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Chancellor Merkel To Address Joint Session of Congress
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Chancellor Merkel Addresses Joint Session of Congress
 November 03, 2009. Senators and Representatives attended a Joint Meeting of Congress “to receive Her Excellency, Doctor Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.” The U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Phil Murphy, was also present. German TV broadcast the speech live. Before her speech, President Obama met with the chancellor. remarks by the President | senate.gov | Text of Merkel's speech |  C-SPAN video | timeline (pdf)
United States Stands with Pakistan Against Violent Extremism
 October 30, 2009. At a roundtable with senior Pakistani editors in Lahore, Secretary Clinton said: "Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002. I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to...
So I think I am more than willing to hear every complaint about the United States... But this is a two-way street. If we’re going to have a mature partnership where we work together on matters that really are in the best interest of both of our countries, then there are issues that not just the United States but others have with your government and your military security establishment." full transcript
October 28, 2009. Condemning attacks in Peshawar as "cowardly," Secretary Clinton said the U.S. will help Pakistan in its struggle to achieve peace and security in the country, noting "The terrorists and extremists are very good at destroying, but they cannot build." more at america.gov
• U.S. Pledges Millions to Pakistani Projects for Needy and Displaced
• Clinton Announces Projects to Improve Pakistan's Energy Sector
• more on Secretary Clinton’s travel to Pakistan, the Middle East, and Morocco
Release of the 2009 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom
October 26, 2009. Announcing the publication of the State Department’s 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Washington, DC: “The right to profess, practice, and promote one’s religious beliefs is a founding principle of our nation. In fact, many of our earliest settlers came because they wanted the freedom to practice their own religion without a state interfering or oppressing that practice. It is the first liberty mentioned in our Bill of Rights, and it is a freedom guaranteed to all people in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
I want to underscore that, because this is not just an American value. This was agreed to be a universal value. Religious freedom provides a cornerstone for every healthy society... It fosters tolerance and respect among different communities. And it allows nations that uphold it to become more stable, secure and prosperous. As President Obama said in Cairo, freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. These facts underlie our commitment to the cause of religious freedom. That’s why we make the issue of religious freedom a priority in our diplomacy, and this annual report is the centerpiece of our efforts.
Every year, the staff of our office of International Religious Freedom works with our embassies overseas and experts here in Washington to produce the world’s most comprehensive survey of religious freedom. This report examines how governments in 198 countries and territories are protecting or failing to protect religious freedom.” remarks in full | IRF Report 2009: TOC
NATO Looks at Boosting Afghanistan Support, Defense’s Gates Says
 October 23, 2009. After an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers in Bratislava, Slovakia, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said NATO allies are considering sending more military forces and civilian aid to Afghanistan as President Obama also is considering what course the United States will take there. A conference among NATO members to determine future troop levels will be held in November, Gates added. And the White House has said that it expects a decision by the president in the coming weeks. more on america.gov
see also: Special Representative Holbrooke on Afghan Elections
Biden Praises Central Europe’s Democratic Advances
Vice President Biden (with Romanian President Traian Băsescu above) praises the courage of the people of Central Europe for changing world history in the 20th century. October 22, 2009.
In a speech at the Central University Library in Bucharest, Romania, Vice President Biden praised the courage of the people of Central Europe for taking world history in the 20th century and moving it in a new direction toward freedom, justice and fairness.
“Twenty years ago the world watched in awe and admiration as men and women throughout this region broke the shackles of oppression, and emerged a free people,” Biden said in Bucharest, Romania, as Europeans observe the 20th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. “When the Iron Curtain was lifted, the wall fell in Berlin, in their places grew democracy, a democracy that you’ve deserved for a long time.” more at america.gov | Remarks By Vice President Biden in a Joint Statement with President Basescu
Strengthening the Pillars of Global Nonproliferation
 October 21, 2009. At the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, Secretary Clinton said: “We must continue to strengthen each of the three mutually reinforcing pillars of global nonproliferation—preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, promoting disarmament, and facilitating the peaceful use of
nuclear energy. And to those three pillars, we should add a fourth:
preventing nuclear terrorism. Stopping terrorists from acquiring the
ultimate weapon was not a central preoccupation when the NPT was
negotiated, but today, it is, and it must remain at the top of our
national security priorities.” Full Text
Latest Headlines
First lady Michelle Obama honored 19 after-school programs at the White House November 4, presenting each with a Coming Up Taller Award. Youth programs in Mexico, China and Egypt were among the honorees. The programs exemplify how arts and humanities programs can affect the lives of young people. More...
The U.S. Agency for International Development releases details of a new international effort to monitor diseases that move between animals and people. The goal of this multimillion-dollar private-public partnership is to prevent the next global pandemic using an innovative five-pronged approach. More...
With nearly 40 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, Latin America has a rich environmental heritage, but it lacks trained environmental stewards. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with Flora & Fauna International to develop university-level training for professional conservationists. More...
Secretary Clinton says the United States continues to see Israeli settlement activity as illegitimate, but says Israel’s offer to halt new activity is “unprecedented.” She urges a return to final status talks for a two-state solution, which would ultimately remove the issue as a flashpoint. More...
Enhancing global economic recovery and resisting trade protectionism will be significant themes at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Singapore, says a senior U.S. diplomat. President Obama will be making his first trip to East Asia since taking office to attend APEC. More...
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G-20 Summit September 24-25, 2009