USINFO.STATE.GOV
13 May 2005
Rice Briefs Congress on North Korea, Iran, Sudan, other Issues
Secretary of State provides worldview in 90-minute testimony
Washington — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice answered questions that
crisscrossed the world geographically as she sought to address concerns
posed by members of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the
Senate Appropriations Committee May 12.
Though the Appropriations Committee’s oversight of State Department pertains
to budgetary matters, several senators zeroed in with questions about U.S.
foreign policy in Africa, Europe, East and South Asia, and Central and South
America as well as questions on women’s issues and programs for the
disabled.
Regarding Iran’s negotiations with the United Kingdom, France and Germany
concerning its nuclear program, Rice said the United States is “watching”
and remains in close contact with allies. The U.S. hopes, she said, that
the Iranians will take advantage “of the opportunities that the Europeans
have given them to demonstrate that they’re prepared to live up to their
international obligations.”
North Korea’s nuclear program was a key issue of the hearing. The United
States, Rice said, wants more than North Korea’s return to the Six-Party
Talks. Though “very important,” she said, the North Koreans should
“actually be ready to make a strategic choice about their nuclear weapons
programs.” The United States acknowledges North Korea’s sovereignty and is
prepared to offer security guarantees on a multilateral basis, she said,
adding that some of their neighbors “have talked about providing them fuel
oil under those circumstances.” The North Koreans “have quite a bit to gain
by coming back to the talks,” the secretary noted.
North Korea’s human rights record was another topic of concern. Rice said a
special envoy for North Korean human rights has been identified and a public
announcement would come shortly. She also said the department is working
with the Department of Homeland Security and with organizations to see “what
we might be able to do on North Korean refugees.”
The situation in Sudan was also discussed. Deputy Secretary of State Robert
Zoellick “is spending a great deal of time on Sudan.we all are” Rice said.
During recent NATO meetings the secretary said she worked on a NATO
agreement to give logistical support for African Union forces in Sudan
should a request be forthcoming. Hopefully, a NATO agreement will emerge,
she said.
Rice also indicated that there may be a need for a special envoy to Sudan
“at some point,” but that “right now the strategy has to be to work with the
AU on a very intensive basis to get forces into the country.”
Other countries and subjects that Rice discussed with the subcommittee
included:
— Belarus: Rice called it “the last dictatorship in Europe.” It’s
necessary, she said, “to stand with people in places like Belarus . to let
them know that, at least, the United States is with them.”
— Central America: Rice called the senators’ attention to the importance
of the trade agenda and the Central American Free Trade Agreement. She said
the Central American presidents told President Bush CAFTA “is essential to
their continued existence as democratic states.”
— Millennium Challenge Account: Rice said the administration seeks
compacts with a series of countries by the end of 2005, in addition to the
current agreement with Madagascar. Those countries include Honduras, Ghana,
Nicaragua, Senegal, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Armenia and Georgia. She said
Georgian officials she met with recently “mostly wanted to talk about .
their Millennium Challenge program. Because they believe that if they can
get this compact finished, it is going to make a huge difference in their
ability to complete infrastructure, to have energy independence.”
— Burma: The administration “absolutely” supports renewal of sanctions
including an import ban and visa restrictions against the military junta in
Burma, Rice said.
— Ex-Liberian ruler Charles Taylor: The United States believes that
Charles Taylor should be brought to justice, but it wants to work with
Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa in a way that accommodates their needs to
“get him out of [Nigeria] and to one of the courts.”
— Democratic Republic of Congo: “The big problem is to have a kind of
national unity picture going into the elections,” Rice said. “We’ve really
been very active diplomatically there,” she added.
— Ethiopia: “We are actually quite concerned about the potential for a
humanitarian problem there concerning food, and we’ve begun to discuss with
the Ethiopians the pre-positioning of some food supplies there to deal with
what could potentially be a famine situation. We’re not there yet, but the
warning signs are there,” Rice said.
— China trade: Rice said she her meeting with China’s premier focused
entirely on economics as well as the need to respect intellectual property
rights and have a flexible, market-based exchange rate. She said China must
operate its economy “in a rules-based environment and it’s got to live up to
its trade obligations.”
Rice also discussed women’s empowerment and the benefits of micro-enterprise
in developing economies, the education of girls, measures to improve Haiti’s
situation, the good work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe regarding Kyrgyzstan, U.S.-Colombian discussions about paramilitary
forces, and aid programs for the disabled in foreign countries. In
addition, she began her remarks by condemning alleged acts of disrespect for
the holy Quran by U.S. military interrogators at Guantanamo Bay and promised
“appropriate action” if the allegations are proven to be true.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: )
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress