U.S. CONDEMNS TERRORIST ACTS IN BEIRUT

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Acts of Terrorism in Beirut
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 19, 2012

The United States condemns in the strongest terms the acts of terrorism that took place in Beirut’s Achrafieh neighborhood today. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who were killed.

The assassination of the Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, who was a strong defender of Lebanon’s security and its people, is a dangerous sign that there are those who continue to seek to undermine Lebanon’s stability. Lebanon must close the chapter of its past and bring an end to impunity for political assassinations and other politically motivated violence. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and respect for Lebanon’s stability and security.

The United States remains committed to an independent, sovereign, and stable Lebanon. We will continue to work with our partners to preserve Lebanon’s security and stability.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT ON MERCURY POLLUTION AGREEMENT

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
The United States Applauds the Adoption of the First Global Agreement to Reduce Mercury Pollution
Press Statement
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Washington, DC
January 31, 2013

The United States is pleased to have worked with more than one hundred and forty other governments to adopt an historic agreement on mercury that will help protect not only the health of the U.S. public, but human health and the environment all over the world. Mercury warrants global attention due to its long-range atmospheric transport, its persistence in the environment, and its significant negative effect on human health and the environment. Mercury exposure is a major public health threat, particularly for children and women of child-bearing age. Mercury can damage or impair the functioning of nerve tissue and even permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetus. According to most estimates, global sources contribute at least 70 percent of total U.S. mercury deposition.

The agreement, known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, calls for the reduction of mercury emissions to the air and a decrease in the use of mercury in products and industrial processes. It will help reduce the supply of mercury by, among other things, ending primary mercury mining. The Convention will ensure environmentally sound storage of mercury and disposal of waste. The agreement also calls on governments to address the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining, which uses and releases large amounts of mercury.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of these negotiations. Transboundary air emissions are a significant global challenge that no single country can solve on its own," said Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Kerri-Ann Jones. "This agreement is an enormous success that will allow us to work together in coming years with countries around the world to make a meaningful difference in addressing mercury pollution."

The Minamata Convention negotiations ended in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 19, following four years of negotiation efforts. The convention will be open for signature at a Diplomatic Conference in Japan in October. The name of the convention pays respect to Minamata, the Japanese city that experienced severe mercury pollution in the mid-20^{th century. Many local citizens of Minamata suffered from a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning, which became known as Minamata disease, from consuming contaminated fish and shellfish from Minamata Bay.}

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND GLOBAL ADVANCEMENT OF RIGHTS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Girls Globally
Press Statement
Washington, DC
January 31, 2013
　

The Obama Administration has made it clear that advancing the rights of women and girls is critical to the foreign policy of the United States. This is a matter of national security as much as it is an issue of morality or fairness. President Obama’s National Security Strategy explicitly recognizes that "countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women are accorded full and equal rights and opportunity. When those rights and opportunities are denied, countries lag behind."

That’s why I’m so pleased about the Presidential Memorandum that President Obama signed yesterday, which institutionalizes an elevated focus on global women’s issues at the State Department and USAID and ensures coordination on these issues across the federal government. And it is so important that incoming Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed his support for the continued elevation of these issues in our foreign policy.

As I have said many times, protecting and advancing the rights of women are critical to solving virtually every challenge we face as individual nations and as a community of nations. We have made great progress, but there is more to do. This is the unfinished business of the 21st Century, and it is essential that it remains central to our foreign policy for years to come.

REPUBLIC OF NARU'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

 

Map:  Republic Of Naru.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Republic of Nauru's Independence Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 29, 2013

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of the Republic of Nauru on the 45th anniversary of your Independence this January 31.

Our two countries share a long history of friendship and cooperation on a broad range of issues, from strengthening regional security, to mitigating the environmental threats posed by climate change, to protecting fisheries and wildlife. Today, we are working together to strengthen democracy and build bridges of respect and friendship between nations around the world.

As you celebrate this special day, know that the United States stands with you in the spirit of our shared values and continuing cooperation. Congratulations and warmest wishes for peace and prosperity in the year to come.

Locator Map Of The Republic Of Naru.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON'S LAST TOWN HALL MEETING WITH STATE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at Final Town Hall Meeting With Department of State Personnel
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Dean Acheson Auditorium
Washington, DC
January 30, 2013
　

Thank you. Thank you. Oh, boy. This is an incredible experience for me. I thank you for joining me and I know that other rooms are filled to capacity and there is a big crowd that is outside in the hallway and hello to everyone watching on BNET or online.

I have to begin by saying I’m here with a full heart. These last four years have been a remarkable honor and experience for me, and that is thanks to all of you, to the professionals, men and women who get up every day and work for the State Department and USAID on behalf of our common mission and values and the country that we love. Every day during my tenure over the last four years, whether I was in Washington or in some remote corner of the world, I have been so proud of your dedication, your professionalism, your ingenuity, your integrity. And you have big jobs to do here and you do them superbly. So I am proud to have been a colleague, to leave here as a very grateful member of the team.

I walked into the door of the State Department more than four years ago now determined to elevate diplomacy and development as pillars of our foreign policy alongside defense, because I was convinced they were critical for solving problems and seizing opportunities worldwide. And I will walk out the door this Friday even more convinced of that because of the work that we have done together during some challenging and even tumultuous times.

We have faced all manners of events, from democratic revolutions in North Africa, to earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, to the end of the war in Iraq, the beginning of the transition in Afghanistan, the rebuilding of the global economy, breakthroughs in places like Burma and Somalia, the signing of a New START Treaty, and on and on. Diplomacy and development have been vital to these and so many other efforts that we have undertaken together.

And as I’ve looked back over the past four years, I think, through it all, we have remained focused on our long term goals: advancing American interests, defending universal values, protecting our security, helping more people in more places live up to their God-given potential. And along the way we’ve lost friends and loved ones. Some, like Richard Holbrooke and Chris Stevens, were giants of American diplomacy. Others were men and women, many far too young, with long futures ahead of them, so much promise and passion. All of them were patriots, and we honor their memories by carrying forward this important work.

Our current efforts to improve security and implement the recommendations of the recent Accountability Review Board are part of a broader push to strengthen both State and USAID. I’m also very proud to have overseen the first QDDR, which identifies ways in which our agencies could become more effective, more innovative for the future. Many of the QDDR recommendations are already in place, such as our increased focus on economic statecraft and energy, the steps we’ve taken on global security and justice issues, new strategies to address climate change, and everything we’ve done to integrate women and girls into our policies.

And just a few days ago, we appointed a sanctions coordinator to focus on governments like Iran and Syria and North Korea. Now, these steps are smart, sensible, and suited to today’s world. I believe they’ve already made State and USAID stronger. The same goes for the investments we’ve made in training and mentoring our workforce. The new job opportunities we’ve created, the improvements we’ve made in recruitment, all the other steps we’ve taken to ensure we are finding the most talented people out there for the Foreign Service and the Civil Service and giving them, giving you, the professional support you need to thrive.

Now, many other steps outlined in the QDDR are in the process of being implemented, and now we need to make sure that the QDDR itself continues, because I’ve always said that the Q is the most important letter in that recitation. Last year, we came close to having Congress pass legislation that would mandate future reviews, just as the Defense Department has done for many years. In fact, John Kerry himself introduced that legislation, so I’m confident that he will carry on this work. Congress would be wise to pass the QDDR because it does make State and USAID stronger, and thereby making our nation stronger.

Four years ago when I sat across the table up in the Senate from my then-Senate colleagues at my own confirmation hearing, I said I was thrilled to be considered for the role of Secretary, but also sad about leaving a place that I had loved also and all the people that I cared for so much there and in New York, the state that I was so privileged to represent. Now I find myself feeling the exact same way. I am looking forward to the next chapter. It’s like one of those books you buy that has blank pages.

And I know I’m leaving the Department in excellent hands. John Kerry was a very accomplished senator, and he will be the same as Secretary of State. He brings judgment, experience, vision, and a deep understanding, because of his own family with his father having been in the Foreign Service, to what diplomacy requires.

But I am very sad to leave all of you and to leave behind the institution here where I have been so proud to serve on behalf of the American people. It will be very hard over the next few days to say goodbye to the terrific men and women at State and USAID because I will truly miss you. I will miss the incredible sense of commitment that you bring to the work we do, the exacting standards you hold yourselves and others to, the fun that we’ve occasionally had in traveling and working together. But I will mostly be very proud and grateful that I had the chance to be the 67th Secretary of State. I will look forward to doing my part from the outside to try to stand up for and explain why this is such important work and to always feel that I am in some way connected to you and to that work’s continuity.

STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REMARK'S ON 'EMERGING GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER'

Photo:  Taj Mahal.  Credit:  U.S. State Department.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

The New Emerging Global Economic Order: Taking the U.S.-India Example
Remarks
Robert D. Hormats
Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs
Agra, India
January 28, 2013
As prepared for delivery

Thank you for that wonderful greeting. I am honored to accept your invitation to participate in the Partnership 2013 Summit. For me this is an excellent opportunity to learn from so many distinguished women and men from across India and from around the world. To be back in Agra, against the backdrop of one of the great works of art and love of mankind, the TajMahal, is a distinct and profound pleasure. I am always happy to be in India. On Saturday, I fulfilled a long held wish, when I was able to witness Republic Day in all of its splendor. It is a remarkable event that I will long remember.

I first came to India as a young man. I traveled the Grand Trunk Road and discovered for myself "incredible India" – long before that term became a common one. My month-long journey on buses and trains – and sometimes on top of buses and trains – was one I have never forgotten. I saw up close and in action this country’s vibrant democracy, and rich, diverse, creative society. I was left with a deep and enduring affection for both India’s people and its indomitable spirit.

It is common knowledge that we are in the midst of an historic realignment in the locus of economic growth and demographics globally. Emerging economies in South and East Asia in particular are making, and are projected to continue to make, historical gains.Some in the developed world may find this threatening. I view the growing regional linkages and rapid economic growth in Asia as an opportunity to expand the economic pie and create additional growth for all.

A New Silk Road linking Central and South Asia as well as an Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor linking the rapidly expanding economies of South and Southeast Asia would help unlock and expand markets for global goods and services.

I will speak more about regional economic integration on Wednesday, in Delhi. But today I want to focus on the role industrialized countries and emerging economies can play together in the rapidly changing global economic order.

I believe nations like mine can seize this opportunity to develop new sets of cooperative relations with emerging economies to increase trade, encourage closer cultural ties, boost energy production and reliability, address environmental challenges, and improve global stability. We seek new partnerships to address the needs of the 21st century.

The burgeoning U.S.-India economic relationship is a prime example of how this is unfolding. I am not a believer in a zero sum game. The more we, and other nations represented here, can cooperate in ensuring a fair, transparent, rules based trading and financial system, with broadly shared responsibility, the more we all will prosper. The New Global Economic Order will require both the utilization of current institutions, but also pragmatic bilateral and regional cooperation.

The depth and breadth of U.S.-India ties make this relationship a model for discussing Global Partnerships for Enduring Growth – the theme of our conference. I’d like to discuss why we take this relationship so seriously.

As President Obama told the Indian parliament last year, the relationship between India and America will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, rooted in common values and interests. We not only welcome India as a strong and influential participant in the world economy, we fully support it. I would say the same about the nations of ASEAN and others in this region. Indeed, we see ASEAN and India as two of the strongest pillars of the global economies in the 21st century.

When people ask why the United States is so interested in expanding its ties with India, my response is three-fold – One, our ties make geo-strategic sense. Two, they make geo-economic sense. And three, and most importantly, our citizens will benefit from it.

In India, Prime Minister Singh has labeled this the "Decade of Innovation." He concurrently established the National Innovation Council to create policies that support medium-to-long term innovation in India. As the Government of India notes in its draft National IPR strategy, "for innovation to create any impact, it is imperative to take the idea from the mind to the laboratory to the market."But to do that, innovators in areas such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, and clean energy need assurance that their ideas will be protected throughout that process. This is not only for them. It encourages more innovation and investment in these and other sectors. That is why we strongly support working together with India and other nations of Asia to ensure a strong intellectual property rights system that will encourage high-technology innovations, providing wide-spread benefits to all of our nations.

We also encouragethe Indian government and all of our trading partners to considera range of market-based solutions that can better support jobs and growth, while creating a level playing field.Predictable and clear policies will encourage businesses to expand, and to devote the long-term capital and resources required for further growth.Working together, the United States and India can realize the kind of innovation our leaders envision.Science, technology, and the environment are areas characterized by mutual interest and expanding cooperation.

Our collaborative effort in agriculture includes efforts to stop food loss between the farmer and the consumer, increasing prosperity for both. Such losses are enormous and a great tragedy. This can be prevented by cold chain storage and other methods. Companies are willing to invest in such systems if given the right opportunities and a welcoming environment.

On the investment side, the U.S. and Indian governments have engaged in Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) negotiations. We’re aiming for a BIT that gives a high level of openness to investment across the economy, provides strong rules on investor protection and transparency, and offers effective means for resolving investment disputes.Our S&T cooperation includes cutting edge work in space science, where we work together on Earth observation satellite projects that help us predict monsoon patterns and respond to natural disasters.

The Clean Energy Finance Center in New Delhi represents U.S. agencies that have mobilized more than $1.7 billion for clean energy projects in India, working in tandem with Indian government and industry partners. We both benefit from our comprehensive strategic dialogue on energy, in light of dramatic changes in technology and in the global energy market . This dialogue takes on even more importancewith the growing role of the Indian Ocean in global energy shipments, regional energy and maritime security, growing power needs, and sustainable clean energy objectives. We seek a broader and deeper dialogue on energy, for similar reasons, with countries in south and east Asia. We do not see the American energy boom as a reason to pull back from engagement, but as an opportunity to expand mutually beneficial engagement.
In addition to business connections, people to people connections are one of our strongest links.

More than 12,000 American alumni of Indian institutions are part of our efforts to strengthen and broaden relations with India.So are the more than three million Indian-Americans living in the United States. And last year, over 100,000 Indian students came to the U.S. to study.

With the increasing connectivity of our universities, our businesses, and our civil societies, we are seeing more engagement than ever. And I think thatincreasingly,state-level and city-level leadersin both countries, see great opportunities for their citizens from new city-to-city and state-to-state partnerships. Theseare creating the next generation, and a deeper level, of economic diplomacy. More and more international economic diplomacy will be the work of mayors, governors, chief ministers and their teams.

For example:

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Chauhan recently visited the U.S. to describe his state’s ambitious agriculture reforms, including loan guarantees to farmers, improving irrigation, and "a single window system" for expeditious foreign investment approvals;

• CII—our hosts today—recently brought a delegation of business leaders from the state of Jammu & Kashmir to visit several U.S. cities. J&K has developed cold chain infrastructure with the help of U.S. partners that preserves apples as they go from farm to market, much as Tamil Nadu has done for bananas. Both are very positive examples;

• Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear just announced a 25-year coal deal between American companies and India;

• Washington state’s Governor Christine Gregoire has established partnerships in energy, life sciences, and film; and

• City mayors like San Antonio’s dynamicJulian Castro—who will also be participating at this summit tomorrow—are building ties with new and existing India partners.

• Our Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley led a trade mission to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and New Delhi. Thisrepresented the largest ever state trade mission to India. Because Maryland is my home state I am especially proud of this.

In the Third U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, Secretary Clinton welcomed Minister Krishna’s proposal for a "Conversation Between Cities" to take place in 2013 to address "urban challenges and solutions in the 21st Century."

Our states and our cities are the real laboratory test tubes of democracy and creative economic policy —where our citizens are in close and direct contact with their local governments, where our entrepreneurs establish and develop new business that drive employment, and where our institutions of higher education help us all enhance our skills and retrain for new opportunities.
So the robust connections between Indian and American states and cities are a welcome commercial development, and offer both countries more ways to take the strategic partnership to an even more ambitious level. We seek to do the same with others in this region.

While we have come far, we still have more work to do to ensure this relationship achieves its potential. The United States is enormously optimistic about India’s future –

(1) that India’s greater role on the world stage will enhance peace and security;

(2) thatfurther opening India’s markets will pave the way to greater regional and global prosperity;

(3) that Indian advances in science and technology will improve lives and advance human knowledge everywhere; and

(4) that India’s vibrant, pluralistic democracy – where the rights of men and women are equally represented and both have an equal opportunity to succeed and contribute – will produce measurable results and improvements for its citizens.

But our governments cannot assume the relationship will be self-sustaining without mutual effort. This is the challenge we all face today. We have the opportunity to establish a framework for enduring growth for our two countries. And all of our countries together need to establish a series of bilateral and regional partnership for Central Asia, for East Asia, and for connections between them. Now each of us individually and – all of us– need to take the next steps to ensure that this process continues and strengthens.

U.S.-CURACAO RELATIONS



Map:  Curacao.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Curacao has semi-autonomy within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It conducts foreign affairs, including with the United States, through the Netherlands, whose embassies and consulates issue visas for travel to the island.

Tourism and financial services are mainstays of Curacao’s economy. Approximately 800,000 tourists per year visit Curacao, with almost 25% of those from the United States. Oil refining is a key part of the economy; most of the refined products are exported to the U.S. The U.S. is a major supplier of consumer and capital goods imported by Curacao. In 2010, the U.S. accounted for 40% of Curacao's exports and 37% of Curacao's imports.

The U.S. Consulate General in Curacao is responsible for the day-to-day management of relations with the Dutch Caribbean, which includes Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. Due to the strategic location of the Dutch Caribbean for the United States, the consulate deals with issues such as securing U.S. borders, countering terrorism, and fighting international crime, especially narcotics trafficking and human trafficking. The consulate provides a variety of services to U.S. citizens; it also can issue non-immigrant visas for certain travelers to the U.S. who wish to visit, work, or study for a temporary period.

The consulate was opened in 1793. It was one of the earliest U.S. consulates, reflecting the importance of Caribbean trade to the new United States. The Consul General resides in the historic Roosevelt House, which was the local government's gift of property to the United States in 1950 as an expression of gratitude for U.S. protection during World War II.
　



Locator Map: Curacao. Credit: CIA World Factbook.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Originally settled by Arawak Indians, Curacao was seized by the Dutch in 1634 along with the neighboring island of Bonaire. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, Curacao was hard hit economically by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of the Isla Refineria to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. In 1954, Curacao and several other Dutch Caribbean possessions were reorganized as the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In referenda in 2005 and 2009, the citizens of Curacao voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The change in status became effective in October 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON MAKES REMARKS AT LAUNCH OF 100,000 STRONG FOUNDATION

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at Launch of the 100,000 Strong Foundation
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Ben Franklin Room
Washington, DC
January 24, 2013
　

Thank you. Well, we’re all getting a little emotional and sentimental around here – (laughter) – with about a little over a week to go in my tenure. And I am so pleased to welcome all of you here. I see many, many familiar faces and some good friends in this audience.

And I particularly want to thank Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell for driving not only this program, but so much that we have accomplished in the last four years to deepen and strengthen our relationship with China and others in the region, but particularly with China, as it is such a consequential relationship, one that we believe so strongly in. Ambassador Zhang, once again, welcome to the State Department. Because it is, for us, a way of making clear that our relations, government-to-government, are obviously essential. But it is those people-to-people ties that are going to determine the quality of the relationship for the future.

Our engagement with China today deals with a wide range of the most pressing challenges and the most exciting opportunities. And when we began looking at ways to make our exchanges with China more productive, we of course ramped up our diplomatic engagement. We took delegations of investors and entrepreneurs to China. We institutionalized the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. We are very clear that what we’ve tried to build, an architecture that will stand the test of time regardless of what is going on in either of our countries, has been an essential effort.

And in 2010, we launched the 100,000 Strong Initiative. And as Kurt said, this is aimed at increasing the number of American students studying in China to 100,000 over four years. We focused on student exchanges because we believe that the future is very clearly in the hands of the young people of both of our countries. And the more we can foster exchanges and understanding, mutual trust, the better off not only the relationship will be, but each of our countries individually. We have to have far more than conversations with diplomats or journalists or leaders or businesspeople. There’s nothing more important than trying to build a structure of exchanges between us when it comes to students and other young people.

Now, we’ve made tremendous progress since 2010. We’ve already expanded study abroad programs. We’ve supported scholarship funds to help American students from underserved communities study in China. We’ve worked with EducationUSA to provide tools and resources for Chinese students seeking to study here. And the number of students coming between our two countries continues to grow. But we still have a lot of room for improvement.

So I’m happy today that we’re launching a permanent, independent nonprofit organization focused not only on our goal of 100,000 American students in China by 2014, but on continuing to strengthen the student exchanges for years to come. And I’m so grateful to all of our State Department partners who are here today who have helped put the 100,000 Strong Foundation together.

As I think back on the four years that I’ve been privileged to serve as Secretary of State, there are moments that just jump out of my memory bank. And one of them is when I finally got to our pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which, as a number of you know, I am very proud to be called the mother of whenever I go to China because of the circumstances in which it was birthed. (Laughter.) But when I did get there for this magnificent expo that had been built up with pavilions from around the world and a magnificent Chinese pavilion, I was thrilled that the main attraction of our USA Pavilion were American students who had been studying Chinese, who were our designated hosts and greeters.

And I had the best time watching long lines of Chinese citizens who were coming to see our pavilion like they had been coming to see all of the pavilions looking surprised when some little African American girl would come up and start talking to them in Chinese, or some big tall Hispanic youngster would give them directions about how to go through the pavilion, or some other child – child; I’m so old, they’re all children – (laughter) – but some other student would come up and say something similar. And it was wonderful to watch the interchange. And I talked to some of the students. "Where were you from?" "Oh, from LA." "Where are you from?" "Oh, from New York City." And so many of these young people were first-generation college students in America who had just become taken with China, and so they were studying Chinese and now they were there as official representatives of the United States Government.

I say that because that’s what we want to see more of. We want to see Chinese youngsters here, American youngsters in China, and we want to see them breaking down the barriers that exist between any peoples from different cultures and experiences and histories and backgrounds. And I think that will happen because in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago, young people in both China and the United States are global citizens. They are communicating with new tools of technology that were not even dreamt of a decade ago. And so they are already building cyber or Internet relationships, and we want to give them a chance to form the real deal – getting to know each other, getting to understand each other.

So I’m thrilled that we’re announcing this foundation. I thank everyone here at the State Department and all of our partners who are making this possible. And I’m also very excited because this is a perfect example of a public-private partnership, and nobody does it better than the United States. We really are good at this because we have a long tradition of understanding that we have to have both government action and government involvement, but where most of life takes place in our country is not there; it’s outside of government. It’s in these other institutions – colleges and universities, foundations and philanthropies, individual efforts of all kind. So we are deeply grateful that you have understood our vision for 100,000 Strong and are making it a reality.

And with that, let me turn it back to Assistant Secretary Campbell. Thank you all. (Applause.)

U.S. PROVIDING ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance for the Syria Crisis
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 25, 2013
　

Today in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, & Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg announced that the United States is providing an additional $10 million in humanitarian assistance in response to urgent needs resulting from the brutal conflict in Syria. This new funding will supply enough flour to bakeries in Aleppo to provide daily bread for approximately 210,000 people in need for the next five months. With this new assistance, the United States is providing $220 million to date to help those suffering inside Syria and refugees in the neighboring countries.

This latest assistance is part of an additional, significant funding package that the United States plans to announce at the United Nations high-level donors conference in Kuwait on January 30.

With this additional $10 million, the United States is taking action in response to heightened flour shortages, an alarming lack of bread, and rising hunger. Many bakeries have had to close down because the Assad regime has cut off flour and fuel. The United States recognizes bread as a mainstay of Syrian daily life, and this new program is focused on getting 50 bakeries back up and running to provide life-saving food to the Syrian people.


The United States remains committed to supporting humanitarian assistance for all Syrians in need throughout the country’s 14 governorates, and to working with a wide range of international partners and Syrian humanitarian organizations, whose dedicated staff are taking great risks to ensure aid is directly reaching those in need. The U.S. government is coordinating closely with the Syrian Opposition Coalition in helping identify and locate those in need where access is constrained.


The announcement was made during the visit of a high-level U.S. delegation to the region to ensure sustained U.S. government support for those suffering as a result of the Assad regime’s brutality. The delegation also includes Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard.


The U.S. delegation commended the generosity of the Government of Turkey and the Turkish people, and recognized the Turkish Red Crescent for its tireless efforts to provide protection and assistance to Syrians affected by the crisis.

ECONOMIC SECURITY IN HAITI

Map:  Haiti.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Fast Facts on the U.S. Government's Work in Haiti: Economic Security
Fact Sheet
Office of the Haiti Special Coordinator
January 22, 2013
 
The Challenge


Even before the earthquake, Haiti faced significant challenges to economic security. Its economy is primarily driven by informal micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which generate up to 80 percent of new jobs. However, informal MSMEs have difficulties accessing financing from formal institutions, thus limiting their ability to grow. The wide-scale damage caused by the earthquake further exacerbated the situation, disrupting businesses and destroying stores and other infrastructure. Estimates indicate that 40 percent of the Haitian population is unemployed.

USG Strategy

Economic security is predicated on people having secure livelihoods. The U.S. Government is helping the Haitian government in its goal of creating jobs, with a corresponding increase in household incomes, savings, and other assets―resulting in increased economic security. To achieve this goal, the U.S. Government is:
Helping the Government of Haiti to attract foreign direct investment;
Supporting value chains related to foreign direct investment and U.S. Government investments, such as energy, health, and housing;
Working with local financial institutions and investment opportunities to increase access to finance; and
Supporting efforts to increase tax and customs revenue generation. Since 2008, U.S. trade preferences for Haiti have contributed to the creation of 8,000 apparel sector jobs.
Accomplishments

The U.S. Department of Treasury is providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Finance to improve budgeting, tax collection, and debt management in the public sector. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is carrying out the private-sector U.S. Government strategy by creating jobs in targeted sectors and increasing access to capital from formal sources to stimulate growth and job opportunities. So far, we have:
Provided support valued at more than $12million to more than 30 microfinance institutions to increase lending to underserved populations and MSMEs in several sectors.
Contributed to more than 15,000 agricultural loans for farmers to improve crop production and agricultural cooperatives to access markets directly. Crops include mango, cocoa, plantain, corn, rice, and beans.
Partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the first mobile money service in Haiti. After reaching 5 million transactions as of June 2012, the initiative is now focused on facilitating mobile money use by various stakeholders, including the Government of Haiti and the private sector, in order to ensure sustainability.
Supported a business plan competition, leveraging private investments and using a grant matching mechanism of up to $200,000 for each competition winner to enable the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to scale up their entrepreneurial ideas. Through this competition 22 SMEs received Technical Assistance, of which four were selected to receive matching funds to expand their operations. These businesses will create more than 240 additional jobs.
Finalized four new Development Credit Authority (DCA) guarantees, which will stimulate up to $30 million in loans by local commercial banks, microfinance institutions and credit unions. The guarantees will exist over a nine-year period and contribute to rebuilding the private sector by increasing local lending to MSMEs and out-of-reach populations.
　

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON'S BENGHAZI STATEMENT TO SENATE

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Benghazi: The Attacks and the Lessons Learned
Testimony
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Testimony Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Washington, DC
January 23, 2013

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the committee, both older and new. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I thank you very much for your patience to give me the chance to come and address these issues with you.

As both the Chairman and the Ranking Member have said, the terrorist attacks in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 that claimed the lives of four brave Americans – Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty – are part of a broader strategic challenge to the United States and our partners in North Africa. Today, I want briefly to offer some context for this challenge, share what we’ve learned, how we are protecting our people, and where we can work together to not only honor our fallen colleagues, but continue to champion America’s interests and values.

Any clear-eyed examination of this matter must begin with this sobering fact: Since 1988, there have been 19 Accountability Review Boards investigating attacks on American diplomats and their facilities. Benghazi joins a long list of tragedies for our Department, for other agencies, and for America: hostages taken in Tehran in 1979, our Embassy and Marine barracks bombed in Beirut in 1983, Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996, our embassies in East Africa in 1998, consulate staff murdered in Jeddah in 2004, the Khost attack in 2009, and too many others. Since 1977, 65 American diplomatic personnel have been killed by terrorists.

Now of course, the list of attacks foiled, crises averted, and lives saved is even longer. We should never forget that our security professionals get it right more than 99 percent of the time, against difficult odds all over the world. That’s why, like my predecessors, I literally trust them with my life.

Let’s also remember that administrations of both parties, in partnership with Congress, have made concerted and good faith efforts to learn from these attacks and deaths to implement recommendations from the review boards, to seek the necessary resources, and to do better in protecting our people from what has become constantly evolving threats. That is the least that the men and women who serve our country deserve. It’s what, again, we are doing now with your help. As Secretary, I have no higher priority and no greater responsibility.

As I have said many times, I take responsibility, and nobody is more committed to getting this right. I am determined to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger, and more secure.

Now, taking responsibility meant moving quickly in those first uncertain hours and days to respond to the immediate crisis, but also to further protect our people and posts in high-threat areas across the region and the world. It meant launching an independent investigation to determine exactly what happened in Benghazi and to recommend steps for improvement. And it meant intensifying our efforts to combat terrorism and figure out effective ways to support the emerging democracies in North Africa and beyond.

Let me share some of the lessons we’ve learned, the steps we’ve taken, and the work we continue to do.

First, let’s start on the night of September 11th itself and those difficult early days. I directed our response from the State Department, stayed in close contact with officials from across our government and the Libyan Government. So I saw firsthand what Ambassador Pickering and former Chairman Mike Mullen called timely and exceptional coordination; no delays in decision making, no denials of support from Washington or from our military. And I want to echo the Review Board’s praise for the valor and courage of our people on the ground, especially the security professionals in Benghazi and Tripoli. The board said the response saved American lives in real time, and it did.

The very next morning, I told the American people that heavily armed militants assaulted our compound, and I vowed to bring them to justice. And I stood with President Obama in the Rose Garden as he spoke of an act of terror.

It’s also important to recall that in that same period, we were seeing violent attacks on our embassies in Cairo, Sana’a, Tunis, Khartoum, as well as large protests outside many other posts where thousands of our diplomats serve. So I immediately ordered a review of our security posture around the world, with particular scrutiny for high-threat posts. I asked the Department of Defense to join Interagency Security Assessment Teams and to dispatch hundreds of additional Marine Security Guards. I named the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for High Threat Posts so missions in dangerous places get the attention they need. And we reached out to Congress to help address physical vulnerabilities, including risk from fire, and to hire additional Diplomatic Security personnel.

Second, even as we took these steps, I hurried to appoint the Accountability Review Board led by Ambassador Pickering and Admiral Mullen so we could more fully understand from objective, independent examination what went wrong and how to fix it.

I have accepted every one of their recommendations. I asked the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources to lead a task force to ensure that all 29 of them are implemented quickly and completely, as well as pursuing additional steps above and beyond the recommendations.

I also pledged in my letter to you last month that implementation would begin, and it has. Our task force started by translating the recommendations into 64 specific action items. They were assigned to bureaus and offices with clear timelines for completion. Eighty-five percent are now on track to be completed by the end of March; a number are already completed. And we will use this opportunity to take a top-to-bottom look and rethink how we make decisions on where, when and whether people operate in high-threat areas, and then how we respond to threats and crises.

We are initiating an annual High Threat Post Review chaired by the Secretary of State, and ongoing reviews by the Deputy Secretaries, to ensure that pivotal questions about security do reach the highest levels. We will regularize protocols for sharing information with Congress. These are designed to increase the safety of our diplomats and development experts and reduce the chances of another Benghazi happening again.

We’ve also been moving forward on a third front: addressing the broader strategic challenge in North Africa and the wider region, because, after all, Benghazi did not happen in a vacuum. The Arab revolutions have scrambled power dynamics and shattered security forces across the region. Instability in Mali has created an expanding safe haven for terrorists who look to extend their influence and plot further attacks of the kind we saw just last week in Algeria.

And let me offer our deepest condolences to the families of the Americans and all the people from many nations who were killed and injured in that recent hostage crisis. We are in close touch with the Government of Algeria. We stand ready to provide assistance. We are seeking to gain a fuller understanding of what took place so we can work together with Algerians and others to prevent such terrorist attacks in the future.

Concerns about terrorism and instability in North Africa are of course not new. They have been a top priority for the entire Administration’s national security team. But we have been facing a rapidly changing threat environment, and we have had to keep working at ways to increase pressure on al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and the other terrorist groups in the region.

In the first hours and days, I conferred with leaders – the President of Libya, Foreign Ministers of Tunisia and Morocco – and then I had a series of meetings at the United Nations General Assembly where there was a special meeting focused on Mali and the Sahel. In October, I flew to Algeria to discuss the fight against AQIM. In November, I sent Deputy Secretary Bill Burns to follow up in Algiers. And then in December, in my stead, he co-chaired an organization we started to respond to some of these threats: the Global Counterterrorism Forum, which was meeting in Abu Dhabi, as well as a meeting in Tunis of leaders working to build new democracies and reform security services.

We have focused on targeting al-Qaida’s syndicate of terror – closing safe havens, cutting off finances, countering extremist ideology, slowing the flow of new recruits. And we continue to hunt the terrorists responsible for the attacks in Benghazi and are determined to bring them to justice. We are using our diplomatic and economic tools to support these emerging democracies and to strengthen security forces and help provide a path away from extremism.

But let me underscore the importance of the United States continuing to lead in the Middle East, in North Africa, and around the world. We’ve come a long way in the past four years, and we cannot afford to retreat now. When America is absent, especially from unstable environments, there are consequences. Extremism takes root; our interests suffer; our security at home is threatened.

That’s why I sent Chris Stevens to Benghazi in the first place. Nobody knew the dangers better than Chris, first during the revolution, then during the transition. A weak Libyan Government, marauding militias, terrorist groups; a bomb exploded in the parking lot of his hotel, but he did not waver. Because he understood it was critical for America to be represented there at that time.

Our men and women who serve overseas understand that we accept a level of risk to protect the country we love. And they represent the best traditions of a bold and generous nation. They cannot work in bunkers and do their jobs. So it is our responsibility to make sure they have the resources they need, and to do everything we can to reduce the risks.

For me, this is not just a matter of policy. It’s personal. I stood next to President Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews. I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, the sisters and brothers, the sons and daughters, and the wives left alone to raise their children.

It has been one of the great honors of my life to lead the men and women of the State Department and USAID. Nearly 70,000 serving here in Washington; more than 270 posts around the world. They get up and go to work every day, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances, because they believe, as we believe, the United States is the most extraordinary force for peace and progress the world has ever known.

And when we suffer tragedies overseas, as we have, the number of Americans applying to the Foreign Service actually increases. That tells us everything we need to know about what kind of patriots I’m talking about. They do ask what they can do for their country, and America is stronger for it.

So today, after four years in this job, traveling nearly a million miles, visiting 112 countries, my faith in our country and our future is stronger than ever. Every time that blue and white airplane carrying the words "United States of America" touches down in some far-off capital, I feel again the honor it is to represent the world’s indispensible nation. And I am confident that, with your help, we will keep the United States safe, strong, and exceptional.

So I want to thank this committee for your partnership and your support of diplomats and development experts. You know the importance of the work they do day in and day out. You know that America’s values and vital national security interests are at stake. And I appreciate what Ranking Member Corker just said: It is absolutely critical that this committee and the State Department, with your new Secretary and former Chairman, work together to really understand and address the resources, support, and changes that are needed to face what are increasingly complex threats.

I know you share my sense of responsibility and urgency, and while we all may not agree on everything, let’s stay focused on what really matters: protecting our people and the country we love. And thank you for the support you personally have given to me over the last four years.

U.S. DISAPPOINTED WITH SUDAN-SOUTH SUDAN PROGRESS ON AGREEMENTS

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Implementation of Agreements Long Overdue
Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 22, 2013

The United States remains disappointed that the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan have failed to make significant progress to implement the September 27 agreements despite a recommitment to implementation by Presidents Bashir and Kiir of Sudan and South Sudan.

Specifically, the Government of Sudan’s intent to postpone the restart of oil production until the implementation of security arrangements is complete runs counter to the fundamental principles of the cooperation accord and continues to undermine the economic and security situation in both states. Continued delay in resolving outstanding issues, particularly in accepting and implementing the African Union-endorsed proposal on the final status of the disputed region of Abyei, further undermines the peace process.

The Government of Sudan continues to suggest its fundamental security interests must be guaranteed in order to move forward on implementing the 27 September agreements and resolving the conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile ("Two Areas"). However, security will only come if Sudan cooperates with South Sudan and begins direct talks with the SPLM-N to address the Two Areas conflict. Lack of resolution on this issue prevents normalized relations between Sudan and South Sudan and compounds the current human rights and humanitarian emergency.

The African Union and United Nations must stand firm and demand that the parties urgently uphold their commitments to avert this threat to regional peace and stability.

INTERNAL POLITICAL DIALOGUE ANNOUNCED BY BAHRAIN

Manama, the capital of Bahrain, seen from a distance. Its wealth is based on financial services, petroleum, ship repair, and tourism; one of its shopping malls, the Seef (Souk), has luxury apartments and five-star hotels. From: CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Bahrain Announces Dialogue
Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 22, 2013

The United States welcomes His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s call to launch an inclusive, comprehensive political dialogue in Bahrain. We are encouraged by the positive responses thus far from some of Bahrain’s political groups. We call on all sides to participate fully and to engage constructively in an effort to produce a way ahead that responds to the legitimate aspirations of all Bahrainis.
　

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

In 1783, the Sunni Al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. In addition, the Sunni-led government has struggled to manage relations with its large Shia-majority population. During the mid-to-late 1990s, Shia activists mounted a low-intensity uprising to demand that the Sunni-led government stop systemic economic, social, and political discrimination against Shia Bahrainis. King HAMAD bin Isa Al-Khalifa, after succeeding his late father in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms in part to improve relations with the Shia community. After boycotting the country's first round of democratic elections under the newly-promulgated constitution in 2002, Shia political societies participated in 2006 and 2010 in legislative and municipal elections and Wifaq, the largest Shia political society, won the largest bloc of seats in the elected lower-house of the legislature both times. In early 2011, Bahrain's fractious opposition sought to ride a rising tide of popular Arab protests to petition for the redress of popular grievances. In mid-March 2011, with the backing of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) capitals, King HAMAD put an end to the mass public gatherings and increasingly disruptive civil disobedience by declaring a state of emergency. Manama also welcomed a contingent of mostly Saudi and Emirati forces as part of a GCC deployment intended to help Bahraini security forces maintain order. Since that time, intermittent efforts at political dialogue between the government and opposition have remained at a stalemate. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), formed in June 2011 to investigate abuses during the unrest and state of emergency, released its final report in November 2011. The King fully endorsed the report, and since then Manama has begun to implement many of the BICI's recommendations, including improving policing procedures, reinstating fired workers, rebuilding some mosques, and establishing a compensation fund for those affected by the unrest and crackdown. Despite this progress, street protests have grown increasingly violent since the beginning of 2012.

THE WORK OF THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Ten Things You Should Know About the State Department
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Public Affairs
January 10, 2013


What do the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) do for the American people? With just over one percent of the entire federal budget, we have a huge impact on how Americans live and how the rest of the world engages America. For example:

1. We create American jobs. We directly support 20 million U.S. jobs by promoting new and open markets for U.S. firms, protecting intellectual property, negotiating new U.S. airline routes worldwide, and competing for foreign government and private contracts.

2. We support American citizens abroad. In 2011, we provided emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in countries experiencing natural disasters or civil unrest. We assisted in 9,393 international adoptions and worked on more than 1,700 child abduction cases -- resulting in the return of over 660 American children.

3. We promote democracy and foster stability around the world. Stable democracies are less likely to pose a threat to their neighbors or to the United States. In South Sudan, Libya and many other countries we worked through various means to foster democracy and peace.

4. We help to make the world a safer place. Together with Russia, under the New START Treaty, we are reducing the number of deployed nuclear weapons to levels not seen since the 1950s. Our nonproliferation programs have destroyed stockpiles of missiles, munitions and material that can be used to make a nuclear weapon. The State Department has helped more than 40 countries clear millions of square meters of landmines.

5. We save lives. Strong bipartisan support for U.S. global health investments has led to worldwide progress against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, smallpox and polio. Better health abroad reduces the risk of instability and enhances our national security.

6. We help countries feed themselves. We help other countries plant the right seeds in the right way and get crops to markets to feed more people. Strong agricultural sectors lead to more stable countries.

7. We help in times of crisis. From earthquakes in Haiti, Japan and Chile to famine in the Horn of Africa, our dedicated emergency professionals deliver assistance to those who need it most.

8. We promote the rule of law and protect human dignity. We help people in other countries find freedom and shape their own destinies. Reflecting U.S. values, we advocate for the release of prisoners of conscience, prevent political activists from suffering abuse, train police officers to combat sex trafficking and equip journalists to hold their governments accountable.

9. We help Americans see the world. In 2011, we issued 12.6 million passports and passport cards for Americans to travel abroad. We facilitate the lawful travel of international students, tourists and business people to the U.S., adding greatly to our economy. We keep Americans apprised of dangers or difficulties abroad through our travel warnings.

10. We are the face of America overseas. Our diplomats, development experts, and the programs they implement are the source of American leadership around the world. They are the embodiments of our American values abroad. They are a force for good in the world.

For a very small investment the State Department and USAID yield a large return by advancing U.S. national security, promoting our economic interests, and reaffirming our country’s exceptional role in the world.

PREPARING AN INTERNATIONAL LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT ON MERCURY POLLUTION

Graphic:  National Institutes of Health 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at the Opening of the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Programme's Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury

Remarks
Daniel A. Reifsnyder
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Geneva, Switzerland
January 13, 2013

Let me first thank you, Chair Lugris, and the Government of Switzerland for hosting this crucial fifth session, where we expect to conclude our work. My delegation also extends its appreciation to the Secretariat for the many hours invested in organizing and guiding our efforts.

The United States remains committed to finalizing a robust and effective instrument this week, bringing us one step closer to our shared objective – to reduce global mercury pollution to protect human health and the environment. At home, we have made significant progress in reducing mercury exposure through a number of tools including regulation, policies, voluntary initiatives, and public-private partnerships. For example, over the last 30 years we have reduced mercury emissions significantly in key sectors through the application of pollution control technologies, and we have steadily reduced the availability and use of mercury-added products.

Mr. Chair, I’d like to take a moment to speak to what we see as a significant environmental challenge here – and the largest global source of mercury pollution to be addressed under this Convention -- air emissions.

If this Convention is to achieve our shared objective, all parties must reduce emissions of mercury from a set of defined sources. At past INCs, some have proposed that air emissions be addressed only through voluntary measures. Those proposals seem to reflect two concerns. The first is the need for flexibility in implementation. We believe there is a way to balance clear obligations to reduce emissions with provisions that are inherently flexible in their implementation. We made some progress at INC-4 in this regard. There we worked with other delegations to capture the inherent flexibility of best available techniques (BAT), and we are convinced that here we can build on that foundation to achieve an agreement with clear obligations on air emissions this week with the needed element of flexibility in their implementation.

The second concern is the perception that any obligations with respect to air emission of mercury are somehow inconsistent with development goals, particularly the needs of countries to supply energy to their citizens. Let me be very clear -- we recognize the need for continued growth and development, including the use of coal for power generation. The United States does not advocate an obligation that would require any Party to stop burning coal. But this draft convention does not present a choice between environment and development. Rather, the issue here is whether development will take place sustainably, in a way that protects human health and the environment from mercury pollution. We believe that this convention has no more important purpose than to meet this objective.

Finally, a few words with respect to your text. Like all others, we thank you for your work in putting together this text. At the same time, we have a few concerns. First, we were surprised to see changes to some previously unbracketed, agreed text that went through legal review at INC-4. For example, in paragraph one of Article 20, the nature of the obligation has changed from "should" to "shall." Where the parties have spent much time in reaching an acceptable solution and that solution has been through legal review, we think no changes should be made. We will thus ask to return to previously agreed text there and in other places such as in Article 12. Second, we have concerns with some of the policy choices reflected in the text. For example, we do not think there is consensus that releases to land and water should be addressed in a manner identical to atmospheric emissions. Another example is in Article 15, where the introduction suggests that the Chair’s revision was not intended to eliminate policy options. However several important elements-- a broadened donor base, voluntary resources, and the varying capacities of countries, to name three -- are not adequately captured for consideration in the revised article, and we intend to reinsert them in our deliberations this week. To be clear, we are not seeking to go back to the text from INC4 - my delegation is prepared to negotiate from the basis of your text – but we will need to address these kinds of issues as we go forward.

Mr. Chair, my delegation stands ready to continue to work with you, our many able co-chairs, and all delegations and meeting participants to conclude a comprehensive, balanced and effective new instrument on mercury this week.

And finally, The United States will submit for the record a statement regarding Palestinian status, and we request that the statement be included in the report of the meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON MAKES STATEMENT ON HOLOCAUST-ERA LOOTED ART

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Holocaust-Era Looted Art
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 16, 2013
　

This month we commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Inter-Allied Declaration against Acts of Dispossession Committed in Territories under Enemy Occupation and Control, known as the London Declaration of January 5, 1943. Beginning with the London Declaration, the United States implemented a policy of returning Nazi-confiscated art, including art taken through forced and coerced transfers, to its countries of origin, with the expectation that the art would be returned to its lawful owners. Under U.S. leadership, the international community has endorsed these principles as well. In the 1998 Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the Terezin Declaration of the 2009 Prague Conference on Holocaust Assets, more than forty countries joined the United States in agreeing that their respective legal systems or alternative dispute resolution processes should facilitate just and fair solutions for art that was taken by the Nazis and their collaborators. In reaffirming these commitments, the Department of State expresses no view on any issue currently in litigation. U.S. policy will continue to support the fair and just resolution of claims involving Nazi-confiscated art, in light of the provenance and rightful ownership of each particular work, while also respecting the bona fide internal restitution proceedings of foreign governments.

U.S. FACT SHEET ON CHOLERA IN HAITI

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Fast Facts on the U.S. Government's Work in Haiti: Cholera
Fact Sheet
Office of the Haiti Special Coordinator
January 16, 2013
The Challenge


On October 21, 2010, the Haitian Ministry of Health and Population confirmed cases of cholera for the first time in at least a century.

Accomplishments


At the request of the Government of Haiti, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—already helping Haiti to build sustainable health systems to detect and combat the spread of communicable diseases in the aftermath of the devastating January 2010 earthquake—immediately began working with the Haitian Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to lessen the severity of the outbreak.

The U.S. Government (USG) has provided expertise and more than $95 million during the emergency phase of the cholera response by:
Distributing products to purify drinking water, soap for washing hands and household items, and oral rehydration salts to prevent dehydration in people with acute, watery diarrhea.
Working side-by-side with the Ministry of Health and other partners to establish a national system for tracking cases of cholera.
Supporting staff and commodities for 45 cholera treatment facilities and 117 oral rehydration posts through cooperative agreements with USAID, CDC, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) partners, other non-governmental organizations, and the Ministry of Health.
Developing cholera education materials to train more than 6,000 community health workers who are funded to conduct educational activities and outreach on cholera prevention and treatment in communities throughout Haiti.
Improving access to clean water in communities by providing support to drill new wells, repair others, and promote safe water practices.
Evaluating the effectiveness of large-scale distributions of hygiene items in collaboration with Haiti’s National Direction for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
As of December 31, 2012, Haiti has reported an estimated 635,980 cases of cholera and an estimated 7,912 deaths. Though deaths from cholera were high in the first few months of the epidemic, Haitian-led, internationally supported efforts have helped to significantly reduce fatality rates.

Challenges Ahead


Access to clean water and availability of sanitation systems are limited in Haiti, and cholera is likely to persist until access to adequate water and sanitation improves. The U.S. Government is committed to strengthening the Haitian healthcare system to contain future outbreaks and treat the Haitian people. In line with the Ministry of Health’s desire to integrate cholera prevention and treatment into overall health programming, the U.S. Government is working more broadly on the prevention and treatment of all causes of diarrheal diseases. To reduce vulnerability to cholera and other diarrheal diseases, we are supporting the Government of Haiti and U.S. Government partners in improving access to treated drinking water at the community and household levels in urban and rural communities. In addition, the U.S. Government, in collaboration with PAHO, UNICEF, and the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, helped launch the Coalition on Water and Sanitation for the Elimination of Cholera on the island of Hispaniola. This initiative calls for investments in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in Haiti.

U.S.-LIBERIA PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE SIGNING CEREMONY

Map:  Liberia.  From:  CIA World Factbook. 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue Signing Ceremony
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Liberian President Sirleaf
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
January 15, 2013

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, welcome to the Treaty Room. I am delighted to have this occasion, once again, to host President Sirleaf, a very good partner over many years, and especially, I would say, over the last four years it has been a great personal pleasure for me to work with her to strengthen that partnership between the United States and Liberia. And I also am grateful, as well, for her personal friendship.

Today, we are taking another important step to deepen the partnership between our nations and to support Liberia as it continues down the path of democratic and economic reform. The partnership dialogue we are about to sign will expand the cooperation between our countries and ensure high-level engagement for years to come.

This agreement establishes working groups in three key areas – first, agriculture and food security; helping Liberia’s farmers use their land more effectively and get their crops to markets more efficiently will be critical to improving the health and prosperity of people throughout Liberia. This working group will review progress under the Feed the Future Initiative, look for new opportunities to attract private investment in the agriculture sector, and recommend policies to promote food security and better nutrition.

Second, energy and power infrastructure. We know that access to affordable, reliable energy is essential to creating jobs and sparking growth that helps to build a strong economy. So we will take stock of outstanding needs for the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy, promote a regulatory environment that’s friendly to new investments in energy, and look for ways to accelerate the development of a well-governed and inclusive energy sector.

And finally, we want to look at human development with a real emphasis on creating more economic opportunity for the people of Liberia to expand access to education and employment so that many more Liberians have a chance to not only better themselves and their families, but make a contribution to their nation.

I think it is more than fair to say that this last decade has been a success story for Liberia. The people of Liberia have emerged from a time of violence and lawlessness and have made tremendous commitments to both economic and political reform. The United States has stood by Liberia during this challenging process, but I think it is also more than fair to say it was aided considerably by the leadership, the determination of a woman who understood in every fiber of her being what was at stake. And so, Madame President, let me, on behalf of the United States, thank you for the great progress under your leadership, pledge our continuing support and partnership and friendship to you and to the people of your country. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT SIRLEAF: Secretary of State Clinton, members of the Administration, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to be here today for several reasons. First, I feel privileged to have been invited to the State Department this week, one of the last weeks that you, Madame Secretary, will be in office, to say thank you for all that you have done for Liberia and the Liberian people, to say thank you for always being there for Liberia.

Second, for me personally, it was important to be here today to see that you have fully recovered – (laughter) – from your recent illness, to embrace you, and to let you know that all of Liberia prayed for your speedy recovery.

Third, I have always seen Liberia’s progress as underpinned by its special relationship with the United States. The launching today of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue is an historic achievement, one that will cement the strategic cooperation between our two countries for generations to come regardless of the occupants of the White House or the Executive Mansion. Dear friends, today for us marks an historic day for the Government and people of Liberia, the fulfillment of a wish first articulated last June for the institutionalization of the longstanding bilateral relationship between Liberia and the United States of America.

Just seven months ago, we made the rounds among congressional and U.S. Government officials. We put forward proposals on how the United States could work with Liberia as a partner to consolidate its gains. One proposal called for the establishment of a joint United States-Liberia bi-national commission established (inaudible) in the 1960s, which aimed to ensure that the partnership would endure for 50 years or more.

I recall vividly when I made the case to you, Madame Secretary, your support was instantaneous. You assured me that you would figure out how to embed such a relationship in our governments and countries, and here we are today for the signing of the statement of intent, Liberia’s chance with the United States as a reliable partner in the region. The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue would allow our two countries to look at our relationship strategically with a view towards the long term and focus on those areas that encourage broad-based economic growth, including agriculture and food security, energy and power infrastructure, and human development.

We look forward to carrying out the first meeting of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue under the leadership of Secretary of State designate, Senator John Kerry, who also has been an essential supporter of Liberia during his long service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including his time as chairman. We recognize that this will not just be a job for our two governments, but also for the business communities of both countries and other stakeholders in Liberia.

Madame Secretary, I’m especially pleased that we were recently declared eligible for compact status by the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Coming just two years after being awarded a threshold program and seven years after the reestablishment of democracy in Liberia, this is one of Liberia’s proudest achievements. I would like to recognize the presence here of MCC President Daniel Yohannes and to promise you that we will deliver a compact program that will be comprehensive and resulting.

I take this opportunity to thank Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson for his steadfast leadership on Africa policy over the past four years. Ambassador Carson, we wish for you the best and hope you will continue to find a way to stay engaged with us in Liberia. We also congratulate President Barack Obama on his forthcoming inauguration to a second term of office. We trust that we can count on him and on Africa’s continued support under his leadership to Liberia and to Africa.

Madam Secretary, Hillary – (laughter) – you’ve been a true friend of Liberia and to me personally. We are pleased that in the history of our bilateral relationship, which spans more than a century and a half, you made two trips to Liberia while in office as Secretary of State. You have supported our country’s progress, championed our political process, and pushed to settle Liberia’s external debt. As we bid you farewell, I remain convinced that in this era of economic challenge, history will show that your support and the investment of the U.S. Government and the American people in Liberia will return significant dividends.

We’ll continue to guard the peace, promote reconciliation, build strong democratic institutions, and show good governance and transparency, and encourage broad-based economic development. We will continue to strive to be a post-conflict success story. For that, Madam Secretary, is America’s success also. Thank you. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Secretary Clinton and President Sirleaf are signing a statement of intent between the United States and the Republic of Liberia to establish a partnership dialogue. The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue will ensure sustained high-level bilateral engagement on issues of mutual interest.

(The document was signed.) (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks to everyone who helped work on this. I see a lot of the faces from across the State Department. Let’s get a picture with everybody coming up behind us, perhaps.

U.S.-SOMALIA RELATIONS

The orange and tan colors of this high-oblique photograph of the Horn of Africa indicate an arid-to-semiarid landscape in the northern half of the east African country of Somalia. Except for the darker areas where thicker vegetation can be found (usually in elevated areas), most of the vegetation in this part of Somalia is shrub brush and grasslands. The southern extent of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula is visible north across the Gulf of Aden. Image courtesy of NASA. From: CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

The United States established diplomatic relations with Somalia in 1960, following its constituent parts' independence from British and Italian administrations, respectively. A 1969 coup replaced Somalia's elected government with military rule that reflected both ideological and economic dependence on the Soviet Union. Following war with Ethiopia in the 1970s, Somalia began turning toward the West, including the United States, for international support, military equipment, and economic aid. Civil war in the 1980s led to the collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991.

Following this, various groupings of Somali factions, sometimes supported by outside forces, sought to control the national territory (or portions thereof) and fought one another. From 1992-94, the United States took part in operations that aimed to provide assistance to Somalis. Numerous efforts at mediation and reconciliation were attempted over the years, and a transitional government was established in 2004. In 2012, Somalia completed its political transition with the election of a new federal parliament and speaker, the national constituent assembly's adoption of a provisional constitution, the election of a new president, President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud, and the naming of a new prime minister and cabinet.

U.S. foreign policy objectives in Somalia are to promote political and economic stability, prevent the use of Somalia as a haven for international terrorism, and alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by years of conflict, drought, flooding, and poor governance. The United States is committed to helping Somalia's Government strengthen democratic institutions, improve stability and security, and deliver results for the Somali people. It has urged the Somali leadership to continue to consolidate gains by helping local governance structures emerge through community dialogue and reconciliation, rapidly providing services, and drafting legislation to facilitate implementation of the provisional constitution. The United States also has welcomed the African Union Mission in Somalia's (AMISOM) success in driving the al-Shabaab terrorist organization out of strategically important population centers, and has underscored the continued U.S. commitment to support AMISOM and the Somali national forces in their responsibility of extending security throughout Somalia.

Although the United States never formally severed diplomatic relations with Somalia, the U.S. Embassy in Somalia was closed in 1991. The United States has maintained regular dialogue with Somali authorities and other key stakeholders in Somalia through the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, which also handles consular coverage for Somalia, including to U.S. citizens in the self-declared "Republic of Somaliland."

U.S. Assistance to Somalia

The United States has provided humanitarian assistance in Somalia to address the problems of drought, famine, and refugees. U.S. development assistance in Somalia has supported the establishment of a post-transitional national government working to foster a unified Somali state in the long term. U.S. assistance also aims to focus on the more stable areas of Somaliland and the semi-autonomous state of Puntland. The United States works closely with other donor partners and international organizations to support social services and the development of an effective and representative security sector, including military, police, and justice sector, while supporting ongoing African Union peacekeeping efforts.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The United States has little trade or investment with Somalia. U.S. exports to Somalia include legumes, grain, baking-related goods, donated products, and machinery. U.S. imports from Somalia include precious stones and low-value shipments.

Somalia's Membership in International Organizations

Somalia and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank.