Clinton condemns China on rights

 10 May 2011 Last updated at 14:09 ET Hillary Clinton: "We had candid discussions on some of our most persistent challenges"

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticised China's crackdown on dissent as "a fool's errand", saying Beijing is trying to halt history.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Mrs Clinton also called the nation's human rights record "deplorable".

She defended US dealings with Beijing, saying: "We live in the real world."

The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says Mrs Clinton seemed to suggest the Chinese system itself would collapse and that democracy was inevitable.

The article quotes Mrs Clinton as saying last month that China's leaders were "worried" that the wave of pro-democracy protests overtaking the Middle East would spread east to China.

"They're trying to stop history, which is a fool's errand," she said. "They cannot do it, but they're going to hold it off as long as possible."

China-US talks

Since February, China has detained hundreds of pro-democracy activists, lawyers and writers and has clamped down on news media reporting on the Middle East protests.

Mrs Clinton's remarks were published as US and Chinese officials held high-level strategic and economic talks in Washington.

At the opening of the meetings on Monday, Mrs Clinton said in a speech that the US remained concerned about the human rights situation in China.

"We know over the long arch of history that societies that work toward respecting human rights are going to be more prosperous, stable, and successful," she told Chinese officials.

"That has certainly been proven time and time again, but most particularly in the last months."

Criticism of China's human rights record had been muted at the beginning of the Obama administration but has become increasingly more vocal, our correspondent says.

However, Mrs Clinton said later that the US and China were achieving much greater understanding through regular talks between top officials.

"I do think we are reaching a much better understanding and I think that's one of the principal purposes of the dialogues," she said following the third Strategic and Economic Dialogue between the two countries.

Clinton Visits Seoul to Discuss North Korean Denuclearization Talks

 Jason Strother | Seoul ?April 16, 2011

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan walks together with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a meeting room at the Foreign Minister's Residence in Seoul, South Korea, April 16, 2011

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Seoul Saturday for a two-day visit.? Her trip comes as multinational efforts to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program remain deadlocked.? The visit started days after Pyongyang said it is holding a U.S. citizen on unknown charges.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Seoul to discuss efforts to resume six-nations talks on North Korea's nuclear program.

Those talks, which involve the United States, both Koreas, China, Japan and Russia, have been on hold for more than two years.

The United States and South Korea say the discussions cannot resume until North Korea shows it is sincere about honoring past promises to dismantle its nuclear program.

Some analysts say other South Korean preconditions are making it more difficult for the talks to resume.

Moon Chung-in, a politics lecturer at Seoul’s Yonsei University, says Seoul’s insistence that Pyongyang apologize for last year’s sinking of a South Korean warship and shelling of a South Korean island is preventing the negotiations from starting again. ?

"South Korea has been calling for inter-Korean talks first and get an apology from North Korea.? Then it will allow to resuscitate the six party talk process.? But Washington and Beijing appear to have a sense of urgency in resuming the six-party talk processes," said Moon.

North Korea denies it had anything to do with the March 2010 sinking of the South Korean ship, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.? An international investigation said the ship was torpedoed.? Pyongyang also says it was provoked by the South’s military to bomb Yeonpyeong Island, an attack that killed four.

The United States and South Korea also want to bring North Korea’s uranium enrichment program to the United Nations Security Council.? Pyongyang had denied for years that such a program existed, but last year revealed it to a visiting American scientist.

Moon says China, which has so far blocked any discussion of the enrichment program at the U.N., has a better approach.

"The United Nations Security Council has already adopted two sanctions resolutions but they are not working.? The Chinese government has been arguing that it is much wiser to deal with the enriched uranium program in the six party talks process rather then going through another sanctions regime," said Moon.

Clinton’s trip to Seoul comes days after North Korea announced it will try a detained U.S. citizen on unknown charges. ?

Some observers say North Korea could use this as a bargaining chip to win concessions from Washington.

But Moon notes during previous incidents where Americans were arrested in the North, Pyongyang did not gain anything from releasing them.

Last August, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter traveled to Pyongyang to win the release of an imprisoned American human rights activist.? Mr. Carter is expected to return to North Korea later this month with a group of other former world leaders for talks on regional tensions.? It is not clear if he will also try to gain the release of the detained American.

16-04-2011 Khyber Weekly- the best News Paper of Afghanistan (Afghanistan)

Peace is the only way to live togather. USA and N-Korea can decide a good way to find solve this problem. we hope they can.

* Required By using this form you agree to the following: All comments will be reviewed before posting. Be aware - not all submissions will be posted. VOA has the right to use your comments worldwide in any VOA produced media. Terms & Conditions [All VOA blogs...]

Now You Know
Watch Todd Grosshan's report - "What is Radioactivity?"

 

Clinton Says Iran Seeks to 'Hijack' Mideast Protests

 David Gollust | State Department ?April 15, 2011

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, during a press conference at the US Embassy in Berlin, Germany, April 15, 2011

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday accused Iran of trying to exploit and hijack democracy protests in the Middle East and North Africa. Clinton spoke at the end of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Berlin focusing on Libya and regional unrest.

In her strongest comments on the subject to date, Clinton is accusing Iran of hypocritically trying to align itself with popular uprisings in some North African and Middle Eastern states, while trying to thwart democracy movements at home and in its key ally Syria.

Speaking in Berlin a day after the State Department said Iran was materially aiding political repression by Syria, Clinton said there is no evidence Iran has instigated Middle East protests, but said Iran is trying to "take advantage" of the turmoil.

"They are trying to exploit unrest. They are trying to advance their agenda in neighboring countries. They continue to try to undermine peace and stability to provoke further conflict," said Clinton. "And we want people in the region to understand that the Iranian government’s motive here is to destabilize countries, not to assist them in their democratic transitions."

Clinton said Iran’s silence on anti-government? protests in Syria is a further example of "hypocrisy" by Tehran and said in an era of instant communication, no one is fooled by Iranian tactics.

The Wall Street Journal? Thursday quoted U.S. officials as saying Iran is sending Syria crowd-control gear along with help in blocking and monitoring Syrian protestors' use of the Internet, cell phones and text-messaging.

The State Department declined detailed comment on the report, but said there is "credible evidence" of material Iranian assistance for the government in Damascus.

On Syria, Clinton called on the government of President Bashar al-Assad to refrain from further violence and to, in her words, "stop repressing their citizens" and to allow in human rights monitors and journalists to verify what is happening on the ground.

Syria, controlled by President al-Assad and his late father since 1970, has been hit by unprecedented unrest since mid-March with demonstrators demanding reform and an end to emergency rule.

The monitoring group Human Rights Watch said Friday that Syrian security and intelligence services have arbitrarily detained hundreds of protestors across the country, subjecting them to torture and other ill treatment.

The New York-based group said security agents also have arrested lawyers, journalists and others who have endorsed the protests.

It said Assad, who has spoken of the need for reforms, should rein in security forces and hold them accountable for abuses and that there can be no real reform while protestors are abused with impunity.

Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
and discuss them on our Facebook page. 16-04-2011 hamad part 2 of 3 (Oman)

whereas their alliance do not allowed their nations to exert real democracy . This double-stranded poses critical question about the real role of UN and US which give us bad impression about democracy and freedom . The problem is that Iran exploit fair issues as Palestinians rights to sustain its attitude in region whereas the US under the pressure of Zionists is disable to give Palestinians their rights .

16-04-2011 hamad part 3 of 3+extra (Oman)

This contradictions will give Iran advantage to impose its agenda and strengthen its theory . So what is the best solution to get out of this plight ? Regain trust of Arab world and fulfilling their demands are an important element to change this formula and maintain stability and peace which will amend the image of the US and could lead to real pace . Human right watch can not built its report on allegations of witnesses

16-04-2011

Interesting change USA for Iran and Bahrain for Syria.

16-04-2011

Why is that American don't help Iranian green movement,and still american allowing so called Islamic Refoemers, who are using all the american air time and hindering movement from day one and creating division among people. what is with German and other EU that ignoring human rights and business as usual, shame on western countries that dealing with monster Regime that killing own people and supporting all terorist groups world wide.

16-04-2011 Lola (nigeria)

I wonder what's the difference betwEen protest in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. Why has American supported the Bahraini govt and not Yemen, Syria or Libya. The answer to this is the hypocritical nature of the American policy where only her interests are right and others are wrong. Long live middle East.

* Required By using this form you agree to the following: All comments will be reviewed before posting. Be aware - not all submissions will be posted. VOA has the right to use your comments worldwide in any VOA produced media. Terms & Conditions

Select Your Language Armenian Azerbaijani Dari Georgian Kurdi Kurdish Pashto Pashto - Deewa Persian Turkish Urdu Uzbek