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Nov-07-2009Obama skipping Berlin Wall ceremony(topic overview)
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WASHINGTON, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Europe and Asia on November 8-19, the State Department has said in a statement. During the first leg of her extensive tour, Clinton will visit Germany on November 8-9 to "represent the United States at the 20th Anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and meet with senior German officials." The top U.S. diplomat may have a difficult time during her talks with German officials following General Motors' decision not to sell Opel to a Canadian-Russian consortium. The U.S. auto giant decided late Tuesday to retain its big European subsidiary after almost a year of sales talks with Canadian group Magna International and Russian partner Sberbank, citing "an improving business environment" in Europe. [1] WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday she will travel to the Philippines next week to "show solidarity" with the storm-battered nation, just after her visits to Singapore and Berlin. Clinton also announced she will join President Barack Obama during his visit to China from November 15-18, her second trip as chief diplomat to the country the Obama administration recognizes as a key global player. In a flurry of travel announcements this week, Clinton and her aides announced her tour of Europe and Asia, one that comes on top of a tour of Pakistan and the Middle East that only ended on Wednesday.[2] WASHINGTON - U.S. SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday she would visit the Philippines after an upcoming trip to Singapore to'show solidarity' with the storm-battered nation. Typhoon Mirinae slammed into the Philippines this week, killing 27 people and leaving almost 16,000 others huddled in evacuation centers.[3]
MANILA, Philippines - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be making a lightning visit to the Philippines next week on her way to Singapore for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders' Summit, according to a diplomatic source.[4] The Southeast Asian region is also believed to hold rich deposits of oil and gas and U.S. energy companies have been busy searching and drilling for oil in the region. This will be Clinton's second visit to Southeast Asia and third to Asia since being appointed Obama's secretary of state. On her inaugural foreign trip after her appointment, she visited Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China last February. She visited Thailand last July for the Asean Regional Forum, a multilateral dialogue bringing together the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the Philippines, and 17 other countries, including the U.S. and the European Union, in a formal consultation to promote confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region. At every stop during her Asian visits, Clinton delivered the message that the U.S. was back in a region where America's presence and role had dimmed during the Bush years. It will be Obama who will be taking center stage at the Apec meetings in Singapore where the globalization role of the Asia-Pacific forum amid the global economic crisis and economic protectionism among member-countries will come up for discussion.[4] Although U.S. President Barack Obama has said that Washington had nothing to do with GM's business policies, German state and industry officials, who lobbied heavily for Opel deal, have expressed disappointment over the surprising decision. Clinton will continue her trip in Singapore to attend meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. "While there, she will attend the APEC Ministerial Meetings and will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the region," the statement said on Friday. Clinton will travel to Manila on November 12-13, where she "will hold consultations with senior Filipino officials, highlighting the U.S.-Philippines treaty alliance." She will wrap up her tour in Singapore joining U.S. President Barack Obama for the 17th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on November 14-15.[1] "And we have to demand more from ourselves and our partners." Clinton will then visit Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meeting ahead of the APEC summit, at which President Barack Obama will make his inaugural appearance. She will be in Singapore from November 10-12, before returning a day later from the Philippines to join Obama at the summit, aides said. Kurt Tong, the State Department's pointman on APEC, said this week that the various APEC meetings, including those attended by Clinton, will focus on economic recovery following the massive global recession. Clinton said in her speech that she will join Obama on a visit to China, which is scheduled from November 15-18, which she called a "very important trip to further the dialogue between our two countries."[2]
From Germany, Clinton will travel to Singapore to meet foreign ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on Wednesday ahead of that organization's annual summit later in the week that President Barack Obama will attend, the State Department said.[5]
On Thursday and Friday, Clinton then visits the Philippines, which is recovering from a series of devastating typhoons, to show U.S. support for the islands, the State Department said. Clinton will return to Singapore to join Obama for the Asia-Pacific summit and will accompany the president on the rest of his Asia tour to China and South Korea, according to the agency.[5]
According to Kelly, Secretary Clinton will visit Philippine and hold consultations with senior officials in order to highlight the U.S.-Philippines treaty alliance. Then, she will return to Singapore to join President Barack Obama for his Asian tour.[6]
Typhoon Mirinae swept over the main island Luzon on Saturday, dumping heavy rain and bringing strong winds just weeks after Tropical Storm Ketsana and Typhoon Parma left about 1,100 dead and tens of thousands homeless. During her visit to Manila from November 12-13, "the secretary will hold consultations with senior Filipino officials, highlighting the US-Philippines treaty alliance," Clinton's spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters. Her trip starts with a stop in Berlin for official ceremonies on Monday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. She was due to give a speech in the German capital on Sunday at the Atlantic Council. In a speech in Washington to many of those who supported her during her presidential campaign last year, Clinton said the wall's fall marked the end of a Cold War era in which the world was divided into clear blocs.[2] "For the first time in American history the House is poised to pass comprehensive health care reform," Clinton said. Alluding to her own struggles in passing health care legislation during President Bill Clinton's administration, Clinton added, "As someone who has fought this battle for so many years, I cannot tell you how proud I am." She also remarked on the shootings at Fort Hood yesterday, which wounded 30 and left 13 dead. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldiers at Ft. Hood," she said. These terrible incidents remind us of the sacrifices of our men and women.it's horrifying when they come under fire.and when things like this happen to those wearing the uniform." Addressing the mostly female audience, Clinton spoke of a recent trip to Congo, where she visited a hospital for rape victims. "It rips your heart," she said, noting that raping young women has become "a tactic of war" there. She stressed the importance of spreading awareness in America about humanitarian crises abroad, telling the audience that her job as Secretary of State is to "explain to the laid-off auto worker why it is important to help people abroad. to educate their children." She also spoke about her trip to Berlin tomorrow to help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the 30-year Cold War's end. "We find ourselves now in a much more complex world, she said, with conflicts far different than "when it was us versus them."[7] President Obama announced this afternoon that he is dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to represent the U.S. at the 20th anniversary Monday of the fall of the Berlin Wall -- the symbolic end of Soviet dominance over Eastern Europe and the Cold War. His absence is not sitting well with some conservatives.[8] WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will lead a U.S. delegation to Germany for next week's 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the White House said Friday.[5] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday she will attend ceremonies in Berlin next week to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.[9]
Secretary Clinton will represent the United States at the 20th Anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and meet with senior German officials in Berlin from November 8 to 9, according to State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.[6]
'I'll be going to the Philippines, to show solidarity with our friends in the Philippines who have been battered by typhoons and have just suffered so much over the last weeks,' said Mrs Clinton. Her trip begins with a stop in Berlin at the weekend to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and she was due to give a speech there Sunday at the Atlantic Council.[3]
In greeting new German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Washington, Clinton said she would "travel to Berlin and participate in the very exciting and important commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall."[9]
"The reaction that I got in Pakistan was overwhelmingly positive and I've been reading a lot of blogs and the reaction of the press in part because they're not used to anyone from the U.S. government coming and opening herself to their concerns," Clinton said. "They're just used to having somebody say, take it or leave it, with us or against us, go forward or not. I think we're building a stronger base for our relationship," she added. When asked to clarify her comments that it was hard to believe that Islamabad was not aware of the whereabouts of Al-Qaeda leaders who were hiding inside the country's boundary, Clinton said her remarks were not meant to raise questions over the Pakistan government's anti-terror commitments. Other Similar Posts: Terror threat to Pak increasing but nukes safe for now: Clinton Washington, Oct.22 (ANI): U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the recent spate of terrorist strikes in Pakistan has highlighted the fact that the threat to that country was expanding.[10] M Ashraf Mirza U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has returned home seemingly with a bitter and better understanding of Pakistanis' perception about Washington's policies pertaining to the South Asian region in general and Islamabad in particular. She interacted with a cross section of people including students, journalists, TV anchor persons, parliamentarians, female members of the civil society, Tribal elders, politicians and officials to have a real feel of the Pakistani nation's sentiments of distrust and mistrust about the United States across Pakistan. At her interactions, she was questioned about Washington's partisan and discriminatory tendencies towards Pakistan in the regional context.[11] Hillary Clinton, the highest ranking Obama administration official, visited Pakistan with an agenda to dissipate the 'trust deficit' that persists in the US-Pakistani relations. By 'reaching out' to a broad section of Pakistanis, she tried to focus the difference between the current U.S. administration and that of George W. Bush, which to the dismay of ordinary Pakistanis supported dictator General Pervez Musharraf. As part of her 'charm offensive,' Hillary made a few proforma concessions about 'mistakes' and oversights and repeatedly proclaimed that the U.S. has the interests of the Pakistani people in focus. She also decried what she called distortions of the intent and meaning of a recent U.S. law, the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009, commonly known as the Kerry-Lugar bill, under which U.S. will provide $1.5 billion per year in economic assistance to Pakistan for the next five years, if Pakistan fulfils Washington objectives in respect of the anti-terror war and nuclear non-proliferation. The secretary of state asserted that the legislation doesn't in any way interfers in Pakistan's internal affairs or erodes its sovereignty.[11]
Bill Clinton and Ms Arroyo were classmates at the Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. from 1964 to 1966. Hillary Clinton parlayed her eight years as First Lady into a high-flying political career, getting herself elected to the U.S. Senate and coming close to becoming president herself, squaring off with Obama in the fiercely fought battle for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. She and Ms Arroyo figure prominently in every list of the world's most powerful women.[4]
'Most likely, Secretary Clinton will reiterate the U.S. position on clean elections and the smooth transition after the 2010 elections,' the source said. Clinton last visited the Philippines in 1996 when she accompanied her husband, the then U.S. President Bill Clinton, for the Apec summit held at the Subic Freeport that year.[4] The talks with Clinton will'set the stage' for Ms Arroyo's expected meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Apec summit, the first source said.[4] Clinton, along with Trade Representative Ron Kirk, will then attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting in the following days. The ministerial meeting is scheduled for November 11-12, ahead of the APEC summit, at which President Barack Obama will make his inaugural appearance.[9] Secretary Clinton will continue on to Singapore (November 10-12) for meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. While there, she will attend the APEC Ministerial Meetings and will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the region.[12]
Clinton will be arriving on Thursday and stay for about 24 hours before flying out again to visit other Asian countries and proceed to Singapore for the Apec conference on Nov. 19, said the source who asked not to be identified for lack of authority to talk to the media. She is scheduled to hold closed-door meetings with President Macapagal-Arroyo and Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, the source said.[4]
Government-run dzRB radio said the Philippines values the US' help, especially when it helped in rescue and relief efforts for victims of recent cyclones. Clinton is to make a lightning visit to the Philippines next week on her way to Singapore for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders' Summit. She is expected to arrive Thursday and stay for about 24 hours before flying out again to visit other Asian countries and proceed to Singapore for the Apec conference on Nov. 19.[13]
Malacañang welcomed Saturday a prospective lightning visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the country, saying it is further proof of robust relations between the Philippines and the United States.[13] Washington, Nov.6 (ANI): U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that both America and Pakistan will have to work together to address each others concerns in order to build stronger bilateral ties.[10]
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicted Friday that the House of Representatives will pass a comprehensive health care bill this weekend.[14] The nonpartisan group was founded by Ann Lewis, whose brother is House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank. Clinton said she recognized many friends in the audience, including her best friend from sixth grade, as well as many whom she met "in the cauldron of the 2008 election." Although the speech was devoted mostly to Clinton's experience thus far as Secretary of State, she did comment on some of the day's news, expressing optimism about the House passing its health care bill tomorrow.[7]
The Clinton side trip to Manila comes on the heels of recent high-level official visits to the country of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in August, Central Intelligence Agency Chief Leon Panetta in July and Defense Secretary Robert Gates in June.[4] The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has neither confirmed nor denied the Clinton visit. DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya said they had heard of such reports in the media but refused to comment further. A diplomat said arrangements were indeed being made for Clinton's visit but that this would not become official until the U.S. State Department and the DFA make a simultaneous official announcement.[4] APEC finance ministers will also hold meetings that week. Kurt Tong, the State Department's point man on APEC, said Tuesday the various APEC meetings, including those attended by Clinton, will focus on "economic recovery" following the massive global slowdown.[9]
China was a key stop on Clinton's first overseas tour as secretary of state, in what analysts said was a U.S. bow to an increasingly powerful region in a bid to tackle the global economic crisis, climate change and nuclear weapons.[2] From NBC's Ali Weinberg and Wendy Jones Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today addressed the first public policy forum of NoLimits.org, an education foundation focusing on issues like work-family policies, healthcare reform and human rights.[7] Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on her arrival in Pakistan, had said that she had come to 'turn the page' in the US-Pakistan relations.[15] MARRAKECH, Morocco -U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is again praising Israel's offer to restrict its building of settlements in Palestinian areas, but says it falls well short of the.[16] 'Modesty aside, former President Clinton speaks very highly of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Welcome na welcome natin ang visit ni Hillary as Secretary of State (We welcome Hillary Clinton's visit as Secretary of State)," he said. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who is in Baguio City, said he also welcomes Clinton's visit.[13] Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is ready to reassure Clinton of clean elections in 2010, should the topic be brought up during Clinton's visit.[13]
Remonde also noted Mrs. Arroyo has a 'close relationship" with the Clintons, being a classmate of former U.S. President William 'Bill" Clinton at Georgetown University. He added the last time Mrs. Clinton visited the Philippines was as First Lady.[13] The discussions with Clinton 'will be freewheeling,' and could touch on U.S. concerns about the 2010 elections, the leadership transition next year, U.S. financial assistance and Philippine compliance with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the source said.[4]
The statement made by Hillary Clinton that the U.S. has found no proof of Indian interference in Balochistan and Tribal areas through supply of funds and weapons to the renegades and militants has, however, exposed the myth of US'strategic partnership' with Pakistan. It has rather once again proven that it will not hesitate to once again dump Pakistan once its tactical designs are realized in the ongoing anti-terror war through consolidation of its occupation of Afghanistan. To the people of Pakistan, it's a brazen display of hypocrisy.[11] Certainly, it was an impressive display of public diplomacy - something Pakistan has, yet, to acquire, learn and practice. While speaking to the National Public Radio later, this is how Mrs Clinton summed up the purpose of her visit: ''to try to clear the air with the Pakistani people and government, to reassert our support, particularly in this very difficult conflict they're engaged in with the Taliban, and to listen and absorb all the criticism they have. They had this sort of pent-up frustration against the U.S. And as you know and as you saw, I listened.[15]
Certainly, the new government that the minister represents exemplifies that," Clinton said. "This time is a reminder of the values that we share and that we will use to chart a new future together: democracy, tolerance, human rights, the pursuit of a peaceful and prosperous future for our people and for all people," she said. She praised Germany's troop deployments in Afghanistan, its economic, education and health aid to Pakistan as well as its role in multilateral efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.[9] Washington must, however, not ignore the universal truth that you cannot deceive all the people for all the time. It's a matter of record that U.S. has never been sincere to Pakistan. India has always remained its preference. Its relations with Pakistan are, in fact, motivated by its vested interests.[11] Job data to show stimulus aided teachers, laborers WASHINGTON (AP) Public school teachers are expected to be the big winners when states around the U.S. reveal for the first time how many jobs were.[16]
Ironically, the U.S. Secretary of State is totally 'unaware' of the Indian interference. The truth is that U.S. is pursuing a double standard policy in the region apparently for the sake of its international agenda.[11] Students and media men, however, proved torch bearers of the national interests. They grilled her on the Kerry-Lugar bill, 'do more syndrome', drone attacks, discrimination in the Indian context and non-recognition of Pakistan's contribution in the anti-terror war in real terms. She was told that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is the real cause of trouble in the region. 'It's your war that Pakistan is fighting'you had one 9/11, we are having 9/11s in Pakistan on daily basis' she was bluntly told by Tribal elders.[11]
As a public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in East Berlin just before the Berlin Wall fell, Peter Claussen had a unique view of life in East Germany.[9] "The message of human dignity that led to the toppling of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago is a true message of hope rooted in the spiritual nature of man and the freedom to know God," Gingrich concluded. "And so it is a true shame that the President of the United States - this man who cloaks himself in the rhetoric of hope - won't be pausing to remember."[8] Around 100,000 revellers are expected to join the official Berlin Wall celebrations on Monday, with Chancellor Angela Merkel due to host a gathering of world leaders past and present, including Clinton.[9] We need to remember that the Berlin Wall was the symbol of more than just the Cold War, more than just the division of Europe. It was the symbol of an evil ideology that denied human dignity, denied truth, and respected only power.[8] The German capital will be the site of a weeklong celebration of the fall of the wall that divided Germany for much of the Cold War.[16]
'Until then, nothing is set,' said the source who declined to discuss other details of the Clinton visit, including the date. Officials are cautious about confirming such visits as a premature announcement would be considered a grievous breach of protocol. In Malaca'ang, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he was not aware of a planned visit by Clinton. [4] In Berlin, the U.S. embassy said Clinton was due to give a speech Sunday at the Atlantic Council.[9] Before the celebrations begin, Clinton will deliver Sunday what the White House is calling a "major policy address" to The Atlantic Council, a group that seeks to improve U.S.-European relations.[16]
Clinton said while the Obama Administration is concerned about Pakistan's current turbulent situation and has offered all help, Islamabad should also take note of the US' apprehensions. [10] "I'll be going to the Philippines, to show solidarity with our friends in the Philippines who have been battered by typhoons and have just suffered so much over the last weeks," Clinton said in a speech in Washington.[2]
SOURCES
1. Hillary Clinton departs on European, Asian tour | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire
2. AFP: Clinton to visit storm-hit Philippines
3. Clinton to visit Philippines
4. Hillary to visit RP on way to Apec meeting - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos
5. The Associated Press: Hillary Clinton to represent US at Berlin Wall
6. U.S. top diplomat Clinton to visit Europe, Asia_English_Xinhua
7. Clinton addresses policy forum - First Read - msnbc.com
8. Obama skipping Berlin Wall ceremony - Political Intelligence - A national political and campaign blog from The Boston Globe - Boston.com
9. Clinton to attend Wall anniversary ceremonies - The Local
10. US, Pak would have to address each other's concerns for stronger ties: Clinton
11. Pakistan Observer - Newspaper online edition - Article
12. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Travel
13. Arroyo to assure Hillary of clean 2010 polls during RP visit - Nation - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News
14. Hillary Clinton Predicts US House Will Pass Health-Care Bill - WSJ.com
15. Redesigning Pak-US relations | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
16. Hillary Clinton To Lead U.S. Delegation At Berlin Wall -- Politics Daily
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