Tag Archives: OSCE

Belarus Shuts OSCE Office / More Flood Relief for Pakistan / One-on-One in Algeriea

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The United States and the European Union “regret” the closing of an OSCE office in Belarus. A key U.S. diplomat discusses relations between the United States and Latin America. More U.S. aid is headed to Pakistan for flood relief. Rotary Clubs take their commitment to service global. And, in Algeria, hoop dreams are coming true.

A Shuttered OSCE Office
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton say they “regret the decision by the government of Belarus” to close the mission in Minsk of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In a statement, Clinton and Ashton say the mission in Minsk is “not complete, as the OSCE’s critical assessment of the presidential elections indicates.”

U.S.-Latin American Relations
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Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela says the U.S.-Latin American relationship is moving in a positive and constructive direction. “Achieving that objective has required an important shift in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy,” Valenzuela says.


$190 Million in New Flood Aid for Pakistan
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The United States is providing an additional $190 million to Pakistan for flood recovery efforts. Frank Ruggiero, acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, says the money “demonstrates the commitment of the United States to a comprehensive, long-term partnership with the people and government of Pakistan.”

Rotary Clubs Help in Cambodia
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Rotary clubs in the United States, Cambodia, Australia and Canada are working to help more than 15,000 people in 18 rural villages in central Cambodia.


Going One-on-One in Algeria
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Americans and Algerians are sharing their interest in basketball through a newly launched program in Algiers called One on One Basketball. Left, an Algerian player waits to receive an award next to Arthur Jackson, the program’s president.

Clinton in Central Asia / Elections in Cote d’Ivoire / Good News for Polar Bears

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In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has a new parliamentary democracy and Kazakhstan is emerging as a force. The U.S. says that the provisional results of Cote d’Ivoire’s election should stand. Iran has an opportunity to improve relations with the international community. The top U.S. negotiator calls for ratification of START. Entrepreneurs are needed to lead economic growth in Africa. And, finally, the U.S. is moving to protect the habitat of Alaskan polar bears.

Democracy in Kyrgyzstan
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Kyrgyzstan and praised the country’s new parliamentary democracy and the quality of recent national elections. “This is a country that has been through a great deal of change and upheaval … however, the elections show that the people of Kyrgyzstan want to resolve disputes peacefully through politics, not violence,” Clinton, at right with Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva, said.


An Emerging Kazakhstan
Hosting the first summit in 11 years of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe highlights Kazakhstan’s emergence as a force in Central Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “As the first former Soviet Republic to lead the OSCE as an independent nation, Kazakhstan has helped to focus attention on Central Asia’s challenges, as well as its many opportunities,” says Clinton.

Cote d’Ivoire Election Results
The provisional results of the second round of presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire show opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara as the victor with 54.1 percent of the vote. These results are a “victory for the Ivorian people” and should stand, says U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs William Fitzgerald.

An Opportunity for Iran
U.S. officials are welcoming Iran’s agreement to hold talks about its nuclear program December 6-7, and say there is still room for Iran to build confidence with the international community. In Kazakhstan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the meetings offer Iran “an opportunity … to come to the table and discuss the matters that are of concern to the international community,” principally its nuclear program.

A Call for START Ratification
In an op-ed published in the December 1 edition of The Hill, Rose Gottemoeller, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance and chief U.S. negotiator of the New START Treaty, calls on the Senate to ratify the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty so the United States can “get back to work with Russia.”

Economic Growth in Africa
As Africa takes its place on the world business stage, entrepreneurs must be ready to play leading roles. Murray Low, director of the Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center at the Columbia University Business School, says Africa has “huge business opportunities” and as such, “people are now figuring out how to tap those opportunities.”

Good News For Polar Bears
The U.S. government has designated an area larger than the state of California as “critical” polar bear habitat, a move aimed at protecting the threatened  animals from impacts of climate change. The rapid increase in man-made greenhouse gas emissions has accelerated the melting of sea ice, on which polar bears depend to mate, hunt for food, and raise their cubs.

Clinton in Kazakhstan / Climate Talks in Cancun / World AIDS Day

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In Kazakhstan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the OSCE Summit and speaks about the role of civil society activism at a town hall meeting. After returning from Asia, Clinton will host foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan in Washington. Faith can be a force for healing among nations, says U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice. At the COP-16 talks in Cancun, countries strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, today is World AIDS Day; read how the United States is leading the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Clinton Urges Stronger OSCE
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to expand its role in promoting human rights, preventing regional conflicts and enhancing security across the continent. Speaking in Kazakhstan, Clinton also outlined U.S. priorities for the OSCE, the first of which is to increase the group’s role in supporting stability in Afghanistan.

The Role of Civil Society Activists
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says governments cannot build strong democracies, thriving economies or stable societies by themselves. “Governments hold so much of the future in their hands, but they are not the most powerful determinant. That is the people themselves, and particularly the organizations that bring people together in civil society,” said Clinton, speaking at a town hall meeting in Astana.

U.S. to Meet Allies on North Korea
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan in Washington for discussions concerning recent North Korean activities and their impact upon regional security.

Faith Among Nations
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice says faith can be a force for partnership and healing among nations.

Climate Talk at COP-16
Leaders from more than 190 countries are attending the COP-16 climate meeting in Mexico to try to build on commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions made during last year’s gathering in Copenhagen. Though a legally binding treaty remains elusive, some 140 countries have signed on to the Copenhagen Accord, and more than 80 have submitted greenhouse gas reduction targets.

World AIDS Day
Increased U.S. support for antiretroviral treatments will help deliver life-saving drugs to more than 4 million people living with HIV around the world by 2013, the State Department says. “By investing in what we know works, we can save millions more in the future,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says in marking World AIDS Day.

Clinton to Kazakhstan / The U.N. and North Korea / The Skinny on Obesity

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to a summit in Kazakhstan. The U.S wants tighter enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea. You asked why so many Americans are obese; we have some answers. And finally, on the eve of World AIDS Day, we take a look at posters created by young people and a Kenyan doctor who is leading the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Clinton to Attend OSCE Summit
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, will attend the 2010 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Summit December 1–2 in Kazakhstan. “We hope that this event will shine a light on positive developments in Central Asia and the role that the OSCE has played, and can play in the future, in promoting its principles throughout the OSCE region,” says Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake.

U.S. Calls on U.N. to Enforce North Korea Sanctions
The Obama administration called on the United Nations Security Council to tighten the enforcement of U.N. sanctions against North Korea following recent reports that Pyongyang has acquired centrifuges capable of enriching uranium to make nuclear weapons. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice says U.S. concerns about North Korea’s nuclear activities “have only been heightened” by “North Korea’s deadly, unprovoked attack” on November 23 against South Korea.

The Skinny on Obesity
This essay, by Marion Nestle of New York University, is excerpted from the Living Book “You Asked.” Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health, is the author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health and What to Eat.

Photo Gallery: “Celebrate Life” on World AIDS Day
In honor of World AIDS Day on December 1, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief invited young people from around the world to create posters reflecting the theme “Celebrate life.” In this photo gallery, see some of their submissions. At left, a submission from India.

A Leader in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS
Dr. Frederick Sawe is deputy director of the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Walter Reed Project HIV Program, a prevention, research and treatment project run jointly by his home country of Kenya and the U.S. military’s international HIV program. Read about his success.

Obama and NATO / A U.S.-E.U. Energy Agreement / Nueva York

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President Obama attends the NATO and U.S.-E.U. Summits in Lisbon and discusses relations with Europe in an op-ed. The U.S.-EU Energy Council comes up with an alternative energy agreement. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend a European security summit next month. The U.S. Navy launches a Persian Gulf rescue. The U.S. and Russia want to save an endangered big cat. And finally, check out a photo gallery about Nueva York.

The U.S.-E.U. Relationship
President Obama praised the U.S.-European relationship for its deep cooperation and close ties as he arrived in Lisbon for the 2010 NATO Summit and U.S.-European Union Summit. Obama, right, added that these summits offer “an opportunity to deepen our cooperation even further and to ensure that NATO—the most successful alliance in human history—remains as relevant in this century as it was in the last.”  

Obama on Europe and America
As he arrives in Lisbon for the NATO and U.S.-European Union Summits, President Barack Obama calls America’s relationship with Europe “the cornerstone of our engagement with the world” in this op-ed. 

A U.S.-E.U. Energy Agreement
The U.S.-EU Energy Council agrees to enhance coordinated efforts to find additional sources of energy and to coordinate research and regulations. The deal was announced on the sidelines of the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton.

Clinton to Join OSCE Summit
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend the 2010 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Summit December 1-2 in Kazakhstan, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake says.

U.S. Navy Rescues Iranian Sailors
U.S. Navy sailors come to the assistance of two stranded Iranian mariners in the Persian Gulf, providing them with care until they could be picked up by an Iranian coast guard vessel.

Teaming Up to Save the Tiger
The United States, Russia and others are meeting at the 2010 International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 21–25 to find new ways to protect the world’s ever-dwindling population of tigers.

Photo Gallery: Nueva York (1613-1945)
This fall, the exhibit “Nueva York (1613-1945)” will document four centuries of cross-cultural influence and cooperation between Latin America and Spain and New York. This photo gallery shows some of the pieces on display in the exhibit. At right, a baseball used by Esteban Bellán, who in 1869 became the first Latin American ballplayer to play in the major leagues.