Revolution Youth Coalition refuses to meet Clinton

Coalition calls on US administration to revise its foreign policies towards Egypt after decades of propping up the ousted dictatorship of Mubarak.

Ahram Online, Tuesday 15 Mar 2011

The January 25 Revolution Youth Coalition has announced it refuses to meet Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, during her visit to Egypt. The Coalition stated that the US administration was a vital supporter and ally of the ousted Mubarak regime.

The coalition, made up of six youth groups, said it did not welcome Clinton’s visit to Egypt and demanded that the US administration make a formal apology to Egypt’s people for its foreign policy towards the country in the past decades. They added that “the Egyptian people are the masters of their own land and destiny and will only accept equal relations of friendship and respect between the people of Egypt and the people of America.”

The coalition's declaration added that “the US administration took Egypt’s revolution lightly and supported the old regime while Egyptian blood was being spilled.” It also condemned past American policies towards Egypt and demanded that they be reformulated to achieve a balance between the interests of the Egyptian and American people.

Clinton's tour of the Middle East, which starts today in Egypt before taking her to Tunis, is the first cabinet-level visit to the region by the Obama administration since the revolutions in both countries.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/7720.aspx.

Report: Holbrooke replacement to be named by Clinton

Tue, 15 Feb 2011

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to name a former ambassador to Turkey as Washington's new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, newspaper reports said early Tuesday.

Marc Grossman, a retired senior diplomat, is to be named Friday to replace Richard Holbrooke, who died suddenly in December of a torn aorta, the Washington Post reported.

The Post and New York Times cited unnamed officials as their sources. Clinton is expected to announce the appointment Friday at a major speech on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Asia Society in New York.

Grossman is currently the vice chairman of a consulting firm.

Holbrooke's death came at a crucial time for Afghanistan, where US President Barack Obama is aiming to start winding down the US presence later this year.

US-Pakistan relations have also been shaky. Late last week, a US diplomat in Pakistan denied a report that Washington had threatened to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Islamabad in an attempt to secure the release of one of its citizens held for double murder.

The report by ABC news said that US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon had told the Pakistani ambassador to the US to release the suspect or face diplomatic consequences.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/367387,replacement-be-named-clinton.html.

Clinton: Sudan vote 'significant achievement'

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Sudan Monday for the peaceful, orderly referendum on independence for Southern Sudan, calling it "a significant achievement for the Sudanese people."

"The United States commends the millions of Southern Sudanese people who participated in this historic process, and applauds both northern and southern leaders for creating conditions that allowed voters to cast their ballots freely and without fear, intimidation, or coercion," she said in a statement.

International election observers earlier Monday had called the landmark referendum on independence for Southern Sudan credible and said a vote in favor of secession looked almost certain.

Preliminary results are due by the end of January, with final results to follow after a maximum of two weeks. Early results point toward an overwhelming vote in favor of independence for the autonomous region.

The week-long referendum, which wrapped up Saturday, is the centerpiece of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and Animist south.

Clinton vowed US support as Sudan continues to work to fully implement the 2005 peace agreement.

"The parties have an opportunity to forge a durable peace between the North and the South, and to build positive relationships with the international community," she said. "We hope they will seize this moment, and the United States supports their efforts to ensure a peaceful, more prosperous future for all Sudanese."

More than 2 million southerners died and 4 million were displaced in Sudan's second north-south civil war.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362783,sudan-vote-significant-achievement.html.

Clinton to attend Middle East forum in Qatar

Thu, 06 Jan 2011

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to the Middle East during the next week to attend a regional forum in Qatar and will make stops in other countries, the US State Department said Thursday.

Clinton departs Saturday for stops in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar for discussions on a "full range" of regional issues and to explore ways to promote more dialogue between government and civil leaders, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said.

"This engagement underscores the US commitment to support civil society and promote partnerships that lead to prosperity for the people of the region," Crowley said.

During the five-day trip Clinton will also attend the Seventh Forum for the Future in Qatar. The forum is designed to exchange ideas on working together to foster progress and expand opportunities for the people of the region, Crowley said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/361055,middle-east-forum-qatar.html.

Clinton to consult with Asian allies on North Korea

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host a meeting with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts next week to discuss the tension over North Korea, the State Department said Wednesday.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will sit down with Clinton in Washington on Monday to demonstrate "the extraordinarily close coordination" between the three countries on maintaining security in the region.

The United States and South Korea completed four days of joint naval exercises off the Korean peninsula to show a willingness to respond with force to what they see as Pyonyang's provocative acts.

North Korean artillery bombarded a South Korean island near the disputed maritime border on November 23, killing two soldiers and two civilians and wounding more than a dozen others, in a move that sparked worries of renewed hostilities.

The United States, European Union as well as other countries sharply condemned North Korea for the assault, and South Korea has threatened to retaliate to any further attacks.

North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Il in late September elevated his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to two top positions in the ruling Workers' Party, an indication that he is the chosen heir.

Meanwhile, South Korea's top intelligence official said in Seoul Wednesday that he expects more attacks from North Korea, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356129,asian-allies-north-korea.html.

White House: call for Clinton's resignation 'ridiculous' - Summary

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Washington - The White House dubbed as "ridiculous" the suggestion by WikiLeaks chief editor Julian Assange's that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton resign over leaked documents that showed she instructed US diplomats to engage in espionage.

"That statement is ridiculous and absurd," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on CNN. "I'm not entirely sure why we we care about the opinion of one guy with one website. Our foreign policy and the interests of this country are far stronger than his one website."

In an interview published earlier with Time magazine, Assange said Clinton is obligated to resign because ordering diplomats at the United Nations to spy violates international agreements.

"She should resign, if it can be shown that she was responsible for ordering US diplomatic figures to engage in espionage in the United Nations, in violation of the international covenants to which the US has signed up. Yes, she should resign over that," Assange said.

WikiLeaks has been behind the leaking of more than 250,000 secret US diplomat cables that begin hitting the internet Sunday. Among them are cables signed by Clinton instructing diplomats at the United Nations to gather information about their counterparts. One cable said that included credit card information and frequent flyer numbers, and biometric data about North Korean officials.

State Department spokesman PJ Crowley has strongly denied that US diplomats are engaged in espionage.

"Diplomats are diplomats. And their job is to interact with people, gather information, gain perspective on events around the world and report those findings in a way that helps inform our policies and form out actions. They are not intelligence assets," Crowley said.

Meanwhile, the White House announced Wednesday that it was launching a comprehensive review of the security of classified documents across all of the departments, and determining what safeguards need to be implemented.

White House senior adviser Russell Travers has been tasked with overseeing the process. The State Department has already taken steps to safeguard its documents, temporarily removing access to diplomatic cables via a secret router known as SIPRNet.

The State Department has said none of its personnel were responsible for leaking the documents to WikiLeaks.

US military authorities detained and in July transferred Army Private Bradley Manning from Iraq to the United States in connection with leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. He was charged with unauthorized use and disclosure classified material relating to videos published by WikiLeaks.

He remained a person of interest in the WikiLeaks publication of tens of thousands of Afghan war-related documents. Authorities have not said whether he is the suspect behind the publication of nearly 400,000 Iraq war military documents, or the release of the State Department cables.

Manning was an intelligence analyst in Iraq at the time of his arrest and reportedly had access to classified material. Reports said the military had obtained evidence from his computer showing he had downloaded secret information.

Manning was reportedly able to access the documents following reforms after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, that made it easier for classified information to be shared across government agencies.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356142,resignation-ridiculous-summary.html.

Clinton, Medvedev disagree on OSCE role in Georgia

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Astana, Kazakhstan - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton put herself on a collision course with Russia Wednesday by calling for re-establishment of a mission in Georgia by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Clinton, speaking at the OSCE summit in the Kazakh capital Astana, implicitly criticized Moscow, which in 2009 vetoed the continuation of the OSCE's Georgia mission after the 2008 war with Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

"It is regrettable that a participating state (Georgia) proposed to host a mission, and the OSCE has not been has not been allowed to respond," Clinton said. We here at this table must let this organization do its job and restore a meaningful OSCE presence in Georgia."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in earlier remarks, blamed Georgia for the conflict with South Ossetia, accusing it of improper use of force.

This is "absolutely unacceptable." he said. "Today we must not deviate from OSCE principles."

Clinton said she hoped a ceasefire pledge by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili would create the ground for negotiations on the conflict.

Like Clinton, Medvedev called for updating the OSCE's mission to meet new security needs. He also urged removal of visa requirements between Russia and Europe and creation of a new security pact for Europe.

Among Washington's goals for the summit are a renewal of formal negotiations on the conflict in Moldova's Transdniestria region and an updating of OSCE principles on confidence- and security-building measures, Clinton said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356012,disagree-osce-role-georgia.html.

Clinton 'should resign,' WikiLeaks founder says

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Nov 30, 2010

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should resign if it is shown US diplomats were ordered to engage in espionage.

Assange, the target of a US criminal investigation following WikiLeaks release of masses of classified US diplomatic cables this week, took aim at Clinton in an interview with Time magazine that was conducted from an undisclosed location over the Skype Internet phone service.

Clinton "should resign, if it can be shown that she was responsible for ordering US diplomatic figures to engage in espionage in the United Nations, in violation of the international covenants to which the US has signed up," he said.

"Yes, she should resign over that."

On Sunday, his website and a group of media outlets released the first batch of a quarter million US diplomatic cables -- most of which date from between 2007 and February 2010.

The trove revealed secret details and indiscreet asides on some of the world's most tense international issues.

Among them were cables under Clinton's name asking diplomats to gather information that normally would be the work of spies, like obtaining the credit card and frequent flyer numbers of foreign dignitaries.

One cable that went out in July 2009 sought technical details about the communications systems used by top UN officials, including passwords and personal encryption keys.

Another cable signed by Clinton sought "biographic and biometric information on ranking North Korean diplomats" from US diplomats at the US mission to the United Nations in New York.

Clinton has sought to limit the damage from the embarrassing disclosures, telling reporters Monday that the release "was not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests. It is an attack on the international community."

Asked about the calls for Clinton to resign, her spokesman Philip Crowley said, "Why would that be?"

"Our diplomats are diplomats. Our diplomats are not intelligence assets," Crowley said during the daily media briefing.

"They can collect information. If they collect information that is useful, we share it across the government as we've been talking about with respect to documents generated by the Department of State," he said.

"Please do not infer from one document that ... this fundamentally changes the role," he added.

When a reporter asked him to assess Assange's character and motives, Crowley replied: "I believe he has been described as an anarchist. His actions seem to substantiate that."

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Clinton_should_resign_WikiLeaks_founder_says_999.html.

Iran slams Clinton's 'irrational' words

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman denounces as "irrational" remarks by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York.

"The points made by Clinton were not based on logic and global realities," said Ramin Mehmanparast on Tuesday in a press conference.

He added that Clinton's statements were mostly aimed at dealing with issues raised by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his address to the 2010 NPT Review Conference.

"Countries that have stockpiled thousands of nuclear weapons in their arsenals and have deployed them against nations or threaten to use such arms seek to change the subject (of disarmament)," he said.

The spokesman added that these countries level fabricated allegations against independent countries to "justify their own possession of nuclear weapons."

On Monday, Clinton accused President Ahmadinejad of presenting "false" and "wild accusations" against the United States and other Western powers.

"This morning Iran's president offered the same tired, false and sometimes wild accusations against the United States and other parties," Clinton told the NPT Review Conference.

Mehmanparast advised Western countries to take "practical and serious" measures to establish a world free from nuclear weapons.

He pointed to the "transparent and sincere" speech by President Ahmadinejad at the NPT conference and said his remarks reflected the views of other like-minded, independent and free countries.

All free nations demand that the NPT should contain the necessary articles to allow universal use of nuclear technology for peaceful applications, Mehmanparast emphasized.

The spokesman also lashed out at those countries whose envoys walked out of the conference during the president's address.

He suggested that Western countries exercise greater tolerance in hearing opposing views and added, "They had better given a more appropriate response to words of logic."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125402§ionid=351020104.

Clinton criticizes Moscow over Iranian nuclear reactor

Moscow - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized Thursday Moscow's plans for the start-up of a Russian- built nuclear power reactor in Iran. Clinton, in Moscow for talks with the Russian leadership and for Friday's meeting of the Mideast Quartet, was reacting quickly to a disclosure made by earlier in the day about aims for a summer start- up of the plant in Bushehr.

According to the Itar-Tass agence, after her talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Clinton said that until Tehran had proven the peaceful aims of its nuclear program, then it was "premature" to push ahead with projects in Iran.

"When Iran has reassured the world or has changed its behavior due to international sanctions, then it can purse the peaceful and civilian use of nuclear energy," she said.

Lavrov for his part said the success of the Bushehr facility was extremely important in pushing Tehran towards close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Earlier Thursday, during a visit by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a Russian nuclear plant at Volgodonsk, some 1,200 kilometers south of the capital, officials disclosed plans for the Russian-built plant in Bushehr to be put on stream in July.

The completion of the Bushehr facility has been delayed many years amid differences between Moscow and Tehran. Iran alleges that the delays were due to political pressures, while Russia has insisted that the cause was due to technical problems.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/314778,clinton-criticises-moscow-over-iranian-nuclear-reactor.html.

Clinton promises hard fight to block Armenian 'genocide' resolution

Guatemala City - The government of US President Barack Obama will work very hard to block the Armenian "genocide" resolution now working its way through US Congress, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday in Guatemala. Clinton told a press conference that the Obama Administration will seek to prevent the resolution from coming to a full vote in the House of Representatives.

She had previously met with Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom in the last stage of a Latin American tour that has also taken her to Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica.

The US House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs committee Thursday passed the bill which recognizes the mass murders of Armenians during World War I as a "genocide."

House speaker Nancy Pelosi must now decide whether to bring the non-binding resolution to a full vote. Ankara has warned that the bill's further progress could seriously damage ties between NATO allies Turkey and the US.

The Obama administration has opposed the House resolution, saying it could disrupt ongoing reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia, which are strongly backed by the United States. In addition, Turkey is a key member of NATO, strategically placed within the Middle East.

Obama telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to give reassurances.

The Turkish ambassador to Washington, Namik Tan, was recalled to Ankara for consultations soon after the committee approved the resolution, with a narrow 23-22 vote.

Armenians contend that up to 1.5 million of their own were systematically killed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I. Turkey has long denied the genocide claim, saying the number of Armenians killed was much lower and that the deaths were the result of violent turbulence that also affected other groups at the time.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312719,clinton-promises-hard-fight-to-block-armenian-genocide-resolution.html.

Clinton heading to Latin America after Chile quake

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's weeklong, five-nation tour of Latin America is certain to focus on the earthquake in Chile, even as she tries to build support for fresh penalties against Iran.

Clinton will briefly visit Santiago, Chile's capital, Tuesday morning. "We want to show America's support for the people of Chile while mindful of the realities on the ground," Clinton aide Philippe Reines said Sunday.

The secretary had been scheduled to go to Chile late Monday for talks with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and President-elect Sebastian Pinera, who takes office March 11. But that meeting has been canceled as Chile struggles to recover from the quake.

Before Clinton left Washington on Sunday evening, she made clear she would show U.S. support for disaster rescue and recovery operations in Chile.

"Our hemisphere comes together in times of crisis, and we will stand side-by-side with the people of Chile in this emergency," Clinton said Saturday after President Barack Obama called Bachelet to offer assistance.

The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday urging U.S. citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Chile.

Clinton starts her tour in Montevideo, Uruguay, at Monday's inauguration of the country's new president, ex-guerrilla Jose Mujica. Mujica's election in November won praise from other left-leaning populist leaders in the region, including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, a perennial thorn in the side of the U.S. who is cultivating closer ties with Iran.

U.S. officials say Clinton will meet with Mujica but has no plans for separate meetings with other inauguration guests — for example, Chavez or other like-minded leaders, such as Ecuador's Rafael Correa or Bolivia's Evo Morales.

The Obama administration has been pleased by Uruguay's contributions to U.N. peacekeeping forces, and Clinton will encourage Mujica continue that policy, U.S. officials said.

Later Monday, Clinton will travel to Buenos Aires for a meeting with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez. The U.S. has praised Argentina's stance on Iran's nuclear program.

Fernandez may raise Argentina's dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands, but Clinton is not expected to bring it up. "This is a matter for Argentina and for Britain and it's not a matter for the United States to make a judgment on," the top U.S. diplomat for the Americas, Arturo Valenzuela, said Friday.

After her brief stop in Santiago on Tuesday morning, Clinton heads to Brasilia, Brazil, for talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose support the U.S. is seeking for a new round of U.N. Security Council penalties against Iran over its nuclear program.

Brazil, a voting member of the Security Council, has been reluctant to additional penalties. Its leaders have expressed a desire to improve relations with Iran, and Lula plans to visit Tehran in May.

Clinton hopes to win Brazil's backing for sanctions as well a commitment to press Iran to comply with international demands to prove that its nuclear intentions are peaceful.

"We will be telling our Brazilian counterparts that we encourage them to encourage Iran to regain the trust of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations, which we feel that they have not fulfilled," Valenzuela said before Clinton's trip.

Clinton also will attend a meeting in Costa Rica of regional foreign ministers that will focus on improving economic conditions in the hemisphere. She expects to see outgoing President Oscar Arias, who brokered an accord that ended the political crisis in Honduras last year.

Clinton will also meet with incoming Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla before wrapping up her tour in Guatemala on Friday.

In Guatemala, Clinton will meet a group of Central American leaders, including Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, who took over in late January from an interim government that had ousted leader Manuel Zelaya in a coup last June, leading to a political crisis.

Saudi student: Clinton ducked my question

Saudi 12th grader blasts Clinton for not giving 'straight answer' on Israeli nuclear weapons.

RIYADH - A Saudi student on Sunday blasted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for skirting her question on Israel's nuclear arsenal during a "town hall" meeting at a Jeddah college.

"I did not get a straight answer," Mariyam Alavi said in a letter published in Arab News on her question to the top US diplomat last Tuesday.

"My question was simple and direct enough," she wrote, but Clinton's response "was very unsatisfying."

Alavi, a 12th grader at the International Indian School in Jeddah, attended the meeting at the elite Dar al-Hekma College with six classmates. She had asked Clinton about Washington's stance on the existence of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

If the Americans "so vehemently oppose Iran's nuclear program," she had asked, "then why isn't the US asking Israel to give up their nuclear weapons?"

Clinton gave a lengthy answer detailing the US case against Iran, but did not mention Israel. She did, however, say that "we want not only a world free of nuclear weapons, we want a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, including everyone."

Alavi's Arab News letter assailed US "hypocrisy" over the issue, reflecting a widely held sentiment in the region.

"Clinton said that the United States, under the able leadership of President Barack Obama, was trying to repair and strengthen its ties with the Muslim world.

"It is high time she realized it couldn't be done without answering the questions uppermost in the minds of the Middle East people."

Contacted by AFP, Alavi said she had been nervous about asking such a "politically provocative question" but was then encouraged by strong applause from the audience when she addressed Clinton.

Clinton had been on a three-day trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia to discuss, among other things, Iran's nuclear program.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=37377.

Clinton: Iran is becoming a military dictatorship

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

DOHA, Qatar – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that Iran is becoming a military dictatorship, a new U.S. accusation in the midst of rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear ambitions and crack down on anti-government protesters.

Speaking to Arab students at Carnegie Mellon's Doha campus, Clinton said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps appears to have gained so much power that it effectively is supplanting the government.

"Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship," she said. "That is our view."

Last week the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it was freezing the assets in U.S. jurisdictions of a Revolutionary Guard general and four subsidiaries of a previously penalized construction company he runs because of their alleged involvement in producing and spreading weapons of mass destruction.

The Revolutionary Guard has long been a pillar of Iran's regime as a force separate from the ordinary armed forces. The Guard now has a hand in every critical area, including missile development, oil resources, dam building, road construction, telecommunications and nuclear technology.

It also has absorbed the paramilitary Basij as a full-fledged part of its command structure — giving the militia greater funding and a stronger presence in Iran's internal politics.

Asked if the U.S. is planning a military attack on Iran, Clinton said "no."

The U.S. is focused on gaining international support for sanctions "that will be particularly aimed at those enterprises controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, which we believe is in effect supplanting the government of Iran," she said.

Meanwhile, a semi-official news agency quoted the head of Iran's nuclear program as saying the country received a new proposal last week from the United States, Russia and France, three of the countries trying to rein in Tehran's uranium enrichment program.

Iran said that it was studying the joint proposal purportedly made after the country announced last week it had begun enriching uranium to a higher level than previously acknowledged. The ILNA news agency quoted Ali Akbar Salehi as saying various countries have also offered Iran proposals on a nuclear fuel swap, adding that Iran is reviewing all the proposals. He did not provide any more details.

The Obama administration is trying to "send a message to Iran — a very clear message" that the U.S. is still open to engagement "but that we will not stand idly by while you pursue a nuclear program that can be used to threaten your neighbors and even beyond," Clinton said.

Later, as she boarded her plane for the next stop on her Middle East trip, Clinton said, "The civilian leadership is either preoccupied with its internal political situation or is ceding ground to the Revolutionary Guard."

She told reporters traveling with her that it appears the Revolutionary Guard is in charge of Iran's controversial nuclear program and the country changing course "depends on whether the clerical and political leadership begin to reassert themselves."

She added: "I'm not predicting what will happen but I think the trend with this greater and greater military lock on leadership decisions should be disturbing to Iranians as well as those of us on the outside."

Clinton said the Iran that could emerge is "a far cry from the Islamic Republic that had elections and different points of view within the leadership circle. That is part of the reason that we are so concerned with what we are seeing going on there."

In her Doha appearance, Clinton also said she foresees a possible breakthrough soon in stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

"I'm hopeful that this year will see the commencement of serious negotiations that will cover every issue that is outstanding," she said, adding that "everyone is anticipating" progress after more than a year of impasse between the negotiating parties.

The peace talks broke down in late 2008 with Israel's incursion into Gaza, which had launched rocket attacks on Israeli targets.

Clinton spoke in an interview with the Al-Jazeera TV network before a live audience of mostly Arab students at the Carnegie Mellon campus.

In remarks in the Qatari capital on Sunday, Clinton said she and the president are disappointed that the administration's efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks had failed thus far.

Reflecting the extent of concern in the Persian Gulf region about a U.S. confrontation with Iran, another member of the audience asked Clinton about the outlook for improving relations with Tehran. Clinton reiterated the Obama's administration view that Iran has violated its international obligation to use nuclear technology only for peaceful purposes. And she regretted that Iran has not accepted U.S. offers of nuclear negotiations.

Clinton makes a point of raising the topic of women and girls' rights whenever she travels abroad. In a speech Sunday to a forum on U.S.-Muslim relations, she stressed it in the context of U.S. support for nations seeking to build democratic institutions.

"As nations strive to build and strengthen governments that reflect the will of their people, grounded in their own traditions, they can count on the United States to be their partner," she said. "But the will of the people means the will of all the people, men and women. Women's rights are an issue of singular importance to me personally and as secretary of state."

She also cited the issue of violence against women, without mentioning any specific country.

"Even today, in 2010, women are still targets of violence," she said Sunday. "And all too often, religion might be used to justify it. But there is never a justification for violence against women. It is not cultural. It is criminal. And it is up to religious leaders to take a stand for women, to call for an end to honor killings, child marriages, domestic and gender-based violence."

Later Monday, Clinton flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a meeting with King Abdullah and a session with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Meanwhile, a semi-official news agency quoted the head of Iran's nuclear program as saying the country received a new proposal last week from the United States, Russia and France, three of the countries trying to rein in Tehran's uranium enrichment program.

Iran said that it was studying the joint proposal purportedly made after the country announced last week it had begun enriching uranium to a higher level than previously acknowledged. The ILNA news agency quoted Ali Akbar Salehi as saying various countries have also offered Iran proposals on a nuclear fuel swap, adding that Iran is reviewing all the proposals. He did not provide any more details.

Clinton to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar later his month and speak at a US-Islam forum, the State Department said Tuesday. Clinton will meet with Qatari officials on February 14 before her address at the US-Islamic World Forum, an event designed to improve Washington's relations with the Muslim world.

Clinton then heads to Saudi Arabia on February 15 for a two-day visit that includes a meeting with King Abdullah.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308380,clinton-to-visit-saudi-arabia-qatar.html.

Clinton: U.S. will join Yemen terror fight

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday told Yemen's foreign minister the United States will help foster economic development and battle terrorism in Yemen.

"Our two nations are working together as partners to improve Yemen's capacity to deliver vital services, control its borders, conduct effective counterterrorist activities, improve services to the people of Yemen," Clinton said at a news conference with Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi.

She said the United States and Yemen face a "common threat from those violent extremists who target civilians without mercy or remorse" and singled out al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, an al-Qaida affiliate that U.S. officials say armed and trained the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day.

Clinton said the U.S. Agency for International Development had agreed to provide Yemen $121 million in aid.

"The success of this investment depends upon Yemen's ability to make the tough choices necessary to improve the capacity to govern, to reform its economy, to protect human rights, to combat corruption and create a better environment for business and investment," she said.

Al-Qirbi said he stressed during his meeting with Clinton Yemen's commitment to fighting terrorism.

"What we need is really to build the capabilities of our counterterrorism units, make them more effective, train them, provide them with the equipment, and they will do the job," he said. "And this will be to the benefit of both countries with less problems and less cost."

He also pointed to the need for aid for development in the impoverished country.

Earlier Thursday, al-Qirbi announced Yemen would tighten visa restrictions for people who want to come to the country. Instead of getting visas at the country's border, those who want to enter Yemen now must apply for visas at a Yemeni embassy, and applicants "will be thoroughly vetted and checked to ensure no terrorists or militants slip into the country," Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for Yemen's Embassy in Washington, told CNN.

Albasha said the Christmas Day bombing attempt prompted the change in visa policy.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/01/21/Clinton-US-will-join-Yemen-terror-fight/UPI-68571264134120/.

Clinton calls Yemen situation a threat to global security - Summary

Mon, 04 Jan 2010

Washington - The unstable situation in Yemen poses a threat to regional and global security, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday. International efforts to support the Yemeni government in confronting extremism must be strengthened to prevent al-Qaeda from using the country "as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region," Clinton said.

"The instability in Yemen is a threat to regional stability and even global stability," she said after meeting with the prime minister of Qatar, Hamad Bin Jassim Jabr al-Thani.

US officials have long been concerned about the growing presence of al-Qaeda in remote areas of Yemen, and their apprehensions were highlighted in the failed Christmas Day plot against a US airliner.

The Nigerian suspect, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, reportedly told authorities he received training from al-Qaeda in Yemen and the explosives materials that failed to detonate on the flight bound for Detroit.

The US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a was closed for a second day on Monday because of al-Qaeda threats against American interests. Clinton said the environment is under continuous review and the embassy will reopen "when security conditions permit."

The British, French and Japanese embassies in Sana'a were also closed.

President Barack Obama returned to Washington after a two-week winter break in Hawaii with the attack on the Delta/Northwest Airlines flight on the top of his agenda.

He was to hold a high-level meeting with his top national security team Tuesday to review how the suspect was able to breach security.

Obama has ordered an internal government review and acknowledged there were "systemic failures" in the intelligence community. US agencies reportedly received information about a Nigerian man training in Yemen to carry out an attack on the United States, but were unable to stop it.

Abdulmutallab's father had reportedly warned US officials at the embassy in Nigeria that he feared his son could be involved in terrorism.

Clinton said the State Department complied with its responsibilities to share information with other US government agencies about potential terrorism, but it was reviewing the procedures.

"We are not satisfied," she said.

Clinton said pressure must also be kept on the Yemeni government to show that international assistance is yielding progress in stabilizing the country.

"It's time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government," she said.

The Obama administration was providing Yemen with 52.5 million dollars in development aid, up from 40.3 million in 2009, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. On top of that, Washington gave Yemen 67 million dollars in 2009 to support counterterrorism efforts.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302081,clinton-calls-yemen-situation-a-threat-to-global-security--summary.html.