Ireland points the way forward—and not only for this one conflict. Northern Ireland gives us hope that, despite entrenched opposition and innumerable setbacks, diligent diplomacy and committed leadership can overcome generations of suspicion and hostility.

Now, we join the world in looking to the leaders of Northern Ireland to build upon their efforts by promoting a new spirit of cooperation among all parties.

As they do, the United States will help. Our Economic Envoy, Declan Kelly, will continue working to help Northern Ireland reap the dividends of peace, including economic growth, international investment, and new opportunities. In the near future, Declan and I will host First Minister Robinson and Deputy First Minister McGuinness here in Washington to discuss further investment in Northern Ireland and ways to build on this agreement.

Today we salute this achievement. We recognize that a new chapter of partnership among Northern Ireland’s political leadership and people must begin. I am confident that people of Northern Ireland will make the most of this moment. And I want to reaffirm the commitment of the United States—and my personal commitment as well—to support Northern Ireland in every way we can. (Enjoy the smow!)

Background Briefing on Northern Ireland


Senior Department Official
Senior Official
Via Teleconference
Washington, DC
February 5, 2010

OPERATOR: Welcome, and thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are on a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer session of today’s conference. At that time, press *1 if you’d like to ask a question. I would like to inform all parties that this call is being recorded. If you have any objections, please disconnect at this time. I now would like to turn the call over to Mr. P.J. Crowley. Sir, you may begin.

MR. CROWLEY: Thank you very much, and good morning – or, depending on where you are, good afternoon.

Obviously, you heard a short time ago from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, welcoming the developments in Northern Ireland and the decision by its political leaders to move towards devolution of policing and justice powers as a critical step in the process of bringing full authority to Northern Ireland.

We thought that we would just have a senior Administration official kind of walk through a little bit of the background of that – the United States support for the parties as they have reached this critical decision. For your knowledge, in reporting this background session, obviously, attribute it to a senior Administration official. But we have [Senior Administration Official], who has in his portfolio and has been working with the parties for the last year to help them reach this important point.

So with that, [Senior Administration Official], you might have a few opening comments, and then we’ll take your questions.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, P.J. Hi, guys.

I just thought I would take a minute to kind of set the context and walk through the way in which the Secretary and the U.S. Government has engaged in this process over the course of the past year since the Obama Administration came into office, capped off by pretty intensive engagement here in the past few weeks.

You all probably know that Secretary Clinton has a longstanding commitment to the peace process in Northern Ireland that began in her days as First Lady. She’s got a personal investment in it and close personal relationships with many of the key players in Northern Ireland. And quite early on in her tenure, the leadership of Northern Ireland – the first minister and the deputy first minister – came to the United States around St. Patrick’s Day and met with her to talk about the ways in which she and the U.S. could be supportive in working through the devolution of policing and justice, and the other remaining outstanding issues from the Good Friday and St. Andrews agreements. And she made the decision, not too long after that, that she would be personally engaged at a very sort of regular – at regular intervals, and that she would use her own good offices and build on her own good relationships to lead the U.S. efforts with respect to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

At the same time, she also made the decision to appoint an economic envoy for Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly, to help the people and the leadership of Northern Ireland realize the benefits of the peace that they had built – to leverage investment, to promote opportunities for more investment in trade going both ways in the U.S. and Northern Ireland, and dispatched Declan to begin an intensive work program over there.

And as a sort of signal of her commitment, she made a trip to Belfast that many of you will remember, in October, and in the course of that trip not only had intensive discussions about how to help facilitate the terms of what ultimately became the agreement today, but also gave a speech to the parliament, to the Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, where she talked about her support for the process for devolution and the United States Government’s broader support for moving this process forward and consolidating the gains over the past decade.

She also, on a regular basis, was in touch with First Minister Robinson, Deputy First Minister McGuinness. She had phone calls at various times with other leaders in Northern Ireland, including Reg Empey, Arlene Foster, talked regularly to Secretary of State Woodword. He visited the States on a couple of occasions. And at one point in the fall last year, she sent Jake Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary, to Northern Ireland, along with Declan Kelly, to do an intensive day of sessions with the parties to talk about the ways in which we could be helpful in facilitating and supporting the work that they were doing.

And over the course of the past three weeks, as the discussions have intensified, her engagement also intensified. She did a round of calls with the stakeholders, with Sinn Fein and the DUP and the UUP, with Gordon Brown. She spoke with both Secretary of State Woodward and Foreign Minister Martin and has sort of stood by – and stood by, looking for the critical moments where she might be able to place a call that would help provide the sort of support and encouragement that she felt the parties needed to get across the finish line.

And that has been against the backdrop of her view that the overall U.S. role in all of this is to do exactly that, to be the encourager, the facilitator, a supporter, and in both her personal capacity and the U.S. government as a whole, to provide support beyond mere encouragement through the economic envoy.

And so in the coming days or weeks, she’ll welcome First Minister Robinson and Deputy First Minister McGuinness back to the U.S. to start talking about how we can build on this through further investment and economic opportunity in Northern Ireland. And she envisions a continuing role over the course of the next year that looked a lot like the past year as this agreement moves forward into the implementation phase.

So with that, I’d be happy to take your questions.

OPERATOR: Thank you. We’ll begin the question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press *1. Please unmute your phone and record your name clearly when prompted. Again, that’s *1.

Jill Dougherty, your line is open.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you. Thanks, [Senior Administration Official]. I appreciate your doing this. Could you tell us, was there anything that the Secretary said in the telephone conversations that you’ve had recently that changed the equation or pushed people, you know, further down the road toward this agreement?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think that she would be the first to say that this was an agreement that was forged by the parties in Northern Ireland and wouldn’t want to take credit for having changed the equation. She feels like it was really the parties working through the process that got them where they needed to go. That being said – and she would add to that, obviously, Brown – Prime Minister Brown and Taoiseach Cowen and playing a critical role in brokering, in a very intensive way, what was happening.

So with that backdrop, I think her role was really both as a diplomat, but also as a former politician, being able to speak frankly with the parties about the considerations that they faced and how they could work through them to display leadership even in the face of certain challenges and constraints in their communities, across communities. And that type of advice, I think, was something that she felt was helpful in the process and was – allowed her to bring a sort of unique perspective.

I think the other piece of it was that she was able to talk to them about the ways in which they could leverage the benefits of this accord on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland, that the United States’s support on the investment, the economic investment side once an agreement was reached, showing that there was forward progress and stability and strong institutions in Northern Ireland would pay dividends that would result in better opportunities for the people of Northern Ireland.

I would say in those two critical respects, her contributions had a positive impact on the process. But above all, it was – she was expressing her view that the United States is here to support the deal more than do the deal, and that the credit for that really goes to the parties themselves and then to the British and Irish Governments.

OPERATOR: Laura Marlowe from Irish Times, your line is open.

QUESTION: Hello, [Senior Administration Official]. Can you tell us a bit more about these economic dividends you just mentioned? That would be my first question. I also wondered – you said she was looking – she stood by looking for the critical moment when she might be able to place a call to help them across the finish line. I wondered, did she actually make a call within the last 24 hours that was sort of the game clincher?

And finally, do you have any idea of the date of First Minister Robinson and Deputy First Minister McGuinness’s visit to Washington? But most of all, what would be the size of the U.S. commitment to investment? Can you give us any amounts or even ballpark figures?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sorry, I’m just making sure to write down the three questions so I didn’t forget any of them.

With respect to the economic investment, this is less about direct U.S. contribution – U.S. Government contribution – so it’s hard to talk about size. It’s more about leveraging the sort of power of the private sector, both in the United States and around the world, to see Northern Ireland as a place where there are many investment opportunities that can benefit both the people of Northern Ireland, the people of the entire island of Ireland, and the people of the United States.

And so her strategy was to appoint an economic envoy, Declan Kelly, who has strong ties on both sides of the Atlantic, who has a clear strategy for promoting investment by American companies and other companies in Northern Ireland, and promoting investment by Northern Ireland companies in the United States and elsewhere. And that resulted in – so far has resulted in a number of efforts in terms of working with companies.

And over the course of the next year, Declan, who can speak to this in much more detail than I can, will be looking to make announcements about investment opportunities, about decisions taken by companies to go ahead and invest in Northern Ireland. So I can’t put a dollar figure on it, but that’s the basic strategy. And having a single point person who has her full backing, who traveled with her when she went to Belfast, who met with senior economic leaders in Northern Ireland, who brought with him a trade mission of major U.S. investors, to have that kind of force projection – economic force projection – she sees as being the best way for the United States to help promote economic dividends in Northern Ireland.

And she sees that, in turn, as having significant political benefits, because the more that the people of Northern Ireland see their lives changed and improved and their opportunities increase because of the peace and stability that has been brought about by this series of agreements, the more likely the momentum continues.

With respect to a call in the last 24 hours, she didn’t make a call in the last 24 hours because she believed that having been in regular touch with the British Government and the Irish Government, and we at the staff level having been in regular touch with all of the players over there, that within the last 24 hours, this had reached a stage where it really was about the DUP working through its own internal party processes and coming to a final decision, and that she didn’t have a particular role to play in that. But within the last week, she has spoken with the parties and with Prime Minister Brown. And so as this set of negotiations reached a critical stage over the course of the past 10 or 20 days or so, she found time to reach out to the parties to talk to them about how to get to this final outcome.

And then in terms of firm dates for when First Minister Robinson and Deputy First Minister McGuinness will visit the U.S., those haven’t been set yet. As she earlier today, she spoke with both of them this morning, and we’re – they’re going to work out a time that works for them to come over and for her to host them in a way that is going to be most productive towards producing the kinds of economic investment opportunities that she talked about and that we’re committed to helping Northern Ireland with.

QUESTION: Thank you. Thanks.

OPERATOR: Colm Heatley with Bloomberg News, your line is open.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks. I’m wondering if you could tell me more about the planned investment conference for Northern Ireland. It’s supposed to take place in early spring. And Gerry Adams today mentioned that Hillary Clinton was going to organize the event. Give me some idea of the scale of it, when it’s likely to happen, who might be involved.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think that our plan right now is to take this one step at a time.

And the first step is going to be, as the Secretary said earlier today, to have First Minister Robinson and Deputy First Minister McGuinness come to Washington, sit down with her and Declan Kelly and other senior officials here at the State Department, and really think through in a step-wise way – and involve also the people at Invest Northern Ireland and other senior leaders in the Northern Ireland assembly, really think through in a step-wise way what the best timing, strategy, and shape of the entire investment enterprise will be. And whether that takes the form of a one-off conference or whether it takes some other form, I think is something she wants to do further consultations on before she announces any details or makes any decisions.

So I would say that our current thinking is to take this one step at a time, that she is absolutely committed to aggressive action in the near term on investment. But the precise strategy is something that has to be the result of a collective conversation of all of the stakeholders.

QUESTION: Okay. So there’s no real date, then, at all, and it isn’t actually final if it’s going to be a conference, as such?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No, there’s no date. And whether it looks like a conference of the sort that you saw – I can’t recall exactly when it was, maybe 2007 – is still under discussion with the British Government, the Irish Government, the parties in Northern Ireland, everybody who’s got a stake in this. It’s all still under discussion.

QUESTION: Okay. And just finally, then when do you think you would have a better idea about that? It’ll be (inaudible)?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think we’ll have a better idea after she meets with the first minister and the deputy first minister.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.

OPERATOR: Again, if you would like to ask a question, please press *1. I show no further questions.

MR. CROWLEY: Okay. Thank you very, very much. And obviously, this is an issue that we will remain focused on, committed to, will provide further details after we continue the conversations that [Senior Administration Official] has just mentioned with our counterparts and the other governments. So thanks very much, and shovel hard later on this afternoon.

Secretary Clinton's Schedule Friday February 5, 2010

Well, actually there is no schedule at all. Nothing has been posted or sent! I am beginning to get used to this kind of inconsistency from the Press Office. Just thought I would mention it, since they had been doing so well over the past few weeks, now suddenly nothing.

One thing (of many things) I love about Hillary Clinton is her consistency. It does not serve her well that the Press Office at State publishes and distributes a Daily Schedule apparently at will. I received a schedule every day this week until today. Now, if she has no public appointments, I usually receive a schedule that says that.

In fact she did release a video and statement today.
So I do not understand why no schedule was posted or distributed. *sigh* I think I am talking to a brick wall on this issue.

Meanwhile, here's a pretty picture.

Secretary Clinton's Remarks on the 2009 Human Rights Report

2009 Human Rights Report Rollout



Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
February 4, 2010

"Thank you for taking the time to explore the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2009. For more than three decades these reports have served as an indispensible record of the state of human rights around the world, and as a tool for those who work courageously to secure human rights for more people in more places. On behalf of the State Department, I welcome you to read our most recent reports, and to join in the important work of making human rights a human reality."

Video: Secretary Clinton's Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast

Pitch perfect. Beautiful job!

The text is in the previous post.

Hillary Rodham Clinton's Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast

If a video of this becomes available later, I shall post it separately. (It did. Please see the subsequent post, but you will want to come back here. She is eloquent, loving, and brilliant.) This is a beautiful speech. At least I think so. Of course she spends time on subjects I feel strongly about: Mother Teresa. Haiti and Northern Ireland, not to mention her heart.

I have to say that her delivery (video post above) was superlative. But after you have watched. Read her words. She is intransigent. She is consistent. Then watch her again. I love this woman.

Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast



Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington Hilton Hotel
Washington, DC
February 4, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much. I have to begin by saying I’m not Bono. (Laughter.) Those of you who were here when he was, I apologize beforehand. (Laughter.) But it is a great pleasure to be with you and to be here with President and Mrs. Obama, to be with Vice President Biden, with Chairman Mullen, with certainly our host today, my former colleagues and friends, Senators Isakson and Amy Klobuchar. And to be with so many distinguished guests and visitors who have come from all over our country and indeed from all over the world.

I have attended this prayer breakfast every year since 1993, and I have always found it to be a gathering that inspires and motivates me. Now today, our minds are still filled with the images of the tragedy of Haiti, where faith is being tested daily in food lines and makeshift hospitals, in tent cities where there are not only so many suffering people, but so many vanished dreams.




When I think about the horrible catastrophe that has struck Haiti, I am both saddened but also spurred. This is a moment that has already been embraced by people of faith from everywhere. I thank Prime Minister Zapatero for his country’s response and commitment. Because in the days since the earthquake, we have seen the world and the world’s faithful spring into action on behalf of those suffering. President Obama has put our country on the leading edge of making sure that we do all we can to help alleviate not only the immediate suffering, but to assist in the rebuilding and recovery. So many countries have answered the call, and so many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have brought their own people together. And even modern technology through Facebook and telethons and text messages and Twitter, there’s been an overwhelming global response. But of course, there’s so much more to be done.

When I think about being here with all of you today, there are so many subjects to talk about. You’ve already heard, both in prayer and in scripture reading and in Prime Minister Zapatero’s remarks, a number of messages. But let me be both personal and speak from my unique perspective now as Secretary of State. I’ve been here as a First Lady. I’ve been here as a senator, and now I am here as a Secretary of State. I have heard heartfelt descriptions of personal faith journeys. I’ve heard impassioned pleas for feeding the hungry and helping the poor, caring for the sick. I’ve heard speeches about promoting understanding among people of different faiths. I’ve met hundreds of visitors from countries across the globe. I’ve seen the leaders of my own country come here amidst the crises of the time and, for at least a morning, put away political and ideological differences. And I’ve watched and I’ve listened to three presidents, each a man of faith, speak from their hearts, both sharing their own feelings about being in a position that has almost intolerably impossible burdens to bear, and appealing often, either explicitly or implicitly, for an end to the increasing smallness, irrelevancy, even meanness, of our own political culture. My own heart has been touched and occasionally pierced by the words I’ve heard, and often my spirit has been lifted by the musicians and the singers who have shared their gifts in praising the Lord with us. And during difficult and painful times, my faith has been strengthened by the personal connections that I have experienced with people who, by the calculus of politics, were on the opposite side of me on the basis of issues or partisanship.

After my very first prayer breakfast, a bipartisan group of women asked me to join them for lunch and told me that they were forming a prayer group. And these prayer partners prayed for me. They prayed for me during some very challenging times. They came to see me in the White House. They kept in touch with me and some still do today. And they gave me a handmade book with messages, quotes, and scripture, to sustain me. And of all the thousands of gifts that I received in the White House, I have a special affection for this one. Because in addition to the tangible gift of the book, it contained 12 intangible gifts, 12 gifts of discernment, peace, compassion, faith, fellowship, vision, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, love, joy, and courage. And I have had many occasions to pull out that book and to look at it and to try, Chairman Mullen, to figure out how to close the gap of what I am feeling and doing with what I know I should be feeling and doing. As a person of faith, it is a constant struggle, particularly in the political arena, to close that gap that each of us faces.

In February of 1994, the speaker here was Mother Teresa. She gave, as everyone who remembers that occasion will certainly recall, a strong address against abortion. And then she asked to see me. And I thought, “Oh, dear.” (Laughter.) And after the breakfast, we went behind that curtain and we sat on folding chairs, and I remember being struck by how small she was and how powerful her hands were, despite her size, and that she was wearing sandals in February in Washington. (Laughter.)

We began to talk, and she told me that she knew that we had a shared conviction about adoption being vastly better as a choice for unplanned or unwanted babies. And she asked me – or more properly, she directed me – to work with her to create a home for such babies here in Washington. I know that we often picture, as we’re growing up, God as a man with a white beard. But that day, I felt like I had been ordered, and that the message was coming not just through this diminutive woman but from someplace far beyond.

So I started to work. And it took a while because we had to cut through all the red tape. We had to get all the approvals. I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. She proved herself to be the most relentless lobbyist I’ve ever encountered. (Laughter.) She could not get a job in your White House, Mr. President. (Laughter.) She never let up. She called me from India, she called me from Vietnam, she wrote me letters, and it was always: “When’s the house gonna open? How much more can be done quickly?”

Finally, the moment came: June, 1995, and the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children opened. She flew in from Kolkata to attend the opening, and like a happy child, she gripped my arm and led me around, looking at the bassinets and the pretty painted colors on the wall, and just beaming about what this meant for children and their futures.

A few years later, I attended her funeral in Kolkata, where I saw presidents and prime ministers, royalty and street beggars, pay her homage. And after the service, her successor, Sister Nirmala, the leader of the Missionaries of Charity, invited me to come to the Mother House. I was deeply touched. When I arrived, I realized I was one of only a very few outsiders. And I was directed into a whitewashed room where the casket had already arrived. And we stood around with the nuns, with the candles on the walls flickering, and prayed for this extraordinary woman. And then Sister Nirmala asked me to offer a prayer. I felt both inadequate and deeply honored, just as I do today. And in the tradition of prayer breakfast speakers, let me share a few matters that reflect how I came on my own faith journey, and how I think about the responsibilities that President Obama and his Administration and our government face today.

As Amy said, I grew up in the Methodist Church. On both sides of my father’s family, the Rodhams and the Joneses, they came from mining towns. And they claimed, going back many years, to have actually been converted by John and Charles Wesley. And, of course, Methodists were methodical. It was a particularly good religion for me. (Laughter.) And part of it is a commitment to living out your faith. We believe that faith without works may not be dead, but it’s hard to discern from time to time.

And of course, John Wesley had this simple rule which I carry around with me as I travel: Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. That’s a tall order. And of course, one of the interpretive problems with it is, who defines good? What are we actually called to do, and how do we stay humble enough, obedient enough, to ask ourselves, am I really doing what I’m called to do?

It was a good rule to be raised by and it was certainly a good rule for my mother and father to discipline us by. And I think it’s a good rule to live by, with the appropriate dose of humility. Our world is an imperfect one filled with imperfect people, so we constantly struggle to meet our own spiritual goals. But John Wesley’s teachings, and the teachings of my church, particularly during my childhood and teenage years, gave me the impetus to believe that I did have a responsibility. It meant not sitting on the sidelines, but being in the arena. And it meant constantly working to try to fulfill the lessons that I absorbed as a child. It’s not easy. We’re here today because we’re all seekers, and we can all look around our own lives and the lives of those whom we know and see everyone falling so short.

And then of course, as we look around the world, there are so many problems and challenges that people of faith are attempting to address or should be. We can recite those places where human beings are mired in the past – their hatreds, their differences – where governments refuse to speak to other governments, where the progress of entire nations is undermined because isolation and insularity seem less risky than cooperation and collaboration, where all too often it is religion that is the force that drives and sustains division rather than being the healing balm. These patterns persist despite the overwhelming evidence that more good will come from suspending old animosities and preconceptions from engaging others in dialogue, from remembering the cardinal rules found in all of the world’s major religions.

Last October, I visited Belfast once again, 11 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, a place where being a Protestant or a Catholic determined where you lived, often where you worked, whether you were a friend or an enemy, a threat or a target. Yet over time, as the body count grew, the bonds of common humanity became more powerful than the differences fueled by ancient wrongs. So bullets have been traded for ballots.

As we meet this morning, both communities are attempting to hammer out a final agreement on the yet unresolved issues between them. And they are discovering anew what the Scripture urges us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up.” Even in places where God’s presence and promise seems fleeting and unfulfilled or completely absent, the power of one person’s faith and the determination to act can help lead a nation out of darkness.

Some of you may have seen the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell. It is the story of a Liberian woman who was tired of the conflict and the killing and the fear that had gripped her country for years. So she went to her church and she prayed for an end to the civil war. And she organized other women at her church, and then at other churches, then at the mosques. Soon thousands of women became a mass movement, rising up and praying for a peace, and working to bring it about that finally, finally ended the conflict.

And yet the devil must have left Liberia and taken up residence in Congo. When I was in the Democratic Republic of Congo this summer, the contrasts were so overwhelmingly tragic – a country the size of Western Europe, rich in minerals and natural resources, where 5.4 million people have been killed in the most deadly conflict since World War II, where 1,100 women and girls are raped every month, where the life expectancy is 46 and dropping, where poverty, starvation, and all of the ills that stalk the human race are in abundance.

When I traveled to Goma, I saw in a single day the best and the worst of humanity. I met with women who had been savaged and brutalized physically and emotionally, victims of gender and sexual-based violence in a place where law, custom, and even faith did little to protect them. But I also saw courageous women who, by faith, went back into the bush to find those who, like them, had been violently attacked. I saw the doctors and the nurses who were helping to heal the wounds, and I saw so many who were there because their faith led them to it.

As we look at the world today and we reflect on the overwhelming response of outpouring of generosity to what happened in Haiti, I’m reminded of the story of Elijah. After he goes to Mount Horeb, we read that he faced “a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence – a still small voice.” It was then that Elijah heard the voice of the Lord. It is often when we are only quiet enough to listen that we do as well. It’s something we can do at any time, without a disaster or a catastrophe provoking it. It shouldn’t take that.

But the teachings of every religion call us to care for the poor, tell us to visit the orphans and widows, to be generous and charitable, to alleviate suffering. All religions have their version of the Golden Rule and direct us to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger and visit the prisoner. But how often in the midst of our own lives do we respond to that? All of these holy texts, all of this religious wisdom from these very different faiths call on us to act out of love.

In politics, we sometimes talk about message discipline – making sure everyone uses the same set of talking points. Well, whoever was in charge of message discipline on these issues for every religion certainly knew what they were doing. Regardless of our differences, we all got the same talking points and the same marching orders. So the charge is a personal one. Yet across the world, we see organized religion standing in the way of faith, perverting love, undermining that message.

Sometimes it’s easier to see that far away than here at home. But religion, cloaked in naked power lust, is used to justify horrific violence, attacks on homes, markets, schools, volleyball games, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples. From Iraq to Pakistan and Afghanistan to Nigeria and the Middle East, religion is used a club to deny the human rights of girls and women, from the Gulf to Africa to Asia, and to discriminate, even advocating the execution of gays and lesbians. Religion is used to enshrine in law intolerance of free expression and peaceful protest. Iran is now detaining and executing people under a new crime – waging war against God. It seems to be a rather dramatic identity crisis.

So in the Obama Administration, we are working to bridge religious divides. We’re taking on violations of human rights perpetrated in the name of religion. And we invite members of Congress and clergy and active citizens like all of you here to join us. Of course we’re supporting the peace processes from Northern Ireland to the Middle East, and of course we are following up on the President’s historic speech at Cairo with outreach efforts to Muslims and promoting interfaith dialogue, and of course we’re condemning the repression in Iran.

But we are also standing up for girls and women, who too often in the name of religion, are denied their basic human rights. And we are standing up for gays and lesbians who deserve to be treated as full human beings. (Applause.) And we are also making it clear to countries and leaders that these are priorities of the United States. Every time I travel, I raise the plight of girls and women, and make it clear that we expect to see changes. And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the prayer breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.

We are committed, not only to reaching out and speaking up about the perversion of religion, and in particularly the use of it to promote and justify terrorism, but also seeking to find common ground. We are working with Muslim nations to come up with an appropriate way of demonstrating criticism of religious intolerance without stepping over into the area of freedom of religion or non-religion and expression. So there is much to be done, and there is a lot of challenging opportunities for each of us as we leave this prayer breakfast, this 58th prayer breakfast.

In 1975, my husband and I, who had gotten married in October, and we were both teaching at the University of Arkansas Law School in beautiful Fayetteville, Arkansas – we got married on a Saturday and we went back to work on a Monday. So around Christmastime, we decided that we should go somewhere and celebrate, take a honeymoon. And my late father said, “Well, that’s a great idea. We’ll come, too.” (Laughter.)

And indeed, Bill and I and my entire family – (laughter) – went to Acapulco. We had a great time, but it wasn’t exactly a honeymoon. So when we got back, Bill was talking to one of his friends who was then working in Haiti, and his friend said, “Well, why don’t you come see me? This is the most interesting country. Come and take some time.” So indeed, we did. So we were there over the New Year’s holidays. And I remember visiting the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, in the midst, at that time, so much fear from the regime of the Duvaliers, and so much poverty, there was this cathedral that had stood there and served as a beacon of hope and faith.

After the earthquake, I was looking at some of our pictures from the disaster, and I saw the total destruction of the cathedral. It was just a heart-rending moment. And yet I also saw men and women helping one another, digging through the rubble, dancing and singing in the makeshift communities that they were building up. And I thought again that as the scripture reminds us, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.”

As the memory of this crisis fades, as the news cameras move on to the next very dramatic incident, let us pray that we can sustain the force and the feeling that we find in our hearts and in our faith in the aftermath of such tragedies. Let us pray that we will all continue to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Let us pray that amid our differences, we can continue to see the power of faith not only to make us whole as individuals, to provide personal salvation, but to make us a greater whole and a greater force for good on behalf of all creation.

So let us do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, to all the people we can, as long as ever we can.

God bless you. (Applause.)

Secretary Clinton's Daily Appointments Schedule for February 4, 2010

Schedule for February 4, 2010
Daily Appointments Schedule for February 4, 2010


Washington, DC
February 4, 2010

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON

7:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton delivers the Keynote Address at the 58th National Prayer Breakfast, at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
(MEDIA TO BE DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

12:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton delivers Remarks at the Orientation of the 150th Foreign Service Officer Class and the 111th Foreign Service Specialists Class, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

12:15 p.m. Secretary Clinton hosts the Diplomatic Partnerships Women’s Group Luncheon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with US Ambassador to the Organization of American States Carmen Lomellin, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton holds a Bilateral Meeting with Kazakh State Secretary and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, at the Department of State.



THERE WILL BE A DAILY PRESS BRIEFING AT APPROXIMATELY 1:00 P.M.

Secretary Clinton's Remarks With Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa After Their Meeting

I wish there were a video of this, but I have not found one.

Remarks With Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa After Their Meeting


Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
February 3, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon, everyone. I am delighted once again to meet with the foreign minister of a very valued partner of the United States, Bahrain. Our two nations a enjoy a time-tested relationship based on mutual interest and mutual respect. And our meeting today was another opportunity for us to discuss many of our common concerns.

We are working together as partners to spur economic recovery and create new opportunities for our people. As part of the broader engagement between the United States and countries such as Bahrain and Muslim communities across the world, we have launched efforts to encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic diversification, and Bahrain is a prime example. We often point to this country as a premier banking and investment center, playing a vital role in the region and the world’s economic future.

We greatly appreciate the hospitality that Bahrain shows our Navy and its contributions to regional security and stability. We work closely together on challenges such as piracy and violent extremism that threaten peace-loving people across the world.

On the topic of regional security, let me also note the concerns raised by Iran’s refusal to engage with the international community on its nuclear program, which continues to violate IAEA and Security Council requirements. We have pursued a policy of consultation and engagement. We’ve worked with partners in the Gulf and through the United Nations with other countries to offer Iran a clear choice between isolation and meeting its international obligations. Iran’s response to our efforts has been inadequate and we have begun considering further appropriate measures that might convince Iran to reconsider its nuclear program and engage with the international community.


The United States and Bahrain both seek stability in the Middle East. We share a goal of realizing a two-state solution and promoting comprehensive peace. And we appreciate Bahrain’s interest in fulfilling the promise of the Arab Peace Initiative. That is a tangible demonstration of a commitment to a better future for all of the region's people.

The United States is working with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our Arab partners to re-launch meaningful negotiations as soon as possible and without preconditions. We believe that through good faith negotiations, the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements.

We recognize as well that Jerusalem is a deeply important issue to Israelis and Palestinians, to Jews, Muslims, and Christians everywhere. And we believe it is possible to reach an outcome that both realizes the aspirations of all parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its status for the future.

So again, on so many issues, only a couple of which I’ve mentioned here, it is such a pleasure meeting with and working with the foreign minister. And our partnership, sir, is a real commitment to the kind of future that we want for our two countries. So thank you again.

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Thank you. Thank you, Madam Secretary. Good afternoon, everybody. It’s wonderful to be back in Washington, D.C., and to meet once again with my dear friend, the Honorable Secretary of State Ms. Hillary Clinton. This meeting gave us the opportunity to discuss a whole range of issues of mutual interest and concern in a typically warm and friendly American atmosphere.

The Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America share a historic, deep-rooted, and multifaceted relationship. We appreciate the pivotal role the United States plays in upholding the security and stability of such a vital region to the whole world. In this context and against this backdrop, we explored ways and means to further enhance our evolving partnership, a partnership that serves our common interest of regional security and stability, and where every step taken, where every step taken to defend the region is a positive, collaborative measure built on a history of joint defense cooperation that spans several decades for the benefit of the region at large.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has always called for a region free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. To that end, we believe that the current situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear file should be resolved in a peaceful manner, in accordance with the Security Council resolutions and in complete adherence to the rules and regulation of the IAEA in a fully transparent manner. Furthermore, we discussed how the Gulf region could benefit from the use of nuclear power for peaceful civilian purposes in a safe, secure, and efficient manner.

We also reaffirmed our commitment to a durable and lasting peace in the Middle East. Bahrain appreciates the leadership of the United States on this issue and its commitment to achieve a peace based on a two-state solution that will bring all countries in the region to a mutually beneficial peace accord. It is imperative that we explore every option there is and not limit ourselves to what we have today, while at the same time working closely with the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas to realize a capable and effective Palestinian state.

On Yemen, we discussed our participation in the London conference which was held last week and explored ways to assist Yemen in overcoming the numerous challenges it faces in order to be able to confront the most salient threats of extremism and terrorism.

Finally, Madam Secretary, while I express my sincere appreciation to you personally and to your very able team, I would like to commend your efforts, continued commitment to your allies and partners; your candid thoughts are on so many important matters. I look forward to continuing our constructive cooperation. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, sir.

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Sure.

QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, in your opening statement, you described Iran’s responses to date as inadequate. Looking at what Iranian President Ahmadinejad said yesterday, both about the nuclear file and about the detained Americans in Iran, do you regard his – do you see no reason, not a scintilla of a suggestion, that his comments about a willingness to turn over Iranian low-enriched uranium might actually be genuine? Do you think this is just a ploy, the way Iran has often made conciliatory gestures when it sees sanctions coming down the track?

And on the hikers, can you absolutely rule out any possibility of a trade, swap, exchange – any kind of a quid pro quo under which Iran and the United States would mutually release citizens in their custody?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as you know, Arshad, the IAEA made a good faith offer regarding the Tehran research reactor. Iran initially accepted the arrangement but has not followed through and, in fact, seemed to move toward rejecting it. The deal is still on the table. If Iran wishes to accept it, we look forward to hearing about it from the IAEA because that’s the appropriate venue for them to file an official response.

With respect to the hikers and other American citizens detained inside Iran, it is hard to know what the Iranian president meant from these press reports of his comments. As we’ve said before, if the Iranian Government has questions about any Iranian citizen in the United States, there are official channels that Iran can utilize in addressing any concerns it might have, namely through the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington.

And as we have said repeatedly, we call on Iran to release all the American citizens that they have currently detained. We believe they are being unjustly detained and they should be released without further delay. We also are very committed to making it clear to the Iranians that they should do so on humanitarian grounds, since the detentions of our citizens is baseless. So there are no negotiations taking place between the United States and Iran. We believe they should unilaterally release our detained citizens.

QUESTION: Do you think it was a ploy to (inaudible)?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m not going to characterize it.

MODERATOR: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: Thank you. If I can stay on Iran, Secretary, there have been recent reports in recent days regarding CENTCOM and American military support for your allies in the region, for anti-missile systems specifically. What kind of assurances can you give your allies? And is this also in reaction to the Iranians not yet going for the negotiation option?

And Shaikh Khalid, if I may, also on Iran, what do you hope the next weeks and months will bring? The tensions continue to surmount in the region. How concerned are you about this, and are you looking for assurances from the U.S.?

Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as the foreign minister said in his remarks, we have a long history of joint defense cooperation. Bahrain is a very valued ally and partner. That goes back many years. There’s nothing new about that. We will continue to work with Bahrain to ensure that they have the defense capabilities that they need. And we highly appreciate the hosting of the Navy, which, of course, is one symbol of America’s commitment to our allies and friends in the Gulf.

Certainly, we have to be cognizant of the changing atmosphere in the Gulf and the actions that Iran has taken, and its refusal to abide by the obligations of the Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

So we will work with our allies and our friends, and we will continue to send a strong message to Iran that they have an opportunity to truly act in a way that builds confidence and not raise concerns within the region.

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Yeah. Regarding whether we need new assurances or – from the United States, the answer is no. We are partners, we are allies for decades, now working together. And the presence of the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, the cooperation over many matters over the last decades to safeguard the region and to ensure stability and security is a testament to that. So the United States commitments to its allies and partners is evident, it’s clear, and it’s been continuing, built on a very clear history together. So we’re not seeing anything new, nobody’s sabre-rattling here, nobody is being belligerent to anyone in the region. It’s just a purely defensive measure for the benefit of the whole world, for the region being so important to the whole world.

MODERATOR: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: Hi, Madam Secretary.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Hi.

QUESTION: A question: We’ve heard you speak about trafficking today. With that in mind, I’d like to ask you about the 10 Americans in Haiti. With all that we’ve learned about them so far, can you say that what they were up to was anything short of trafficking, attempting to bring these children across a border without paperwork? And what do you think the next steps will be here? Would you like to see them released?

Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, trafficking of human beings, particularly of children, is a problem across the world. And it’s something that every nation should be addressing. The Haitian nation acted to protect children who were being removed from their country without appropriate documentation. We have worked with the Haitian Government over the last two and a half weeks, three weeks, to help facilitate and transport children who are properly documented as having an adoptive family or guardianship awaiting them.

So we know how to do this in the right way. And it was unfortunate that, whatever the motivation, that this group of Americans took matters into their own hands. As you know, they have been charged with breaking the laws of Haiti. And we are engaged in discussions with the Haitian Government about the appropriate disposition of their cases. They’ve been granted consular access. We are providing them the services that any American citizen who is detained is entitled to, and we will be working through the questions that the Haitian Government has and that – and looking for the best way forward on this.

But I would just end by underscoring that trafficking in human beings is a form of modern slavery, it is an abuse of the human dignity and the autonomy of individuals, and it’s particularly egregious when it takes children and either puts them into bonded trade or sells them for adoption or abuses them in other ways. So we take this very seriously.

MODERATOR: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, there has been talk about a – about proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, and I just wanted to see if you could give us any more details. Are these talks going to take place in the United States? Are they going to on the level of principals or teams? And are they going to start with the assumption that it’s 1967 borders plus land swaps or not, because we haven’t heard you speak about this – the proximity talks. (Inaudible.)

(In Arabic.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Want to go first?

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: (Off-mike.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as you know, Senator Mitchell has been engaged in intense conversations, both in the region and elsewhere, with European and Arab partners. On the whole question of relaunching negotiations. And I’m not going to preempt any announcement that might come from the parties because when they’re ready to make such a statement, they will. But of course, we believe that the 1967 borders, with swaps, should be the focus of the negotiations over borders. We’ve made clear that we think that all of the main issues have to be on the table and the parties have to work through them and come to resolution. And we would like to see that start soon and move as quickly as possible forward.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: When there’s an announcement, there’ll be an announcement.

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Should I answer you in English, if I may? Or you want --

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

(Laughter.)

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Okay. Because --

SECRETARY CLINTON: I only have one language. He has at least two.


FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Sure.

(Laughter.)

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: The question was whether when I mentioned that nobody is being belligerent here from our side and then there is the Iranian reaction, so what do we read into it? Is it a new threat? That’s your question, yeah?

Well, the point is we did not threaten anybody. The measures have been there for decades. I say it again. And it’s being developed, it’s being upgraded, new technology is coming in. So there’s nothing that we are taking the level of the weaponry to that it will threaten somebody in our neighborhood. But we expect Iran not to see it as a measure being taken against it. This is a measure to protect. It’s not a measure to attack. It’s a measure to protect the interests of the whole world. We all know how vital the Gulf region is to the whole world and how vital the waterways out of the Gulf are for everybody. So to just leave it like that, to the elements, is something that we should not expect to do. So it’s something we should do as a diligent move to protect our interest – everybody’s interest.

QUESTION: What about an arms war?

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: What about --

QUESTION: Aren’t you worried about an arms war in the region?

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Of course, if things are interpreted wrongly, there will be an arms race. But things – we should put things in perspective that this is only a defensive measure and should not call for an arms race in the region.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you all very much.

FOREIGN MINISTER AL KHALIFA: Thank you very much. Thank you.

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton Hosts Interagency Task Force

This was an important meeting today that Secretary Clinton hosted at the State Department. A preview was provided by Ambassador Luis CdeBaca
Director, Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. And a joint statement by all agencies (see below the Secretary's remarks) at the conclusion.

Remarks on President Obama's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons




Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Jefferson Room
Washington, DC
February 3, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: Some of you already know Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, who is our Ambassador and in charge of our human trafficking efforts and the office that runs it. Maria Otero is our Under Secretary for Democracy, Global Affairs here in the Department of State, and that’s the place where the Office to Combat Trafficking resides.

This is a yearly meeting that we take turns hosting. It happens to be the State Department’s turn. I don’t know who it goes to next year, but we do it every year for the purpose of taking stock and seeing where we are in our fight against human trafficking, both trafficking for sex trade purposes and trafficking for forced labor.

And this comes out of the original legislation – which is now 10 years old – back in 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, so we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary. And it’s been a priority first of the Clinton Administration, then of the Bush Administration, and now of the Obama Administration. So I really appreciate and welcome all of you here for this meeting.

This meeting gives us the opportunity to identify where we are and how we can improve our strategy to hear from different parts of our government about what works and what doesn’t work, how better we can share intelligence and coordinate enforcement and tracking and training of our officials, and to make clear that this is a high priority of this Administration.

Now, I know several of you have some firsthand experience with this modern form of slavery, because that’s really what it is. And as we look at the cases that are handled by the Justice Department or the results of the investigations that HHS or Labor do, we see that very clearly. And certainly, I know that Secretary Solis has seen that firsthand with the kind of sweatshops and other forced labor in California, and others of you around the world may as well. I’ve been involved in this for a long time, going back many years, and I think it’s one of the most important human rights issues that we work on here in our Department and certainly that many of you are deeply involved with.

I think today, what we want to do is hear from everybody so that everyone can have a chance to express where we are in a kind of update. I know how busy everybody is and we’re going to try to keep this to an hour, because that’s what we promised.

Let me turn first to our Under Secretary Maria Otero.

Joint Statement of Commitment to Action by the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Presented to the President and Released by All Agencies, February 3, 2010


Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
February 3, 2010

Trafficking in persons violates the most basic of human rights. It degrades our common humanity and is intolerable in any society. Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. To combat this heinous crime, we recognize and build on the progress of the past ten years since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Palermo Protocol.

As members of the President’s Interagency Task Force, we commit to a balanced approach in the prevention of human trafficking, the protection of victims and the prosecution of their traffickers.

We pledge to uphold a system that provides for all victims, whether they have lost their freedom through sex trafficking or labor trafficking, and regardless of age, gender or immigration status.

We will continue vigorously to investigate and prosecute traffickers and work toward dismantling the criminal enterprises that perpetuate human trafficking.

We will work tirelessly to overcome the barriers to victim identification and assistance, continuing a victim-centered approach and focusing on vulnerable populations at greatest risk.

We will collaborate with international, federal, state, and local counterparts, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations and advocates, recognizing that the key to ending this crime is rooted in strong and effective partnerships.

As the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, we will work with our partners across borders and oceans on behalf of the victims of trafficking to combat this violation of basic human rights.
For the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons:

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

Secretary Clinton's Daily Appointments Schedule for February 3, 2010

Daily Appointments Schedule for February 3, 2010

Washington, DC

February 3, 2010

---

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON:
2:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton chairs the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, at the Department of State.

3:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton holds a Bilateral Meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, at the Department of State.

PRESS BRIEFINGS:
9:45 a.m. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke brief the Press about their Recent Trips to Afghanistan,
12:30 p.m. Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca, the Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, briefs the Press on the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons,

The Daily Press Briefing is scheduled to begin following the 12:30 p.m. Briefing.

Video & Text: Secretary Clinton's Remarks with Iraqi VP Hashimi

Remarks With Iraqi Vice President Dr. Tariq Hashimi Before Their Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
February 2, 2010

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I’m delighted to welcome the vice president here today. He has already had the opportunity to meet with the President, the Vice President, and this afternoon we’ll have the chance to go into more detail about what’s happening in Iraq and the kind of challenges that are being faced and overcome every day. So welcome, sir.


VICE PRESIDENT HASHIMI: Thank you very much.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much.

VICE PRESIDENT HASHIMI: (Inaudible) the United States.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. My pleasure.

Happy 1st Anniversary to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

These pictures are from one year ago today when Hillary Rodham Clinton was formally sworn in as our 67th Secretary of State. She is beginning her second year at this post with a prodigious year behind her during which she has covered 198,934 miles and visited 49 countries.

I want to thank Ann Lewis at No Limits for this morning's newsletter reminding all of us about this anniversary. It contains a wonderful review and videos of Secretary Clinton's first year at State. I cannot copy or link Ann's newsletter here, but if you do not receive her updates, you can sign up for them here and I am sure she will send you the latest one: Sign up for No Limits updates. If you would like to send Secretary Clinton an email thanking her for her leadership and hard work, Ann has also provided for that here: Send Secretary Clinton a message.

Secretary Clinton's Daily Appointments Schedule for February 2, 2010

Happy Anniversary Madame Secretary!

You inspire us every day!

One year: 198,934 miles and 49 countries traveled.

Follow her travels and activities here.

Daily Appointments Schedule for February 2, 2010

Washington, DC

February 2, 2010

---

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON

8:15 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Members of Congress from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

9:50 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitrios Droutsas, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton holds a Bilateral Meeting with Iraqi Vice President Dr. Tariq Hashimi, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING BILATERAL MEETING IN THE TREATY ROOM)



SPECIAL PRESS BRIEFING

1:30 p.m. USAID Administrator Raj Shah and State Department Counselor Cheryl Mills brief the Press on the Way Forward in Haiti, On Camera and On the Record, in the Press Briefing Room, at the Department of State.

THE DAILY PRESS BREIFING WILL BEGIN AFTER THE SPECIAL PRESS BRIEFING

*Updated* Who IS the President of Haiti?

In the wake of his poorly received visit to the Champs de Mars yesterday, René Préval's government faces an ever-increasing vote of no confidence among dispossessed Haitians semi-permanently relocated to Port-au-Prince's largest park in front of the crumbled National Palace. The question appears to be whether it is the Palace alone that lies in ruins or was the government of Préval so fragile as to have been broken by the natural disaster that visited the capital city and southern cities and towns.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military and U.S.A.I.D. continue to put forth the Préval government as the leader in the relief effort. This article in today's Washington Post highlights the disjunct in leadership.

As food distribution improves, Haitians want U.S to 'take over'

By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 1, 2010; A01

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -- International relief organizations backed by American soldiers delivered hundreds of tons of rice to homeless residents of the Haitian capital Sunday, laboring to ease a food shortage that has left countless thousands struggling to find enough to eat.

But even as food-aid workers enjoyed their most successful day since the Jan. 12 earthquake, the increasingly prominent role of U.S. troops and civilians in the capital is creating high expectations that the Obama administration is struggling to contain.

The needs are extraordinary, and the common refrain is that the Americans will provide.

"I want the Americans to take over the country. The Haitian government can't do anything for us," said Jean-Louis Geffrard, a laborer who lives under a tarp in the crowded square. "When we tell the government we're hungry, the government says, 'We're hungry, too.' "

Yes, and yesterday Préval said, once again, that he lost his house too. These are not words that inspire confidence in leaders. They serve the opposite agenda, that of abdication of responsibility. So what can we and the Haitian people take away, two weeks later, from this meeting?

The WaPo article goes on to say the following,

"The military forces . . . are not here to do any reconstruction. That is not our mission," said Col. Rick Kaiser, a U.S. Army engineer overseeing emergency repairs to the Port-au-Prince docks, the electrical and water systems, and other battered infrastructure in the hemisphere's poorest country.

Administration officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, describe virtually every activity here as "Haiti-led," although the government is barely functioning and its record was checkered even before the earthquake killed more than 110,000 people and leveled an array of government ministries.

Louis Lucke, the senior U.S. Agency for International Development official in Haiti, stood in an American-run medical complex Saturday with President René Préval and told reporters that "the Haitians are leading the process in all the areas that are necessary" -- including food distribution, despite strong evidence to the contrary.

Read more>>>

Well, there are some lessons in history, but it is hard to be certain of what they teach. I am sure that these lessons are guiding our Haitian policy and Hillary's and everyone else's insistence that it is the Haitian government leading this effort. The United States Marines occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. If the Haitians have a different opinion and cultural memory of that occupation today as opposed to when I lived there in the 1970s and 80s, it may well have to do with certain more recent events, from the installation of the democratically elected Aristede to his removal and to our propping of Préval even in the post-cataclysmic meltdown of his leadership and authority. The resentment of the past may have given way to nostalgia, especially now that the road to the north (among three built by the Marines along with the road to the south - now damaged, and the International Road leading to the Dominican Republic) is a prime refugee route to less damaged and untouched areas such as the Artibonite Valley. That is the road you would have taken to visit the Sans Souci Palace of King Henri Christophe in Milot. It is in ruins like the National Palace - an empty shell like the current government.

Last April, when Hillary spoke to the Haiti Donors Conference, I jokingly wrote that the Haitians might well want Hillary as their president but they could not have her because she is ours. One of my problems all my life has been that people take my serious comments as jokes but take my jokes seriously.

Well here is a serious (I feel I must tag and warn) question: What does it say about the First Black Republic that after 206 years of independence the people are asking for a return to colonialism?

There is danger in this. Haitians must be careful what they wish for. Certainly our leadership is putting forth a call to Haitian leadership to take charge. But just as certainly, other less scrupulous powers in the region might well desire of take advantage of a power-grabbing opportunity in the face of a vacuum of authority. None other than Hillary Rodham Clinton herself provided the example to the Haitian leaders of the kind of face to show to the people. This was the aggrieved expression we saw the day she returned to the White House following the earthquake. It was clear to me that she took this disaster very much to heart. She looked like she had been crying.

Her pain for Haiti was written all over her face, and we all know that Hillary's face always reflects what is in her heart. She is unable to control that, and we love that about her. So it is a lesson for all, and especially for the Haitian leadership, that when she stepped onto the tarmac at Toussaint L'Ouverture Airport on January 16, this is the face that greeted her embassy personnel, U.S.A.I.D. staff, and the Haitian leadership and people.

No she did not say, "I hurt, too." She came to help. The message was "What can I do for you?" This is a question the Haitian leadership should adopt and repeat often to the people on the Champs de Mars. "Sa'm kapab fé pou nou?" That is what is called public service. The Haitian people deserve no less from the public servants they elected.

I know the name of the President of Haiti is René Préval. I wonder who he is.

*Update*

Well it looks like we are going to give Haiti a President after all. A few hints: His name is Bill, he is enviably close to the Secretary of State, and he loves Haiti as much as she does.

Reuters reports

Bill Clinton to coordinate Haiti relief efforts:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, currently the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, will be named international coordinator for relief efforts in the earthquake-devastated country, U.N. officials said on Monday.

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Secretary Clinton's Daily Appointments Schedule for February 1, 2010

Daily Appointments Schedule for February 1, 2010

Washington, DC
February 1, 2010

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON

12:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton hosts a Swearing In Ceremony for Ambassador to Brazil Tom Shannon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)



Special Briefing


1:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary of State Lew briefs the Press on the President's Proposal for the FY 2011 State Department Budget, On Camera and On the Record, in the Press Briefing Room, at the Department of State.





THERE WILL NOT BE A DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

Good Luck, Hillary, Holding Him Up!

Hillary Clinton is many things, but she is not God, and while she may have been Préval's Fairy Godmother on January 16 when she flew down there, met with and stood by him, she has way too much on her plate to be his full-time puppet master. I am certain she told him (she certainly MODELED the behavior when she specifically spoke to the Haitian people) that he needs to make contact with the people who elected him and are looking to his leadership at this dire time.

There is no excuse for him to have waited 18 days before going to the Champs de Mars to see the National Palace - unless it was that he knew that this was the main camping area for the dispossessed of Port-au-Prince and he did not want to confront them. In fact, accrding to this story, it WAS the Palace he went to see, not the people. Yes, I know, he lost his house too, and he is "working" on organizing the government response, but given tat the people on the Champs de Mars have no homes, no TV, and no way to know what he is doing, he should have been out there EVERY day, if not before Hillary visited, certainly after.

I am tempted to say, OK I will, I know Hillary Clinton, and you are NO Hillary Clinton, President Préval. She would have been working, as you have been, but she also would have made sure the people knew she was there for them. She always makes time for the people everywhere she goes. You should have followed her example with your own people.

So! You waited more than two weeks and they shouted you down, feel they have no leadership, and want an international takeover. Nice work!

Meanwhile, my very consistent, dedicated, and balanced Secretary of State is regularly putting forth this message.

It’s important that we see ourselves as partners with Haiti– not patrons – that we work intensely together to produce results that can be seen and felt by the Haitians themselves. Our goal is a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of Haiti. Many of us have a great commitment to Haiti that precedes the tragedy of the earthquake, and the Obama Administration was committed to working with Haiti, and we stand ready to continue to do all that we can to help realize this better future for the Haitians. And I thank all of our partners in this effort.HRC 01-25-10, Montrea

l

And this:

The Government of Haiti, as Foreign Minister Cannon just said, must be and will be in the lead. We all recognize that the Government of Haiti has suffered a very serious blow to its capacity and therefore we are coming together on behalf of the international community to work with the Haitian Government to establish the kind of coordinating mechanism that I think you’re referring to.HRC 01-25-10, Montreal

Nice work, René! Fifteen minutes a day would have done it, but now I think you have lost them. They are sorry they elected you. The international community does not want to take over your country, it wants YOU to!

Haitian leader René Préval greeted by angry earthquake victims

By FRANCES ROBLES
frobles@MiamiHerald.com

Haitian President René Préval walked over to the palace gates on Saturday -- and was met by hundreds of people who rushed the gates to shout demands and voice frustrations with him and his leadership. He stood on the inside listening for more than 20 minutes as the throngs screamed.

Saturday's public appearance was one of his first in the 18 days since the quake. In interviews with The Miami Herald, Préval said he has deliberately avoided touring the ruins and has chosen to spend his time coordinating the nation's response.

When he showed up unannounced on Saturday, Haitians were startled -- and angry.

Read more>>> There is also a short video, but it is not embeddable so I could not put it here.