There is a leadership crisis in the world and America and the European Union must take the lead in addressing it, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience of young Europeans in Parliament today (6 March).
In an invitation-only event entitled ‘The next generation takes the floor’, at which most participants appeared to be young employees or trainees of the EU institutions, Clinton complimented Europe on its integration, calling it an “extraordinary international effort”.
“Europe today is viewed by many as a miracle,” said Clinton, stressing that the EU is experiencing its “longest period of peace since the Roman Empire,” while the countries of the Union have never been more prosperous or more secure.
Speaking for her country, the head of the US diplomacy insisted that despite difficult problems ahead, the new administration is optimistic and “up to the task”.
Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering, who described Clinton as a “leader of vision” at a time that the world needs such leaders, also hinted that a new era is beginning in EU-US relations.
“Let us work as equal partners to build a better future,” Pöttering said.
In a carefully staged question-and-answer session, Clinton touched upon climate change, the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East, relations with Russia, Darfur and gay rights.
The US secretary of state recognised that it will be difficult to get China, India, Indonesia and other countries to back an agreement at UN climate change talks in Copenhagen in December.
Moving on to a pet topics of the Bush administration, Clinton said her country’s ambition is to move towards a time when there is no fertile ground for terrorism, and clearly spoke in favour of establishing a viable Palestinian state. As for the situation in Africa, she stressed the need to build capacities within the continent that are capable of solving its many problems.
As for Russia, Clinton expressed satisfaction with yesterday’s decision by NATO to “re-energise” the NATO-Russia Council, which was frozen following the brief war in Georgia in August 2008.
She added that the US and Russia still strongly disagree on some areas, mentioning Georgia, the use by Moscow of energy “as a tool for intimidation” and the assumption by Russia that it has “spheres of influence” or veto rights over the NATO membership candidacies of Ukraine and Georgia.
Source: http://www.euractiv.com/en/opinion/clinton-sees-us-eu-leading-world/article-180031
John Adlai [dot] com
- EU draws up plans to establish itself as ‘world power’The European Union has drawn up secret plans to establish itself as a global power in its own right with the authority to sign international agreements on behalf of member states. Confidential negotiations on how to implement the Lisbon Treaty have produced proposals to allow the EU to negotiate treaties and even open [...] […]
- Don’t Mess with Iran’s Evolutionary ProcessBy Philip Giraldi |Â Published 06/26/09 Everyone is looking for something to say about Iran. The neo-conservatives are predictably hailing the march of democracy on the streets of Tehran for reasons of their own, while hawks like Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham are calling on the Obama Administration to do something to help anyone tagged as [.. […]
- Strange Inconsistencies in the $134.5 Billion Bearer Bond MysteryHere’s yet another huge financial story that has been virtually blacked out by the E.U. financial media. Although on the surface, this story appears to be a non-event, if we consider some of the released facts about this case, you will understand why I consider it to be a huge story. On June 8th, the [...] […]
- Is Swine Flu A Biological Weapon?Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Monday, April 27, 2009  There are some factors that suggest the swine flu killing people in Mexico may be a biological weapon, but obviously no such conclusion can be drawn at this time. The World Health Organization and the U.S. government have been quick to deny such claims. The swine flu virus is described as [...] […]
- 4Chan: The Rude, Raunchy Underbelly of the InternetThe most powerful people on the Internet don't work for Microsoft, Google or the government. Rather, they're a bunch of antisocial, foul-mouthed, clever nerds who congregate at a largely unknown Web site called 4chan.org. […]
- I.O.U.S.A the movieWake up, United States! We're on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that […]