POLICY RELATED MATERIALS

Middle East

4 November 2009 United States Still Opposed to Israeli Settlements, Clinton Says   Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton repeated that the Obama administration does not accept the legitimacy of Israeli West Bank settlements and wants to see the establishment of a Palestinian state with borders based on territory that Israel has occupied since 1967.

04 November 2009 Briefing by Secretary Clinton en Route to Washington  Clinton briefed reporters aboard the plane from Cairo, Egypt

03 November 2009 Press Briefing by Assistant Secretary Philip Crowley en Route to Cairo, Egypt

03 November 2009 Clinton Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Muslim Communities  In a speech to the sixth Forum for the Future, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to broad engagement with Muslim communities around the world and the equally strong U.S. commitment to comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

03 November 2009 Remarks by Secretary Clinton at the Forum for the Future

03 November, 2009 Forum for the Future and Examples of U.S. Support for Civil Society  The Forum for the Future is a joint civil society initiative of the countries of the Broader Middle East and North Africa region (BMENA) and the Group of Eight (G8). It brings together leaders from government, civil society and the private sector to exchange ideas and form partnerships to support progress, reform, and expanded opportunities for the people of the region.

03 November, 2009 Secretary Clinton Announces Global Partnerships to Advance Cairo’s “New Beginning”  Secretary Clinton delivered a major speech on November 3 in Marrakesh, Morocco at the Forum for the Future, an initiative of the countries of the Broader Middle East and North Africa region (BMENA), the G8 countries, and civil society and private sector groups. She reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to broad engagement with Muslim communities around the world and outlined concrete steps the United States is taking to follow up on the “New Beginning” that President Obama launched in Cairo.

03 November, 2009 Secretary Clinton Announces Civil Society 2.0 Initiative to Build Capacity of Grassroots Organizations  In her remarks today to the Forum for the Future, Secretary Clinton announced Civil Society 2.0, which will help grassroots organizations around the world use digital technology to tell their stories, build their memberships and support bases, and connect to their community of peers around the world.

02 November 2009 Secretary Clinton's Remarks With Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi-Fihri in Marrakesh, Morocco

02 November 2009 Statement by Secretary Clinton on the Middle East  Clinton says Israelis express willingness to restrain settlement activity.

31 October 2009 Secretary Clinton's Remarks With Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem

Afghanistan/Pakistan

04 November 2009 Mullen Urges Afghan President to Stop Corruption   Newly re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai must take significant measures to cut government corruption and establish its legitimacy, the top U.S. military officer said.

02 November 2009 Obama Congratulates Afghan President and Urges Internal Reforms President Obama has congratulated Afghan President Hamid Karzai on winning re-election but also called for a “new chapter” to improve Afghan governance and end corruption. Obama also cited a need to increase the ability of Afghan forces to provide security for their own country.

01 November 2009 Secretary Clinton's Remarks on the Afghanistan Elections

30 October 2009 Secretary Clinton Concludes 3-Day Visit to Pakistan U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today completed a 3-day visit to Pakistan. In her meetings and public events in both Islamabad and Lahore, Secretary Clinton underscored America’s desire to build a broad and deep partnership with Pakistan based on mutual trust and respect that both combats violent extremists and strengthens Pakistan’s democratically elected government and civilian institutions to serve Pakistan’s people.

30 October 2009 Clinton Calls for Strengthened Partnership with Pakistan  The United States seeks to be a partner with Pakistan in economic development and trade, education, health care, energy development and regional security, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. Clinton, who wrapped up a three-day visit to Pakistan October 30, told business leaders at a roundtable discussion in Lahore that the United States is proud and pleased to be Pakistan’s largest trading partner and its largest foreign investor. “We have seen the opportunities for investment and growth,” she added.

30 October 2009 Secretary Clinton's "Townterview" with Prominent Women Journalists in Islamabad, Pakistan

29 October 2009 Clinton Announces Millions in Assistance for Pakistani People  As part of her first visit to Pakistan as secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton announced millions of dollars in U.S. assistance to benefit a variety of the country’s programs and institutions, ranging from humanitarian, education and security assistance to microloans and a cellular-phone social network

Guantánamo

30 October 2009 Senate Vote Marks Next Step in Complex Effort to Close Guantánamo Shortly after his inauguration, President Obama called for the closure of the detention facility at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba within a year, banned use of torture in interrogations, pledged adherence to the Geneva Conventions, and created a task force to develop a new policy for detainees.

CONSULAR NEWS

29 October 2009   New YouTube video: Scamnet: Lonely Hearts Scam Division  Avoid being a victim of scams - watch Embassy employees "Tom Consul" and "Joe Tuesday" investigate the latest scam using the internet. The U.S. Embassy London also offer advice on how to avoid being a victim of a scam.

OTHER UPDATES

03 November 2009 Sale of U.S. Embassy in London  The U.S. State Department has entered into an agreement to sell the Chancery in London, located in Grosvenor Square.  The sale is to Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company headquartered in Doha, Qatar.  The agreement was signed for the United States by the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Louis B. Susman.