Clinton urges Burmese regime to begin dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi

Posted By P.J. Aroon Saturday, November 13, 2010 - 11:00 PM

Secretary Clinton welcomed the release of Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi Saturday, after the Nobel Peace Prize laureate spent most of the past two decades under house arrest. Clinton also urged Burmese leaders to start an "inclusive dialogue" with Aung San Suu Kyi as part of the process of creating a more thriving and democratic Burma. Importantly, she also called on the Burmese regime to "immediately and unconditionally" free all 2,100 political prisoners in the country. Below is Clinton's complete statement:

Today I join with billions of people around the world to welcome the long-overdue release of Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi has endured enormous personal sacrifice in her peaceful struggle to bring democracy and human rights to Burma, including unjustified detention for most of the past twenty years. The Burmese regime has repeatedly rejected her offers to engage in dialogue and work together, trying instead to silence and isolate her. Through it all, Aung San Suu Kyi's commitment to the Burmese people has not wavered.

The United States calls on Burma's leaders to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi's release is unconditional so that she may travel, associate with her fellow citizens, express her views, and participate in political activities without restriction. They should also immediately and unconditionally release all of Burma's 2,100 political prisoners.

We urge Burma's leaders to break from their repressive policies and begin an inclusive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic and ethnic leaders towards national reconciliation and a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future.

In the photo above, Aung San Suu Kyi smiles at the gate of her home soon after her release from house arrest.

STR/AFP/Getty Images

COMMENTS (0)

EXPLORE:SOUTHEAST ASIA, DEMOCRACY, HILLARY, HUMAN RIGHTS

Hailing Liu Xiaobo, Clinton calls on China to respect human rights

Posted By P.J. Aroon Friday, October 8, 2010 - 6:04 PM

Applauding the selection of Liu Xiaobo as the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, Secretary Clinton urged China "to uphold its international human rights obligations and to respect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all Chinese citizens." She also demanded "Liu Xiaobo's immediate release from prison."

Clinton's statement today is refreshing after remarks she made in February 2009 that seemed to place human rights in China as a back-burner priority. At the time she said, "[O]ur pressing on those [human rights] issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis."

Below is Clinton's complete statement, issued today:

I applaud the Nobel Committee's decision to award this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo. Throughout its history, the Peace Prize has often been used to recognize the heroism of those who have, through persistent and peaceful efforts, sought to build a world that is more fair and free.

Mr. Liu has been a consistent advocate for fundamental freedoms and human rights for his fellow citizens and for peaceful political reform. Mr. Liu's work, including his role in the drafting of Charter '08, and his receipt of this honor highlight the fact that while China has made tremendous economic progress in the last three decades, political reform has lagged behind. As I said in Krakow this summer, governments should recognize the constructive role that citizens such as Liu Xiaobo play. We urge China to uphold its international human rights obligations and to respect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all Chinese citizens. We reiterate our call for Liu Xiaobo's immediate release from prison.

MIKE CLARKE/AFP/Getty Images

COMMENTS (1)

EXPLORE:EAST ASIA, CHINA, DEMOCRACY, HILLARY, HUMAN RIGHTS

Clinton to visit Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

Posted By P.J. Aroon Monday, June 28, 2010 - 3:53 PM

Secretary Clinton released her happy Fourth of July message to her fellow Americans quite early, on June 25. Turns out, she won't be in the country on America's Independence Day because she has important work to do in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus -- some of it related to advancing the freedoms and values Americans celebrate on July 4.

Clinton will be visiting Ukraine, Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia from July 1 to 5, the State Department announced Friday, June 25. In Ukraine, she'll meet President Viktor Yanukovych, who unlike his predecessor, does not support Ukraine joining NATO. In Poland, she'll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Community of Democracies, a network of democracies dedicated to strengthening democratic norms worldwide.

In the Caucasus, Clinton will first visit Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have a long-running feud over Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said during June 25's press briefing that the United States has "invested a great deal of energy" in improving relations among Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey and that Clinton's visit is a "reflection of our commitment to work to resolve outstanding issues that have prevented normalized relations among those countries."

Clinton will conclude her trip in Georgia, which fought a war with Russia in August 2008 over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Crowley said of the visit to Georgia, "[T]he secretary's trip there will be a tangible manifestation of our ongoing commitment to Georgia's territorial integrity."

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

COMMENTS (3)

EXPLORE:CAUCASUS, EASTERN EUROPE, DEMOCRACY, GEORGIA

Clinton wants Honduras back in the Organization of American States

Posted By P.J. Aroon Monday, June 7, 2010 - 7:47 PM

Secretary Clinton said that the United States supports the return of Honduras to the Organization of American States (OAS) after its membership was suspended last year following the June ouster of then-President Manuel Zelaya in a coup. Elections last November made Porfirio Lobo president, and the United States thinks his administration has taken the right steps to get the country back on track to merit a return to the OAS. Clinton told reporters traveling with her to the OAS meeting in Lima, Peru, as reported by Voice of America:

"President Lobo has done everything he said he would do.… He was elected through a free and fair, legitimate election. He provided political amnesty. He set up a truth commission. He has been very committed to pursuing a policy of reintegration."

Some countries such as Brazil and Venezuela don't recognize Lobo as the true Honduran president because the interim government that came before him never restored Zelaya back to power after the coup. Clinton said that though the coup was wrong, Honduras has gotten itself together:

"We all stood together in condemning the coup that removed Zelaya from office, and I was very pleased that the United States was a strong voice in condemning that.… But then we worked with the neighbors and we worked with the electoral system, because this election which had long been scheduled was, to our view, the surest way forward."

(In the photo above, Clinton speaks to the media in Lima on June 7.)

ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images

COMMENTS (0)

EXPLORE:LATIN AMERICA, DEMOCRACY, HILLARY

Madam Secretary is an obsessive blog about all things Hillary Clinton. From her policies to her pantsuits, Madam Secretary delivers up-to-the-minute news, analysis, and gossip about America's top diplomat.