Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was wheels down with glasses on, Sunday, November 1st, in the Moroccan city of Marrakech. This was the next stop in her diplomatic mission to relaunch the stalled Middle East peace process.
On the tarmac she was greeted by her Moroccan counterpart Taib Fassi Fihri as well as other officials as a Moroccan general salutes upon her arrival.
Watch raw footage of the rockstar, ahem, I mean the Secretary below:
So the Africa trip begins! Today, the Secretary touched down in Kenya decked out in her traveling eye glasses I like to call them. she arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. She was welcomed by Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula and Ameriacn ambassador to Kenya, Michael Rannerger on the tarmac.
What can we be expecting on this trip you ask? The State Department released details on the trip. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will travel to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cape Verde, starting on August 4 and she will return to the U.S. on August 14. That's only 10 days... 7 countries in 10 days. Is our SOS a rockstar or what?
So here's the itinerary:
Kenya
The trip will start at the U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, known mostly as the AGOA Forum, in Nairobi, Kenya, where she will deliver a speech at the ministerial opening ceremony of the forum on August the 5th.
She will also hold talks with Kenya’s senior leaders including President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. According to State, she will "encourage both of those leaders to move forward with their efforts to rewrite the country’s constitution and to prevent a return to the kind of violence that erupted in that country in January and February of 2007 following the very difficult and flawed presidential elections there."
Also, while in Kenya she will, on Wednesday afternoon, visit the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) laboratories along Waiyaki Way. She will be accompanied by US Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack, together with U.S. Representatives Donald M. Payne and Nita M. Lowey. And it has been stated that "The visit will focus on KARI’s contributions to Kenya’s food security and agricultural development. It will include a laboratory tour, discussion with KARI staff and collaborating partners, observation of a maize research plot, and ceremonial tree-planting.”
South Africa
From Kenya, the Secretary will move on to South Africa, where she will have an opportunity to meet the leadership of South Africa’s new government. She will meet with President Jacob Zuma, and South Africa’s new foreign minister, Ambassador Mashabane.
These meetings are designed to give the U.S. an opportunity to talk with South African leaders about issues such as Zimbabwe and HIV/AIDS and to strengthen an important relationship in South Africa with a country which is the engine of that region’s growth.
Angola
After South Africa, it is on to Angola. Angola is one of the largest energy producers in Sub-Saharan Africa and is a major supplier of both petroleum and LNG to the U.S. market. The Secretary will meet with President Dos Santos, and she will also renew her acquaintance with the Angolan foreign minister with whom she met in D.C. about a month ago. It is the desire to strengthen that relationship with one of Southern Africa’s emerging countries, a country which has enormous economic potential.
Congo
Next stop is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the Congo, she will first go to Kinshasa and then will proceed the next day to Goma. There is a meeting with President Kabila and the Congolese foreign minister. In the Congo, the Secretary wants to put a great deal of focus on the issue of sexual- and gender-based violence which is occurring in the eastern Congo.
There is a great deal of conflict in this area since the mid 90s, largely as a result of the movement of ex-genocidaires from Rwanda into the eastern Congo. Hillary is of course deeply concerned about the gender-based violence and she will meet with some of the victims who have suffered from it.
Nigeria
Next, he Secretary will fly to Abuja, Nigeria. The State Department proclaims that "Nigeria is probably the most important country in Sub-Saharan Africa: 140 million people, 75 million of whom are Muslims." They also state that it is also a major source of petroleum imports for the U.S.
Here the Secretary will discuss with the Nigerian Government a range of issues, including West African security, the need to continue to move forward in strengthening its democracy, dealing with corruption, and also promoting stronger economic development.
Liberia The Secretary will then move on to Liberia, a historically important relationship. Hillary wants to reaffirm U.S. support for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the only female African president, and to show and demonstrate U.S. support for the democratic progress that has occurred in Liberia, support and reaffirm U.S. commitment to helping in the development assistance area, and in security sector reform.
Cape Verde Last stop is Cape Verde, which the State Department calls "an African success story." The island nation, off the coast of West Africa, is democratically run and well-managed.
This huge Africa trip comes only three weeks after President Obama’s successful trip to Accra, Ghana, and will highlight and underscore the Obama Administration’s commitment to making Africa a priority in U.S. foreign policy. Reports have stated that this is the earliest trip by any Secretary of State and President to Africa of any previous U.S. administration.
As with most of Secretary Clinton's international trips there are extra security measures being taken as well as street closures and statements make by police on safety and security. Here is a tidbit from Africa News:
Kenya Police announced on Tuesday that traffic flow would remain interrupted in Nairobi until Thursday following the ongoing AGOA Conference. A statement from Police headquarters said the measures are being taken to ensure smooth security operations ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit.The statement said the Parliament Road from the junction of Harambee Avenue roundabout to the City Hall Way near the Intercontinental Hotel would remain closed. Other affected roads include Parliament road to Kaunda Street junction.
“We wish to announce that the stated roads will remain closed from 9am Tuesday until late Thursday,” Police Spokesman Erick Kiraithe said. Where possible, he said, motorists should avoid the city centre to avoid being inconvenienced.
Well, as I type this I am reading reports of Hillary landing and preparing for her first scheduled event in Kenya. Stay tuned for lots of photos and video of Hillary Clinton's Africa Trip! Read entire post
On Friday, July 17th, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton landed at the Chattrapati Shivaji International airport at about 10:15pm, in Mumbai. After departing her plane on a rainy tarmac, she was greeted by central and Maharashtra state protocol officials, representatives of the US Consulate and American Centre in Mumbai and US embassy in New Delhi.
A few of the officials held large umbrellas over her to shield her from the rain. She was warmly welcomed with big bouquets of red roses.
At around 10:50pm her entourage comprising nearly 25 vehicles started out of the airport to proceed to south Mumbai's Colaba where the Hotel Taj Mahal is located. In a symbolic gesture, the Secretary spent her two-day sojourn in Mumbai at the Arabian Sea-facing hotel. By staying her she is reaching out to the country and to the survivors of 2611. Also, her first meeting scheduled for Saturday morning, was not with the Prime Minsiter or any other government officials, it was a meeting at the Taj with the survivors of 2611. Also a very important symbolic gesture to the citizens and people of India.
After a 45 minute drive among heavy rain and wind, Secretary Clinton was accorded a warm reception at the Taj Hotel about around 11:30pm.
Mumbai police have made extra special security arrangements for the Secretarys stay at the Taj as well as outside the hotel and at all the roads and venues where she is expected to travel during her engagements in Mumbai Saturday. Even the media were kept a long distance away both at the airport and at the Taj Hotel.
During this trip Secretary Clinton hoes to deepen strategic ties with India, an emerging player on the world stage in security, trade, arms control and climate change.
The Secretary had given the first broad exposition of Washington's agenda for India at the US-India Business Council's (USIBC) Synergies Summit last month with a pledge to build what she called the "US-India 3.0" relationship representing the next stage in their evolving ties.
She said this of India:
"We see India as one of a few key partners worldwide who will help us shape the 21st century... It is early in our new administration, and we are clearly committed to furthering and deepening our relationship with India in every way possible."
She also noted that the past three United States administrations, although from different parties, have identified the US-India relationship as a foreign policy priority, she said: "To the United States, this is a project that transcends partnerships and personalities. And I believe the same is true in India."
Since her remarks a month ago, the Secretary has time and again touched on the theme of a "strategic partnership" with India. At her Town Hall meeting Monday at the US Agency for International Development, she said her trip to India is intended to "start a strategic dialogue on a wide range of issues including climate change and clean energy."
View some video footage of Hillary deplaning and being greeted on the tarmac below:
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Friday, June 26th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meet with Bahraini Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa at the State Department. They were doing the lefthanded handshake because of Hillary's cast.
After this meeting, Hillary headed over to the White House to attend the President’s expanded bilateral, joint press availability and working lunch for Her Excellency Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany at the White House.
I love the black framed glasses, the sling, and the Secretary's "official arm rest pillow."
After, the meeting the President and the German Chancellor urged Iran to end violence against protesters and underscored their commitment to prevent the Islamic state from developing a nuclear weapon.
Merkel called the crisis playing out on the streets of Iran “horrifying”, while Obama refused to give in to Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s demand for an apology for allegedly interfering in the elections and subsequent mass protests.
“I don’t take Mr Ahmadinejad’s statements seriously about apologies, particularly given the fact that the United States has gone out of its way not to interfere with the election process in Iran... I would suggest that Mr Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people... And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who’ve been beaten or shot or detained.”
Merkel emphasised that universal rights of freedom of expression should apply to Iranian citizens and called on the government to respect human rights.
“The Iranian people need to be given the right to peaceful demonstrations, the Iranian people have the right to have their votes counted and the election results substantiated."Earlier this week, Secretary Clinton ordered all U.S. embassies and consular missions to rescind July 4 Independence Day party invitations sent to Iranian diplomats. When it comes to Iran, Clinton is putting and end to the "hot dog" diplomacy.
This whole hot dog thing was an attempt by President Obama to reach out to Iran with a classically American invitation: celebrate July 4 with hot dogs and hale fellowship at United States embassies worldwide.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who had authorized diplomatic posts earlier this month to invite Iranians to their Independence Day parties, sent out a cable rescinding the invitations.
“Unfortunately, circumstances have changed, and participation by Iranian diplomats would not be appropriate in light of the unjust actions that the president and I have condemned.”Embassies that had already invited Iranian diplomats were instructed to disinvite them. The State Department spokesman, Ian C. Kelly, said he was not aware of a single diplomat who had R.S.V.P.’d, anywhere in the world sooo, not so sure that the Iranians were up for the celebrations anyways.
Robert Gibbs, White House press Secretary, said, “July 4 allows us to celebrate the freedom and the liberty we enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom of liberty, freedom to assemble peacefully, freedom of the press. So I don’t think it’s surprising that nobody has signed up to come.”
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Here is the official State Department photo of Hillary Clinton holding bilateral talks with Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan.
She also spoke to Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russian and Foreign Minister Yang of China and iscussed North Korea and Iran, according to the daily State Deptartment press briefing.
"The Secretary has been in today. This morning, she met with senior staff. I think you also saw that she had a meeting with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. They discussed a number of bilateral issues, and also discussed areas of cooperation and some of our bilateral trade issues as well.As you can see from the photo, glasses and cast are still on. Read entire postThe Secretary spoke with Foreign Minister Lavrov and Foreign Minister Yang today, and the focus of – in those two phone calls was primarily on North Korea, but they also, of course, discussed Iran."
