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State’s Valenzuela Remarks at House Hearing on the Americas
U.S. Department of State Arturo Valenzuela Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Testimony Before the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives Washington, DC March 10, 2010 U.S. Policy Toward the Americas in 2010 and Beyond Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to talk about U.S. Policy in the Americas. I am just back from a six-nation trip to Latin America with Secretary Clinton, where we had the chance to meet with over a dozen heads of state, and many leaders in civil society and the private sector, and talk about our highest priorities and responsibilities. We were particularly moved by the eloquent words of President-elect Mujica who in his inaugural address outlined a bold vision of progress for Uruguay and a powerful defense of democratic values and institutions, including the respect for opposition parties and the value of dialogue and compromise in public affairs. So this is a particularly welcome opportunity to take stock of where we are and, more importantly, where we want to go in our relations with the countries of the Americas. It is very important, at the outset, to recognize how much our growing interdependence makes the success of our neighbors a compelling U.S. national security interest. Advancing that interest is a fundamental goal of our engagement in the Americas. In 1961 the Alliance for Progress captured the imagination of the Americas with a bold shared vision. We live in a very different world at the beginning of the 21st century. With few exceptions, the countries of the region are much more inclusive, prosperous, and democratic. But, today, much of what we must help accomplish in this hemisphere also hinges on the power of a shared vision: a vision of an Inter-American community with shared values, shared challenges, a shared history and, most importantly, shared responsibility. Advancing that vision will require sustained, informed, creative, and competent engagement. That engagement must be sophisticated and variegated. We speak, accurately, of a “region,” and of big unifying agendas, but we know at the same time that our community comprises profoundly diverse nations and sub-regions. To be successful, our approach must be able to disaggregate when necessary. Our challenge is to carefully use our diplomatic and development tools, and our limited resources, to optimal effect. We need to help catalyze networks of practical partnerships, among all capable stakeholders in the Americas, focused on three priorities critical to people in every country of this region: promoting social and economic opportunity for everyone; ensuring the safety of all of our citizens; and strengthening effective institutions of democratic governance, respect for human rights, and accountability. Across all of these priorities, I want to emphasize, we are also working on practical initiatives to advance us toward a secure, clean energy future. There is a strong element of community in the Americas today, and it will only get stronger with time. That feeling was nowhere more evident than in the extraordinary outpouring of support and assistance to the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. Or in the region’s unanimous feelings of solidarity with Chile after it, too, was hit by one of the biggest earthquakes the world has ever experienced. Haiti is a special case. Shortly after taking office, well before the earthquake, President Obama and Secretary Clinton emphasized their personal commitment to helping Haiti break the cycles of poverty and poor government that have crippled its development. We have reaffirmed our commitment in the aftermath of the earthquake. You know the extent of the damage, the loss of life, and the urgent need. The Government of Haiti faces daunting tasks. Meeting them will require a sustained and substantial commitment from the international community, in support of the Government and people of Haiti as they define what their future should look like. On March 4, the United States and United Nations announced, that in cooperation with the Government of Haiti, and with the support of Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France, and Spain they will co-host a ministerial — the International Donors’ Conference Toward a New Future for Haiti — at the United Nations in New York on March 31, 2010. The goal of the conference is to mobilize international support for Haiti’s development needs and to begin to lay the foundation for Haiti’s long-term recovery. We in the Americas are joined together by many intersecting and overlapping interests, needs, and affinities. We share the common, though sometimes contentious, history of the Americas, developing from diverse European colonization, displacement of indigenous peoples, forced African immigration, assimilation of later immigrant groups, and the gradual coalescence of adaptable new societies. The populations of our countries reflect a particularly rich and largely harmonious racial and cultural diversity that differentiates this hemisphere from large parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. We share a common history of independence movements inspired by the human ideals of the enlightenment, followed by the long and difficult processes by which our peoples have struggled to build the just, free, inclusive, and successful societies envisioned by our founding fathers. Many of our nations have followed policies in the past that have hindered this process, as when the United States put Cold War priorities ahead of democratization in the region. Today, however, fundamental values of democracy, respect for human rights, accountability, tolerance, and pluralism are increasingly ingraining themselves into practice throughout the Americas. So many of the Americas’ leading democracies have recently gone through, or are preparing for, peaceful electoral transfers of power. Alternation in power, increasingly effective institutions, responsible fiscal policies, open trade policies, and greater accountability — exemplified by such countries as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay, and El Salvador — embody the hemispheric reality. The significance of this trend cannot be overstated. Our common legacy, our shared values, and the nature of today’s global challenges must underpin a new and converging agenda for cooperation that helps unite diverse peoples and governments around a shared task: building stable, safe, inclusive societies that are supported by effective and legitimate institutions of governance. This agenda should also protect our diversity through tolerance and pluralism as a key factor in our region’s success and competitiveness in a globalized economy. Energy security and global climate change are crucial issues for our partners and us and offer opportunities for deeper collaboration. Our broad common agenda, not individual differences or outliers, should define our interaction in the Americas. I know some governments in the region will not embrace this approach, will do so only very selectively, or will seek to undermine this common cause. Working together with others, we need to be cleareyed and proactive in countering efforts to undermine our common agenda. These can include attempts to expand authoritarian or populist rule at the expense of effective democratic governance based on the rule of law and representative government. They can also include the ill-conceived embrace of dangerous or problematic external actors. We are concerned about the persistent erosion of democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms in several countries, particularly freedom of the press. These freedoms reflect the regional consensus and are enshrined in fundamental instruments of the Inter-American system. The recent Inter-American Human Rights Commission report on Venezuela was a complete and dispassionate review of the current state of affairs, and it represents an opportunity for Venezuela’s government to begin a dialogue internally and with the hemispheric community. In Cuba, we want to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We have taken measures to increase contact between separated families and to promote the free flow of information to, from, and within Cuba. We have engaged the Cuban government on key bilateral matters like migration and direct mail service and will continue to engage Cuba to advance U.S. national interests, as in our effort to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. We remain deeply concerned by the poor human rights situation in Cuba, which contributed to the recent death of prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata as a result of a hunger strike. We are also focused on securing the release of the U.S. citizen jailed in Cuba in December; a matter of great importance to the United States. Our response to the coup d’état in Honduras shows that our interests are served by leveraging multilateral mechanisms, in concert with our partners, to support the implementation of principled policies. In Honduras we helped to strengthen the “collective defense of democracy” as a cornerstone of the Inter-American System. Today, Honduras is governed by elected leaders who are moving quickly to promote national reconciliation and their country’s return to the fold of hemispheric democracies. As Honduras moves forward, we will continue to maintain a vigilant eye on the human rights situation there in light of serious concerns that have been raised. To help advance our national interests, as reflected in the broad common agenda I outlined, the President has submitted an FY 2011 request for foreign assistance in the region that reflects a continuing shift toward greater economic and development assistance, over traditional security assistance. Specifically, of the total FY 2011 request, 62 percent is economic and development assistance, versus only 50 percent in the FY 2009 and FY 2010 enacted levels. This does not mean we face a diminished threat to our national security from transnational crime and other menaces. These include the global drug trade, the largest criminal industry in the world, involving every country in the region. Nor does it mean we are shying away from doing our utmost to safeguard the security of our citizens and citizens throughout the region. Instead, our request recognizes the critical importance of strong institutions, broad economic opportunity, and social inclusion in building resilient societies that can protect people from threats to their safety. For example, the request includes specific funding for innovative regional initiatives reflecting our commitment to shared prosperity and a sustainable future — such as the Inter-American Social Protection Network and the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas. Our request also reflects our continued commitment to key hemispheric citizen safety initiatives including the Merida Initiative, our programs in Colombia, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, and the Central America Regional Security Initiative. The security challenges in the region are profoundly interconnected. Our initiatives are grounded in a common strategic vision and coordinated internally and with the interagency to ensure comprehensive and coherent planning and implementation. While these initiatives are mutually reinforcing, sharing broad objectives and some key activities, they vary considerably in size, level of U.S. support, complexity, and level of development. The combination of a common strategic approach and distinct, but interlocking, regional initiatives provides the necessary unity of effort as well as the flexibility necessary to help address unique circumstances that vary by country or sub-region. The evolving mix of our assistance is also a function of successful partnerships — such as those with Colombia and Mexico — that have enabled others to assume an increasing share of responsibility for their own citizens’ safety. It is also a function of the leadership of many Members of this committee, and the administration’s clear understanding of the connection between major security challenges and a combination of weak institutions, social exclusion, and lack of economic opportunity that plague many societies. Earlier I referred to three priorities critical to people throughout the Americas. They are mutually reinforcing, and they inform and influence our diplomatic and development policy throughout the Americas, so I would like to expand upon them in that context. Opportunity Through social and economic partnerships with governments, civil society, and the private sector we can leverage investments in people and infrastructure to make societies more competitive in the world and inclusive at home. Our public diplomacy initiatives — scholarships, exchange programs, in-country language programs, other activities through our bi-national centers — advance these goals, bringing huge return on our investment. We are now exploring the potential to significantly expand such programs. The inclusion into the economic mainstream of traditionally marginalized groups is crucial to economic growth. The Pathways to Prosperity initiative, which we have re-cast as a strategic platform for promoting sustainable development, trade capacity building and regional competitiveness, is also key to promoting more equitable economic growth. The initiative, which includes those countries in the hemisphere that are committed to trade and market economies, comprises a number of programs to help ensure that the benefits of trade and economic growth are equitably shared among all sectors of society. Despite its macroeconomic growth, poverty and income inequality remain key challenges in this hemisphere. Pathways countries share a commitment to promote a more inclusive prosperity and responsive democratic institutions. Countries throughout the Americas have experience, creativity and talent to address these challenges and through Pathways we are working with partners to help exchange information and share best practices to benefit all. Secretary Clinton participated in the Pathways ministerial last week and cited a number of areas that we have identified for cooperation under Pathways. These include the creation of small business development centers; support for women entrepreneurs; modernizing customs procedures; expanded opportunities for English and Spanish language instruction; helping small and medium sized enterprises decrease their carbon footprint; and promoting the use of secured transaction to help small businesses better access capital. We are also working with partners in the Western Hemisphere to fight poverty through the Inter-American Social Protection Network, which our leaders committed to support at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago last April. The launch of the Network in New York City in September 2009 was important — demonstrating the commitment of governments and citizens throughout the Americas to helping each other achieves social justice in creative and innovative ways. Examples of innovative social protection strategies include Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) – a simple idea linking responsibility with opportunity. We will continue to work closely with partner nations such as Canada in promoting greater opportunity in the region. Canada’s major development commitment to Haiti — both before and after the earthquake — as well as their programs in the Caribbean, Bolivia, Honduras, and Peru, are effective multipliers to our own efforts. We are also in serious discussion with other nations, such as Spain, and the EU, who provide substantial development assistance in the Americas. In particular, we see important opportunities to more effectively coordinate our programs in Central America, bilaterally and through SICA. When I met in Madrid with my Spanish counterparts last month we agreed to move quickly to assess and take advantage of these opportunities. It is very important to address too our pending free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama. These accords are important components of economic engagement with the Americas. As the President has made clear, we remain committed to working with both Panama and Colombia to address outstanding issues, including concerns voiced by Members of Congress and other critical stakeholders. We are confident that together we can advance our interests and values through these agreements and our deep and diverse relationships with both Panama and Colombia. Sustaining the opportunity generated by economic growth requires vastly enhanced cooperation on energy and climate change. The Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas helps achieve this. The State Department is working together with the Department of Energy to lead U.S. efforts under the Partnership, and we and other governments in the region (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru) have developed initiatives focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy, infrastructure, energy poverty, and cleaner fossil fuels. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will host an ECPA Ministerial April 15-16 in Washington, with Secretary Clinton’s participation. There, we will further existing ECPA initiative and identifying new ones. We are excited about the countless opportunities for cooperation under ECPA. Scientific partnerships in our Hemisphere also hold the promise of opportunity. Economic growth, promoting security and unleashing the potential of developing countries are inextricable from the sustainable development of our common resources and building our capacity for innovation. The number of researchers in the workforce, doctoral degrees awarded and research and development expenditures in Latin America are well below that of OECD countries. Even so, scientific publications and patent applications have increased steadily in the region particularly in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. It is vital that we encourage this continued growth and use international scientific cooperation as the way to build further capacity. Increased cooperation in science addresses key development goals for the countries in the region, but also directly benefits the U.S. economy. The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean not only look to the U.S. for leadership in S&T activities, but we are their largest trading partners, their largest source of foreign direct investment, and our universities are the destination of many of the best and brightest Latin American students. Investing in S&T cooperation with Latin America today will strengthen our U.S. universities and research institutions, but as we look past the immediate financial crisis, will help position American companies in the innovative industries of the future, ranging from clean energy to biotechnology. Bringing prosperity and economic growth to some of our strongest trading partners will also have a positive impact for traditional U.S. exporters. Citizen Safety Citizen Safety encompasses a similarly multi-dimensional set of partnerships that broker cooperation and institution building to fight transnational crime and assure a secure daily existence for individuals throughout the Inter-American community. To get sustained buy-in, it is vital that our security partnerships be understood by publics as responsive to the very local insecurity they face (crime, human trafficking, drug addiction, and poor environment, lack of reliable energy or clean water), and not simply a means of securing the United States regardless of the cost to others. Strong public diplomacy has a vital tactical role in building wider awareness of the ways these jointly developed partnerships for example, with Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean address shared concerns, strengthen institutions, and help build resilient communities in which people can thrive. Our diplomacy must also emphasize to publics all we do domestically to live up to our responsibility to address some of the key factors of transnational crime, including demand for drugs, and illicit traffic in firearms and bulk cash. A variety of security partnerships in the region, the Merida Initiative, the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), seek to strengthen partners’ ability to fight transnational crime, protect citizens, and prevent the spread of illicit goods and violence to the United States. In the process these partnerships are transforming relationships, brokering growing cooperation and trust between those countries and the United States, and between the partner nations themselves. The U.S. and Mexico have forged a strong partnership to enhance citizen safety and fight organized crime and drug trafficking organizations. In 2009, the United States and Mexico agreed to new goals to broaden and deepen the cooperation between the two countries. These include expanding the border focus beyond interdiction of contraband to include facilitating legitimate trade and travel; cooperating to build strong communities resilient to the corrupting influence of organized crime; disrupting organized crime; and institutionalizing reforms to sustain the rule of law and respect for human rights; The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) seeks to substantially reduce illicit trafficking, increase safety for our people, and promote social justice. More than a series of programs, this partnership will be an ongoing collaboration that draws upon, and helps develop, the capacity of all to better address common and inter-related challenges. Partnership activities will be designed in a manner that maximizes synergies with other regional efforts (e.g. Merida). Under CBSI we will jointly seek the greatest possible support from extra-regional partners in pursuit of key objectives. The Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), in coordination with Merida Initiative and CBSI, strengthens and integrates security efforts from the U.S. Southwest border to Panama, including the littoral waters of the Caribbean. The desired end-state is a safer and more secure hemisphere — in which the U.S., too, is protected from spread of illicit drugs, violence, and transnational threats. CARSI recognizes a sequenced approach to resolving the challenges, consisting of: the immediate need to address the rapidly deteriorating security environment; the medium-term requirement to augment civilian law enforcement and security entities the capabilities to reestablish control and exert the rule of law; and the long-term necessity to strengthen the justice sector and other state institutions. In the Andes, it remains in our national interest to help the Colombian people achieve the lasting and just peace they want, making irreversible the gains they have sacrificed so hard to achieve. Colombia has made major progress reducing violence and kidnappings, improving human rights, expanding the rule of law, and advancing the country’s social and economic development. Important challenges remain including in the area of human rights. We will continue to work closely with the Colombian government to promote respect for human rights, ensure access to justice, and end impunity. We will also continue to collaborate with Colombia to prevent and respond to the disturbingly high rates of internal displacement. The Colombia Strategic Development Initiative (CSDI) is our plan to support the government of Colombia’s "National Consolidation Plan." CSDI is a whole-of-government approach that integrates civilian institution–building, rule of law, and alternative development programs with security and counternarcotics efforts. In Colombia, Mexico, and elsewhere in the region the Secretary has emphasized that we understand that effective and collaborative counterdrug policies must be based holistically on four key goals: demand reduction, eradication and interdiction, just implementation of the law, and public health. To be sustainable, any gains will require economic and social opportunity sufficiently strong to provide compelling alternatives to involvement in illicit drug production and trafficking. We tend to speak of U.S. security initiatives in the region, but in reality these are overwhelmingly joint in their development increasingly plurilateral in their implementation, and multi-faceted in their impact. As countries strengthen their internal capacity to address security challenges they are forming their own partnerships with neighbors in ways that multiply the effectiveness of programs. Canada is an increasingly important and committed security partner with regional countries; Mexico and Colombia are sharing vital capacity and experience; countries such as Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil are showing notable leadership in international security initiatives such as MINUSTAH in Haiti. Effective Democratic Governance Capable and legitimate institutions, including a vibrant civil society, are vital to successful societies that meet their citizens’ needs. Our strong support for democracy and human rights is rooted in this fundamental fact. The capacity and integrity of democratic institutions is uneven in the Americas. All our nations have a broad co-responsibility to help strengthen both. Many are, in fact, reaching beyond their national success to share experience and technical capacity in the region and beyond. U.S. democracy programs focus on broadening citizen participation, supporting free elections and justice sector reform, developing anti-corruption initiatives and governmental transparency, supporting human rights and fostering social justice through stronger rule of law. Strong and effective multilateral institutions in the Americas can play a vital role in strengthening effective democratic institutions. The Organization of American States (OAS), at the center of the inter-American system, has a mandate from its membership to do so. We must work through the OAS to strengthen democratic institutions at a time in which these institutions are being seriously challenged in some countries in the region. As part of this effort, we should apply the valuable lessons of the success of the independent Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as an impartial arbiter on human rights issues, to address critical governance issues affecting our region. We must also build the political will necessary among OAS member states to fulfill the promise of the Inter-American Democratic Charter as an effective tool in the collective defense of democracy. Recent experience should demonstrate to us that both the Secretary General and the Permanent Council should be less hesitant to use their existing authorities under the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter to take preventive action in situations that may affect the viability of democratic institutions in a member state. Such actions must be undertaken with the consent of the member state involved, of course. As an organization, the OAS can do a better job of defending and promoting democracy and human rights, consistent with our shared commitment to implement and apply the Inter-American Democratic Charter. We need more effective mechanisms for foreseeing and counteracting emerging threats to democracy before they reach the crisis stage. The SYG’s 2007 Report to the Permanent Council contained some useful recommendations in this regard that warrant further examination. The 2007 Report stressed the need for a “graduated response” to brewing political crises, and called for a more comprehensive linkage of the existing mechanisms of the OAS — particularly our peer review processes — into a coordinated response mechanism in support of Member States’ democratic institutions. We would welcome a serious discussion on the operationalization of these recommendations. We need to view the Democratic Charter more as a resource states can call on when they need it and less as a punitive instrument to be feared and avoided. After all, the Democratic Charter was initially envisioned to function as a preventive toolbox in support of our region’s democratic institutions. New regional or sub-regional institutions may also be able to promote democratic integration and effective governance. The extent to which they do so may ultimately determine their usefulness, staying power, or even legitimacy in their members’ eyes. We are willing partners with new collectives that are capable instruments of this common cause. We already work closely and successfully with many multilateral groupings of which we are not part, such as SICA and CARICOM. This engagement is about much more than just aid — it is about co-responsibility, a point Secretary Clinton highlighted during her recent trip to South and Central America. In a time of budgetary challenge in the United States, it is difficult to ask our Congress for assistance resources for countries unable to invest in social programs because they fail to collect taxes from those in their own country who should be contributing to their societies. In many countries in the region tax collection represents less than 15 percent, sometimes less than 10 percent, of GDP. Mr. Chairman, I cannot close without reiterating here something that I have had occasion to say privately to you and some of the Members on the Sub-Committee. Last April in Trinidad and Tobago President Obama asked his elected counterparts from throughout the Americas to look forward, together, toward the great tasks before us. He signaled clearly that partnership would be the leitmotif of the United States’ engagement in the Americas. That partnership is not just something we seek externally. It is something to which I commit, with you, and the other Members of the Sub-committee, as we work together to sustain smart policies that advance our national interests, and advance critical agendas we share with people all over the hemisphere. I appreciate the leadership you have shown on so many issues. I respect the wise counsel you and your staffs have provided my colleagues and me. And above all, I value the open and fluid dialogues we have maintained, even on difficult issues, since I assumed this job four months ago. I look forward to continuing this dialogue, and working with Congress to advance our positive agenda with the Americas.
10 March 2010
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Commerce Secretary Locke's Travel to Brasilia, Brazil
U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Public Affairs Press Release March 8, 2010 U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to Travel to Brazil to Meet with Key Leaders to Strengthen Bilateral, Commercial Relationship Locke to highlight President’s National Export Initiative during a meeting with U.S. companies WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will travel to Brasilia, Brazil, tomorrow to meet with key Brazilian leaders, American companies, and public and private sector co-chairs of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. During his meetings with American business leaders, Locke will discuss the Obama administration’s National Export Initiative and how it will help those businesses become more competitive abroad while supporting job creation here at home. Secretary Locke will be joined by Michael Froman, Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs at the White House, and Francisco Sanchez, Senior Advisor to the International Trade Administration. The United States enjoys a strong commercial relationship with Brazil, representing nearly $46.3 billion in bilateral goods and trade in 2009. U.S. merchandise exports to Brazil in 2009 were $26.2 billion. Brazil is the United States’ 10th-largest export market. Last July, Locke co-chaired the fourth meeting of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum in Washington, D.C., where CEOs discussed critical business issues, including the negotiation of a bilateral tax treaty, customs facilitation, and energy and infrastructure issues. The Forum’s recommendations have advanced discussions between the United States and Brazil governments on other important issues such as visas, customs procedures, education and infrastructure reforms. Established in 2007, the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum is made up of 20 CEOs from the U.S. and Brazil, and meets twice a year to make recommendations to the two governments on ways to strengthen the U.S.-Brazil economic relationship. The U.S. CEOs serve two-year terms, and were selected from respondents to a joint Commerce-White House Federal Register notice for applicants to the U.S. section of the Forum. Last month, Locke unveiled details of the Export Initiative and outlined how it will help the country reach the president’s goal of doubling exports over the next five years, a target that will support 2 million U.S. jobs. The Export Initiative will provide more funding, more focus and more cabinet-level coordination to grow U.S. exports. The NEI represents the first time the United States will have a government-wide export-promotion strategy with focused attention from the president and his cabinet. While In Brazil, Secretary Locke will: • Participate in a meeting with Brazilian government and private sector co-chairs of the US-Brazil CEO Forum; • Meet with the Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Miguel Jorge; • Meet with the Minister of Finance Guido Mantega; • Hold a roundtable discussion with members of the American Chamber of Commerce Brazil; • Host a reception for Government and Business leaders based in Brazil.
9 March 2010
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Article
Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs March 9, 2010 Fact Sheet Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas “We must come together to find new ways to produce and use energy…So today, I’m proposing the creation of a new Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas that can forge progress to a more secure and sustainable future.” — President Barack Obama Leaders of the Western Hemisphere recognize that energy is fundamental to sustainable development and they are committed to expanding cooperation to address the urgent and intertwined challenges of energy security and climate change. Energy Ministers will meet with civil society and the private sector at the Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas on April 15-16, 2010, in Washington, D.C. at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS), hosted by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and with participation by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ECPA – U.S. President Obama’s Vision U.S. President Barack Obama proposed an Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in April 2009. His vision is that ECPA brings countries across the Western Hemisphere together to facilitate the acceleration of clean energy development and deployment, advance energy security, and reduce energy poverty by sharing best practices, encouraging investment, and cooperating on technology research, development and deployment. ECPA is shaped by the five pillars laid out by President Obama: • Energy efficiency; • Renewable energy; • Cleaner fossil fuels; • Infrastructure; and • Energy poverty. ECPA - Open Invitation and Flexible Framework Joining ECPA is voluntary, allowing governments, Inter-American organizations, private industry, and civil society to lead or participate in initiatives that reflect their priorities. Governments may work jointly or on their own to lead initiatives, finance activities, and/or create welcoming policy environments that encourage low carbon development. Countries identify areas where they can contribute or need assistance, collaborate, and share on the OAS ECPA information clearinghouse website. ECPA - Initiatives Initiatives currently underway include: • A Low Carbon Communities program launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will assist Costa Rican, Dominican, Peruvian, Colombian and Caribbean governments to develop transformative energy programs and policies; • An initiative to promote sustainable urban development and planning led by Brazil; • Strengthening of electrical interconnections in the Andean region, Chile and Panama led by Colombia; • Clean energy technology centers that include a regional Energy Efficiency Center led by Peru, a regional Wind Research Center supported by Mexico, a regional Renewable Energy Center with Chile, an Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a Biomass Center in Brazil, and a Geothermal Center in El Salvador with support from the IDB and DOE; and • A Clean Energy Exchange Program of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency inviting nearly 50 Latin American and Caribbean energy officials on six reverse trade missions.
9 March 2010
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Article
Commerce Secretary Locke's Travel to Brasilia, Brazil
U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Public Affairs Press Release March 8, 2010 U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to Travel to Brazil to Meet with Key Leaders to Strengthen Bilateral, Commercial Relationship Locke to highlight President’s National Export Initiative during a meeting with U.S. companies WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will travel to Brasilia, Brazil, tomorrow to meet with key Brazilian leaders, American companies, and public and private sector co-chairs of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. During his meetings with American business leaders, Locke will discuss the Obama administration’s National Export Initiative and how it will help those businesses become more competitive abroad while supporting job creation here at home. Secretary Locke will be joined by Michael Froman, Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs at the White House, and Francisco Sanchez, Senior Advisor to the International Trade Administration. The United States enjoys a strong commercial relationship with Brazil, representing nearly $46.3 billion in bilateral goods and trade in 2009. U.S. merchandise exports to Brazil in 2009 were $26.2 billion. Brazil is the United States’ 10th-largest export market. Last July, Locke co-chaired the fourth meeting of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum in Washington, D.C., where CEOs discussed critical business issues, including the negotiation of a bilateral tax treaty, customs facilitation, and energy and infrastructure issues. The Forum’s recommendations have advanced discussions between the United States and Brazil governments on other important issues such as visas, customs procedures, education and infrastructure reforms. Established in 2007, the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum is made up of 20 CEOs from the U.S. and Brazil, and meets twice a year to make recommendations to the two governments on ways to strengthen the U.S.-Brazil economic relationship. The U.S. CEOs serve two-year terms, and were selected from respondents to a joint Commerce-White House Federal Register notice for applicants to the U.S. section of the Forum. Last month, Locke unveiled details of the Export Initiative and outlined how it will help the country reach the president’s goal of doubling exports over the next five years, a target that will support 2 million U.S. jobs. The Export Initiative will provide more funding, more focus and more cabinet-level coordination to grow U.S. exports. The NEI represents the first time the United States will have a government-wide export-promotion strategy with focused attention from the president and his cabinet. While In Brazil, Secretary Locke will: • Participate in a meeting with Brazilian government and private sector co-chairs of the US-Brazil CEO Forum; • Meet with the Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Miguel Jorge; • Meet with the Minister of Finance Guido Mantega; • Hold a roundtable discussion with members of the American Chamber of Commerce Brazil; • Host a reception for Government and Business leaders based in Brazil.
9 March 2010
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Article
Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Completes Relief Mission in Haiti
U.S Southern Command Public Affairs Office March 9, 2010 Hospital ship USNS Comfort completes relief mission in Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will depart Haiti March 10. The ship's departure follows a decision by U.S. Southern Command to release the ship after determining her crew completed the humanitarian relief mission it was directed to conduct in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation. The need for Comfort's capabilities declined significantly during the final weeks of its mission as medical facilities and field hospitals in Haiti assumed a greater role addressing the healthcare needs of Haitians and the need for urgent, life-saving medical care steadily declined. "Over the last 10 days, we've seen over a 65 percent reduction in patients on board the [Comfort] as they have been appropriately transferred to local hospitals for follow-on care," Col. Jennifer Menetrez, Joint Task Force-Haiti's surgeon told bloggers during a DoDLive bloggers' roundtable March 4. The last patient treated for earthquake-related injuries aboard Comfort was discharged from the hospital ship on Feb. 27, according to Menetrez. Comfort began supporting humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti after receiving its first patients a day before anchoring off the coast of Port-au-Prince Jan. 20. Over the course of seven weeks, the ship's U.S military and civilian medical personnel treated 871 patients, receiving one patient every six to nine minutes at the height of the recovery effort. Comfort's medical staff also performed 843 surgeries aboard the ship during the mission, treating more than 540 critically-injured earthquake survivors within the first 10 days. The hospital ship ran 10 operating rooms at full capacity to care for injured Haitian and U.S. earthquake survivors requiring surgical care. Comfort's medics also treated U.S. and international military personnel transferred to the ship by physicians on the ground for surgical and non-surgical care. Volunteer experts from the Orthopedic Trauma Association, Project Hope, Operation Smile, National Nurses United, Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provided the ship's medical team with orthopedic trauma, surgical, nursing and anesthesia support. "We are immensely proud of the contributions made by everyone who helped treat critically-injured earthquake survivors aboard Comfort," said U.S. Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, Commander of U.S. Southern Command. "Their efforts saved the lives of many patients and helped everyone treated begin the important process of recovery. "Their rapid response and contribution to the international relief efforts in Haiti helped the country overcome an urgent medical crisis at a time when access to surgical care on the ground was very limited," he said. During their mission, Comfort's crew worked closely with Haiti's Ministry of Health and healthcare professionals from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), international relief organizations and NGOs to secure follow-on care for patients in recovery. By early February, as relief efforts in the areas near the earthquake's epicenter gained momentum and medical treatment facilities expanded operations ashore, the amount of patients with earthquake-related injuries transferred to Comfort for care steadily declined. By Feb. 28, Comfort was no longer treating patients with earthquake-related injuries. Comfort is scheduled to return to its home port in Baltimore March 14. USNS Comfort previously deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti for 12 days in April 2009 as part of Operation Continuing Promise 2009 -- a four-month humanitarian and civic assistance deployment to seven countries (including Haiti) in the Caribbean, Central and South America. During the Haiti segment of the mission, Comfort's medical staff treated 6,731 patients, performed 161 surgeries, and filled 15,504 prescriptions.
9 March 2010
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Article
Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs March 9, 2010 Fact Sheet Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas “We must come together to find new ways to produce and use energy…So today, I’m proposing the creation of a new Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas that can forge progress to a more secure and sustainable future.” — President Barack Obama Leaders of the Western Hemisphere recognize that energy is fundamental to sustainable development and they are committed to expanding cooperation to address the urgent and intertwined challenges of energy security and climate change. Energy Ministers will meet with civil society and the private sector at the Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas on April 15-16, 2010, in Washington, D.C. at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS), hosted by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and with participation by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ECPA – U.S. President Obama’s Vision U.S. President Barack Obama proposed an Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in April 2009. His vision is that ECPA brings countries across the Western Hemisphere together to facilitate the acceleration of clean energy development and deployment, advance energy security, and reduce energy poverty by sharing best practices, encouraging investment, and cooperating on technology research, development and deployment. ECPA is shaped by the five pillars laid out by President Obama: • Energy efficiency; • Renewable energy; • Cleaner fossil fuels; • Infrastructure; and • Energy poverty. ECPA - Open Invitation and Flexible Framework Joining ECPA is voluntary, allowing governments, Inter-American organizations, private industry, and civil society to lead or participate in initiatives that reflect their priorities. Governments may work jointly or on their own to lead initiatives, finance activities, and/or create welcoming policy environments that encourage low carbon development. Countries identify areas where they can contribute or need assistance, collaborate, and share on the OAS ECPA information clearinghouse website. ECPA - Initiatives Initiatives currently underway include: • A Low Carbon Communities program launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will assist Costa Rican, Dominican, Peruvian, Colombian and Caribbean governments to develop transformative energy programs and policies; • An initiative to promote sustainable urban development and planning led by Brazil; • Strengthening of electrical interconnections in the Andean region, Chile and Panama led by Colombia; • Clean energy technology centers that include a regional Energy Efficiency Center led by Peru, a regional Wind Research Center supported by Mexico, a regional Renewable Energy Center with Chile, an Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a Biomass Center in Brazil, and a Geothermal Center in El Salvador with support from the IDB and DOE; and • A Clean Energy Exchange Program of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency inviting nearly 50 Latin American and Caribbean energy officials on six reverse trade missions.
9 March 2010
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Article
Remarks by Secretary Clinton, Haitian President Préval
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 9, 2010 REMARKS Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton And Haitian President Rene Preval After Their Meeting March 9, 2010 Treaty Room Washington, D.C. SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning. Let me begin by saying how honored we are to have President Preval here at the State Department. Everyone knows how devastated Haiti was by the earthquake of January the 12th. The Haitian people suffered so greatly and the Haitian Government was severely damaged. President Preval, Prime Minister Bellerive, the members of the cabinet, and the presidential staff, along with the people of Haiti themselves, have worked very hard these last two months to recover. The United States and the international community mounted the largest ever rescue and relief effort. Progress has been made, but not nearly enough, and therefore, we are holding these meetings with President Preval today and tomorrow and the next day to discuss in depth what we need to do still to alleviate suffering and what we will do together to help build back Haiti better. The United States alone in this first phase has supplied nearly $700 million in assistance. Nearly one half of all households in America have contributed something to private relief efforts. We are preparing for the major donors conference in New York on March 31st, and we are listening very carefully to President Preval and the voices of the Haitian people as to what our next steps should be. President Preval made the very important point that we must work toward elections to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian Government. I assured President Preval that the United States would work with the international community to hold elections as soon as appropriate. There are many specific problems that must be addressed, from how we get people into safe housing before and during the rainy season, to how we provide fertilizer and seed to Haiti’s farmers so that they can begin planting, to how we get Haiti’s factories going again and start new factories throughout the country, how we convince other countries to extend the same favorable tariffs that the United States does under the HOPE program. So this is truly a working meeting, Mr. President, and I want to assure you again that the United States and President Obama and our Administration remain committed to you. We believe in Haiti’s promise and we are committed to Haiti’s future. PRESIDENT PREVAL: (Via interpreter) Thank you, Madam Secretary. But first of all, please allow me to express my condolences to all of the Americans who were victims during the earthquake of January 12th in Haiti. And also, please allow me to express my deepest thanks to you, my deepest thanks to the American people, to the American Congress, the American Government, to you, Madam Secretary and to your staff, to President Obama and to Mrs. Obama, for all of the help and support that you have provided to Haiti after the earthquake of January 12th. And of course, the support provided to Haiti by the United States did not start at this earthquake. In fact, it came way before that. So we must work together to ensure the conditions that will allow the recovery of Haiti. And all of these conditions have to be worked upon – not just the immediate short-term needs but we must also work towards the long term – good governance, all of investments that have to be encouraged. Today, we are faced with a historical situation that will allow us to rebuild, re-found this country. In the past, everything had been concentrated and focused on the capital, where the political and economic elites of the country live, and the rest of the country was neglected. That’s why so many people came to Haiti – into Port-au-Prince – in the illusory quest for work that did not exist, and that is why there’s so much shoddy construction, which does not comply with standards, and that’s why there were so many casualties. And that’s why when people leave the provinces, that’s why each time there is a flood, there are so many deaths. Just last Sunday, there were 15 deaths due to flooding. So this is an opportunity to not only rebuild Port-au-Prince, but first and foremost, to invest and to rebuild in the provinces. And of course, the recovery of Haiti will take a long time, and everybody must be aware of that. To rebuild Port-au-Prince as it was before would be a major historical mistake, and that is the message that I am trying to convey not only to the Haitians but also to my international partners. So in summary, what I would say – let’s take the time necessary to think about this process about how we should rebuild Haiti. So let’s establish the conditions that will be favorable to a good economic stability and good political governance. Voila. SECRETARY CLINTON: I think we have time maybe for one or two, because we have to be at the White House. Yeah. MR. CROWLEY: Lach Carmichael, Agence France-Presse. QUESTION: Good morning to both of you. For President Preval, please: Secretary Clinton mentioned organizing elections as soon as possible. Could you give us a timeframe for when these elections could be organized? And for reasons fair or unfair, do you think this would help establish your legitimacy more, following a lot of criticism? And how would it help you accomplish goals, even short term goals, for the country? PRESIDENT PREVAL: (Via interpreter) Political stability is something fundamental for the development of a country. I think that is what constitutes a guarantee for investors, for the population, that there is some guarantees, that there’s some security about their future. We need a parliament that’s operating, that functions, that votes laws. You need an executive power, you need a judicial power. The parliamentary elections had been scheduled for February, but of course, everybody will understand that, due to the conditions, how difficult it will be to respect that timetable and to organize elections. As you know, the country has been severely impacted. The electoral body has been deeply affected. MINUSTAH, which was supporting us, was accompanying us, has been deeply affected. The OAS has been affected. And of course, there have been many casualties. All of the death toll has not been fully counted. There have been many people. So we have to find a way, and the experts will indeed help us find a way to ensure that by the time of my departure, we will find the right way to organize elections. We must find the right way. We should not try to do things too (inaudible), because we did have some very good systems in place. We did have some maps that existed. But what we must absolutely avoid is that we have a temporary provisional government that does not enjoy legitimacy. We must have a government that does have political legitimacy. SECRETARY CLINTON: And we will work -- QUESTION: And what about -- SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m so sorry, Lachlan, if you will give your question to P.J. We have to be at the White House literally in two minutes. Thank you very much. PRESIDENT PREVAL: Thank you. Thank you. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
9 March 2010
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Article
Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Completes Relief Mission in Haiti
U.S Southern Command Public Affairs Office March 9, 2010 Hospital ship USNS Comfort completes relief mission in Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will depart Haiti March 10. The ship's departure follows a decision by U.S. Southern Command to release the ship after determining her crew completed the humanitarian relief mission it was directed to conduct in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation. The need for Comfort's capabilities declined significantly during the final weeks of its mission as medical facilities and field hospitals in Haiti assumed a greater role addressing the healthcare needs of Haitians and the need for urgent, life-saving medical care steadily declined. "Over the last 10 days, we've seen over a 65 percent reduction in patients on board the [Comfort] as they have been appropriately transferred to local hospitals for follow-on care," Col. Jennifer Menetrez, Joint Task Force-Haiti's surgeon told bloggers during a DoDLive bloggers' roundtable March 4. The last patient treated for earthquake-related injuries aboard Comfort was discharged from the hospital ship on Feb. 27, according to Menetrez. Comfort began supporting humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti after receiving its first patients a day before anchoring off the coast of Port-au-Prince Jan. 20. Over the course of seven weeks, the ship's U.S military and civilian medical personnel treated 871 patients, receiving one patient every six to nine minutes at the height of the recovery effort. Comfort's medical staff also performed 843 surgeries aboard the ship during the mission, treating more than 540 critically-injured earthquake survivors within the first 10 days. The hospital ship ran 10 operating rooms at full capacity to care for injured Haitian and U.S. earthquake survivors requiring surgical care. Comfort's medics also treated U.S. and international military personnel transferred to the ship by physicians on the ground for surgical and non-surgical care. Volunteer experts from the Orthopedic Trauma Association, Project Hope, Operation Smile, National Nurses United, Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provided the ship's medical team with orthopedic trauma, surgical, nursing and anesthesia support. "We are immensely proud of the contributions made by everyone who helped treat critically-injured earthquake survivors aboard Comfort," said U.S. Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, Commander of U.S. Southern Command. "Their efforts saved the lives of many patients and helped everyone treated begin the important process of recovery. "Their rapid response and contribution to the international relief efforts in Haiti helped the country overcome an urgent medical crisis at a time when access to surgical care on the ground was very limited," he said. During their mission, Comfort's crew worked closely with Haiti's Ministry of Health and healthcare professionals from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), international relief organizations and NGOs to secure follow-on care for patients in recovery. By early February, as relief efforts in the areas near the earthquake's epicenter gained momentum and medical treatment facilities expanded operations ashore, the amount of patients with earthquake-related injuries transferred to Comfort for care steadily declined. By Feb. 28, Comfort was no longer treating patients with earthquake-related injuries. Comfort is scheduled to return to its home port in Baltimore March 14. USNS Comfort previously deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti for 12 days in April 2009 as part of Operation Continuing Promise 2009 -- a four-month humanitarian and civic assistance deployment to seven countries (including Haiti) in the Caribbean, Central and South America. During the Haiti segment of the mission, Comfort's medical staff treated 6,731 patients, performed 161 surgeries, and filled 15,504 prescriptions.
9 March 2010
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Article
Clinton Urges Normalization of Relations with Honduras
Secretary Clinton held meetings March 5 with Central American leaders in Guatemala.By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.Staff Writer Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Honduras has taken the necessary steps toward restoring democracy and deserves recognition and normalization of relations. “We believe that President [Porfirio] Lobo and his administration have taken the steps necessary to restore democracy,” Clinton said at a March 4 press conference. “We share the condemnation of the coup that occurred, but we think it’s time to move forward and ensure that such disruptions of democracy do not and cannot happen in the future.” Clinton wrapped up a five-day visit to Central and South America in Guatemala with leaders and senior officials from eight Central American nations. The discussions turned to controlling the violence from drug trafficking and recognition of the new Honduran government. Clinton acknowledged the problems related to drug trafficking and called on Latin American nations to continue the fight against trafficking and the corruption associated with the illegal drug trade. Honduras held a presidential election in November 2009 and elected Lobo. A coup had toppled former President Manuel Zelaya in June, when army officers seized him and flew him to nearby Costa Rica. Clinton said the election was free, fair and legitimate according to observers, and since then Lobo has worked steadily to restore democracy and the rule of law. Following Lobo’s swearing-in ceremony January 27, the new president immediately signed a decree granting political amnesty to those who were involved in the country’s political crisis and also made it possible for Zelaya, who had returned to Honduras and whose term in office officially ended January 27, to leave the country safely for exile in the Dominican Republic. “The Honduran family begins [the process] of reconciliation,” Lobo said in a speech at the national stadium in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Clinton said Lobo has established a unity government and a truth commission to fully investigate the political crisis. She announced that the United States would resume more than $30 million in aid to the country. “I have just sent a letter to the Congress of the United States notifying them that we will be restoring aid to Honduras,” Clinton told reporters. Some nations in the region have said they will wait, but Clinton said there is no reason to wait further. During Clinton’s travel in Latin America, she consulted with leaders in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica before concluding her trip March 5 in Guatemala.
9 March 2010
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Article
Remarks by Secretary Clinton, Haitian President Préval
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 9, 2010 REMARKS Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton And Haitian President Rene Preval After Their Meeting March 9, 2010 Treaty Room Washington, D.C. SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning. Let me begin by saying how honored we are to have President Preval here at the State Department. Everyone knows how devastated Haiti was by the earthquake of January the 12th. The Haitian people suffered so greatly and the Haitian Government was severely damaged. President Preval, Prime Minister Bellerive, the members of the cabinet, and the presidential staff, along with the people of Haiti themselves, have worked very hard these last two months to recover. The United States and the international community mounted the largest ever rescue and relief effort. Progress has been made, but not nearly enough, and therefore, we are holding these meetings with President Preval today and tomorrow and the next day to discuss in depth what we need to do still to alleviate suffering and what we will do together to help build back Haiti better. The United States alone in this first phase has supplied nearly $700 million in assistance. Nearly one half of all households in America have contributed something to private relief efforts. We are preparing for the major donors conference in New York on March 31st, and we are listening very carefully to President Preval and the voices of the Haitian people as to what our next steps should be. President Preval made the very important point that we must work toward elections to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian Government. I assured President Preval that the United States would work with the international community to hold elections as soon as appropriate. There are many specific problems that must be addressed, from how we get people into safe housing before and during the rainy season, to how we provide fertilizer and seed to Haiti’s farmers so that they can begin planting, to how we get Haiti’s factories going again and start new factories throughout the country, how we convince other countries to extend the same favorable tariffs that the United States does under the HOPE program. So this is truly a working meeting, Mr. President, and I want to assure you again that the United States and President Obama and our Administration remain committed to you. We believe in Haiti’s promise and we are committed to Haiti’s future. PRESIDENT PREVAL: (Via interpreter) Thank you, Madam Secretary. But first of all, please allow me to express my condolences to all of the Americans who were victims during the earthquake of January 12th in Haiti. And also, please allow me to express my deepest thanks to you, my deepest thanks to the American people, to the American Congress, the American Government, to you, Madam Secretary and to your staff, to President Obama and to Mrs. Obama, for all of the help and support that you have provided to Haiti after the earthquake of January 12th. And of course, the support provided to Haiti by the United States did not start at this earthquake. In fact, it came way before that. So we must work together to ensure the conditions that will allow the recovery of Haiti. And all of these conditions have to be worked upon – not just the immediate short-term needs but we must also work towards the long term – good governance, all of investments that have to be encouraged. Today, we are faced with a historical situation that will allow us to rebuild, re-found this country. In the past, everything had been concentrated and focused on the capital, where the political and economic elites of the country live, and the rest of the country was neglected. That’s why so many people came to Haiti – into Port-au-Prince – in the illusory quest for work that did not exist, and that is why there’s so much shoddy construction, which does not comply with standards, and that’s why there were so many casualties. And that’s why when people leave the provinces, that’s why each time there is a flood, there are so many deaths. Just last Sunday, there were 15 deaths due to flooding. So this is an opportunity to not only rebuild Port-au-Prince, but first and foremost, to invest and to rebuild in the provinces. And of course, the recovery of Haiti will take a long time, and everybody must be aware of that. To rebuild Port-au-Prince as it was before would be a major historical mistake, and that is the message that I am trying to convey not only to the Haitians but also to my international partners. So in summary, what I would say – let’s take the time necessary to think about this process about how we should rebuild Haiti. So let’s establish the conditions that will be favorable to a good economic stability and good political governance. Voila. SECRETARY CLINTON: I think we have time maybe for one or two, because we have to be at the White House. Yeah. MR. CROWLEY: Lach Carmichael, Agence France-Presse. QUESTION: Good morning to both of you. For President Preval, please: Secretary Clinton mentioned organizing elections as soon as possible. Could you give us a timeframe for when these elections could be organized? And for reasons fair or unfair, do you think this would help establish your legitimacy more, following a lot of criticism? And how would it help you accomplish goals, even short term goals, for the country? PRESIDENT PREVAL: (Via interpreter) Political stability is something fundamental for the development of a country. I think that is what constitutes a guarantee for investors, for the population, that there is some guarantees, that there’s some security about their future. We need a parliament that’s operating, that functions, that votes laws. You need an executive power, you need a judicial power. The parliamentary elections had been scheduled for February, but of course, everybody will understand that, due to the conditions, how difficult it will be to respect that timetable and to organize elections. As you know, the country has been severely impacted. The electoral body has been deeply affected. MINUSTAH, which was supporting us, was accompanying us, has been deeply affected. The OAS has been affected. And of course, there have been many casualties. All of the death toll has not been fully counted. There have been many people. So we have to find a way, and the experts will indeed help us find a way to ensure that by the time of my departure, we will find the right way to organize elections. We must find the right way. We should not try to do things too (inaudible), because we did have some very good systems in place. We did have some maps that existed. But what we must absolutely avoid is that we have a temporary provisional government that does not enjoy legitimacy. We must have a government that does have political legitimacy. SECRETARY CLINTON: And we will work -- QUESTION: And what about -- SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m so sorry, Lachlan, if you will give your question to P.J. We have to be at the White House literally in two minutes. Thank you very much. PRESIDENT PREVAL: Thank you. Thank you. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
9 March 2010
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Article
Clinton Urges Normalization of Relations with Honduras
Secretary Clinton held meetings March 5 with Central American leaders in Guatemala.By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.Staff Writer Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Honduras has taken the necessary steps toward restoring democracy and deserves recognition and normalization of relations. “We believe that President [Porfirio] Lobo and his administration have taken the steps necessary to restore democracy,” Clinton said at a March 4 press conference. “We share the condemnation of the coup that occurred, but we think it’s time to move forward and ensure that such disruptions of democracy do not and cannot happen in the future.” Clinton wrapped up a five-day visit to Central and South America in Guatemala with leaders and senior officials from eight Central American nations. The discussions turned to controlling the violence from drug trafficking and recognition of the new Honduran government. Clinton acknowledged the problems related to drug trafficking and called on Latin American nations to continue the fight against trafficking and the corruption associated with the illegal drug trade. Honduras held a presidential election in November 2009 and elected Lobo. A coup had toppled former President Manuel Zelaya in June, when army officers seized him and flew him to nearby Costa Rica. Clinton said the election was free, fair and legitimate according to observers, and since then Lobo has worked steadily to restore democracy and the rule of law. Following Lobo’s swearing-in ceremony January 27, the new president immediately signed a decree granting political amnesty to those who were involved in the country’s political crisis and also made it possible for Zelaya, who had returned to Honduras and whose term in office officially ended January 27, to leave the country safely for exile in the Dominican Republic. “The Honduran family begins [the process] of reconciliation,” Lobo said in a speech at the national stadium in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Clinton said Lobo has established a unity government and a truth commission to fully investigate the political crisis. She announced that the United States would resume more than $30 million in aid to the country. “I have just sent a letter to the Congress of the United States notifying them that we will be restoring aid to Honduras,” Clinton told reporters. Some nations in the region have said they will wait, but Clinton said there is no reason to wait further. During Clinton’s travel in Latin America, she consulted with leaders in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica before concluding her trip March 5 in Guatemala.
9 March 2010
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Article
U.S. Air Force Medical Team in Chile to Support Relief Efforts
U.S Southern Command Public Affairs Office March 9, 2010 U.S. Air Force medical team deploys to Chile to support relief efforts SANTIAGO, Chile – A U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Medical Support (EMEDS) team will arrive today in Santiago, Chile aboard three C-17 Globemaster aircraft, where it will assist citizens affected by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake Feb. 27. The team, consisting of approximately 84 airmen, including 63 medical personnel, will conduct humanitarian assistance operations in the city of Angol, southeast of Concepcion, an area that suffered considerable damage as a result of the historic seismic event. The deployment is being funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) as part of a multi-agency relief effort by the U.S. government in Chile and will join other activities already underway in Chile. The EMEDs team is equipped and staffed to provide surgical, primary care, pediatric, radiological, gynecological, laboratory, pharmaceutical, and dental services. The airmen will be working alongside Chilean civilian medical personnel during their deployment. On March 7, U.S. Southern Command deployed a 10-person command-and-control team to Santiago to assist the U.S. military group overseeing U.S. military assistance to Chile in the aftermath of the earthquake. The command also supplied seven of 22 satellite phones contributed by the Dept. of Defense as part of 92 satellite phones the U.S. government delivered to Chilean emergency officials to facilitate communications until telephone networks in affected areas are repaired. On March 6, two U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft and a team of about 50 airmen from the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard arrived in Santiago to support and augment a Chilean Air Force-led airlift relief operation delivering aid to affected communities near the earthquake’s epicenter.
9 March 2010