Dipnote - Entries By Category http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2009-07-04T15:26:30-05:00 A New Beginning: President Obama Speaks to Muslims of the World Today, at Cairo University in Egypt, President Obama addressed America’s relationship with Muslims around the world. President Obama said:

"I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings....I will try to...speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart."

Read the President's full speech or more from the White House.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/obama_cairo/ 2009-06-04T14:20:06-05:00 Watch Live Webcast of President Obama’s Speech in Cairo On June 4, President Obama will deliver a speech at 1:10 in the afternoon in Cairo, 6:10 in the morning in Washington, D.C. No matter where you are, watch it live on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

The White House Blog previews President Obama's June 4 speech in Cairo:

The history of the relationship between America and the Muslim World is deeper and more complex than the common perception might suggest. Thomas Jefferson taught himself Arabic using his own Quran kept in his personal library, and had the first known presidential Iftaar by breaking fast with the Tunisian Ambassador at sunset. President Dwight Eisenhower attended the dedication ceremony of the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. on June 28, 1957. President Bill Clinton issued the first presidential greeting for Ramadan, appointed the first Muslim American ambassador, M. Osman Siddique, to Fiji, and sent the first presidential Eid al-Adha greeting to Muslims. And one year after President George W. Bush placed the Holy Quran in the White House library in 2005, Representative Keith Ellison took the oath of office on the same Quran owned by Thomas Jefferson two hundred years before.

With his speech in Cairo, the President will lay another marker, addressing America’s relationship with the Muslim World in the heart of the Middle East. Whereas the past years and decades have deepened the rift in that relationship, the President will seek a new start by opening up a serious, honest dialogue to find areas of common interest where we agree, and new ways of communication where we do not. By continuing unprecedented outreach to the Muslim World, the President is strengthening national security and opening up new opprtunities to address some of the problems that have seemed so intractable over recent years.

The speech will be given at 1:10 in the afternoon in Cairo, 6:10 in the morning here in Washington, D.C. No matter where you are, watch it live on WhiteHouse.gov/live.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/live_webcast_president_obama_cairo/ 2009-06-03T20:51:49-05:00 Poetry Contest Inspires Palestinian Youth About the Author: Christina Higgins serves as Assistant Information Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem.

It’s sounds corny, but it’s true. Every time I have the honor of representing the United States at a local event, I choke up. It’s not hard to represent the United States, because we stand for enduring values. President Obama spoke about these values in a powerful speech on May 21, calling them, “a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality, and dignity….” But I also choke up, because I feel an immense honor representing my aunts and uncles in Wisconsin and Ohio, my cousins in Florida, Texas, and Oregon, my friends throughout the United States.

It happened most recently in Bethlehem. I had the honor of attending graduation at a Palestinian high school. I presented an award for the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem’s online poetry contest. The contest winners hailed from Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and Gaza. As I entered the assembly hall, just behind the Boy Scouts clad in Scottish kilts, I was reminded of the fascinating and rich history of the Holy Land, where young Palestinians play traditional Arabic tunes on bagpipes. I presented the award to the winner, the beaming graduate, Khalid, and congratulated him on his poem, “Let’s rejoice. It’s Springtime!” Reflecting the contest’s theme of nature and conservation, he wrote, “I see the flowers, the roses, everywhere, like the stars in the sky…I hear the sound of rivers and waterfalls, like a melody and a song.”

Khalid displayed all the exuberance of a high school graduate anywhere in the world. He was looking toward the future with anticipation. In fact, many in the region are filled with anticipation, encouraged by U.S. statements of support for the two-state solution, a future where Israel and a Palestinian state will live together in peace and security. All eyes are now on Egypt where President Obama will deliver an important speech on June 4 about America's relations with the Muslim world. I am sure that Khalid will be listening.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/poetry_contest_palestinian_youth/ 2009-06-03T19:26:39-05:00 Memorial Day Reflections From Baghdad About the Author: Nicole Thompson serves as a Press Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

A colleague in Washington asked me to write a Memorial Day post for DipNote. I understood his reasoning; I am, after all, a third generation American war veteran. My father was sent to Vietnam in 1970, and his father was drafted to be a cook aboard a U.S. Navy battleship in 1943. As a member of the U.S. Army, I touched down in the Middle East two days before combat began in 2003, and rolled into central Iraq a month later. This year I voluntarily returned to Baghdad, this time out of uniform, with a diplomatic passport in hand.

I thought I’d write about the importance of service to country and the gallant sacrifice of those who defend our freedom. Instead, I opt to tell another tale — the story of my first Rest and Recuperation (R&R) break from Iraq. Through a series of blunders, I managed to miss the flight specifically designated to lift U.S. Embassy employees out of Iraq and into surrounding countries for departure and dispatch to all parts of the globe. I wound up stuck at a hot, dusty airport with little prospect of getting out of the country for at least 48 hours.

After much sad-eyed pleading, I was squeezed onto a non-embassy flight. I was ushered to a seat as over 250 battle-hardened soldiers, tossing their grimy gear and massive back packs to the ground, began to fill the small airport’s waiting area. Their talk varied wildly; spanning excitement to see spouses, progress of a pit bull puppy’s growth, to plans for college enrollment, pending divorce and ultimate fighting championships. The men themselves were as varied as their talk. A lanky young Asian American lieutenant, a hawk-eyed Latino sergeant keeping close watch of a group of rosy-cheeked privates, and a bellowing major sporting a cap of red crew-cut hair all surrounded me. Each of the men was so different, but somehow, they were one. These men, I later learned, were members of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division, 2nd Brigade. They had served over 14 months in Baghdad. On the Monday we observed Memorial Day in 2009, they were finally going home.

I cannot describe the honor of being among these men. Inside this cadre of warriors, I was the lone civilian and the only woman. One small diplomat dressed in a concert t-shirt and colorful head wrap, filled with respect and admiration. Once we were all crammed aboard the giant aircraft that would ferry me to vacation, and the soldiers to their homes and families, a couple of them took a moment to entertain my questions about their mission and experiences in Iraq. I dared not ask how many of their brothers had fallen during the long tour.

Unbeknownst to them, these men provided a memory that will last my lifetime. Those few hours among their ranks were a great privilege. Sometimes it’s so easy to become entrenched and consumed by the day-to-day meetings and receptions and memos that accompany diplomacy in a war zone. To the battle-hardened men and women of the armed forces, I’d like to pause for a moment to say, thank you.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/memorial_day_reflections_baghdad/ 2009-05-30T19:06:34-05:00 Talking the Walk: Explaining the Provincial Reconstruction Team Mission About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

If you've read my previous DipNote posts, you know that diplomats and development professionals are making a real difference in rural Iraq. Our work with our Iraqi counterparts in the Department of Veterinary Affairs is helping revive Muthanna's agricultural sector. This is certainly important work, but as a the PRT's public diplomacy officer, it's my job to ensure that Iraqis know about the work we are doing out in the field.

Driving through even the most rural areas of Muthanna it is common to see houses made of mud . . . with brand new satellite dishes on the thatched roofs. Rural Iraqis, like millions of others around the developing world, want to be connected to the rest of the world, and satellite TV is helping make this connection. Satellite networks across the Middle East, like Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, and LBC out of Beirut, are the news sources many in the Arab world turn to. Here in Iraq, many Iraqis look to these satellite stations and their own state-owned network, Al Iraqiya. Not long ago, my Deputy Team Leader and I were invited to give an hour-long interview on the local Al-Iraqiya affiliate, Muthanna TV. The program called "Al Hadath" ("The Event") is a nightly broadcast and helps Muthanna's residents learn about what is happening in and around the province. The interviewer was gracious and genuinely interested in asking us about the work of the PRT. It gave us an opportunity to share highlights of what we've been up to and also stress the cooperative nature of the U.S. role in Iraq. I was particularly pleased to talk about the PRT's partnership with municipal officials in providing 500 tons of alum (aluminum sulfate) to help improve the quality of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Muthanna's residents.

While it's important to blog about our accomplishments, I'm pretty sure most of Muthanna's farmers and rural residents aren't reading DipNote. Having U.S. diplomats take the air waves to explain our policy is one of the best ways to get the message out.

Read more entries about Aaron Snipe's experiences serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/explaining_prt_mission/ 2009-05-22T21:26:41-05:00 Working With Iraqi Farmers Reminds Me Why I Serve About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

Sometimes I find myself muttering five little words: I hate being in Iraq.

The problem with this statement is that it’s actually not true.  I don’t hate being in Iraq.  Working in the fast-paced, high-stress environment of a PRT is always a challenge.  The seven-day work week can be difficult to manage.  But, when I step back from the stress and look at what we are doing, I actually quite like Iraq.  I love talking to Iraqis about their country.  I like the intellectual challenges inherent in Iraq.  I enjoy hearing what Iraqis have to say about things I think I’ve figured out – and I love it when Iraqis tell me I’m wrong.  Though, I have to say, I love it even more when Iraqis tell me I’m wrong, and then I prove to them I am right.  But most of all, I don’t hate being in Iraq, because I can call my colleagues – both American and Iraqi – friends.

I was reminded of why I like being in Iraq during a visit to a veterinary research center where we are assisting Iraqi farmers with new techniques in animal husbandry.  As I wrote in a previous blog entry, Muthanna is an agrarian society at heart, and some of our most meaningful efforts here are focused in this sector. 

The PRT is working with the Director General of Veterinary Services to help farmers replenish their fleeting livestock numbers.  The PRT has purchased liquid nitrogen machines that will make it possible for the Iraqis to implement a province-wide bovine artificial insemination (BAI) program.  Decades of neglect under Saddam Hussein, years of war, and other economic factors forced many of Muthanna’s farmers to slaughter their livestock for food to feed their families, instead of keeping the cattle to produce dairy products.  The dwindling numbers of breeding bulls have created an agricultural crisis for provincial farmers.  With a vibrant Iraqi-led (and PRT-supported) BAI program in place, the numbers of livestock will certainly increase.  This assistance is taking place at the grassroots level, and agricultural officials and farmers can attest to the positive impact it will have on the province.

My visit to the veterinary research center also reminded me of one of my fondest, childhood memories. For many years as a kid, I attended summer camp in Pennsylvania.  On a Saturday morning, many summers ago – it must have been when I was about fifteen-years-old – the camp director asked if I would help him fetch hay for the horses.

We drove a truck a few miles away from camp to a large field.  Seated in neat rows, evenly placed across the field’s wide expanse, were countless bales of hay.  My job: to toss the heavy bales of hay into the truck bed.  We drove up and down the lanes of hay for hours.  When we finished, I looked up to see the hay stacked five, six, maybe even seven, tiers high.  That day was the first time I can recall working hard and loving it.  Riding back to camp atop a mountain of hay, baked in the summer heat, drenched in sweat and smelling like the farm, I felt like a king sitting on a throne.  It was just a truckload of hay, and I was just a kid, but it was a day I’ll never forget.

At age fifteen, I’m sure I’d never even heard of Iraq.  Twenty years later, though, I feel a similar pride in the work I am doing here.

Read more entries about Aaron Snipe’s experiences serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/working_with_iraqi_farmers/ 2009-05-20T22:45:50-05:00 City Slicker Learns To “Dip” Sheep in Iraq About the Author: Aaron Snipe serves as a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Iraq.

Seven years ago, I was working in the financial services industry in New York City. I had recently taken the Foreign Service exam and was pretty pessimistic about my chances of passing. I didn’t like my job very much, but I loved my office. It was in the old Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Clock Tower building at Madison and 23rd. And I loved living in Park Slope. If you had told me back then that, in a few short years, I would be working in rural Iraq, helping farmers vaccinate and "dip" their sheep, I would have found the assertion preposterous.

As fate would have it, I am here in Iraq, dipping sheep, and having a good time doing it.

Muthanna, the southern Iraqi province in which I work, is rural. Muthanna doesn't have many natural resources, and it doesn't have an abundance of water, though the Euphrates River does wind its way through our humble province. What it does have are lots of livestock. This is a province of farmers. Far away from Baghdad, the bigger questions of the Middle East don't really resonate here. While we are assisting the Iraqis here in all sectors, I suspect the greatest impact we will have in Muthanna is on its agricultural sector.

Late last year, I visited a site in rural Khider where veterinary representatives from the provincial government brought medicines for the animals. Joining me on the visit was Dr. Indu Ram, the PRT's Senior Agricultural Advisor and a native of Lucknow, India. The PRT's main contact with the provincial government on agricultural and veterinary issues, Indu has worked tirelessly on agricultural matters in the province and has developed a strong relationship with the Director General of Veterinary Services. Previous veterinary inoculations sponsored by the PRT had been in partnership with the United States Military, but this event was different. While we always enjoy cooperating with the military, Humvees and MRAPs would have changed the atmosphere of this engagement. With Muthanna’s Director General of Veterinary Services and PRT civilians leading the way, Iraqi farmers got to see something we wish more Iraqis would see: Iraqi officials cooperating with civilian representatives of the United States to respond directly to the needs of the people.

During this round of treatment, veterinarians injected livestock with vaccines for common seasonal diseases and administered oral treatments to the animals for internal parasites. A little later in the day we watched sheep being dipped to help prevent against external parasites. Indu's "hands on" approach to the work prompted him to get into the action by helping an unsuspecting sheep into the dip.

Under ideal conditions, sheep would normally receive vaccinations twice a year, but for the farmers of Khider – until now – their livestock had not received vaccinations in over three years. The vaccination partnership between the government and PRT is expected to decrease the sheep mortality rate by 80%.

As the visit came to a close everyone was happy. In this forgotten corner of Iraq, where Muthanna's farmers struggle with so many challenges, the PRT's support of provincial efforts paid large dividends. Before we left, the farmers made one very important demand on the PRT: stay for lunch. "We will slaughter a sheep in your honor! Please stay and eat with us." With other pressing business in the province on that day, we were unable to stay and break bread with our new friends. But, as the Acting Team Leader (my boss was out of town), I promised to return for another vaccination event, and I fully intended to take the farmers up on lunch. Stay tuned for more boiled sheep!

Read more entries about Aaron Snipe's experiences serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/sheep_iraq/ 2009-05-08T15:13:40-05:00 Front Lines to Main Streets in Iraq About the Author: Aaron Snipe serves as a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

I’ve had my share of sleepless nights since I came to Iraq, but my insomnia these days has more to do with the big-picture questions facing this land, than the heat, IEDs, or rocket attacks. Late one night not long ago, I finished reading a fascinating new book about Iraq. At the end of the book, the author published a copy of an unclassified U.S. Army memo dated June 21, 2008. The document, entitled “Multi-National Force-Iraq Commander’s Counterinsurgency Guidance,” included a bullet point that got me thinking. The directive was aimed at U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. It was simple in its logic and direct in its wording. Though I was not the intended audience, it spoke loudly to me as an American diplomat. The missive read as follows:

"Walk: Move mounted, work dismounted. Stop by, don’t drive by. Patrol on foot and engage the population. Situational awareness can only be gained by interacting with the people face-to-face, not separated by ballistic glass."

The memo made me think about how diplomats travel in Iraq. I’ve been all over my province and shaken hands with thousands of Iraqis, but due to security concerns I haven't actually spent a great deal of time just sitting still in the real Iraq. Most days, the lens through which I view Iraq is the glass of an armored vehicle traveling at high speeds. Ballistic glass may protect me, but it is thick, tinted and invariably distorts my view of the outside world. Not exactly the best way to get a clear picture of things, literally or figuratively.

Recently, something I had long hoped for came to fruition. I got out from behind that ballistic glass and saw a side of the real Iraq, up close. A local mayor invited my boss and me on a walk-about through his fair city. With the appropriate level of security, we set out to visit the Land Records Office, the local bank, and many street vendors along the way.

How wonderful it was to be in Iraq that day. The sites and sounds of street life in Iraq were the sounds of any city, anywhere in the world: cars honking, motorbikes weaving through traffic, taxi drivers yelling. But it was the smells that let me know I was really in Iraq. As we walked down the street, I inhaled deeply: sharwma roasting on a spit, tea boiling in a street-side cauldron, fruits and vegetables ripening in the afternoon sun. Even the smell of sewage from the drain, though unpleasant, was remotely comforting. I was really here. Finally.

When we reached the restaurant, I immediately felt the heat from the brick oven. Skewers of kebabs roasted above the fire. A school-aged boy sliced tomatoes and onions. Religious iconography adorned the walls. With the bustling city life just beyond the restaurant's open windows, we were in Iraq. The real Iraq. I don't know if the food was the best meal I'd ever had, but it certainly ranked among the best overall dining experiences I've had in quite awhile. The kebabs were delicious, the grilled tomatoes delectable, and the bread was fresh out of the oven.

Many of the cultural differences that divide people from different backgrounds can be undone when they break bread together. There are those in Iraq who don’t want to bridge that divide. During my eight months here, I have encountered a few who have refused to “unclench their fist” as I extended an “open hand.” But, that is to be expected. The majority of Iraqis I’ve met do want a better relationship with America and Americans, and all of the respect I’ve given Iraqis has been reciprocated ten-fold.

My walk through the market and my lunch at a street-side restaurant, similar to most of my experiences here, are not stories that will make headlines or news of any kind back home. But they should. In this seldom talked about part of Iraq, front lines are turning into main streets. I’m proud to be serving on the main streets of Iraq.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/front_lines_main_streets/ 2009-05-06T18:39:44-05:00 Giving Voice to the Voiceless About the Author: Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer serves as director of the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.

Secretary Clinton greeted ten emerging leaders from Iraq, participants in an International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Office of Global Women’s Issues joined in an interagency roundtable with the delegation and spoke to them about their work promoting the political, economic, and social empowerment of Iraqi women, and welcomed back Suaad Allami, who came to Washington at the beginning of March to receive an International Women of Courage award from Secretary Clinton.

Ms. Allami happily reported that the Secretary remembered her, but quickly turned serious in discussing her work establishing Women’s Centers in Sadr City, which she called “giving voice to the voiceless.” Without the awards program and other U.S. programs, she said, “I couldn’t be as I am now. I value myself now.” She expressed the hope that the others in her program would experience a similar benefit, so that they could better serve the causes and people they represent.

From Washington, this group of parliamentarians, government officials, journalists, and NGO leaders travels to New York and New Jersey, where they will have a seminar with faculty from the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. From there, they travel to California and then Texas, for meetings on state politics, elections, boosting volunteerism, and fostering leadership in girls and young women.

Many members of the group are visiting the United States for the first time. While they look forward to experiencing a diverse cross-section of American culture as part of their program, all are single-minded about their goals. “This is a golden opportunity,” one participant, a government official, said, adding that she tries to stress the need for concrete support for projects in Iraq in all her meetings.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/giving_voice/ 2009-05-04T17:20:02-05:00 American Corner Opens in Akko, Israel Watch Video | Video Text

About the Author: Will Stevens serves as the Deputy Press Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

On April 1, 2009, the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv opened the newest, and possibly most beautiful, American Corner in the world. This Corner is housed in the newly restored medieval structure at the A-Saraya, and is perhaps the first of the hundreds of American Corners in the world to be located in a UNESCO World Heritage site. On hand for the gala opening were U.S. Ambassador James B. Cunnigham, Akko Mayor Shimon Lankri, and over 150 community leaders, educators, and business people from Akko and surrounding areas. Peter Yarrow of the American folk group “Peter, Paul, and Mary” and Israeli music legend David Broza headlined the gala opening.

American Corners are a unique State Department program whereby U.S. embassies partner with local municipalities and community centers to open small pieces of America throughout the world that give local publics the chance to access the internet, research America, attend embassy events, and host activities. The American Corner in Akko will offer materials in English, Arabic, and Hebrew on such topics as business and education in America, English language studies, and American civics, history and culture.

The American Corner is a formal partnership between the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, the Akko Community Center, and the Municipality of Akko. Ambassador Cunningham noted at the opening that “our great hope is that this American Corner will serve as a gathering place for dialogue, discussion and debate on issues important to the greater goal of peace….. We are confident that it will further my Embassy’s effort to extend the message of coexistence between Arabs and Jews in Israel.”]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/american_corner_akko/ 2009-04-29T13:47:11-05:00 Secretary Clinton Addresses Embassy Baghdad Employees and U.S. Troops During her visit to Iraq, Secretary Clinton spoke to Embassy Baghdad employees and U.S. troops. Secretary Clinton said:

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you all. Well, I apologize for being so delayed, but we’ve had a great day and I know a lot of you here this evening were the reason we did. The work you’ve been doing and the specific commitment to making this visit so successful is something that really speaks for itself. I’m very, very grateful to each and every one of you, and I must say you have certainly earned a wheels-up party when we’re out of here tonight.

I want to thank Lieutenant General Helmick for representing General Odierno, and more than that, for training the Iraqi security forces, which is part of his set of responsibilities. I also want to just acknowledge Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State, who will be working with our new ambassador and all of you, to deal with the range of issues that we have to tackle. I am here for my fourth trip. I first came in 2003 and then I came back in ’05 and then I came back in ’07. And here I am once again, this time as Secretary of State.

I am both heartened by the progress that many of you have contributed to. I want to thank Pat on behalf of everyone here. She did a great job as DCM until we could finally get the Senate to agree that maybe it was important to have an ambassador in Iraq. And I want to introduce to you your new Ambassador, Chris Hill. You should know that as soon as he was confirmed – I think he was confirmed Tuesday night, late – he packed up everything and hitched a ride to Baghdad. And he was anxious to start this job, which is such a critical one for our own security and certainly for the security and future of the Iraqi people.

I also want to acknowledge former Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who did a magnificent job here. Both Ambassadors Crocker and Hill are among the very best that our Diplomatic Corps has to offer. Ambassador Hill has been in conflict situations in Kosovo. He was part of the Dayton Peace Accord negotiations in Bosnia. He served in Poland and South Korea. He was ambassador in Macedonia during the Kosovo war there. So he is no stranger to the kind of challenges that we are facing as we try to help this transition that the Iraqis are undertaking to a stable, sovereign, self-reliant nation.

Being here in my new role, I have to tell you how very proud I am of you. President Obama was here just a short while ago and gave the same message to both our military and civilian forces. We see this as a real partnership. We are now moving into a period where we will be drawing down our combat troops and we’re going to have to be ramping up our diplomatic and development efforts.

I see diplomacy, development and defense as each supporting the core components of American foreign policy: to protect our nation, to advance our interests, and to represent our best values, which is the greatest case we have to make to those who might wonder whether a future of democracy is in their best interests.

Whether you’re from State or USAID or one of the other many agencies represented here, or you’re from our military, you have taken on one of the toughest and most tasking assignments that you could have ever been given. And I want to be very clear, while our strategy has shifted with the SOFA agreement and our commitment to drawing down, we are still committed to the Iraqi people and the future of the Iraqi nation.

I have said that the cornerstone of our foreign policy is smart power with using the best of our hard assets, with what is sometimes called “soft,” but I think either is a misnomer. Many of you in the military have done a lot of diplomatic and development work over the last several years. And a lot of you in the Diplomatic Corps or USAID have done a lot of very hard work, trying to figure out how we could be successful partnering with the military. And I see lots of signs of progress and achievement.

Much has been said about the elections that Iraq has already had. But three successful elections, including this most recent one with provincial elections, is a significant achievement, and that could never have happened without you and your predecessors. So today was an opportunity for me to follow up on the President’s visit and to have in-depth conversations with a variety of Iraqi leaders, as well as a briefing from General Odierno, whom I first met on my very first visit when he was commanding the 4th ID.

And we also tried something a little different, an Iraqi town hall. And I have to tell you, it’s not much different than a town hall in Iowa or New York or somewhere in the States. Lots of hands, lots of questions, and good ones too. It was an opportunity for me to hear directly from Iraqis, and I learned a lot, and it underscored the challenges that we face. So our commitment has not waned; we’re just going to be executing it with some different emphases and priorities. We’re still committed to security because nothing can happen in the absence of it.

I believe, as General Odierno told me this morning, that the tragic attacks of the last few days have not fundamentally altered the security situation. But we have to stay alert and vigilant and we have to continue helping to prepare the Iraqi security forces to be able to prevent and deter the suicide attacks by either explosive belts or exploding vehicles. But I am very confident that we’re going to rise to the challenge. We’re going to be putting real meat on the bones of the strategic framework agreement, which as you know, was adopted at the same time as SOFA – didn’t get as much attention, but now it’s the primary focus of our efforts. Because we have to translate into reality what we mean when we talk about economic assistance and good governance and rule of law, and many of the other services and changes that we would like to be part of.

It is such a high honor for me to serve as Secretary of State. I’ve been blessed over the last years in the positions and honors that I have been able to hold on behalf of our country. And it gives me an enormous thrill to be getting off a plane representing our President, our government, and our nation. But what really touches me is to look out at all of you, away from your families, gone from home for many months, in many cases, committed to your mission, determined to succeed. That’s what is best about our country. We’re here because we see a better future for another people, but we also see the connection between our children’s future and the future of the Iraqi children.

This world has shrunk. It is so interconnected now. There isn’t any place we can walk away from without possibly seeing consequences we’d rather not. So I want you to know that in this beautiful new embassy, that took a very long time to build – (laugher) – are some of the smartest and best people that you’ll find serving America, not just anywhere today, but anywhere in our history. We just have to make sure we deliver. And we’re going to do everything we can to give you the tools and the resources to make that happen.

But it has to be a two-way street. You know, I started a website on the State Department larger web pages to solicit your ideas. If you have a good idea about something we should do differently or better, don’t keep it to yourself and don’t just complain to the people that you work with. Let us know, because we don’t have any time to waste. We need the best practices possible and we need to change direction if we’re going down the wrong way. So I encourage you to let the ambassador know and log onto the site to let us know because we’re going to be on this 24/7. And hopefully, we’ll be back here time and time again and see even more benchmarks and measures of success that we can attribute to the hard work of this team.

Thank you all very much and God bless you. (Applause.)]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_baghdad_troops/ 2009-04-28T13:40:40-05:00 Muthanna Art Exhibit Takes Risk, Earns Respect About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry entitled, “The Colors of Warka,” in which I chronicled the United States Ambassador’s trip to Muthanna. During that visit the Ambassador attended the first-ever exhibition for women artists in Muthanna. I wrote a bit about the artists in that blog but wanted to share an update.

In late 2008, when we learned that the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq was coming to Muthanna, we assembled a group of women artists from the province interested in working with the PRT on a cultural program. We asked them to contribute their paintings for a special gallery showing in honor of the Ambassador’s visit. We put it together in a few weeks, and the event was splendid. But, there was much more to the event than just a special showing for the Ambassador. The PRT, in cooperation with a local Iraqi NGO, wanted to support art in Muthanna and planned to hold a major exhibit of close to 100 paintings – all by the women of the province. Each of the participating women received canvases, paints and an easel. We gave the forty women a month to paint, after which time, the exhibit would open in three of Muthanna’s largest cities: Samawa, Rumaytha, and Khider.

After months of planning and preparation, the exhibit opened during March in Muthanna’s capital city, Samawa. It was well attended...or so I was told. Much to my disappointment, I missed the opening, but one of our local Iraqi staff who was able to attend reported that the event was a success. Eight media organizations (print and television) covered the event and a broad cross-section of Muthanna’s citizens came out to see this landmark exhibit.

Back at base, I was eager to get to the exhibit. After a bit of negotiation to arrange transportation, my colleague Albert Hadi and I found our way to Samawa for the second day of the exhibit. The NGO that co-sponsored the event did a terrific job decorating the exhibit hall and lighting the room. Many of the artists were at the exhibit again on the second day, and it was great to see them. What struck me, though, was how many other people were present. A college art professor had brought his forty male students to see the exhibit. Writers, poets, and other members of the artistic community were viewing the paintings and chatting with one another. At one point, I looked over and saw the Director General of Veterinary Affairs, whom I remembered from a PRT-sponsored sheep-dipping event some months ago (that is another story for another day). He told me he saw the exhibit on the news last night and decided to come to see it himself. The atmosphere was so relaxed and reminded me of any number of art museums I had been to in other parts of the world. Patrons, both men and women, were leaning in to look at the artists’ signatures, men sometimes disagreeing on the meaning and significance of this painting or that painting. For a moment, I forgot I was in Iraq.

For me, the exhibit was an example of public diplomacy. The fact that the United States was supporting art — its creation and exhibition — in Muthanna was a signal to the Iraqi people that the relationship between our two countries was normalizing. I was pleased to see that the artists had not shied away from portraying the difficulties facing Iraq. When we distributed the supplies a few months ago, I informed the women that they should feel free to paint whatever they liked. I made a special point of letting them know that I had no expectation that they should create art that was flattering to the United States. If there were negative feelings about the U.S. that these women wanted to express through their art, we supported that whole-heartedly. Negative feelings about the U.S. presence in Iraq expressed on a canvas were far more palatable to this diplomat than many of the alternatives.

My colleague Albert and I spent a great deal of time talking with all of the artists. What meant the most to me was the fact that many of the women had brought their families to meet us. This was a significant detail that couldn’t be ignored. Married or single, it is considered highly inappropriate for a young Iraqi woman to speak about meeting and talking with an unmarried man. But, through our meetings and planning, we had established a foundation of mutual respect with these women. This respect had begun to break down and dispel the obvious cultural prohibitions. I had never shaken hands with any of these women, and we always kept a respectable distance from one another as we spoke, but there was a genuine respect and admiration that we all shared. One woman asked for my e-mail address. She told me that her brother wanted to write me a letter to thank me. He wanted to write “to the American who respected his sister.” Respect.

One final thought on the exhibit before I conclude. The stories of these women shared one common thread: they were all taking risks by participating in this event. One of the women (not pictured above or in any photos related to this blog entry) told me a story that summed up the great risk involved in attempting to pull off the exhibit. She told us that she had watched the other women giving media interviews at the opening and wanted desperately to do so herself. Summoning up the courage to do so, she approached a reporter from a Muthanna-based television station. “I would like to be interviewed,” she said. She told us that she stood before the camera and spoke of her art, what art meant to her, and how she felt she had expressed her voice, publicly, for the first time in her life. She said she felt a sense of triumph after the interview, but that soon after a sense of dread overtook her. Her husband would certainly beat her that evening. “It was worth it,” she told us. “To have spoken to so many, to have said what I said before the people, it would be worth the punishment.” She described the long ride home, dreading the beating, but confident in her decision to speak out. When she arrived home, her husband was waiting at the door with his cell phone, in hand. "Did you see yourself?” he said. “You looked great! Mash'allah! You were on television! My wife was on television! I called my family and everyone I know. Look at you! You've made our family famous! This is wonderful!" She told us that when she walked in, her children embraced her and her husband told her that he was so very proud of her. She told us that later that evening - after her husband had finished calling everyone he knew - that he told her, "I never looked at you as an artist, only as the woman who cleans the house and raises the children. But, today, I am so proud of you."

I needed tissues more than my Kevlar vest and helmet that day, and any day that happens in Iraq is a good day.

Read Aaron's previous entry about the Ambassador's visit to Muthanna or read more about and view several of the paintings featured in the exhibit.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/muthanna_art_exhibit/ 2009-04-28T13:02:26-05:00 U.S. Committed to Sovereign, Stable Iraq Secretary Clinton held a press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari yesterday in Baghdad. Secretary Clinton said:

"It is encouraging to both see and hear about the progress that is being made in Iraq, and that came through to me not only in my official meetings with the foreign minister, the prime minister, and the president, but also with the special representative of the secretary general of the United Nations. The special representative briefed me about the work that the UN is doing, including the recently concluded report on disputed internal borders.

I especially appreciated the chance to meet with Iraqis, including a group of women who were both war widows and who were helping widows and their children. I also participated in an historic town hall meeting with Iraqi citizens representing a broad cross-section of Iraqi society. At every stop, I have emphasized President Obama’s message that our strategy working with you may be in a new phase, but we pledge our full and continuing commitment to Iraq and the Iraqi people.

We are committed to seeing an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant, and fully integrated into the region. We are working toward an orderly transition of responsibility from the American military to the Iraqi security forces, and we continue to help train and equip these forces so they will take the lead in safeguarding their country.

Like President Obama, I condemn these violent recent efforts to disrupt the progress that Iraq is making. My heart and America’s sympathy go out to the people who have died and the families who have suffered. This violence has only reinforced the Iraqi people’s determination to seek a better future for their country. Their response and the response of Iraqi’s leaders has been united and firm.

The end of the United States’ combat presence in Iraq by 2011 will mark the beginning of a new phase in our country’s relationship. As we draw down militarily, we will deepen our civilian cooperation in accordance with the strategic framework agreement. We will work on development and diplomatic initiatives and a regional agenda that includes border security and refugees.

The Iraqi people have withstood challenges of the most vicious and violent sort from those who would have torn their society apart, and Iraqis from everywhere have made tremendous sacrifices. The United States has also shared in those sacrifices. But we are proud of the progress that the Iraqi people have made. I said today that the Iraqi people are known for intelligence, hard work, and courage. And we will stand with you as you build a future worthy of all of the children in Iraq."

Read the transcript of the press conference.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/sovereign_stable_iraq/ 2009-04-26T14:26:05-05:00 Talking, Listening To Solve Problems Together Yesterday Secretary Clinton participated in a town hall meeting with representatives of Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Iraqi civil society in Baghdad.

At the beginning of the town hall meeting, Secretary Clinton said, "I am pleased to be here with all of you today and very excited about this opportunity to hear from you. I’m pleased that Ambassador Hill is now here in Baghdad ready to work to further and deepen our cooperation on a range of important issues.

I wanted to come today to repeat the commitment that President Obama and I and our government have to the people and nation of Iraq, and to assure you that as we make this transition, that the United States will stand with the people of Iraq and look for ways to create a close and important relationship for the future.

So what I would like to do is to really turn this over to the audience. I know we have Iraqis from many different parts of the country with many different experiences. We have members of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams. ...[A]s we move together into the future, we will do a better job if we talk to one another and if we listen to each other and then decide how we can solve problems together."

An activist in media and human rights proposed the first question during the town hall meeting. He asked, "Following the situation in United State, we know that the new Administration in – of U.S.A. now engaged in the internal issues, especially economy. And it’s – looks like to us that the situation of Iraq is not so important or it’s not in the same level of importance for the new Administration. I would like to ask whether this policy is a kind of reprieve or a kind of making another policy different for Iraq?"

Secretary Clinton responded, "Let me assure you and repeat what President Obama said. We are committed to Iraq. We want to see a stable, sovereign, self-reliant Iraq. But we know we’re coming into office when there is a transition underway. The prior administration agreed to withdraw our troops and we support that. We want to do it in a responsible and careful way. And we also want to expand our work with the people and Government of Iraq in other areas of concern to help the government, to help the rule of law, to help the civil society. And so we are very committed, but the nature of our commitment may look somewhat different because we’re going to be withdrawing our combat troops over the next few years."

Read the Secretary's full conversation with Provincial Reconstruction Team leaders and Iraqi civil society representatives.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/solve_problems_together/ 2009-04-26T13:12:57-05:00 Secretary Clinton Travels to Iraq, Kuwait Secretary Clinton travels to Iraq and Kuwait today.

Secretary Clinton arrived in Baghdad, Iraq, today, her first trip to Iraq as Secretary of State. While in Baghdad, Secretary Clinton will meet with Prime Minister al-Maliki, President Talibani, Deputy President al-Hashimi, Foreign Minister Zebari, and other senior leaders in the Government of Iraq. They will discuss issues of common concern including security, stability operations and assistance.

Secretary Clinton will also meet with Ambassador Christopher Hill and Multinational Force-Iraq Commander Odierno to discuss the Administration's new direction and change of mission for U.S. forces in Iraq and hold a roundtable with Iraqi women.

The Secretary will also participate in a town hall with Iraqi citizens who work day in and day out with Provincial Reconstruction Teams, to hear from and discuss with them what they are achieving as well as issues facing the Iraqi people. Secretary Clinton will depart later today for Kuwait.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_travels_iraq_kuwait/ 2009-04-25T15:45:55-05:00 Sound Merchants Share Jazz With Iraqis About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

In the late 1950s, the United States sent American jazz musicians—including Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington—to foreign countries far and wide as part of a cultural outreach initiative.  Last year, the New York Times highlighted a then-new photography exhibit that chronicled this little-known cultural gem of the State Department.  Back then, the objective of this program was to counter the influence of the Soviet Union.

Today, American jazz musicians and other American artists and speakers participate in cultural programs to share a part of America through their chosen art form.  Today’s programs are designed to broaden the understanding among foreign audiences about who we are as Americans.  Is there a “countering extremism” component to these programs?  Yes, but they are more about sharing the rich tapestry of America through art and culture.  Jazz is a truly American art form, and I can’t think of a better way to introduce the citizens of the world to it than by bringing the music directly to their doorsteps.

When Embassy Baghdad approached Provincial Reconstruction Team public diplomacy officers with the idea of bringing an American jazz band—Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants—out to the provinces, I jumped at the chance to have them come to Muthanna.  The band, it turns out, was inaugurating a special initiative of the Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) called “Musical Overtures” which was created to promote mutual understanding and to strengthen America’s ties with nations involved in or recovering from conflict, or facing other challenges.  Their full tour, starting in Armenia, included Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon.

When I heard that the Sound Merchants might come to Muthanna, I envisioned a quartet of cool cats on stage with young Iraqi musicians jamming together with lute and sax, making great music.  I reached out to some of my artist contacts in Muthanna, and we put together a musical program for both groups to play.  Alas, this musical union was not meant to be, as a transportation mix-up in Baghdad caused the Sound Merchants to miss their ride to Muthanna.  Luckily for Dhi Qar Province (adjacent to Muthanna), the group was able to catch another flight a few days later and performed at the Great Ziggurat of Ur.

Personally, I was very disappointed that the transportation snafu turned my vision of jazz in Muthanna into “a dream deferred,“ but my boss and I made the best of it.  We went to the concert, sans jazz, in Muthanna and listened to great traditional Iraqi music.  There were songs dedicated to the sweet dates of Muthanna and melodies that told tales of the winding Euphrates.  There were a number of television stations covering the event.  Never missing an opportunity to spread the message, I gave more than a few interviews that day.  I told the press that cultural exchanges between the United States and Iraq were clear indicators that the relationship between our two countries was changing, becoming more normal.  The media opportunity gave me a chance to make another point.  I told a number of journalists that I very much wanted for the American jazz musicians to come to Muthanna to see a side of Iraq not reported in the mainstream Western media.  The residents of Muthanna were ambassadors themselves, I explained, and it would be my great pleasure to introduce these American musical ambassadors to the many friends I’ve made during my year in Muthanna.

A few days later, at the base of the Ziggurat, jazz finally made it to southern Iraq.  The PRT for Dhi Qar Province organized a concert for the Sound Merchants and a popular Iraqi singer.  That evening, the temperature was perfect, the skies were clear, and it was fun to see the Iraqis enjoying the music.

The Sound Merchants played two more shows in Iraq, one in Baghdad and the other in the northern city of Kirkuk.  Friends who attended both performances said the audience participation was great.  The musicians made connections here in Iraq and shared a slice of American culture that many Iraqis were experiencing for the first time.  For the jazz musicians, these trips are an opportunity to share music and culture, as well as their views with foreign audiences.  Citizen ambassadors are not required to advocate U.S. policy, so it’s a great chance for Iraqis to meet Americans and hear a wide range of opinions on matters.  During their visit to the south, I spoke with Alvin and the band at length about their travels as musical ambassadors.  On their last trip, as part of ECA’s Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program, they visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman.

What made me happiest was to hear about the friendships that Alvin and his group had made across the Middle East.  When I told him I was headed to Oman next, he said, “Oman? Oh, man! You’re going to love it there.  Folks there are so cool.  I just got an e-mail from one of my Omani friends the other day.  I would love to get back there again and play with them.“

Hearing that, I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I see Alvin and the fellas.

]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/jazz_with_iraqis/ 2009-04-21T21:28:53-05:00 The Colors of Warka About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

The title of the art exhibit was The Colors of Warka, named after the ancient Sumerian goddess of beauty, Inanna. When January 10th rolled around, and the Ambassador's Black Hawks touched down in Muthanna, the exhibit was ready to go. The Ambassador’s agenda for the visit was packed full of meetings and appearances designed to give the Ambassador a taste of what PRT Muthanna is doing in the province. A visit to the art gallery, a meeting with the Provincial Council Chair, lunch with the Governor of Muthanna, followed by tea in our mudhif with the mayors. It may sound simple enough, but transporting the United States Ambassador around Muthanna in multiple ground and air movements to multiple sites, was no small task. Our security guys performed admirably and were flexible with the many last-minute schedule changes.

Due to security concerns, we had kept the Ambassador's travel a secret until that morning. My fellow-team member, Albert Hadi, (pre-staged at the exhibit) broke the news to the stunned group of artists, 30 minutes before the Ambassador arrived.

"Which Ambassador? You mean the American Ambassador is coming to Muthanna?" said one of the women.

"Yes," Albert informed her, "the American Ambassador is coming to Muthanna to see your paintings."

The room broke out in hushed chatter.

"The guy on TV?" one woman asked, raising her arm above her head to denote the Ambassador's high rank, "He's coming to see us?"

The Ambassador walked through the entire exhibit, and took time to speak with each and every artist about her work. The same women, who months ago were hesitant to even have their pictures taken, were now speaking to the U.S. Ambassador, with television cameras rolling. ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Al-Iraqiya, Al-Sharqiya and a number of other media organizations were all in attendance. After the Ambassador departed for the day's meetings, the team distributed paints, brushes, an easel, and canvases to the artists. The day's program had been designed specifically for the Ambassador and was a special gallery showing. With their new supplies in hand, the artists could now begin painting in preparation for their three-week exhibit in March.

Read Aaron's previous or next entries about the paintings of Muthanna.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/colors_warka/ 2009-04-10T17:53:42-05:00 Muthanna Paintings Depict Lives of Iraqis About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

Not long ago, one of my superiors in Baghdad sent a tasking memo to our Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT): the Ambassador is considering coming to Muthanna. Why should he come to your PRT? A fair question. We circled the wagons and came up with a few important points. In 2006, Muthanna became Iraq's first PIC (Provincial Iraqi Control) Province, when authority shifted from the Coalition Provisional Authority back into Iraqi hands. Muthanna remains Iraq's least economically developed province and unemployment is high. But, despite those facts, there has been a sustained peace and stability province-wide. After some deliberation, Baghdad notified us that the Ambassador was interested in coming for a visit. There were, of course, political meetings he would need to attend, but as the Public Diplomacy Officer, I was focused on public diplomacy: what were the events I could plan that would best highlight our good work here in Muthanna? I wanted time to plan, so I suggested to the embassy that the Ambassador come in late February. I had some good ideas for a visit, but I would need some time to pull it all together. Baghdad responded with a date: January 10. Ugh. That wasn't much time.

Before the impending visit was on any of our radars, a cultural program that might just dovetail with the Ambassador's trip was already in the works. A few months earlier, the PRT, in cooperation with a local NGO, organized a luncheon for a group of female Iraqi artists. Part of my job as Public Diplomacy Officer is to share U.S. culture and values with Iraqis, but it's also to support Iraqi efforts to preserve their own culture. We asked the women to bring in examples of their work, and we hung their paintings along the walls of the meeting hall. Very few of the women had had formal art training. Painting was a hobby for all, a creative outlet for some, and an escape for others. Their artwork spanned the spectrum of their life's experiences. Some paintings were colorful and bright, while others were dark and depressing. All documented the lives of women in Muthanna.

We chatted with the women about doing a larger gallery showing. Would they be interested in holding a multi-city art exhibition if I could get the funding? They were thrilled with the idea. What began as a meeting with a stoic group of Iraqi women with canvases in hand, ended in a beehive of excitement with ideas flowing freely. Here was a demographic that seldom had the chance to speak out. Their art resonated with me deeply, and I was committed to finding a way to help these women tell their stories.

I went back to my office that evening and immediately began to work on a proposal. In no time at all, my proposal was approved (who says the Federal Government moves at a glacial pace?), and I was busy working with an NGO to purchase art supplies and canvases for each of the exhibit participants. The artists would paint submissions for an exhibit that would show in Muthanna's three largest cities, Samawa, Rumaytha, and Khider, sometime in the spring. For the artists, it would be the first time most of them had ever displayed their art publicly. One woman told us that she had painted for years, but feared no one would ever see her work. Another woman, considerably older and pointing to a young woman next to her, proclaimed, "I am here for my daughter-in-law! I told my son, 'he must support her dreams!' So I am here to make sure she has a chance!"

Read Aaron's next entry about the art exhibit in Muthanna.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/muthanna_paintings/ 2009-04-10T14:49:28-05:00 A New Year, A New Beginning mp3, .mp4, or .mp4 with Persian subtitles | Read the transcript in English or Persian

President Obama released a special video message for all those celebrating Nowruz. Translated "New Day," Nowruz marks the arrival of spring and the beginning of the New Year for millions in Iran and other communities around the world. This year, the President wanted to send a special message to the people and government of Iran on Nowruz, acknowledging the strain in our relations over the last few decades. "But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together," he says.

After committing his administration to a future of honest and respectful diplomacy, he continues on to address Iran's leaders directly: "You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right -- but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create."
]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/a_new_year_a_new_beginning/ 2009-03-21T01:33:15-05:00 Suaad Abbas Salman Allami: A Strong and Credible Advocate About the Author: Ruth Bennett serves as the Public Affairs Advisor for the Office of International Women’s Issues. This entry is one in a series of profiles of the 2009 International Women of Courage Award recipients.

"A strong and credible advocate...to ensure equality is not only talked about but practiced and upheld."

In the middle of embattled Sadr City, Suaad Allami runs an NGO called Women For Progress. The NGO manages the Sadr City Women's Center, a "one-stop shop" for everything from legislative advocacy, vocational training, and domestic violence counseling to medical exams and literacy education and even child care and exercise opportunities.

A practicing lawyer with 16 years' experience, Ms. Allami works both to strengthen Iraq's small corps of female legal professionals through programs such as her highly successful Women Lawyers Continuing Education seminars, as well as to make certain that Iraqi Constitutional protections for women translate into day-to-day life. In the words of U.S. Army Colonel George Phelan, the Rule of Law Advisor and Women's Rights Advocate for the Embedded Provincial Reconstruction (EPRT) Team located outside Baghdad, Ms. Allami is "that strong and credible advocate Iraqi women need to ensure that equality is not only talked about but practiced and upheld in ground truth."

Ms. Allami is a highly visible advocate in a political climate in which voicing support for women's rights is a life-threatening act. She is one of only two women on the 40-person District Council, and has served as Chair of its Women and Children Council since 2004. She's served on the Baghdad Provincial Council and authored the January 2008 By-Laws for the entire Baghdad Province District and Qada Councils.

She's also taken a brave and personal stand against corruption, resisting the efforts of a local strongman to extort money from the Women's Center. She frequently consults with U.S. government and coalition forces, at great personal risk, outside the Green Zone. And when she learned about the extent of alleged human rights abuses at Kadhamiya Women's Prison, she boldly conducted an unannounced inspection, CNN crew in tow, without regard for the potential for backlash against her. The Minister for Human Rights shut the prison down two months later.

Ms. Allami has expanded her focus beyond the extraordinary Women's Center she's created in Sadr City. She won a USD 700,000 grant, which she used to open four additional and extremely popular centers in Baghdad. And she's submitted proposals that would bring female-taught training and education in internationally-recognized human rights precepts to all Baghdad District Councils and militia-age males in the city.

Rather than urge international engagement from the relative safety of a neighboring country, Ms. Allami made a brave commitment to remain in her homeland. Because of her work, Iraqi women are not only healthier and safer, but have the means to change their lives and their communities.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/suaad_abbas_salman_allami/ 2009-03-10T10:24:34-05:00 English Access Program a Gem Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Stacy Barrios serves as the Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem.

When I first heard that Secretary Clinton was considering a visit to our English Access Microscholarship Program in the West Bank, I found it impossible to suppress a cheer. I have loved working with the Access students and teachers during my three years here, and I was thrilled that we would be able to “show-off” this gem of a program to Secretary Clinton.

When the Secretary arrived at the offices of AMIDEAST, the nongovernmental organization which implements the program here on behalf of the Department of State, the Director and his deputies were clearly all a bit nervous as they greeted her. Their pride in the program, though, quickly supplanted any nervous tension, as they told her about the Access program they have implemented for over 3,800 students in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza since 2004. As they led her toward the room where 15 Access students and 3 teachers were gathered, we could hear the lesson for the day on-going. In honor of Women’s History Month, the students were learning about legendary astronaut and science educator Sally Ride. As Secretary Clinton entered the room, all eyes shifted from Wafa, their teacher, who excitedly introduced the Secretary. I felt the students’ excitement and felt proud that our Secretary of State was placing a priority on this English language program for disadvantaged Palestinian youth.

After 20 minutes with the students -- during which the Secretary observed the lesson, added her own insights to the topic at hand, discussed the worldwide Access program and what it means for students in more than 55 countries around the world, and shared thoughts on U.S. efforts to assist Palestinians in Gaza -- Secretary Clinton left the classroom to make short remarks to the press. She announced that given how impressive the Access students are, she would allocate additional funding to support Palestinian students as they pursue their educational goals! The staff and students of Access and all of us from the Consulate General could not have been more thrilled!]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/english_access_program/ 2009-03-05T15:26:43-05:00 Ramallah Press Conference Earns “Thumbs Up” Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Christina Higgins is the Assistant Information Officer at the U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem.

I arrive early to make preparations for the Secretary’s joint press conference with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abbas. As I enter the Ramallah PA Presidential compound, I quickly scan the press conference room for Mohamed. Meeting and getting to know people like Mohamed, the head of the Presidential Press Office, is one of the best parts of being a Foreign Service Officer. He is a kind professional and quick with a smile. He and I have worked on a lot of official visits together, and he invites me for a cup of tea in his office. We go over final preparations and chat about our families, knowing that soon this quiet will be taken over by the excitement of history in the making.

The Secretary’s motorcade pulls up and the door to press van one opens. The CBS camera crew piles out as I hustle them up to the stairway leading to the Presidential offices. The local camera crews join us and immediately the throng begins to push up the stairwell to get the “photo-spray” of Secretary Clinton’s first meeting with Palestinian Authority President Abbas. There is extra energy in the press corps today, as they jockey for position, and I am grateful when the head of Palestinian Authority protocol fishes me out of the throng. The Presidency is generous with the press and gives them an extra few minutes for filming. The cameras exit the meeting room, jeans-clad journalists balancing thousand dollar equipment on their shoulders commenting, “Good, really good. We got what we needed.” My adrenalin flow ebbs a bit, as I lead the camera crews down into the press conference room, and they settle into position to wait while the Secretary and President continue discussions upstairs. The trickiest part is behind me. I give Mohamed the “thumbs up,” and we agree that all is set for a successful press conference.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/thumbs_up/ 2009-03-05T15:00:36-05:00 Teaching My Daughter To Say, “Madame Secretary” Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Janine Young is the Supervisory General Services Officer at the U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem.

Plans have been underway for a very special event with Secretary Clinton here in Jerusalem – a “Meet and Greet” event for the staff and families of the U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem and the U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv.. I am excited to be a part of the planning for her first visit to Jerusalem as Secretary of State. There is definitely a buzz in the air among my colleagues about our new Secretary and this opportunity to meet her face-to-face. The warehousemen have readied the red carpet, and we are expecting over 300 people to attend. The microphones have been tested; the stage is ready, but I am still checking every detail so that she is just as impressed with us as I know we will be with her. I am sorry that the weather forced us to move this event indoors. The Consulate’s garden is beautiful, and it would have been fun to host Secretary Clinton in our “home.”

As we await her arrival, everyone is milling around with a sense of anticipation. The kids are playing, many not aware of the special person that they are about to meet. I have been trying to teach my 18-month old daughter to say “Madame Secretary” just in case she comes up to us to shake our hands. When we receive word that the Secretary has entered the building, a hush falls over the crowd. The children line up with their parents, and everyone has their cameras ready. As she comes into the room, the crowd erupts with applause, and the Secretary’s face beams as she steps onto the stage. T he Secretary’s first words resonate over the microphone as she tells us all how delighted she is to be here. She acknowledges the daily efforts of the staff at the Consulate General and Embassy and then takes time to sit and chat with the children and shake the hands of staff eagerly lined up along the red carpet. I am very proud as a diplomat, an American, and a member of the Consulate General team.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/teaching_daughter/ 2009-03-05T12:25:23-05:00 Dynamic Business Women Form “Supportive Community” Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Bonnie Gutman serves as Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Secretary Clinton just met with women from an exciting Israeli NGO founded by women to help women from all sectors of society in their economic and social integration into the Israeli mainstream. The group, Svivat Tomechet, which translates into “Supportive Community,” has assisted more than 1,600 women from a cross section of Israeli society with entrepreneurship and business-related programs since it was established in 2003. Two of the women who met the Secretary – one born in Russia, one emigrated from Ethiopia – had completed courses at Svivat Tomechet and now run profitable businesses.

I was asked to moderate the session for the Secretary with this collection of remarkable women. What a thrill! To welcome the Secretary into the room, introduce her to the women, and facilitate a half-hour discussion to brief her on various aspects of women’s empowerment in Israel, including her special interest – microfinance – was a career highlight. The Secretary was engaged and engaging as she asked and interacted with each of her guests, mentioning each participant by name. I was torn between focusing on her uplifting words of support for this group and others like it, and composing my next thought as moderator.

Backed by our Embassy’s experienced Public Affairs team – Ellen, Will, Matty, David, Ziv, Stewart, Andy – as well as the Secretary’s Washington-based Public Affairs team, the event demonstrated the impact of public diplomacy programs.

The session was particularly relevant for me, as I had owned and run a small public relations company before joining the Foreign Service. In this session, I was back with dynamic women of business, hearing the Secretary relate their aspirations and achievements to the work I now do in Embassy Tel Aviv. Full circle in a day. Pretty cool, huh?]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/supportive_community/ 2009-03-04T19:38:44-05:00 Secretary Clinton, President Abbas Meet in Ramallah Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Today, Secretary Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank. Secretary Clinton said:

"It is a pleasure and an honor to be back here and to have the opportunity to meet with you, a leader of courage and dedication to the Palestinian people. I am very proud to stand beside President Abbas to deliver a message from my country and our President.

The United States supports the Palestinian Authority as the only legitimate government of the Palestinian people. As a partner on the road to a comprehensive peace, which includes a two-state solution, our support comes with more than words. As I pledged in Sharm el-Sheikh, we will work with President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad, and the government of the Palestinian Authority to address critical humanitarian, budgetary, security, and infrastructure needs, both in Gaza and in the West Bank.

As I said in Sharm el-Sheikh, a child growing up in Gaza without shelter, healthcare or an education, has the same right to go to school, see a doctor, and live with a roof over her head as a child growing up in any country. That a mother and a father here in the West Bank, struggling to fulfill their dreams for their children, have the same right as parents anywhere else to have a good job, a decent home, and the tools to achieve greater prosperity.

The United States aims to foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized, a state that can provide these opportunities, a state that is a responsible partner, is at peace with Israel and its Arab neighbors, and is accountable to its people. That is the state that this government is attempting to build."

You may read the transcript of Secretary Clinton's remarks with President Abbas here. You may also read about U.S. assistance to the Palestinians.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_abbas_ramallah/ 2009-03-04T18:28:29-05:00 Yad Vashem Testifies to Resilience of Human Spirit Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Alex N. Daniels serves as Director of the American Center in Jerusalem.

The alarm rings at 4:55 a.m. and I get up, look outside and see that it’s pouring rain and foggy. I won’t go running today. The alarm rings again at 5:40 a.m., and the house wakes up. We spend the next hour and twenty minutes getting ready. My son, almost 9, needs to leave with me for school. My daughter, almost 4, needs to be ready for her pickup to a school for severely handicapped children. She will be a vision in pink – even her wheelchair has pink accents. The Embassy, Consulate, and State Department have been extraordinarily supportive of our situation, which makes it much easier to work the long hours of Secretary Clinton’s first visit to Jerusalem.

We arrive at Yad Vashem at 8:30 a.m. Yad Vashem literally translates to “hand and name.” Yad, however, can also mean memorial, and so the correct translation is “The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Memorial.” The memorial is located on top of the Mount of Remembrance in the Jerusalem Forest and is near Israel’s military cemetery. It is a large complex with many buildings, and the Secretary will spend a lot of time outside. Our site visits to organize logistics for Secretary Clinton and the press were plagued by heavy rain, sleet, and fog. Today it is overcast and windswept, but the rain from early this morning has stopped.

Our small delegation consists of the embassy’s press site officer, the Secretary’s advance press officer, and two locally employed staff. Our local staff will help to insure that this vast site is set up properly and to save spaces for the CBS crew to set up their cameras at the Hall of Remembrance and outside the Children’s Memorial, where Secretary Clinton will sign the guest book. I am the overall embassy site officer and spend most of my time working with the Diplomatic Security agent-in-charge to make sure that the site is how we want it.

10:30 a.m. the Secretary arrives, exactly on time. She is met by Chief Rabbi Lau of the Yad Vashem Council and is guided through the site. This is her fourth visit to Yad Vashem and much has changed, including a new main Holocaust Museum, and they stop along the way to view it from above. We have arranged for a tour guide to link up with the delegation of Senior Staff and they get a slightly separate tour. At this point the visit has become a whirlwind of moving people and cameras. The Secretary views a new exhibit of paintings by Bruno Schulz, who was forced to paint fairy tale scenes on the nursery walls of a Nazi officer’s home.

The wreath-laying ceremony, with Ankor Children’s choir, is perfect and we manage to get the senior staff through the Children’s Memorial ahead of the Secretary. We wait. Secretary Clinton exits the Children’s Memorial and in front of a very aggressive press pool filming, photographing, and recording, she calmly signs the book. Later we will copy down what she has written in case someone from the delegation asks. Secretary Clinton departs. The visit, by and large, a success. I am relieved and a bit deflated as I watch the motorcade drive away. We collect our things, scan the site for anything left behind, climb into our car and depart.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/yad_vashem_testifies/ 2009-03-04T15:16:45-05:00 Secretary Clinton Underscores U.S. Commitments to Israel Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Today, Secretary Clinton and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held a joint press conference at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Secretary Clinton said:

"Thank you very much. I’m delighted to be back here at the foreign ministry and to be hosted by the foreign minister. As with all my previous visits to Israel, going back nearly 30 years, I feel very welcomed by the Israeli people. And I appreciate now the opportunity to have this first visit as Secretary of State of my country, representing our new President, and to discuss with officials and friends some of the very challenging issues – a full, broad array of them – based on our close relationship.

I was privileged to start my day with President Peres, and then to pay a visit to Yad Vashem to once again pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. My visit was a powerful reminder, as it always is, of why we are working so hard to advance the peace and security of the state of Israel.

As I said this morning, President Obama and I believe that the bond between the United States and Israel, and our commitment to Israel’s security and to its democracy as a Jewish state, remains fundamental, unshakable, and eternally durable.

We had a very productive discussion today, and it was broad-ranging. We discussed, among many other things, our common commitment to a two-state solution as part of a comprehensive, secure peace with Israelis, Palestinians, and the Arab neighbors. We talked about the steps that the minister has pursued and what could be done when there is a new government in place.

The first step right now, not waiting for a new government, is a durable ceasefire. But that can only be achieved if Hamas ceases the rocket attacks. No nation should be expected to sit idly by and allow rockets to assault its people and its territories. These attacks must stop and so must the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. These activities put innocent lives of Israelis and Palestinians at risk and undermine the well-being of the people of Gaza.

As we move forward, we will work together – along with the international community – to address the humanitarian needs in Gaza. We believe we can also work together to further the obligations that were entered into by the Palestinian Authority under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, and help pave the way for a viable Palestinian state that can be independent, accountable, and live at peace.

That is the message that I brought to the Gaza donors conference, along with a pledge that the United States will be vigorously engaged in the pursuit of a two-state solution every step of the way. Our Special Envoy Senator Mitchell is here with me today. He will be back soon, once there is a government formed. The road ahead, we acknowledge, is a difficult one but there is no time to waste.

The foreign minister and I also discussed Iran. We share Israel’s concerns about Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and its continued financing of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. As we conduct our policy review and consider areas where we might be able to productively engage with Iran, we will stay in very close consultation with our friends here in Israel, with the neighbors of Iran in the region and beyond with those countries that understand what a threat Iran poses today, and what a greater threat it would pose were it ever to be successful in its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

As I pledge again today, and as President Obama has said, we will do everything necessary to ensure Israel’s security now and into the future.

I will later today meet with the prime minister-designate, with the defense minister, and with the prime minister, and will be engaging with them on a full range of the issues that we – both of our countries –care so much about.

We believe that working together as friends and partners with patient, determined, persevering diplomacy, we can help advance the cause of peace and security here in Israel and throughout the region. So again, Madame Minister, thank you so much for hosting me here today."

You may read the complete transcript of the press conference here.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_commitments_israel/ 2009-03-03T20:54:10-05:00 Secretary Clinton “Catches Up With an Old Friend” in Jerusalem Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Daniel S. Mattern serves as a Consular Officer at U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv.

Secretary Clinton’s first stop on her inaugural official visit to Israel was at the residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres. Completed in 1971, the building was constructed from pink granite, Jerusalem stone, and exposed concrete. But what makes the scene come alive is the display of artwork reflecting Israel’s rich cultural heritage – all of it creates a beautiful backdrop. After 60 years of diplomatic relations and friendship, this is the place where Israel would welcome the Secretary and where the Secretary would begin her very busy day in Jerusalem.

For those of us already at the site, waiting for the Secretary to arrive unites feelings of excitement and nervousness. The staff of the residence made final preparations; Israeli and international camera crews trickled in and set up their equipment. As with most visits of this kind, the visuals would be critical to communicating the messages the Secretary was expected to bring with her. With everything in place, the motorcade arrived and the Secretary was met by President Peres. They shook hands and kissed, smiled broadly, paused for photos, and headed inside. Their actual meeting was held in a room off the main hall with the principals and delegation members attending.

The Secretary and President Peres emerged 45 minutes later and proceeded to lecterns where they made short statements to the press. Both statements conveyed the seriousness of the issues that had been discussed – security, peace, the situation in Gaza – but also articulated the shared optimism of the present moment. President Peres expressed words of welcome to the Secretary on behalf of Israel. In turn, the Secretary talked about her numerous trips to Israel over the past 30 years and her close friendship with the country’s current president. More photos were taken as President Peres presented the Secretary with a small bouquet – a great shot! The Secretary then signed the official guest book and moved toward the door, escorted by President Peres, and followed by her delegation and the traveling press. Goodbyes were exchanged, the Secretary stepped inside her car, and the motorcade rolled out. The renewal of the Israeli-American diplomatic friendship was off to a warm and friendly start.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/old_friend_jerusalem/ 2009-03-03T14:26:28-05:00 Secretary Clinton Arrives in Jerusalem Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Gregory Marchese is the Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem.

Secretary Clinton arrived in Jerusalem yesterday evening and, by the time this entry is posted, will be well into a busy morning schedule in Jerusalem that includes meetings with Israeli President Peres and Foreign Minister Livni, as well as a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. At the U.S. Consulate General here in Jerusalem, we’ve been preparing for this visit for the past week, working closely with our colleagues in the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv as well as the Secretary’s advance team. Our two posts are no strangers to high-level visits, although this one is particularly important because it’s Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first visit to Jerusalem as Secretary of State. Preparations have gone smoothly enough that I don’t expect my morning at the office to be particularly out of the ordinary.

In any case, our colleagues in the Embassy in Tel Aviv will have the lead on the meetings with Israeli government officials, while we deal with the Municipality of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority. This afternoon, both the Embassy and the Consulate General will be part of a “meet and greet,” and our employees and their families will have a chance to meet the Secretary in person. A colleague of mine who’s coordinating that event will be posting an entry to describe what it was like. Starting tomorrow morning, we’re up again, and we’ll be supporting the Secretary’s visit to Ramallah -- about 40 minutes away, in the West Bank -- for meetings with Palestinian Authority President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad as well as a visit with Palestinian young people. Watch this space for some more postings from us on those events tomorrow.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_arrives_jerusalem/ 2009-03-03T13:36:09-05:00 U.S. Envisions Palestinian State at Peace With Its Neighbors Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Yesterday, Secretary Clinton delivered remarks at the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The Secretary said:

"By providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, we also aim to foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized – a state that is a responsible partner, is at peace with Israel and its Arab neighbors, and is accountable to its people; a state that Palestinians everywhere can be proud of and is respected worldwide. This is the Palestinian state we all envision. This is the Palestinian state that we have an obligation to help create."

You may read the full text of the Secretary's remarks here.

You may watch the Secretary's press availability following the conference in the player above or read the transcript here.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/palestinian_state_peace/ 2009-03-03T12:05:10-05:00 A Perspective From the Press Filing Center in Egypt Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Kyle Richardson serves as the Assistant Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

At the International Gaza Reconstruction Conference taking place at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, representatives from over 70 countries and international organizations have packed the main conference hall this morning. Each country’s flag waves brightly in the stiff breeze outside the main door. In addition to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the participants at today’s conference include French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the host, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who opened the first plenary session. Even as various staff aides race around the center making sure that their president or foreign minister has everything that they need, different layers of security provide a semblance of order.

The Press Filing Center is jam packed with journalists from all over the world who are huddled around television screens in three different rooms each with its own dedicated language feed piping in English, French and Arabic translations. Television cameras roam the halls capturing the controlled chaos as the print journalists listen to the opening speeches from the various heads of state hoping to get just the right quote for their stories. As one of the press officers from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, my first task this morning was to ensure that the journalists who came with the Secretary were able to get into the convention center. I am pleasantly surprised to see so many familiar faces from the Egyptian press corps and international correspondents based in Cairo in the filing center. An early crisis ensues as we realize that we have inadvertently taken space in the Arabic language room. A quick chat with the filing center deputy director and additional tables and chairs are provided to enlarge the space in the English language room ensuring that the traveling press will be able to follow the speeches.

After the opening speeches Secretary Clinton will begin a series of bilateral meetings in rooms with names like Suez and Sphinx in which she will meet with her counterparts from the Middle East and Europe to discuss the issues at hand in a more intimate setting. Cameras must be escorted to these meetings in order to take the pictures that will appear on television stations and the front pages of newspapers back in the United States. Later in the afternoon, after all of the bilateral meetings and working sessions have been completed, the Secretary will host a press conference in front of a gaggle of journalists that will number over a hundred. This will be the first opportunity for many in the Egyptian and international press to ask the Secretary a question, and as such a standing room only crowd is expected. Making sure the room is arranged just so will be the afternoon’s challenge!]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/perspective_press_filing_center/ 2009-03-02T15:49:35-05:00 Secretary Clinton Arrives in Egypt for Donor’s Conference Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Michael Pelletier serves as Director of the State Department's Arabic Regional Media Hub, based in Dubai.

Secretary Clinton has just arrived in Egypt on her first visit to the Middle East as Secretary of State. She’s here for the Gaza Donor's Conference in Sharm El Sheikh and is planning to announce a significant U.S. financial pledge to respond to the immediate needs of the Palestinian people affected by the conflict in Gaza earlier this year. Assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza will, of course, be the highest agenda item for everyone at the conference, but there’ll be a lot more going on in the hallways and meeting rooms. There’ll be at least 70 countries represented at the conference, at least half of them represented by a head of state or a foreign minister. Many of the key players in the Middle East will be gathered and focused not only on the immediate needs in Gaza but also on the larger issue: comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

What I think sets this gathering apart is that it’s happening against a backdrop of cautious optimism. This optimism is fueled by the U.S. administration’s commitment to moving forward on Middle East peace, the appointment of Special Envoy Mitchell, and the Secretary’s trip to the region as well as hope that the conference is the catalyst for peace and security for the people throughout the region.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_arrives_egypt/ 2009-03-02T11:45:02-05:00 U.S. Leads Multinational Evacuation From Gaza American diplomats in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Amman led a coordinated evacuation of over 250 foreign nationals and 93 U.S. citizens from the Gaza Strip January 21-22, 2009. U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv coordinated the operation with diplomatic representatives from other countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Jordan, Norway, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Turkey. In the video above and text below, U.S. diplomats reflect on the experience.

Mr. Andrew Parker, Consul General, American Embassy Tel Aviv: The U.S. Embassy was asked by the Israelis to take on the role of being the coordinator for this international evacuation. We began by contacting 25 countries that have nationals here who were interested in evacuating people. We brought them together at the Embassy and started a coordination group, and we have been providing daily updates as we have negotiated with COGAT (Israeli Border Authority responsible for controlling this Erez Crossing and other crossings in and out of Gaza) and with the others to try to arrange departure for their foreign nationals. So, they have been the key interlocutor for us as we try to arrange this departure.

Mr. Van Reidhead, Political Officer, American Embassy Tel Aviv: We worked throughout the last two weeks of the conflict to put it together and then we were finally, as the ceasefire came into place, able to coordinate with the other embassies, with our consulate in Jerusalem and with the Israeli authorities to bring out – I don’t recall the numbers – but a great deal of American and other third country nationals. We are very happy it worked out.

Mr. Jonathan Crawford, Vice Consul, Consulate General, Jerusalem: I have got 90 American citizens and their families. This is part of an international evacuation and coordination effort. Today, we have about 350 foreign nationals who are leaving. We have been working really hard for the past two weeks trying to organize the names, confirm citizenship, and then work out the logistics of bringing people out of what used to be a war zone.

Well, it was definitely a lot of coordination, but it was also a big team effort. This is the first time that we worked very closely with, of course, our Embassy in Tel Aviv, with our colleagues in Amman, and with our colleagues in Cairo. So, really there were four missions here – American missions working hard to make this happen.

Mr. Ruben Harutunian, Vice Consul, American Embassy Tel Aviv: Today was my first time working with the Consular Section in an evacuation and it was really an exciting time to be here to be helping the people, especially what was most gratifying was being a welcoming face, an open face for the people as they came through the border and just helping them with their bags and really to showing them where the bathrooms were, showing them where the sandwiches were, just really hanging out with them and being relaxed and showing them a welcoming face from both the United States and on as they prepare for their onward journey.

Ms. Kristin Roberts, Vice Consul, American Embassy Tel Aviv: We got here this morning and it was quite a day. Just a few days ago there was a war going on here and bombs were flying just over the hills back here. Having the kids come through - especially the kids is what hit me – you have got these families and kids were coming through on their baggage and on the bags, sitting on top and they are leaving their life behind: They are leaving their school, they are leaving their friends, they are leaving members of their family. They were scared. Their eyes were glazed over like coming through an airport after several hours but they don’t know where they are going. They know they are going to America but that is all they know.

So, actually, the best part of it today for me was providing a friendly face and playing with the kids. They dug through a suitcase of toys that people had donated and helping them choose their toys and learning a little bit of Arabic and talking to them in a little bit of English, and just kind of providing a way for them to go out and play and relax and be happy and it is actually very tense and scary for them. So, for me that was the best part of the day. A lot of logistics are being handled. A lot less people came today than we expected so there was a lot of time available to really spend time with the families. I’d never met any Palestinians families until today and for me, personally, getting to know these families and these kids was really the best part of – really put a human face on it for me and I hope I did the same for them.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/multinational_evacuation_from_gaza/ 2009-02-02T19:58:46-05:00