PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON 7Oth ANNIVERSARY OF DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP LIBERATION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
April 29, 2015
Statement by the President on the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau

On this day, we remember when American forces liberated Dachau 70 years ago, dismantling the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime.  Dachau is a lesson in the evolution of darkness, how unchecked intolerance and hatred spiral out of control.

From its sinister inception in 1933, Dachau held political prisoners – opponents of the Third Reich.  It became the prototype for Nazi concentration camps and the training ground for Schutzstaffel (SS) camp guards.  As the seed of Nazi evil grew, the camp swelled with thousands of others across Europe targeted by the Nazis, including Jews, other religious sects, Sinti, Roma, LGBT persons, the disabled, and those deemed asocial.

Our hearts are heavy in remembrance of the more than 40,000 individuals from every walk of life who died, and the more than 200,000 who suffered at Dachau.  As we reflect on the anniversary of Dachau’s liberation, we draw inspiration from, and recall with gratitude, the sacrifices of so many Americans – in particular our brave soldiers – to win victory over oppression.  Drawing from the words of Captain Timothy Brennan, who wrote to his wife and child after liberating the camp - “You cannot imagine that such things exist in a civilized world” – we fervently vow that such atrocities will never happen again.  History will not repeat itself.

SECRETARY KERRY'S STATEMENT ON DEATH OF FORMER WASHINGTON POST EDITOR BEN BRADLEE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

On the Passing of Ben Bradlee

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

October 22, 2014

Ben Bradlee was America’s Editor-in-Chief. He was courageous and fearless, gutsy and gritty, and as much as we remember his big laugh and his love of politics and people, his legacy defines great journalism: he found the facts and he let the facts tell the story, no matter where they led.

It's hard to explain the era of the Pentagon Papers to those who didn't live it. The magnitude and consequences of the choices Ben Bradlee and Katharine Graham were making are almost impossible to convey adequately. It required bravery. It exposed the truth. It saved lives. That's a rare thing today. There aren't many journalists who can say that they decided to say no to the most powerful people in the world and do what was right, not what was easy. But that's exactly what Ben Bradlee did in publishing the Pentagon Papers and he did it again on Watergate.

Ben put his own brand on journalism and it was big, bold, and unapologetic. He invented the modern newsroom. He cared about the Post as an institution and he cared about its people. He made independence in reporting the norm, not the exception. He was a Washington institution born and bred in Boston.

Ben and Sally have been friends and neighbors to Teresa and me for many years now. We've both been in awe of the remarkable way Sally cared for Ben these last difficult years, and we send Sally all our love now that Ben's at rest.

JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN GEN. DEMPSEY MAKES CASE FOR SUPPORTING VETS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Chairman Makes Case for Support to Veterans

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2014 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff praised the members of the Dallas-based America’s Future organization for their efforts on behalf of veterans, but said such efforts must continue.

Groups like America’s Future will help define how the nation looks at its veterans, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said yesterday during a speech to the group in Dallas.

“What image will this generation’s veterans have?” the chairman asked. “The veterans themselves have less to say about who they are and how they will be remembered than you do, frankly.”

Dempsey spoke about the images he has had of veterans from World War II and Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. “Now we have the veterans of 12 years of conflict in an all-volunteer force, and how they will be remembered by history will be largely shaped by if America’s people and businesses and communities either embrace them or convince them that their service was valued or was not,” he said.

Dempsey brought up a lesson from history. Yesterday was the 77th anniversary of the German-Italian bombing of the Spanish village of Guernica. “The idea was they were working on advancing this new technology related to aerial warfare,” he said. “And the big idea on the part of the Axis was they would make resistance so outrageous, so costly to the Spanish that they would just capitulate.”
It didn’t work that way, the chairman said, and Pablo Picasso captured it in the famous painting, “Guernica”.

“Seventy-seven years later, technology keeps charging on and we learn to adapt with it,” Dempsey said. “But we can’t ever forget that what really matters in warfare are our young men and women who choose to serve and put themselves in harm’s way.”

The chairman used a photo to make this point. He showed a shot from Afghanistan where a young squad leader is on the radio. On the left is a rifleman protecting him. He’s obviously calling for something – aerial support, indirect fire, medical evacuation, guidance.

“Whatever it is he’s asking for, he is going to get,” Dempsey said. “That’s what sets us apart from any other military in the world. That’s a bond of trust we have with these kids, that when we put them in that position, that whatever they need, they’ll get.”

The chairman noted the soldier is also wearing a wedding ring. This bond of trust goes all the way from the front edge of the battlefield to communities and cities across the United States. “That is a bond of trust, without which this all-volunteer force would not hold together,” he said.

The bond of trust has to continue when service members and their families come home as well, the chairman said. “When they come home, there is a sense of trust – not a sense of entitlement,” the chairman said. “It’s not about them feeling entitled. They don’t want a handout, they want a handshake. They just want a chance.”
What communities like Dallas do to give these men and women that chance really is important, Dempsey said.

The chairman discussed the U.S. military in transition. The military is going through a transition after 12 years of war, Dempsey noted. “This doesn’t mean all conflict will magically cease, but we will have to rebalance to meet some enduring challenges and new challenges,” he said. “We have to rekindle some skills that we’ve lost over the past 12 years.”

And it must be done at a time of fiscal austerity. “We will manage our way through this, but the sooner we have some certainty, the sooner we gain some flexibility in the way we apply our budget, and the more time we are given to manage these changes then the better off we will be,” he said. “As we go through this, we will continue to earn and re-earn your confidence and the confidence of the American people.”

The bottom line for all Americans is to make the sacrifices these young men and women have made worth their blood, sweat and tears, the chairman said.
Dempsey told the audience that he has a box in his Pentagon office with the words, “Make It Matter” engraved on top. It contains the names and biographies of all those killed while under his command.

“We have an obligation to make the sacrifices of these young men and women who have fallen, but also those who have served, those who are suffering from wounds both physical and emotional – we have a genuine obligation to make their sacrifices matter,” he said. “And one of the ways we make their sacrifices matter is by taking this task on board: The task of helping their teammates.”

Dempsey spoke of visiting Brook Medical Center in San Antonio on Friday. There have been 1,645 amputees since the wars began in 2001. In previous wars, they would most likely have died. With medical advances 500 of them have returned to active duty, and 60 have gone back into combat.

“But there are more service members who have limbs so badly damaged that they contemplated having an amputation,” the chairman said. Enter a public-private partnership. The joint venture developed a brace that allows these men and women to carry the weight and eliminates much of the pain.

“What it says to me, is we’ve got to keep learning,” he said.

CIA BACKGROUND ON UKRAINE

Ukraine Locator Map From CIA World Factbook

FROM:  CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
BACKGROUND:  UKRAINE
Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire.

Ukraine Map From CIA World Factbook

Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to achieve a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths.

Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. An early legislative election, brought on by a political crisis in the spring of 2007, saw Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, as head of an "Orange" coalition, installed as a new prime minister in December 2007. Viktor YANUKOVYCH was elected president in a February 2010 run-off election that observers assessed as meeting most international standards. The following month, Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, approved a vote of no-confidence prompting Yuliya TYMOSHENKO to resign from her post as prime minister.

In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's eventual use of force to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, and the president's abrupt ouster. An interim government under Acting President Oleksandr TURCHYNOV has called for new presidential elections on 25 May 2014.

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK CELEBRATES 8OTH BIRTHDAY

FROM:  EXPORT-IMPORT BANK 
Ex-Im Bank celebrates 80th Anniversary

Chairman Hochberg Marks Eight Decades of Supporting American Jobs

Washington, D.C. – Today the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), the nation’s official export-credit agency, marks its 80th anniversary of promoting U.S. exports abroad and supporting U.S. jobs at home.

In its eight decades of operation, Ex-Im Bank has authorized an estimated $506 billion to finance the export of U.S. goods and services around the globe and supported millions of American jobs. In 2013, nearly 90% of the Bank’s transactions benefitted small businesses.

“Today we say happy birthday to a great American success story,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “Over 80 years, the Export Import Bank has supported millions of American jobs and financed over $500 billion in goods stamped ‘Made in the USA,’ and we’ve done it all while generating billions of dollars in revenue for U.S. taxpayers.”

Founded in 1934 by FDR as the Export-Import Bank of Washington, the Bank was “organized with power to aid in financing and to facilitate exports and imports…” so as to boost job growth in Depression-devastated America. After an early reorganization, the Bank soon expanded its scope and approved loan packages in more than 30 countries, half of which were in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Below are some key dates in Ex-Im Bank’s transactional history.

1938… The Bank extended a $22 million loan to China for construction of the “Burma Road.”

1941… The Bank provided a line of credit for the Pan-American Highway.

1948… Ex-Im Bank administers funds for economic cooperation under the Marshall Plan.

1981… Ex-Im Bank cleared its first transaction in the People’s Republic of China. Two direct credits of $57.1 million supported the purchase of power-generation equipment manufactured by Westinghouse Electric and Combustion Engineering.

2012… Ex-Im Bank closed the largest deal of its history, a $4.975 billion direct loan to the Sadara Chemical Company of Saudi Arabia that supported approximately 18,000 U.S. jobs. Total authorizations for the same year surpassed $35.7 billion, and job support reached an estimated 255,000.

2013… Ex-Im Bank logged a record number of small-business transactions and generated more than $1 billion in earnings for the U.S. Treasury.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Statement by the President on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Each year on this day the world comes together to commemorate a barbaric crime unique in human history.  We recall six million Jews and millions of other innocent victims who were murdered in Nazi death camps.  We mourn lives cut short and communities torn apart.

Yet even on a day of solemn remembrance, there is room for hope.  For January 27th is also the day Auschwitz was liberated 69 years ago.  The noble acts of courage performed by liberators, rescuers, and the Righteous Among Nations remind us that we are never powerless.  In our lives, we always have choices.  In our time, this means choosing to confront bigotry and hatred in all of its forms, especially anti-Semitism.  It means condemning any attempts to deny the occurrence of the Holocaust.  It means doing our part to ensure that survivors receive some measure of justice and the support they need to live out their lives in dignity.

On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Michelle and I join the American people and our friends in the State of Israel and around the world as we reaffirm our obligation not just to bear witness, but to act.  May God bless the memory of the millions, and may God grant us the strength and courage to make real our solemn vow: Never forget.  Never again.

U.S.-RUSSIAN LEADERS TALK

U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with his Russian counterpart during a NATO meeting for defense chiefs in Brussels, Jan. 21, 2014. Dempsey is on a three-day trip where he is slated to meet with his NATO and Russian counterparts. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hinton.

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
U.S., Russian Leaders Discuss Afghanistan, Sochi, History
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Jan. 21, 2014 – Two tankers who as young men could have squared off against each other on the East German border sat in the Russian Embassy here today and talked about ways their two nations could cooperate.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, with an eye to improving the military-to-military relations between the two nations.

Dempsey spoke of the shared military history of the two nations and proposed a ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the meeting of the U.S. and Russian armies at Torgau, Germany, in April 1945.

That meeting sealed the defeat of Nazi Germany.

On political tracks, the U.S.-Russia relationship is a bit bumpy, but on the military track, Dempsey noted, there are ways these two powerful forces can cooperate.
“I always find it encouraging when I can meet with my counterparts -- especially the most influential militarily around the world,” the chairman said following the meeting. “I was encouraged by his candor … and his warmth in seeking to find ways that we can continue to advance the issues where we agree and where we can contribute to resolving those on which we disagree.”

The two men also signed the 2014 Work Plan for the nations. It was the first time the chiefs of defense signed such a document. “We felt it important enough to come together and do it ourselves,” Dempsey said. The Work Plan calls for 67 activities in which military personnel from both countries will work together.

“These are generally staff exercises, not maneuver exercises, although there are maneuver exercises in all domains -- air, land, sea,” the chairman said during an earlier interview. “Maneuver exercises tend to be small -- battalion level or below.”

Some areas of disagreement exist between the two militaries, and ballistic missile defense tops that list. Russia is opposed to ballistic missile defense for political and technical reasons. “But I’m encouraged, because we’re still talking about it,” Dempsey said. “The alternative would be we would all go our separate ways and we would generate another form of an arms race on that particular issue, and nobody wants that.”

The points of disagreement have “never driven us to the point in our mil-to-mil contacts where we can’t have the conversation,” Dempsey added.
The chairman said he believes there is still room for a better understanding not only about the technical capabilities related to missile defense, “but also the threat and our intentions vis-à-vis our allies and protecting ourselves.”
But the nations agree on Afghanistan.

“We agree that a stable Afghanistan and an Afghanistan that is not a sanctuary for terrorism is in our common interests,” the chairman said. “They are concerned that if the Afghan security forces don’t continue to receive a certain amount of support, and if the environment in Afghanistan deteriorates to the point where the central government can’t control, or at least influence, events, they are concerned it will destabilize fairly quickly. [The Russians] are supportive of our continued presence there.”

The Russians asked a number of questions about U.S. retrograde activities from Afghanistan, Dempsey said, to “gauge how quickly events in Afghanistan could change.”

“In their view,” he added, “it does relate to the amount of structure that NATO continues to provide there.”

The Russians are looking for a tipping point in Afghanistan, the general said. “They didn’t share what they thought the tipping point is,” he continued, “but in their view, there clearly is one.”

Other areas of mutual interest include antipiracy and counterterrorism efforts and Arctic issues.

The two men also discussed security at the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympic Games. The Russian military is working in support of civilian security organizations, and Dempsey heard Gerasimov’s assessment of the task. The Russian armed forces are bringing unique military capabilities to the effort, he said, including air defense, the maritime domain, chemical and biological defense, backup medical support for civilian authorities, management of the electronic spectrum and electronic warfare and the like.

“I reiterated the fact that we would favorably consider requests from them,” Dempsey said.

In a statement released yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said U.S. commanders in the region are conducting prudent planning and preparations should support be required. Air and naval assets,including two Navy ships in the Black Sea, will be available if requested for all manner of contingencies in support of -- and in consultation with -- the Russian government, Kirby said, noting that there is no such requirement at this time.

No matter where the Olympics were being held this year, it would be a problem, Dempsey said, as international terrorists would seek to disrupt the games no matter where they were held. But having the games near Chechnya and Dagestan brings its own set of threats, he noted.

Gerasimov has “a hand-picked, highly trained task force that’s been in place for some time,” Dempsey said. “He believes they have in place the intelligence apparatus, as well as the response apparatus, to deal with the threats as they know them this year in Sochi.”

And, the Russian general is interested in American technology for countering improvised explosive devices that the Russian military might be able to use, the chairman said. The United States would share technical information on the counter-IED efforts, he added, and if it is compatible with Russian equipment, will look to provide that information to Russia in time for the games.

The Russian military is holding a tank biathlon next year, and the United States will observe “with the eye on participating downstream,” Dempsey said. The biathlon, he added, could have a Russian T-90 tank competing against a U.S. M-1 tank sometime in the future.

NASA IMAGE OF MARS EXPLORATION ROVER SPIRIT

FROM:   NASA 

This mosaic image taken on Jan. 4, 2004, by the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows a 360 degree panoramic view of the rover on the surface of Mars. Spirit operated for more than six years after landing in January 2004 for what was planned as a three-month mission. Spirit drove 4.8 miles (7.73 kilometers), more than 12 times the goal set for the mission. The drives crossed a plain to reach a distant range of hills that appeared as mere bumps on the horizon from the landing site; climbed slopes up to 30 degrees as Spirit became the first robot to summit a hill on another planet; and covered more than half a mile (nearly a kilometer) after Spirit's right-front wheel became immobile in 2006. The rover returned more than 124,000 images. It ground the surfaces off 15 rock targets and scoured 92 targets with a brush to prepare the targets for inspection with spectrometers and a microscopic imager. Image Credit: NASA/JPL

SILENT FILM DATA BASE TRACKER UNVEILED BY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

FROM:  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
December 4, 2013
Library Reports on America’s Endangered Silent-Film Heritage
First-ever Database Tracks Existing Films Worldwide

Martin Scorsese’s "Hugo" and Michael Hazanavicius’ "The Artist" were cinematic tributes to the bygone era of silent films. Moviegoers, however, may not realize that 70 percent of feature-length silent films made in America have been completely lost to time and neglect.

The Library of Congress today unveiled "The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929," the first comprehensive survey of American feature films that survived the silent era of motion pictures. Previous documentation established that nearly 11,000 (10,919) silent feature films of American origin were released from 1912 through 1929. There was, however, no definitive, systematic study on how many of these films still existed and where any surviving elements were located in the world’s leading film archives and private collections.

The groundbreaking study reveals some startling facts about America’s endangered silent-film heritage. Only 14 percent—about 1,575 titles—of the feature films produced and distributed domestically from 1912-1929 exist in their original format. Five percent of those that survived in their original 35 mm format are incomplete. Eleven percent of the films that are complete only exist as foreign versions or in lower-quality formats.

"The Library of Congress can now authoritatively report that the loss of American silent-era feature films constitutes an alarming and irretrievable loss to our nation’s cultural record," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "We have lost most of the creative record from the era that brought American movies to the pinnacle of world cinematic achievement in the 20th century."

"This report is invaluable because the artistry of silent film is essential to our culture," said Martin Scorsese, film-preservation advocate and director of "Hugo," a loving tribute to silent film. "Any time a silent picture by some miracle turns up, it reminds us of the treasures we’ve already lost. It also gives us hope that others may be discovered. The research presented in this report serves as a road map to finding silent films we once thought were gone forever and encourages creative partnerships between archives and the film industry to save silent cinema."

In addition to the establishment of the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB)—which is comprised of film-industry leaders and experts—the National Film Preservation Act of 1988 called for the Librarian of Congress to establish initiatives to protect the nation’s film heritage. One of the Librarian’s first directives to the board was to support archival research projects that would investigate the survival rates of American movies produced in all major categories during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Commissioned by the NFPB, the study was written by historian-archivist David Pierce and published by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). It is one of several congressionally mandated studies of the nation’s cinematic and recorded sound patrimony. The report is available as a free download at the NFPB’s website as well as CLIR’s website.

As part of the research for the study, Pierce prepared a valuable inventory database of information on archival, commercial and private holdings—who has custody of the films, how complete they are, the films’ formats and where the best surviving copies can be found. The report concludes that the existence of the database will allow the repatriation of lost American movies. Films initially thought lost have been found—and subsequently repatriated—in Australia, New Zealand, France and many other countries.

"As efforts continue to help bring back American silent films to the U.S. and perhaps rediscover even more now believed lost, we must recognize the magnificent contribution made by dozens of foreign film archives in saving many hundreds of U.S. films over the decades," said Gregory Lukow, chief of the National Audio Visual Conservation Center-Packard Campus. "Countless films would no longer exist if not for the heroic efforts made by these overseas archivists who have played a major role in preserving not only their own national heritage, but also that of the United States."

Some of the report’s findings:

Fourteen percent of the feature films produced domestically from 1912-1929 survived in their original-release 35 mm format.
Eleven percent of the films are complete as foreign versions or on lower-quality formats, such as 28 mm or 16 mm.
Five percent are incomplete, either missing a portion of the film or existing only as an abridged version.
Of the more 3,300 films that survived in any form, 26 percent were found in other countries.
Of the silent films located in foreign countries, 24 percent already have been repatriated to an American archive.
The Czech Republic had the largest collection of American silent films found outside the United States.
The vulnerability of nitrate film stock to fire and deterioration and the industry’s practice of neglecting or destroying prints and negatives contributed to the loss to the nation’s film heritage. Among some of the notable films considered lost in their complete form are Lon Chaney’s "London After Midnight" (1927); "The Patriot" (1928); " Cleopatra" (1917); "The Great Gatsby" (1926), and all four of Clara Bow’s feature films produced in 1928, including "Ladies of the Mob." Only five of Will Rogers’ 16 silent features survived and 85 percent of features made by Tom Mix—Hollywood’s first cowboy star—are lost.

Silent-screen legend Mary Pickford paid for the preservation of her films, ensuring that most of them survived. Of her 48 features, eight were lost from the first three years of her career. Pickford’s 1911 short—"Their First Misunderstanding"—was recently discovered in an old barn. It was the first time that she was credited by name in a film.

"Their First Misunderstanding" has been preserved by the Library of Congress, which hold’s the world’s largest collection of American silent features. More than half of the Library’s collection of silent features cannot be found anywhere else.

The report makes several recommendations:

Develop a nationally coordinated program to repatriate U.S. feature films from foreign archives.
Collaborate with studios and rights-holders to acquire archival master film elements on unique titles.

Encourage coordination among American archives and collectors to identify and preserve silent films that currently survive in lower-quality formats.
Develop a campaign to document unidentified titles. The Library of Congress has sponsored annual workshops to identify unknown and lesser-known titles.
Create an audience and appreciation for silent feature films through exhibition and screenings.

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER SPEAKS AT UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand ~ Monday, May 6, 2013

Thank you, Vice-Chancellor McCutcheon, for those kind words – and thank you all for such a warm welcome. It’s a pleasure to be here in Auckland today. And I’d particularly like to thank our hosts at the University of Auckland for providing a forum for this important discussion – and for bringing together such a distinguished group. It’s great to be among so many students, faculty members, and current and future leaders of New Zealand’s legal community.

As one of this country’s leading universities, and one of the world’s preeminent centers of higher education, this institution has served as a training ground for generations of students who have gone on to shape every segment of Kiwi society; who have positively impacted countless industries – and individuals – around the world; and who have been instrumental in writing every chapter of the rich history of this island nation. Of course, despite this university’s well-deserved reputation as a place of academic rigor, and a meeting ground where issues of consequence are discussed and addressed – as your motto states, "by natural ability and hard work" – the University of Auckland first arose from humble beginnings.

When it was formally opened – 130 years ago this month – its population totaled less than a hundred, including just 4 teachers and 95 students. Its facilities consisted of an old courthouse and a disused jail. And its most popular programs helped to train teachers and law clerks, whose efforts – to expand educational opportunities and strengthen New Zealand’s legal system – undoubtedly had a profound impact on generations of Kiwis that followed in their footsteps.

Now, there’s no question that you’ve come a long way since those days. But I’m pleased to note that your noble mission – and ambitious vision for the future – remain very much the same. And that’s why, as we gather this afternoon – to confront current challenges, achieve common goals, and honor the values that have always joined our nations together – I can think of no better place to reaffirm the spirit of optimism that once drove your founders to assemble in an old courthouse, confident that their students would someday change the world – and then set out to make that dream a reality.

It’s a similar spirit that brings me to New Zealand this week, to meet with Attorney General Finlayson and our counterparts from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For the United States, and for our Quintet allies, these meetings present an important chance to exchange ideas and share expertise; to advance the principles of peace, security, and equal justice that form the common foundation for our respective legal systems; and to explore strategies for working together – to address both domestic and international challenges – in order to build the brighter, safer future that all of our citizens deserve.

Although we gather in a time of unprecedented difficulty – at a moment of true consequence – I believe we can all be proud of what our nations have achieved in recent years. By collaborating closely – in common cause, in good faith, and with mutual respect – we’ve addressed a host of transnational issues. From combating cybercrime, terrorism, and human trafficking, to fighting corruption and protecting our citizens from exploitation, abuse, and violence – together, we’ve made significant progress on a variety of fronts. And this week, we’re sharing best practices for protecting some of the most vulnerable members of society – and prosecuting those who commit acts of sexual violence against women and children. Together, we will examine how we can improve domestic investigations and prosecutions of these serious crimes, as well as how we can increase our joint response to transnational sexual violence – including in the contexts of human trafficking, online child pornography, and armed conflicts.

As we look toward the future of this work, I’m confident that we’ll be able to continue building on the record of achievement that’s been established – so long as we remain committed to working together. That’s why I’m so grateful for this opportunity to discuss just a few of our priorities with you today. And it’s why I’d like to begin with a shared challenge that demands international coordination, robust action, and constant vigilance: our ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and related security threats.

From the Quintet’s inception, working together to respond to terrorism has been one of our central themes. The importance of this work was brought into sharp focus just last month, in the most shocking and tragic of ways – when a deadly terrorist attack in the United States, along the route of the Boston Marathon, left three innocent people dead and hundreds badly injured. In the days that followed this heinous act – thanks to the valor of state and local police, the dedication of federal law enforcement and intelligence officials, and the vigilance of members of the public – those suspected of carrying out this terrorist act were identified. One person has been brought into custody and charged in a federal civilian court with using a weapon of mass destruction. And three others have been arrested in connection with this investigation.

Now, this matter remains open – and my colleagues and I are determined to hold accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, all who are found to bear responsibility for this attack. We will be resolute in our efforts to seek justice on behalf of the civilians and brave law enforcement officers who were killed or injured, and to bring help and healing to those who lost friends or loved ones. And we will continue to rely on the support, assistance, and critical intelligence and information-sharing capabilities of our Quintet allies as we advance this and other investigations – and strengthen our broader national security and anti-terrorism efforts.

Over the last four years, I’m proud to report that my colleagues and I have obtained considerable results in this regard. We have uncovered – and prevented – multiple plots by foreign terrorist groups as well as homegrown extremists. Alongside essential partners like the members of the Quintet, we’ve bolstered information sharing in a manner that’s consistent with the rule of law and with our most sacred values. We’ve brought cases – and secured convictions – against scores of dangerous terrorists. And, together, we have taken significant steps to fulfill our mutual obligation to protect and improve the lives of our citizens. The Quintet has been an important mechanism for advancing our joint efforts in this regard.

But all of this is only the beginning. Our governments have long recognized that regional and national problems invariably demand international solutions. Particularly in recent years, we’ve also found that transnational cooperation is frequently just as important when it comes to addressing domestic challenges. That’s another reason why we’ve come together this week to engage with – and learn from – one another, and to reinforce the ideals of fairness, tolerance, and inclusion that form the foundations of our legal systems and lie at the heart of our shared history.

This history, and these ideals, are on full display here at the University of Auckland, where tomorrow’s leaders are learning to grapple with the challenges – and thorny legal questions – that we’ll undoubtedly face together in the years ahead. Every day, you’re acquiring the skills and knowledge you’ll soon need to take up positions of responsibility in all sectors of society – not only here in New Zealand, but around the world. No matter how you choose to put this training to work – whether you build a career in business, science, politics, or the law; whether you envision a future defending the accused, bringing criminals to justice, ruling from the bench, leading a corporation, working for an NGO, or charting some other path altogether your own – each of you will soon be charged with upholding these principles in your own lives, and continuing the progress that this University’s founders set in motion 130 years ago. And all of you will be called upon – in a variety of ways – to help honor and preserve the values that our nations have always shared.

In the United States, my colleagues and I are working hard to live out these values – and to instill them in a new generation of American leaders – by fighting to protect the safety, and the sacred civil rights, to which of every member of society is entitled. We’re firmly committed to preserving the principles of equality, opportunity, and justice – from America’s housing and lending markets, to our schools and boardrooms, military bases, immigrant communities, border areas, and voting booths. And we’re striving to uphold the rights of every citizen – regardless of race, religion, gender, gender identity, economic means, social status, or sexual orientation.

In many ways, no single right is more fundamental to our democratic values than the right of every eligible citizen to participate in the act of self-governance – by casting a ballot. The U.S. Department of Justice is working diligently to safeguard this right by vigorously enforcing key voting protections in order to prevent discriminatory changes to elections systems. We’re working closely with elected leaders across America to make more fair – and to modernize – our voting systems; to expand access and participation in the electoral process; and to prevent and punish fraudulent voting practices – however rare they may be.

Beyond this work, we’re moving – both fairly and aggressively – to promote the highest standards of integrity, independence, and transparency in the enforcement of all civil rights protections. We’re combating exploitation, discrimination, intimidation, and bias-motivated violence. And we’re taking significant measures to address repugnant practices like human trafficking – and to prevent the gun-, gang-, and drug-fueled violence that afflicts too many communities across the United States, and too often decimates the lives of our most vulnerable citizens: our children.

Last December, a horrific mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut took the lives of 20 young children and 6 adults. It shocked our entire nation, and captured headlines around the world. Just days later, I traveled to the school where these unspeakable acts took place. I walked the halls, saw the blood stains, and met with first responders and crime scene investigators. When those brave men and women asked me, with tears in their eyes, to do everything in my power to prevent such a thing from happening again, I told them I would not rest until we had secured the changes our citizens need – and kept the promise that we’ve made to all Americans whose lives have been shattered by gun violence.

For me, for President Obama, and for our colleagues throughout the Administration – responding to this senseless violence, and working to prevent future tragedies, constitutes a top priority. We remain determined to achieve common-sense changes to reduce gun-related crimes, to keep deadly weapons from falling into the wrong hands, and to make America’s neighborhoods and schools more secure. More broadly, we’re also seeking ways to improve America’s criminal justice system as a whole – and to promote public safety, deterrence, efficiency, and fairness at every level. We’re leading historic efforts to expand vital legal services for those who cannot afford them – and to ensure that quality legal representation is available, affordable, and accessible to everyone, regardless of status or income. We’re tackling criminal justice challenges that are common to countries around the world – by exploring strategies to address sentencing disparities; to tear down barriers that prevent formerly incarcerated individuals from rejoining their communities; to consider potential reforms of sentencing policies in order to afford more flexibility to judges; and to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, to deter, but also to rehabilitate – not simply to warehouse and to forget.

Above all – throughout the Justice Department I’m honored to lead, and across the American government in which I’m privileged to serve – we’re working to safeguard the rights of every individual, to stand up for the rule of law, to protect our citizens, and to advance the cause of justice. Although our concerns, and our approaches, may differ at times from the precise challenges that all of you are called to contend with – as leaders and future leaders here in New Zealand – I know our priorities and values will always be the same. And our values – our common values – must always be our guides. Our joint commitment, and the bonds of friendship that unite us, are stronger than ever before. And that’s why – as I look around this crowd – I can’t help but feel confident in our ability to build upon the work that’s underway in both our countries; to continue the progress that the Quintet has convened to carry forward; and to extend the tradition of excellence that has always defined this University – and that must continue to drive our ongoing pursuit of justice – in New Zealand, in the United States, and around the world.

In this work, I am grateful for your leadership – and partnership. I know I speak for all of my colleagues and counterparts when I say we are proud of you. We are eager to see what your generation will achieve – and where you will lead us – in the critical days ahead. We are optimistic about the future you will surely help to build. With the gifts you have been given, with the training you will receive at this wonderful institution, comes a profound responsibility that you must feel, now and always. A responsibility to make the world better, more fair and more accepting. You will have that power and a unique 21st century opportunity to make this so. Use it wisely and for the betterment of our world. You are the best and the brightest – I am counting on you all.

Thank you.

U.S.-SERBIA RELATIONS

FROM: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Belgrade, located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers, is the capital of the Republic of Serbia. The core of old Belgrade - known as Kalemegdan - is located along the right banks of both the Danube and the Sava Rivers (image center). To the west across the Sava, Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) was constructed following World War II. The difference in urban patterns between the older parts of Belgrade and Novi Beograd is striking in this astronaut photograph from the International Space Station. Novi Beograd has an open grid structure formed by large developments and buildings such as the Palace of Serbia - a large federal building constructed during the Yugoslav period, now used to house elements of the Serbian Government. By contrast, the older urban fabric of Belgrade is characterized by a denser street grid and numerous smaller structures. Other suburban and residential development (characterized by red rooftops) extends to the south, east, and across the Danube to the north. The location of Belgrade along trade and travel routes between the East and West contributed to both its historical success as a center of trade and its fate as a battleground. Today, the city is the financial center of Serbia, while Novi Beograd supports one of the largest business districts in southeastern Europe. Image courtesy of NASA.


FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Serbia
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Fact Sheet
April 30, 2013


Serbia occupies a key strategic juncture in the Balkans at the social, political, and geographic crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe. The United States seeks to strengthen its relationship with Serbia through deepening cooperation based on mutual interest and respect.

In 1999, the United States broke off relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), a predecessor state that included Serbia, when it launched an ethnic cleansing and deportation campaign against noncombatant citizens. This was followed by a bombing campaign of the FRY by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that lasted nearly 78 days until the FRY Government agreed to allow the establishment of a United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), which allowed displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes. The United States formally reopened its embassy to FRY in 2001. In 2003, the state union of Serbia and Montenegro succeeded the FRY, which in turn dissolved in 2006 when following a referendum Montenegro became independent. Following a UN-backed process to determine the province’s future status, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, which the U.S. recognized, but Serbia rejected. Consequently, Serbia withdrew its ambassador to the U.S. from February to October 2008. Pursuant to its constitution, the Government of Serbia still considers Kosovo to be part of its territory and has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, although more than 90 countries have done so.

In 2011, the European Union (EU) facilitated a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo to discuss practical issues, such as the mutual acceptance of university diplomas. Under the leadership of EU High Representative Ashton, the dialogue intensified in October 2012, as the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo began a series of meetings that led them to initial an agreement on northern Kosovo on April 19, 2013. That agreement, when implemented, will allow Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their relationship and continue on their paths toward European integration. The U.S. has fully supported this process since it began, and the U.S. will continue to support the efforts to implement the agreement. Reform and integration remain the pillars of the shared approach the United States has with the EU in the Balkans.

U.S. Assistance to Serbia

The U.S. Government's assistance goals in Serbia are to strengthen institutional capacity of key government bodies, promote transparency through the improvement of adherence to the rule of law, support civil society development, encourage efforts to strengthen regional stability, and create opportunities for economic growth.

Bilateral Economic Relations

In March 2012, Serbia was granted European Union candidate country status, and the European Council will decide on whether to grant Serbia a date to begin accession talks in June 2013. Serbia’s designation as an EU candidate, and progress that the Government of Serbia makes in meeting criteria for EU accession, could help spur renewed interest in the country both in terms of investment potential and as an export market for U.S. goods and services. Serbia also seeks to join the World Trade Organization. The country's accomplishments in modernizing legislation to conform to EU and international standards in nearly all areas affecting the economy, from intellectual property rights to foreign trade, have been impressive, but must continue.

Among the leading U.S. investors in Serbia are Philip Morris, Ball Packaging, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Cooper Tire and Van Drunen Farms. Many other leading U.S. firms, from a broad variety of industrial and service sectors, have a significant presence in Serbia. There has been increased interest from U.S. ICT companies in Serbia with specific emphasis on opportunities in e-government, cloud computing, digitization, systems integration and IT security. Microsoft recently signed a $34 million contract to provide software to Serbian Government offices.

Serbia's Membership in International Organizations

Serbia and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Serbia is a member of the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace.