Clinton
Hillary Clinton speaking yesterday, at the International Engagement Conference on South Sudan, the new state recognized in a partition of Sudan. There is widespread conflict along the new border.
South Sudan’s quest for peace and dignity has resonated around the world and in the hearts of the American people.
…South Sudan’s ability to attract and keep trade and investment depends on greater security on both sides of its northern border. Right now, conflicts in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan threaten to spill into South Sudan. These issues must be resolved.
Reconciliation, agreements, negotiations between former adversaries are difficult. We’ve seen it all over the world. But we know what a difference it can make, and we know that it’s essential if societies expect to move forward. Sometimes when you have been at war for so long and you have suffered so much, it’s hard – mentally, psychologically, emotionally – to leave war behind and to say to oneself, to one’s family, and one’s neighbors, “Now let us build what we were fighting for.” Now, you cannot do this work without a willing partner in Khartoum. But the United States, our Troika partners, Norway and the UK, the African Union, which has done absolutely fabulous work in this arena, and many others stand ready to help preserve and finalize a hard-won peace.
Within its own borders, South Sudan’s Government must complete the transition from armed struggle to nation building. President Kiir has rightly made it a priority to resolve longstanding local conflicts. And the United States will continue to support the new UN Mission’s important work to preserve peace, safeguard human rights, and protect civilians…
Yes, the work ahead is not quick nor easy. But neither was winning independence. South Sudan defied the odds simply by being born…
[Its birth] gives us a chance to reflect on the virtues that are every bit as important in a young republic as they were just for the struggle to be born.
Well, I’m betting on South Sudan, and I don’t like to lose bets.
President Obama speaking to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21:
One year ago, I stood at this podium and I called for an independent Palestine. I believed then, and I believe now, that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that a genuine peace can only be realized between the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves. One year later, despite extensive efforts by America and others, the parties have not bridged their differences….
Now, I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. I assure you, so am I. But the question isn’t the goal that we seek — the question is how do we reach that goal. And I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations — if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. ..
Ultimately, peace depends upon compromise among people who must live together long after our speeches are over, long after our votes have been tallied.
Truth be told, I don’t see any progress happening before the US and its traditional cronies are pushed aside. Another small step on the way:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/12/iceland-formally-recognizes-palestine-as-a-state/1
“Go Try Craigslist,” huh Phil?
And where are the right wingers who said Obama was a “kenyan anti-colonialist socialist muslim blah blah blah” now that he is re-colonizing Africa, and with it millions of Muslims? If this guy is on”their side” – I’d hate to see what a real adversarial president looks like…..
>> Yes, the work ahead is not quick nor easy. But neither was winning independence. South Sudan defied the odds simply by being born…
Meanwhile, f*ck Palestine. The hypocrisy is astounding.
Anyone else here spotted how since the Sudan’s President Bachir decided to play ball with Uncle Sam in splitting his country to help create South Sudan, he suddenly was no longer wanted by the international court for crimes against humanity, how he is free to travel wherever he wants to, and that there are no longer any humanitarian problems worth discussing in Darfur? Makes you wonder how really guilty Milosevic was and how much of his guilt was because it was decided so by the US. Makes you wonder how he died.
Getting back to South Sudan, I still can’t get over how it applied to the UNSC for UN memberhip and within 3 days or so, it was approved with no questions asked, no conditions imposed. And when the Palestinians after 64 years decided to go for it, the US, Israel and most of Israel’s friends threatened it with sanctions. Something strange about this.
Phil,
it’s not just Obama who is telling the Palestinians to get lost, the Quartet must take some beating in that respect, who gave the Quartet the mandate to reject International Law, when they recently called on the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate “without preconditions”, the preconditions the Palestinians are insisting on are the freezing of all settlement activity as set out in phase one of the road map; …i.e. The Government of Israel immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001. And …consistent with the Mitchell report, GOI freezes all settlement activity [including natural growth of settlements]. In agreeing to breach the road map the Quartet have also agreed to ditch article 49.6 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which makes illegal the transfer of civilians from the occupier to occupied territory, also a grave war crime. In this the Quartet are fully in accord with Tzipy Livni when she said “I was Minister of Justice, I am a lawyer…but I am against law….International Law in particular, law in general” [the Palestinian papers]. The Quartet is now a farce, Tony Blair’s former political advisor to the Quartet Anis Nacour, had it right when he said “the inception of the Quartet was a smokescreen for the actions of the US and Israel buying time for allowing the GOI to do whatever they wanted to do i.e. facts on the ground”[Channel 4 Dispatches, Wonderful world of Tony Blair].The Palestinians must tell the Quartet that until they get an undertaking from the Israelis that they will follow past agreements based on International Law, Don’t bother them. They must follow through on their promises to get enhanced recognition at the various UN agencies and particularly to pursue war crimes charges [there are so many of them] through the International Criminal Court, JUST DO IT. Also it might be worth asking the Saudi leadership whether ex Ambassador Turki Al-Faisal comments about ending the special relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia in the event of a US veto on Palestinian State recognition was just hot air. In my opinion the US vehement opposition to recognition of a Palestinian State must be construed as the equivalent of a veto in that respect. The Palestinians have International Law and Justice on their side, the Quartet together with the US establishment are trying to render both inoperative, the Palestinians must not let them.