U.S. dismayed at Israel's plans for new settlements
November 17, 2009. The White House is “dismayed at the Jerusalem Planning Committee’s decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem.” In an interview with Fox News in China, President Obama repeated that “Israel's security is a vital national interest to the United States, and we will make sure they are secure," adding:
“I think that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel’s security. I think it makes it harder for them to make peace with their neighbors. I think it embitters the Palestinians in a way that could end up being very dangerous."
• President Obama’s interview with Fox News | video (November 18, 2009)
• White House statement on Jerusalem (November 17, 2009)
•
Statement by the Press Secretary on Israeli Settlements (September 4, 2009)
Obama Talks with Chinese Students
November 16, 2009. Speaking at a town hall meeting ahead of meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing, Obama said he is “a big believer” in technology and openness and a “big supporter of noncensorship” even though it means that he finds himself the subject of constant criticism. In the United States, “the fact that we have free Internet or unrestricted Internet access is a source of strength,” and the president said open Internet use should be encouraged. There is a price to openness, since extremists can also use the technology to mobilize, but “I think that the good outweighs the bad so much that it’s better to maintain that openness,” he said. more at america.gov
• President Obama's Trip to Asia
• Secretary Clinton’s Travel to Europe and Asia
Moving Beyond History: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
November 9, 2009. At a meet and greet event with embassy staff and family, Secretary Clinton said in Berlin: “I spend my time going around the world talking with people who are very much at loggerheads over conflicts that happened 100 or 200 or 500 or 1,000 years before. And then you come here, and you think about how horrific the conflicts of the 20th century were, right here in Europe. And tonight, we will have the chancellor of Germany and the president of France and the prime minister of Great Britain, because they are leading a Europe that understands how imperative it is to move beyond the history that we have all lived.” Full Text | photo gallery
• Earlier on Monday Secretary Clinton had met with Chancellor Merkel: video
• Clinton remarks at the Festival of Freedom | ZDF video | ARD interview | Spiegel | more interviews
• President Obama’s video message
• Travel Diary: A Berliner Reflects on the Moment When the Wall Came Down
Clinton at Freedom’s Challenge Awards: "There is no wall we cannot topple"
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses the Atlantic Council
November 8, 2009. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Atlantic Council hosted the “Freedom’s Challenge: A Gala Banquet and Awards Ceremony” at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin. In her keynote speech U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “We need to form an even stronger partnership to bring down the walls of the 21st century, and to confront those who hide behind them: the suicide bombers; those who murder and maim girls whose only wish is to go to school; leaders who choose their own fortunes over the fortunes of their people. In place of these new walls, we must renew the Transatlantic Alliance as a cornerstone of a global architecture of cooperation.” Before, Ambassador Murphy had presented the award to Minister Westerwelle. In his remarks Ambassador Murphy pointed out that Westerwelle is an alumn of the IV program. Atlantic Council | Clinton's speech (pdf) | photo gallery
Media reaction
• “Der US-Rückblick auf 1989 mit Hillary Clinton fällt nach Stil und Inhalt etwas anders aus als die meisten deutschen Einheitsfeiern”
Westerwelle in Washington
November 6, 2009. After her meeting with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Secretary Clinton said in Washington: “For Americans, our relationship with Germany is rooted in our commitment to freedom and democracy. And certainly, the new government that the minister represents exemplifies that. This time is a reminder of the values that we share and that we will use to chart a new future together: democracy, tolerance, human rights, the pursuit of a peaceful and prosperous future for our people and for all people.” Full Text | German MFA
See also: Chancellor Merkel’s speech before the U.S. Congress
U.S. Position on Israeli Settlements
November 4, 2009. After her meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Secretary Clinton said in Cairo: “Our policy on settlements has not changed. And I want to say it again: our policy on settlement activity has not changed. We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity. And we have a very firm belief that ending all settlement activity, current and future, would be preferable, and that is what we have put forth, and that is what we have continued to support. What we have received from the Israelis to halt all new settlement activity – and I’ll repeat that again, too – to halt all new settlement activities and to end the expropriation of land, and to issue no permits or approvals, is unprecedented.” Full Text
See also: President Obama’s speech in Cairo
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
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G-20 Summit September 24-25, 2009