Core Issues in the Middle East / Obamas Light Christmas Tree / Iran’s “Students Day”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the Middle East peace process needs to focus on the conflict’s core issues. President Obama and the First Family light the National Christmas Tree. The 1975 Biological Weapons Convention is being used to prevent bioterrorism and to expand information-sharing. The United States is building a strong U.S.-Africa partnership. The third annual Bali Democracy Forum presents an opportunity to learn from other countries. A bright future is in store for the U.S. solar market. And finally, a former Iranian student activist talks about his time in prison.

Focusing on Core Issues in Middle East
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The United States believes it is time for the Middle East peace process to focus on the core issues of the conflict: borders and security, settlements, refugees and Jerusalem, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “It is no secret that the parties have a long way to go and that they have not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires,” Clinton, right, says.

The Obamas Light America’s Christmas Tree
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President Obama and the First Family lit the National Christmas Tree in front of the White House last night. Addressing the crowd at the tree-lighting ceremony Obama said: “On behalf of Malia, Sasha, Michelle, Marian — who’s our grandmother-in-chief — and Bo — don’t forget Bo — I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season.”

Bio-Weapons Convention at 35
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The 1975 Biological Weapons Convention is being used today to prevent bioterrorism and to expand information-sharing and communication that can be used to combat any pandemic, spread deliberately or otherwise. It originally was designed to ban the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons by nation states.

U.S.-Africa Priorities
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The United States government is very much focused and engaged on a wide array of issues across the African continent with an overall goal of building a strong U.S.-Africa partnership, says Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson. Carson says top priorities in Africa remain the same: strengthening democracy, good governance and adherence to the rule of law.

The Bali Democracy Forum
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Praising the opportunity to “listen and learn from the experiences of other countries,” Under Secretary of State Judith McHale expressed U.S. support for the third annual Bali Democracy Forum.

A Bright Future For Solar
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The U.S. solar market could grow eightfold to $8 billion by 2015, says a recent study by GTM Research, a market analysis company focusing on renewable energy industries. Driving growth are state policies that require power companies to generate a certain portion of their electricity from renewable sources, the report says.

Iran’s Students Day
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Abolfazl Jahandar, a former Iranian student activist and political prisoner, spoke at Virginia’s George Mason University on what Iran marks as Students Day, the anniversary of the slaying of three student demonstrators by Iranian police in 1953. Jahandar, left, spent three years in prison, including 400 days in solitary confinement, for his activism.

In Indonesia, @America / North Korea Talks / Journalism in the USA

There’s a new place for cultural exchange in Indonesia. North Korea’s recent provocative action has jeopardized peace and stability in Asia, the U.S., Japan and South Korea say. In Haiti, the U.S. is working to end the cholera outbreak. A new trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea will help both countries. Russian and U.S. authorities join forces in fighting drug trafficking. Jordanians get a lesson in conflict avoidance negotiations. We’ve got a climate control update from COP-16. And, finally, a report on the Edward R. Murrow program for international journalists.

In Indonesia, @america
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In Indonesia, Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Judith McHale, right, recently attended the opening of the new U.S. cultural center — @america. The center aims to expand engagement between young Indonesians and young Americans through interactive games and live events. McHale described @america as “what we hope will be the first of a new generation of American cultural centers.” 
 
 

New Condemnation for N. Korea
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Recent provocative action by North Korea has jeopardized peace and stability in Asia, foreign ministers from the United States, Japan and South Korea say. Above, left to right, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan jointly declared that Pyongyang’s “provocative and belligerent behavior … will be met with solidarity from all three countries.”

Fighting Cholera in Haiti
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U.S. officials are “working vigorously” with the Haitian government and international relief agencies in a joint effort to stop Haiti’s cholera outbreak from spreading and to treat the thousands of people already infected.

New U.S.-South Korea Trade Deal
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The proposed U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement helps the United States balance its economy with greater exports and also helps South Korea foster economic growth, President Obama says. At the White House, Obama says the deal will boost U.S. exports by $11 billion and support 70,000 jobs.

U.S., Russia Joint Drug Busts
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In the past year, some notable drug busts have grown out of bilateral cooperation through the Counternarcotics Working Group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission. An important component of resetting the relations between the U.S. and Russia has been in the area of drug trafficking, says Gil Kerlikowske, Director of White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Learning How to Negotiate
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William Ury, an experienced negotiation adviser and mediator, recently discussed conflict negotiation and mediation with Jordanians via digital video conference. One of the biggest challenges to negotiations, he says, is finding a way to say no that still achieves positive results.

The U.S. Climate Commitment
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Nearly a week into the COP-16 climate conference in Mexico, the U.S. delegation maintains that the United States stands by its commitments from last year’s Copenhagen Accord and remains prepared to move forward. Most important, they say, the United States is showing in real dollars and actions that it is addressing climate change at home and overseas.

International Journalists in the USA
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As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, 150 journalists from 100 nations spent three weeks in the United States. During their trip, the journalists, left, visited ABC News and had discussions with members of the network’s investigative reporting unit, its main nightly news program and its late-night newsmagazine.

 

U.S. Condemns N. Korean Attack / Climate Change Talks / An Award for Global Fairness

President Obama is outraged by North Korea’s attack on South Korea. Despite their difficult year, Haitians are preparing to vote in elections this coming weekend. At the U.N. climate change conference COP-16, there is potential for progress. In Pakistan, U.S. flood relief efforts reach a new milestone. Defense Secretary Robert Gates endorses a new plan to create crisis cells. In Indonesia, there’s new research on bird flu. A professor in New York is behind the Encyclopaedia Iranica. And finally, Ela Bhatt receives the first Global Fairness Award.

U.S. Condemns “Outrageous” N. Korean Attack
North Korea’s artillery attack upon a South Korean island is an outrageous act, and the United States is working with other countries in the region to develop a “measured and unified response,” U.S. officials say. Deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton says Obama “is outraged by these actions.” At right, South Koreans read special news editions on the attack.


Haitians Encouraged to Vote
The United States is urging Haitians to exercise their right to vote in Haiti’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections, says U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten. Haiti’s new leaders will face the challenge of rebuilding the nation of 10 million citizens.

COP-16’s Potential for Progress
Parties to the U.N. climate change conference that begins next week in Cancún should focus on attainable goals that could set the groundwork for a future climate treaty, says U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern. “Rather than insisting on a legal treaty before anything happens, we should move down the pragmatic path of concrete operational decisions,” Stern says.

A Milestone in Pakistan Relief
U.S. flood relief efforts in Pakistan reached a new milestone on November 21, with more than 25 million pounds of relief supplies delivered in Pakistan since U.S. military relief flight operations began August 5, says U.S. Embassy Islamabad.

A Plan for Disaster Response
The United States “wholeheartedly endorses” a plan to create crisis cells that would be on standby to respond in the event of natural disasters across the Western Hemisphere, such as Haiti’s earthquake in January, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.

Fighting Bird Flu 
The new Indonesian National Laboratory for Infectious Diseases Research in is seeking to better understand and control the avian influenza (bird flu) virus and other dangerous diseases facing Indonesia. Statistics from the World Health Organization show Indonesia has had the largest number of bird flu cases and related deaths worldwide.

The Encyclopaedia Iranica
Ehsan Yarshater, a professor emeritus at Columbia University in New York, came up with the idea for the Encyclopaedia Iranica as a student in the 1930s. In the decades since, Yarshater has made his idea for an English-language encyclopedia a hardbound and online reality as the premier compendium of scholarship on the Iranian world.

Clinton Honors Ela Bhatt
In a ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton conferred the first Global Fairness Award on Ela Bhatt. Bhatt, right, is the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association in India, a combination trade union and social movement which now has more than one million members.

Photos: The Obamas in India and Indonesia

The White House’s official photographer has just released two photo albums of President Obama’s recent trip to Asia.  They offer glimpses of Mr. and Mrs. Obama in India and Indonesia that you might not have yet seen in newspapers or on television, including photos taken inside Air Force One and photos of Mrs. Obama’s meetings and activities in both countries.  We especially like the one of the first lady playing hopscotch. 

Photos from India: http://bit.ly/c2F9Pp

Photos from Indonesia: http://bit.ly/agzxO5

President Obama on Democracy in Asia

In recent days President Obama visited the world’s most populous democracy and the world’s most populous Muslim country, also a democracy.  Not surprisingly, he took time in both India and Indonesia to talk about the value of democratic systems and the success both countries have seen as a result. 

In India the president noted that democracy has created shared values between the U.S. and India.  Speaking to a group of students at St. Xavier College in Mumbai Obama said:

“As two great powers and as the world’s two largest democracies, the United States and India share common interests and common values — values of self-determination and equality; values of tolerance and a belief in the dignity of every human being.”

In Indonesia, where the president spent part of his childhood, he said that the country had greatly changed since his time there.  During a speech at the University of Jakarta the president remarked:

“Indonesia has charted its own course through an extraordinary democratic transformation — from the rule of an iron fist to the rule of the people.  In recent years, the world has watched with hope and admiration as Indonesians embraced the peaceful transfer of power and the direct election of leaders.  And just as your democracy is symbolized by your elected President and legislature, your democracy is sustained and fortified by its checks and balances:  a dynamic civil society; political parties and unions; a vibrant media and engaged citizens who have ensured that — in Indonesia — there will be no turning back from democracy.”

Do you agree with the president’s statements on Democracy?

New U.S. Aid to the Palestinian Authority / Obama in Indonesia / A Young Indonesian Entrepreneur

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announces new aid to the Palestinian Authority. President Obama delivers remarks in Indonesia.  Australia and the U.S. are teaming up to meet green goals. The USAID is borrowing a page from the private sector’s play book in funding high-risk projects. It takes international cooperation to go after sophisticated criminal syndicates. And, finally, meet Goris Mustaqim a young Indonesian entrepreneur in a hurry.

$150 Million in New U.S. Aid to Palestinians
The United States has provided an additional $150 million in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority, part of nearly $600 million in overall U.S. support for services and security in the West Bank and Gaza territories this year. “This figure underscores the strong determination of the American people and this administration to stand with our Palestinian friends even during difficult economic times,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says.

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
President Obama says that since becoming president he has worked to repair relations between the United States and Muslim communities around the world that have been frayed over many years by mistrust and suspicion. “We can choose to be defined by our differences, and give in to a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress,” he says.

Obama Questions New Israeli Construction
President Obama says Israel’s plan to build 1,300 new apartments in East Jerusalem is not helping the ongoing peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking in Jakarta, Obama says he has not yet had a full briefing concerning Israel’s intentions in the announcement of the new construction, but said “this kind of activity is never helpful.”

PEPFAR Succeeding Against AIDS
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is having an “extraordinary impact” on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, with data showing that more than 2.5 million people have been directly supported by its treatments through 2009.

Green Teamwork
The United States and Australia are working together to meet their respective renewable energy goals. Australia wants 20 percent of its energy needs to be met by renewable power sources a decade from now. President Obama has said he wants one-quarter of all electricity consumed in the United States in 2025 to come from renewables.

Fast Track for Development Aid
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Development Innovation Ventures uses a venture-capital model of private-sector innovation to invest resources in high-risk, high-return projects that are often difficult to undertake through traditional agency structures.

Cooperation on Crime
The Obama administration is developing innovative global partnerships across the Pacific and Atlantic to fight increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises.

A Young Indonesian Entrepreneur
Goris Mustaqim of Bandung, Indonesia, is the founder of PT Resultan Nusantara, a technology firm that employs 35 people and has 10 billion rupiah — $1.1 million USD — in revenue. But the 27-year-old Mustaqim, right, has still bigger ambitions, including expanding his Asgar Muda Foundation to work with youth in half of Indonesia’s provinces, creating more businesses and landing on the list of Indonesia’s most wealthy. He also wants to enter politics.

Obama Speaks at University of Indonesia, Heads to Korea for G20

After concerns that the erupting Mount Merapi would force President Obama to abandon either his planned visit to an Indonesian mosque or his speech at the University of Indonesia, the president managed to do both before leaving the country.

President Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, began Wednesday with a visit to Indonesia’s Istiqlal Mosque, which is one of Southeast Asia’s largest.  Grand Imam Haji Mustafa Ali Yaqub gave the First Couple a tour of the expansive domed structure while explaining its history and architecture including the fact that it was designed by a Christian, a powerful example of religious cooperation. 

Later in the day he spoke to an audience of nearly 6,500 at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, where he focused on the topics of development, democracy, and religious tolerance.  The president said:

“Innocent civilians in America, Indonesia, and across the world are still targeted by violent extremists. I have made it clear that America is not, and never will be, at war with Islam. Instead, all of us must defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates, who have no claim to be leaders of any religion – certainly not a great, world religion like Islam.”

While in the country President Obama also signed a new comprehensive partnership between the U.S. and Indonesia that focuses on security, economic development, and socio-cultural cooperation, including support for educational exchanges. 

After a short but productive visit to Indonesia the president flew to Korea where he will join other world leaders for a meeting of the G20.  But before leaving Indonesia the president hinted he might be back soon when he said, “Unfortunately, it’s a fairly quick visit, but I look forward to coming back a year from now, when Indonesia hosts the East Asia Summit.”

You can find specifics of the U.S. – Indonesia comprehensive partnership on the White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/09/indonesia-follow-president-s-cairo-speech

Obama in Indonesia / A U.S.-Indonesian Partnership on Water / The Hispanic Vote in America

President Obama delivers remarks in Indonesia. The U.S. and Indonesia team up to improve water services. It takes international cooperation to go after sophisticated criminal syndicates. The U.S. sets conditions that could lead to Sudan’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In Australia, ministers meet. And, finally, the Hispanic vote flexes its muscle in U.S. elections.

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
President Obama says that since becoming president he has worked to repair relations between the United States and Muslim communities around the world that have been frayed over many years by mistrust and suspicion. “We can choose to be defined by our differences, and give in to a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress,” he says. Above, Obama talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta.

Obama Questions New Israeli Construction
President Obama says Israel’s plan to build 1,300 new apartments in East Jerusalem is not helping the ongoing peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking in Jakarta, Obama says he had not yet had a full briefing concerning Israel’s intentions in the announcement of the new construction, but said “this kind of activity is never helpful.”

Obama’s Return to Indonesia
Barack Obama said it felt “wonderful” to return to Indonesia as President of the United States many years after he had lived in the country for four years as a boy. “The sights and the sounds and the memories all feel very familiar and it’s wonderful to be able to come back as president and hopefully contribute to further understanding between the United States and Indonesia,” Obama said November 9 in a press conference with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A Water Partnership for Indonesia
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is continuing its partnership with Indonesian organizations to help 2 million people gain access to improved water supplies and 200,000 people gain access to adequate sanitation facilities. The effort builds on 66 months of programs across Indonesia through the USAID-funded Environmental Services Program.

Cooperation on Crime
The Obama administration is developing innovative global partnerships across the Pacific and Atlantic to fight increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises.

U.S. Makes Offer to Remove Sudan from Terror List
The United States has conditioned its willingness to accelerate the process of removing Sudan from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism provided that Sudan fully implements its obligations under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including preparing and conducting a January 9, 2011 referendum in southern Sudan and respecting the referendum results.

U.S.-Australia Talks
Women’s empowerment and military cooperation topped the agenda as the defense and foreign ministers of Australia and the United States met in Melbourne. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the session “a broad, far-reaching and extremely valuable set of consultations.”

The Hispanic Vote in America
The 2010 midterm elections in the United States demonstrated the growing importance of the Hispanic vote across party lines, according to election analysts. Hispanics generally favored Democratic candidates over Republicans, and some analysts credit them with keeping the Senate in Democratic hands. At right, Nevada Democrat Harry Reid greets Hispanic supporters at an October rally.

The Obamas Visit Indonesia

There was speculation that volcanic ash from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi might prevent President Obama and Michelle Obama from visiting Indonesia, the second stop on their tour of Asia.  But while Air Force One eventually did land in Jakarta, the ash now might force it to leave early.  In the meantime the president is busy meeting with Indonesian officials and exploring the country where he spent time during his childhood.

“It is wonderful to finally be back in Indonesia,” said the president.  “I barely recognized it when I was driving down the streets.”

In addition to meeting with his counterpart in Indonesia, President Susilo Bambang Yudnoyono, the president hopes to give a speech at the University of Indonesia on Wednesday.

Obama in India / Clinton in Australia / Dengue Fever

President Obama says the United States will support India in its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He also addresses the flawed vote in Burma, trade, terrorism and relations between India and Pakistan, during his three-day visit to India. At the same time, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Australia as her trip to the Asia-Pacific region continues. There are few treatments for Dengue fever, but researchers from the United States and Indonesia are seeking ways to control the painful, sometimes deadly, disease.

U.S. Backs India Security Council Bid
President Obama says the United States would support India’s bid for a permanent seat on a reformed United Nations Security Council. Speaking to a joint session of the Indian parliament in New Delhi, Obama says the United States “not only welcomes India as a rising global power, we fervently support it, and we have worked to help make it a reality.”

Obama Condemns Burma Vote
President Obama says that Burma’s parliamentary elections on November 7 were neither free nor fair and failed to meet any internationally accepted standards. “The elections…demonstrated the regime’s continued preference for repression and restriction over inclusion and transparency,” Obama said in a statement.

Obama on India-Pakistan Relations
President Obama tells Indian college students that their country is taking “its rightful place” in the world and urges India to work toward a peace settlement with neighboring Pakistan. “I am absolutely convinced that the country that has the biggest stake in Pakistan’s success is India,” Obama, at right with students, says during a town hall meeting at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

India’s Resolve Against Terror
President Obama pays tribute to terror victims and the resilience of Indian society, during a visit to the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel buildings in Mumbai which were attacked by terrorists in 2008. Since the attacks, the governments of India and the United States have worked together more closely “sharing intelligence, preventing more attacks, and demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice,” Obama says.

Obama Promotes U.S.-India Trade
President Obama says increased trade will be a “win-win proposition” for the United States and India and welcomed India’s rapid economic rise as “one of the most stunning achievements in human history.” He says trade ties are “a dynamic, two-way relationship that is creating jobs, growth, and higher living standards in both our countries.”

Clinton on U.S.-Australia Trade
Trade between the United States and Australia is vital to generating jobs, creating economic opportunities, and improving lives and livelihoods, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “Done right, free trade and open markets are powerful tools to improve living standards far and wide,” Clinton says during a speech at the Port of Melbourne Education Center.

Enhancing U.S., Australia Ties
The United States and Australia pledge to strengthen military and defense cooperation as the two nations celebrate more than 70 years of close diplomatic relations. “Our relationship continues to be a strategic anchor of security and prosperity in this region and beyond, and our countries are working closely together,” Secretary Clinton says.

Controlling Dengue Fever
Indonesian and U.S. universities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations are working together to control dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can be fatal. Dengue affects 50 million people annually worldwide, and drug treatment and vaccinations are currently not available. Right, investigators from Indonesia and the United States examine a well in Yogjakarta.