Hillary Clinton has pledged continued US support for the Philippines in the fight against southern Islamist rebels.
In her first visit to the Philippines as US secretary of state, she also highlighted the US military’s role in relief work after devastating typhoons.

About 600 US troops are in the country providing training and intelligence for the Philippine army fighting the separatist rebels.

She also visited a badly damaged high school and pledged $5m (£3m) in aid.

“I would just reiterate that the United States stands ready to assist our friends in the Philippines who are seeking to counter terrorism and the threat of extremism and we will be willing to support them in any way that is appropriate that they request,” Mrs Clinton said after meeting Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo at the beginning of her two-day visit.

“We were very pleased that we can respond quickly with our military assets,” she said, referring to joint US-Philippine rescue work during widespread floods caused by several back-to-back typhoons. “Filipino and American doctors worked side-by-side to help thousands of flood victims. We saw our military forces working together to airlift thousands of tons of food, equipment and other vital cargo.” US troops will continue to provide assistance in the Philippines, she said.

Sources close to the secretary of state say Mrs Clinton will also take the opportunity to reject calls to renegotiate the stationing of US troops in the south.
Senators in the Philippines have called for an amendment to the Visiting Forces Agreement, a pact which allows American troops to be based in the country. The US says the soldiers are taking part in training.

But those in opposition to the agreement question the troops’ true purpose in the south, where Islamist militants have been fighting for an independent homeland for decades.

Burma call

Mrs Clinton also used her visit to urge Burma’s military leaders to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, applying pressure before the prime minister, Thein Sein, is expected to meet President Barack Obama at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore on Sunday.

“We are trying to encourage Burma to conduct the kind of internal dialogue with all the stakeholders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, that could lead to there being fair, free and credible elections next year,” she said.

Ms Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the last 20 years in detention. Her house arrest was extended earlier this year by 18 months, meaning she can not participate in the elections.
Her National League for Democracy won elections in 1990 but the military never recognised the victory.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8356092.stm

Whats with the closet in Hasan’s apt that read Do Not Enter?

—————
Obama may ditch meeting with Chinese youth on tripUS and China yet to agree on terms of president’s face-to-face meeting with young people during maiden trip to China

Tania Branigan in Beijing guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 November 2009

US and China yet to agree on terms of president’s face-to-face meeting with young people during maiden trip to China

The US is understood to have wanted a ‘town hall’ style meeting in Shanghai for around 1,000 young Chinese people.

Barack Obama may ditch his sole meeting with the Chinese public on his maiden trip to China because Washington and Beijing have yet to agree on the terms of the event, days ahead of his arrival.

It is understood that the US initially wanted an unscripted, “town hall” style meeting in Shanghai of around 1,000 young people, mostly Chinese students, to be broadcast live on television or streamed direct on major web portals.

In a White House briefing on the Asia trip on Monday, Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, told journalists: “We will be having an event where the president will have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with Chinese youth, where he’ll have the opportunity both to speak to them and also to take some questions and hear directly from young Chinese.”

Questioned on the details, including how participants would be chosen and whether the meeting would be broadcast, he said: “We’re still working out some of the details that are related to that event … Obviously the president would appreciate the opportunity to reach the broadest possible audience. That’s always a priority of his.”

But it has since emerged that while talks have been going on for around a fortnight, the US is still unclear whether the event can go ahead on terms it considers satisfactory. A source with knowledge of the issue said that if it does, it is thought a maximum of 600 people would participate.

Ditching the event would be embarrassing to both sides. It is common for visiting leaders and other politicians to deliver speeches at Chinese universities and take questions afterwards, and hold other meetings with young people.

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, also took part in a webchat with Chinese internet users – via the site of a state-owned newspaper – when she visited earlier this year.

In reality, participants in such meetings are carefully vetted by the Chinese authorities, and fully briefed on the questions they should ask. But Chinese officials may be anxious at the size of the audience the US sought and the unscripted nature of the event combined with the live aspect.

In January, Chinese state television cut away from Obama’s inauguration speech when he referred to the defeat of “fascism and communism”.

Obama is due to visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall during his maiden trip to China, as well as holding talks with the country’s president, Hu Jintao, its premier, Wen Jiabao, and the mayor of Shanghai. The Us president will hold a joint press conference with Hu.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/12/obama-first-visit-of-china

Thu Nov 12, 2009
By David Alexander

MANILA (Reuters) – The United States is concerned about corruption and poor governance in Afghanistan and has raised those issues with the administration of President Hamid Karzai, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.

But Clinton declined to say whether the issues were being weighed as part of President Barack Obama’s review of his Afghan strategy. And she would not confirm a Washington Post report that U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry had written memos to Obama expressing concern about sending more U.S. troops to the country until Karzai’s government demonstrates it is willing to tackle corruption and mismanagement.

Karzai was recently elected to a second term in office in a fraud-tainted election.

“We are looking to President Karzai as he forms a new government to take action that will demonstrate … to his own people that his second term will respond to the needs that are so manifest,” Clinton told a news conference in Manila. “I think the corruption issue really goes to the heart of whether the people of Afghanistan feel that the government is on their side, is working for them.”

Obama is weighing final options for a new strategy for the Afghanistan war, including whether to send additional U.S. troops to stem a resurgence by the Taliban eight years after the start of the war.

The U.S. leader’s top military commander in Afghanistan has recommended increasing the number of U.S. forces in the country. A proposal to add an additional 30,000 troops has gained favor among top advisers, officials said.

Clinton said she shared concerns that had been raised by a number of leaders about Afghanistan, including corruption, lack of transparency, poor governance and an absence of the rule of law.

“Corruption is corrosive in a society,” she said. “When leaders enrich themselves at the expense of their people, when they put their own fortune ahead of the fortune of their people it has a very unfortunate impact.” “We are concerned and we’ve expressed those concerns and we are looking for measures of accountability and transparency that will demonstrate a clear commitment to the kind of governance and outcomes that the people of Afghanistan deserve,” Clinton said.

She declined to say whether Obama was considering corruption specifically as a factor in formulating a new Afghan strategy. But leaving the review process aside, the administration deals with the problem frequently, she said.

“Of course we’re looking at it,” she said. “we’re looking at it every day at the State Department. If we’re going to be providing development assistance, we want to be sure it goes to where it’s intended.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Afghanistan-Pakistan/idUSTRE5AB1IG20091112

Remember Hoffman and Scuzzafuka and Owens up in NY-23?
Turns out there was a lot of ‘mis’counting. Hoffman now trails by only 3,000 votes and there are still 10,000 left to be counted.

Hmmmmmm……………

This is one of your all-time best posts, Admin.
it was difficult to read – nauseating at times remembering all the politrix and lies but you nailed every point.

I just hope it’s not to late for us.

———————————————————

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Underscores U.S. Commitment to APEC

Posted: 11 Nov 2009 11:18 AM PST

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Today, Secretary Clinton participated in APEC ministerial meetings in Singapore. Following the meetings, the Secretary said:

“Here in Singapore, we’ve had a productive day of discussion, covering the full range of regional and global issues confronting our nations. I have stressed the Obama Administration’s commitment to substantive cooperation. That is a commitment that I have felt very strongly about and made clear on my first trip as Secretary of State to Asia earlier this year. And when President Obama arrives here later this week, he will underscore our view that APEC is an essential forum for engagement and for common action.”

In her comments, Secretary Clinton also addressed regional topics that were discussed during the APEC ministerial. She said:

“North Korea’s nuclear program is of foremost concern, and the United States is committed to making progress on this issue. Our Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, will visit Pyongyang in the near future. The decision to send him was reached after extensive consultation with our partners in the Six-Party process. They share our view that Ambassador Bosworth can use this opportunity to press the basic principles of the September 2005 joint statement, including full, peaceful, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and work toward the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.

We have made the purpose and parameters of this visit clear to the North Koreans. This is not a negotiation; it is an effort to pave the way toward North Korea’s return to the Six-Party process. Let me emphasize that our expectations of Pyongyang have not changed and will not change, nor has our commitment to the Six-Party process. We will use diplomacy and we will work closely with our partners to find a peaceful path to our shared objective on the Korean Peninsula.

We also discussed the United States approach to Burma. We have begun engaging the Burmese authorities in high-level dialogue to advance our goals of democratic reforms and human rights. Burma’s neighbors and members of ASEAN have an especially important role to play in encouraging the Burmese Government to move forward on reform, to start a meaningful internal dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, political parties, and ethnic minorities; and to hold credible, fair elections in 2010. I reiterated that U.S. sanctions will remain in place until we see meaningful progress in key areas.”

The foreign ministers also discussed climate change. Secretary Clinton emphasized U.S. commitment to working with the international community to reach a global, legally binding climate agreement. The Secretary said:

“The United States has taken dramatic steps in the past year to change the way we use energy at home, and we have taken our seat at the table in international climate negotiations. We believe all nations have a responsibility to address this urgent global challenge, and we are prepared to assume our share of responsibility.

Going forward, we are committed to reaching the goal of a global, legally binding climate agreement. And we will continue working vigorously with the international community toward that end. If we all exert maximum effort and embrace the right blend of pragmatism and principle, I believe we can secure a strong outcome at Copenhagen, and that would be a stepping stone toward full legal agreement. We cannot let the pursuit of perfection stand in the way of progress, but there are clear metrics by which we will judge the result at Copenhagen.

First, any agreement must involve immediate global action in which all nations do their fair share. We cannot afford further delay. Second, any agreement should cover all of the major issues, including adaptation, financing, technology cooperation, dissemination of technology, forest preservation, and others. It should include a commitment to strong mitigation actions like national reduction targets for developed countries and actions by major developing countries that will reduce their emissions significantly compared to business as usual.

Third, any agreement must include a commitment to a system that will ensure transparency and accountability with regard to the implementation of domestic actions. Fourth, any agreement must endorse funding facilities to assist developing countries. We are prepared to support a global climate fund that will support adaptation and mitigation efforts and a matching entity to help developing countries match needs with available resources. Funding through the new global climate fund and a technology mechanism will help developing countries identify what they need, where to get it, and how to finance, operate, and maintain it.

These are the yardsticks we will use to measure the outcome. But under any circumstance, Copenhagen is not the end of the process. It is part of our larger collective commitment to hold ourselves and others accountable, to speed the transition to a low-carbon global economy, and to leave a cleaner, greener planet for our children and grandchildren.”

Read the Secretary’s full remarks here.