Says Afghanistan and Pakistan Go "Hand in Hand" When Considering Gen. McCrystal's Request for Additional U.S. Troops

General Stanley McCrystal's report to the president, which recommended that additional U.S. troops were needed for a successful counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan, is only part of a broader assessment of America's role in that country, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on "Face the Nation" Sunday, arguing that the issues of Afghanistan and Pakistan go hand-in-hand.

"We are only now reaching the end of the deployment cycle," she said of President Obama's increase of U.S. forces there after taking office. "We also know that going hand-in-hand with our military strategy was our civilian strategy, a much more focused effort, a much more accountable one, dealing with the government of Afghanistan, so we not only saw the change of commanders in the military, we saw a change in our Ambassador and a beefing up of our Embassy in Kabul."

She also said that because of the complexities of the recent Afghan presidential election (in which the incumbent Karzai government has been accused of vote fraud), no new commitment from the United States can be announced.

Guest moderator Harry Smith asked Clinton during Friday's pre-taped interview whether it is "worth American blood and treasure" to support the Karzai regime which has been accused of corruption and even stealing the election.

"Well, with all respect, we're doing this for the United States," Clinton explained."We're doing this because we think that a return to a safe haven in Afghanistan with al Qaeda, with Taliban elements associated with al Qaeda with the same purpose to basically run a syndicate of terror out of either Afghanistan or the border region, is something we cannot tolerate.

She said once election results are established, American diplomats will start to work to express what is expected of the Afghan leaders.

Smith cited the training that suspected terrorist Najibullag Zazi allegedly received in Pakistan and asked Clinton if Pakistan were "doing enough to clean up its own house?"

Clinton argued that Pakistan has "absolutely" taken measures to weed out terrorist sects, before admitting that "we are always working for more."

"This is not, you know, a checkbox kind of experience where, 'Oh, we're done with that, we're done with that . . . ' ... It is important for Americans to understand that focusing on al Qaeda and the Taliban, who are largely but not exclusively now in Pakistan, cannot be done if we allow them to return to a safe haven in Afghanistan," she concluded.




CBS News, September 27, 2009

Iran said it test-fired short-range missiles in a show of force Sunday as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the country would have to prove it is not developing nuclear weapons or face more sanctions.

Clinton, in an appearance taped Friday for CBS' "Face the Nation," said that the revelation of a nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom just raised additional suspicions about the intent of the Iranians' nuclear program. "We believe that it is a covert facility designed for uranium enrichment," she said.

Clinton stressed that answers were needed by Iran in time for the Oct. 1 meeting of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany. "We don't belive they can present convincing evidence that it's only for peaceful purposes," she said of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, adding that they would still be given the chance to present evidence before international agreements on further action would be decided. If the U.S. doesn't get the answers it wants, "we will work with our partners to work toward sanctions," Clinton said.

"Prove it, don't assert it," Clinton said.

The secretary added that if the Qom facility was being used for peaceful energy purposes -- which she said the country would have the right to under close observation -- it most likely would have been exposed to the public by now.

Even while asserting its nuclear program is simply for energy, Iran has remained defiant in the face of international skepticism and scrutiny over its capabilities. "We are going to respond to any military action in a crushing manner and it doesn't make any difference which country or regime has launched the aggression," Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guard Air Force, told state-run media in conjunction with Sunday's missile tests, which included Iran's first test of a multiple-missile launcher.

More tests of medium- and longer-range missiles were expected through at least Monday.

The administration has learned how to "broaden and deepen" sanctions from dealing with North Korea, Clinton said, and would get extra weight from Russia being on board. "Russia has begun to see many more indications that Iran is engaging in threatening behavior," Clinton said.

Still, Clinton said the administation was "very urgently" pursuing the diplomatic engagement strategy advanced by President Barack Obama. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, echoed that "while you don't take options off the table, I think there is still room left for diplomacy."

Gates said economic sanctions could have a sharp impact in the face of "some divisions in the Iranian leadership and in society that we really haven't seen in the 30 years since the revolution." He urged Israel to give sanctions and diplomacy a chance to work out.

"The reality is, there is no military option that does anything more than buy time," Gates said. "The estimates [of operational nuclear weapons capability] are one to three years or so."

"The only way you end up not having a nuclear capable Iran is for the Iranian government to decide they that their security is diminished by having those weapons as opposed to strengthened."

On "Meet the Press," Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee member Jim Webb (D-Va.) agreed that Russia's lack of opposition to sanctions was a broader indication of global consensus against Tehran's actions.

"You don't take any options off the table," Webb said when asked whether sanctions or military force would be the best route. "But we also shouldn't be playing what-if here, sitting on the outside, as Ronald Reagan always famously said."

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), appearing on CNN, said there are "more sticks at this point than carrots," but stressed both are still needed.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), also appearing on "Meet the Press," said that the Sunday missile drill, which was broadcast on Iranian TV, didn't necessarily up the ante but illustrated the urgency of tackling the Iranian problem.

"It almost seems that they can't wait to show us that they have the capability of moving forward with their missile program or their nuclear program at the very time that we're trying to get them to talk," Kyl said. "It illustrates the fact that, at a certain point, talking is counterproductive, rather than productive. Because time is not on our side"

"The fact is we know they're probably today there clearing out evidence of what they're doing there" at the Qom site, said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on "State of the Union."

By Bridget Johnson and Jordan Fabian, The Hill, September 27, 2009

Clinton: Hard for Iran to convince world powers that nuclear program is for peaceful purposes

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she doesn't believe Iran can convince the U.S. and other world powers that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, putting Tehran on course for tougher economic penalties beyond the current "leaky sanctions."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates played down the effectiveness of military strikes against Iran's newly disclosed secret uranium-enriching facility. Gates and Clinton said economic and diplomatic pressure would have a better chance of changing Iranian policies.

"The reality is, there is no military option that does anything more than buy time," he told CNN's "State of the Union" in an interview broadcast Sunday.

"The Iranians are in a very bad spot now because of this deception, in terms of all of the great powers. And there obviously is the opportunity for severe additional sanctions."

The nuclear program, which Iran claims is designed to generate electricity, is at the top of the agenda at a meeting Thursday in Geneva involving diplomats from Iran, the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

The Iranians must "present convincing evidence as to the purpose of their nuclear program. We don't believe that they can present convincing evidence, that it's only for peaceful purposes, but we are going to put them to the test," Clinton told CBS' "Face the Nation."

She told the Iranian government: "Don't assert it, prove it. ... They can't say anything because they've said that for years, but they can open their entire system to the kind of extensive investigation that the facts call for."

"If we don't get the answers that we are expecting and the changes in behavior that we're looking for, then we will work with our partners to move toward sanctions," Clinton added.

Tensions grew with the announcement Sunday that Iran successfully test-fired short-range missiles during military drills by the elite Revolutionary Guard.

Gates emphasized China's key role in winning additional penalties against Iran. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, including China, would have to agree to new sanctions. The United States, Britain and France support additional economic conditions and Russia now appears favorable. But China relies heavily on Iranian oil imports and remains reluctant to give its assent.

"China's participation is clearly important," Gates said.

Gates said further penalties could cause Iran to change its nuclear policies because it already faces serious economic problems.

Clinton spoke of "exploring how you broaden and deepen sanctions. Now sanctions are already in place as you know but like many sanction regimes they're leaky."

The defense chief described the political turmoil under Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as "simmering," and noted that unemployment among young people in the country is about 40 percent.

"It's clear in the aftermath of the election that there are some fairly deep fissures in Iranian society and politics and - and probably even in the leadership," he said. "And, frankly, this is one of the reasons why I think additional and especially severe economic sanctions could have some real impact because we know that the sanctions that have already been placed on the country have had an impact."

The Pentagon chief added, "We are seeing some changes or some divisions in the Iranian leadership and in society that we really haven't seen in the 30 years since the revolution."

It is critical that world powers persuade the Iranians that their pursuit of nuclear weapons will undermine their country's security, Gates said.

This week's meeting is the first step to see if Tehran can change policy to the satisfaction of the world's powers. If that fails, Gates said, then "you begin to move in the direction of severe sanctions. ... I think that severe sanctions would have the potential" of changing their policies.

"How long do I think we have? I would say somewhere between one to three years," he told ABC's "This Week."





By JIM KUHNHENN Associated Press Writer, September 27, 2009

At a meeting on Saturday of "leaders, ministers, experts and non-governmental organizations from nearly 100 countries," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for greater urgency in the fight against hunger, Agence France-Presse reports. According to Ban, 2009 has seen an increase in malnutrition rates around the world (9/26).

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Ban in leading the charge for more action on food security, "[c]alling chronic hunger and the unrest it can spark 'one of the most urgent threats facing our world,'" the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. Clinton, who said that efforts should focus as much on aid as on food production, added, "This is an issue that affects all of us because food security is about economic, environmental and national security for individual homelands and the world" (Lee, 9/26).

According to Ban, one billion people are hungry despite there being enough food to feed the world, the Times of India reports. "Ever more people are denied the food they need because prices are stubbornly high, because their purchasing power has fallen due to the economic crisis or because rains have failed and reserve stocks of grain have been eaten," Ban said.

The call from Ban and Clinton followed a8 commitment of $20 billion in July to help support food security. According to the Times of India, G8 laid out the following principles: "the need to invest in country-led plan[s], addressing the causes of hunger by investing in research (better seeds, insurance programs for small farmers), improve co-ordination at every level, leverage the benefits of multilateral institutions to support and help fulfill the country plans and finally pledge a long-term commitment based on accountability". (9/11)

Kaiser Family Foundation, September 28, 2009

NEW YORK - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday urged Arab nations to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel and supporting the Palestinians in an effort to help restart stalled Mideast peace talks.

Clinton made the case with senior officials from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The session followed President Barack Obama's talks this past week with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Obama administration wants Arab states to make "tangible" and "credible" goodwill gestures toward Israel and provide political and economic support to Abbas to lay the groundwork for a resumption in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Thus far, most have resisted, demanding that Israel first make concessions, including a total freeze on the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. That's something Netanyahu is refusing to do despite heavy U.S. pressure.

Even in the absence of such a step, American officials say the Arabs should act.

"We don't want to have the pefect be the enemy of the good," said Jeffrey Feltman, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East. "We're don't want to wait for the perfect package. It's time to start negotiations now."

"We hope that the Arabs would find ways to demonstrate to the Israeli public that Israel will be an accepted, normalized part of the region," he told reporters ahead of Clinton's meeting. He added that Arab financial and morale support for the Palestinians also was critical.

"We would hope that the Arabs would find ways to support President Abbas and his team as they go into negotiations," Feltman said.

By MATTHEW LEE, The Associated Press, September 26, 2009

UNITED NATIONS - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday led calls for quick action to ensure global food security as millions suffer from hunger due to the economic crisis and climate change.

Calling chronic hunger and the unrest it can spark "one of the most urgent threats facing our world," Clinton said it was imperative to introduce a comprehensive, coordinated approach to the problem focused at least as much on food production as on emergency aid to prevent famine.

"This is an issue that affects all of us because food security is about economic, environmental and national security for individual homelands and the world," she said.

"There is more than enough food in the world, yet today, more than one billion people are hungry," Ban said. "This is unacceptable."

Although food shortages that led to rioting in some developing countries in 2008 have subsided, he said they had highlighted serious deficiencies in the current approach to hunger.

"The food crisis is far from over," Ban said. "Ever more people are denied the food they need because prices are stubbornly high, because their purchasing power has fallen due to the economic crisis or because rains have failed and reserve stocks of grain have been eaten."

Ahead of a world summit on food security in November, Ban and Clinton said the new efforts must assist small farmers, many of them women, with agricultural expertise to improve crop yields and improve infrastructure to get surplus produce to markets.

In July, the leaders of the Group of Eight leading industrialized democracies pledged $20 billion to promote food security. The U.S. will contribute $3.5 billion to the effort over the next three years and Clinton appealed for other nations to step up.

By MATTHEW LEE, The Associated Press, September 26, 2009

NEW YORK - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa have vowed to "keep strengthening" cooperation in the fight against drug violence and organized crime that spills across their countries' common border.

The leaders talked Saturday about ways to battle government and police corruption and bolster anti-drug operations given ever-increasing border violence, according to a statement from Mexico's United Nations delegation.

They also discussed the Merida Initiative, a three-year, $1.4 billion U.S. program to train and equip Mexican and Central American authorities facing ruthless cartels that move drugs through the region and into the U.S.

Espinosa and Clinton met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

The Associated Press, September 26, 2009

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged a ministerial meeting of southeast Asian nations late Saturday to take a tougher line with fellow member Myanmar in hopes its military junta will free political prisoners and hold fair elections.

Ban said it is in the best interest of the rest of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to lean on Myanmar to free political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been in detention for 14 of the last 20 years, since leading a pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by Myanmar's military junta.

ASEAN members generally refrain from criticizing one another, however.

"Our collective interest is to find ways to encourage Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, start a genuine political dialogue and create conditions conducive to credible elections," Ban said.

Last week, Myanmar's ruling junta released at least 25 political detainees as part of an amnesty, but that figure was believed to be only about 1 percent of all political inmates being held. Authorities want the former prisoners to participate in next year's vote.

Ban called the amnesty "a step in the right direction (that) falls short of expectations" and said next year's election has to be credible.

"Next year will be critical," he said. "The first planned election in two decades must be held in an inclusive and credible manner if they are to advance stability, democracy, reconciliation, national development and respect for human rights."

Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein is scheduled to speak at the U.N. General Assembly's ministerial meeting on Monday, the highest-ranking junta official to do so in 14 years.

"Myanmar has an opportunity to demonstrate to its people and to the international community its clear commitment to an inclusive political transition," Ban said. "It is an opportunity Myanmar should not miss."

"ASEAN countries have an important role to play in this effort - first and foremost to ensure the well-being of the people of Myanmar, but also in the wider interest of peace and security in the region," he said.

Washington has traditionally been Myanmar's strongest critic, applying political and economic sanctions against the junta.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday sanctions against Myanmar will continue, but that "engagement versus sanctions is a false choice in our opinion, so going forward we will be employing both of those tools."

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

By WILL WEISSERT, The Associated Press, September 26, 2009

NEW YORK - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined steps to deal with world hunger in the closing address Friday at the annual global issues conference started by her husband.

Clinton spoke about a new approach from the Obama administration in dealing with hunger issues - a food security initiative that attempts to help people around the world grow, buy and sell the food they need instead of focusing primarily on emergency food aid in times of crisis.

"Food security is not just about food, but it is all about security, economic security, environmental security, even national security," she told attendees of the Clinton Global Initiative. "Massive hunger poses a threat to the stability of governments, societies and borders."

Since 2007, there have been food riots in more than 60 countries, she said.

Clinton said the new approach would include working with countries to implement plans that would help them improve their agriculture as well as plans that would invest in infrastructure and technology that would make farming more productive and selling agricultural produce easier.

She said the efforts also would focus on women, who comprise the majority of the world's farmers.

After she spoke, Bill Clinton lauded the program, saying he and other presidents had erred in focusing on emergency food aid and moving away from agricultural development to deal with global hunger.

"One of the mistakes that I and all my predecessors made when we stopped helping people feed themselves from 1981 forward, is we forgot the dignity element of being able to feed yourself," he said.

"This is a big deal, and it can change America's relations with people all over the world."

Tony Hall, director of the Alliance to End Hunger, said the idea of helping people improve their agriculture is a good one. He was not at the conference, but said he was excited to hear of the approach.

"This is going to make a positive impact, and it's something they've needed for 30 years," he said.

Bill Clinton started the Clinton Global Initiative to bring together the public and private sector to discuss solutions to problems in four areas - climate change, poverty, global health and education.

Conference attendees are expected to commit to steps they will take to work on global problems. Those who don't follow through on their commitments are not allowed to return to subsequent events. Billions of dollars have been committed in the five years the conference has taken place.

Friday's conference closing was a family affair, with the entire former first family present.

Hillary and Bill Clinton came into the session together, followed by daughter Chelsea Clinton. In introducing his wife, Clinton described her as "the best public servant our family has produced."

Hillary Clinton returned the praise, expressing her pride in her husband for what he has accomplished through the conference.

By DEEPTI HAJELA, The Associated Press, September 25, 2009