Former President Clinton unveils statue in Kosovo
Clinton unveils statue of himself
Reuters – Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks in front of his statue in the capital Pristina, PRISTINA, Kosovo – Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved low temperatures and a cold wind in Kosovo’s capital Pristina to welcome former President Bill Clinton on Sunday as he attended the unveiling of an 11-foot (3.5-meter) statue of himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name.

Clinton is celebrated as a hero by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority for launching NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 that stopped the brutal Serb forces’ crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.

This is his first visit to Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia last year.

Many waved American, Albanian and Kosovo flags and chanted “USA!” as the former president climbed on top of a podium with his poster in the background reading “Kosovo honors a hero.”

Some peeked out of balconies and leaned on window sills to get a better view of Clinton from their apartment blocks.

To thunderous applause Clinton waved to the crowd as the red cover was pulled off from the statue.

The statue is placed on top of a white-tiled base, in the middle of a tiny square, surrounded by communist-era buildings.

“I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me,” Clinton said of the gold-sprayed statue weighing a ton (900 kilograms).

He also addressed Kosovo’s 120-seat assembly, encouraging them to forgive and move on from the violence of the past.

The statue portrays Clinton with his left arm raised and holding a portfolio bearing his name and the date when NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, on March. 24, 1999.

An estimated 10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed during the Kosovo crackdown and about 800,000 were forced out of their homes. They returned home after NATO-led peacekeepers moved in following 78 days of bombing.

Leta Krasniqi, an ethnic Albanian, said the statue was the best way to express the ethnic Albanians’ gratitude for Clinton’s role in making Kosovo a state.

“This is a big day,” Krasniqi, 25 said. “I live nearby and I’m really excited that I will be able to see the statue of such a big friend of ours every day.”

Clinton last visited Kosovo in 2003 when he received an honorary university degree. His first visit was in 1999 — months after some 6,000 U.S. troops were deployed in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission here.

Some 1,000 American soldiers are still based in Kosovo as part of NATO’s 14,000-strong peacekeeping force.

Police in Kosovo upped security measures ahead of Bill Clinton’s arrival by adding deploying more traffic police and special police.

That’s good to hear.

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Palestinians reject Clinton proposal, then blame U.S., Israel
Deal would have quietly ended Jewish construction in strategic territories

November 01, 2009

By Aaron Klein
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

JERUSALEM – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday offered the Palestinians backing for a halt to Jewish construction in the strategic West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem, but the Palestinian Authority refused her proposal.

At a press conference here today, Clinton publicly endorsed Israel’s view that Jewish construction in the West Bank should not impede resuming negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority had demanded a complete halt to settlement activity in line with previous demands from the Obama administration.

Palestinian diplomatic sources told WND that Clinton yesterday passed an offer to the Palestinians from Israel that would quietly see a halt to Jewish construction activity in the areas in question without any public declarations on the subject from the U.S. or the Israeli government.

The Palestinian sources said PA President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Clinton’s proposal, instead demanding a public declaration for a complete halt to settlement activity.

Still, Clinton gave Abbas a guarantee the U.S. would continue to press Israel in meetings to end Jewish construction in the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem, said the sources.

While they privately rejected Israel’s proposal, the PA today publicly blamed the U.S. and Israel for stalling the resumption of talks with the Jewish state.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah stated, “The negotiations are in a state of paralysis, and the result of Israel’s intransigence and America’s backpedaling is that there is no hope of negotiations on the horizon.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered by calling on the PA to “get a grip” and drop their construction freeze precondition for restarting talks. The PA never before made such a demand.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=114676

As far as I know it wasn’t mentioned on any American news stations or papers. Just British and Kosovo ones.

Jan…I did see it on the news yesterday…..I don’t remember which station.

By ROBERT BURNS

MARRAKECH, Morocco — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday moderated her praise for Israel’s offer to restrain, but not stop, its building of settlements in Palestinian areas. She said it falls short of U.S. expectations but would have a “significant and meaningful effect” on limiting the growth of Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for their own state.

On Saturday her praise of Israel’s offer to restrict its settlement activity drew widespread criticism from Arab nations who interpreted it as a softening of the U.S. position on settlements, which stand in the way of a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

During a photo-taking session with her Moroccan counterpart, Clinton was asked by a reporter about the Arab reaction, and she responded by reading from a written statement that appeared designed to counter the skepticism about the Obama administration’s views on settlements.

“Successive American administrations of both parties have opposed Israel’s settlement policy,” she said. “That is absolutely a fact, and the Obama administration’s position on settlements is clear, unequivocal and it has not changed. As the president has said on many occasions, the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”

She also called on the Israelis to do more to improve “movement and access” for Palestinians and on Israeli security arrangements.
She added, however, that Israel deserved praise for moving in the right direction.

“This offer falls short of what we would characterize as our position or what our preference would be,” she added. “But if it is acted upon it will be an unprecedented restriction on settlements and would have a significant and meaningful effect on restraining their growth.”

Clinton was flying later Monday to the southern-central city of Ouarzazate for an audience with King Mohammed VI. Later she was returning to Marrakech for talks with foreign ministers of several Persian Gulf nations.

Clinton also was expected to meet separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who has rejected U.S. appeals for improved Arab relations with Israel as a way to help restart Middle East peace talks, saying the Jewish state is not interested in a deal.

After taking office in January, President Barack Obama buoyed Palestinian hopes for progress toward establishing a Palestinian state with his outreach to the Muslim world and an initially tough stance urging a full freeze to all settlement construction.
But after making little headway with the Israelis in recent months, Clinton urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a face-to-face meeting in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to renew talks, which broke down late last year, without conditions. Abbas said no, insisting that Israel first halt all settlement activity in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands the Palestinians claim for a future state.

Then, at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Saturday in Jerusalem, Clinton praised Netanyahu’s offer to curb some settlement construction, saying it was an unprecedented gesture.
“I believe that the U.S. condones continued settlement expansion,” Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib said Sunday in a rare public chiding of Washington.

“Calling for a resumption of negotiations despite continued settlement construction doesn’t help because we have tried this way many times,” Khatib added. “Negotiations are about ending the occupation and settlement expansion is about entrenching the occupation.”

Palestinians expressed deep disappointment and frustration at Clinton’s words, which signaled a softening of the past U.S. call for a complete freeze on settlement activity. Jordan and Egypt also issued statements Sunday critical of the latest U.S. approach to the settlements issue. Clinton spoke by telephone with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Clinton was in Marrakech to attend a regional conference called Forum for the Future, with representatives of nations of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as advanced industrialized countries. It is the final stop on a weeklong journey that began Wednesday in Pakistan.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hb_xc8bPYYb6_iD-QS3XgQAUu1WQD9BNDGA01

With bilateral pneumonia, takes quite some time on IV antiobiotics to knock infection out. Not unusual for O2 Sats to remain in 80’s without oxygen. Pray she responds to treatment and is on multiple antibiotics. If viral pneoumonia, much more difficult to treat. Know you have to be basket case. In Woodlands hospital or Medical Center?

I’ll keep your daughter in my prayers.

Take care.