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AUSTRALIA - US Issue Communique: Talk Trade, Defense, DeNuke Korea, China and Pakistan -- all in a G'day

Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations
Joint Communiqué -- From Washington, DC, April 9, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith, and Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon met in Washington D.C. on April 9, 2009 to further the United States-Australia alliance and to discuss global and regional security issues. The talks marked the 24^th anniversary of the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) and 58 years of strategic partnership under the ANZUS alliance.
The 2009 AUSMIN, the first such meeting under the Obama Administration, confirmed the strength and contemporary relevance of the U.S.-Australia alliance in strategic, security, military, and foreign policy fields. The discussions reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to work together closely to support their common interests and to achieve their shared objectives.

Global Security
The United States and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Noting the recently released Afghanistan and Pakistan strategic policy review undertaken by the United States in cooperation with allies, the two countries agreed on the importance of a comprehensive approach to regional challenges. They endorsed the Chairman’s Statement of the March 31 International Conference on Afghanistan in The Hague. The two countries agreed on the continuing priority attached to curbing the ability of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups to operate in the region. They reaffirmed their commitment to work together to give the Afghan people the means to secure their own future, particularly by building the capacity of the Afghan National Army and Police.

AUSMIN

US Secy. of State Clinton is Co-Hosting the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Meeting (AUSMIN) with Defense Secretary Gates and Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbo in Washington, DC, April 9, 2009
What is AUSMIN?: Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations | AUSMIN is the principal forum for bilateral consultations with the United States. Held annually, alternating between Australia and the United States, it brings the Australian Ministers for Foreign Affairs and for Defence together with the US Secretaries of State and Defense, along with senior officials from both portfolios. 

The Consultations provide a major opportunity to discuss and share perspectives and approaches on major global and regional political issues, and to deepen bilateral foreign security and defense cooperation.

US Secretary of State back on her Diplomacy Game

Secy Clinton had returned to her, often rigorous schedule home-based meetings with foreign ministers. This, following a week-long intense whirlwind of Head-of-state level diplomacy, where the actions of US Pres. Obama were front and center.
NOTICE: Two meetings with leaders from the Middle East; Panama today -- look out for continued duologue with Latin American leaders in preparation for the 5th Summit of the Americas; also Mrs. Clinton continues to keep Energy on the front burner -- recognizing the Energy Policy and Climate Change are key to her foreign policy and diplomacy.

Daily Appointments Schedule for Secy. Hillary Clinton, for April 8, 2009
Madame Secretary is in Washington, DC

11:30 a.m. -- Bilateral with His Excellency Ivailo Kalfin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.
12:00 p.m. -- Remarks to Department of State Spring Interns, Stay-in-School, and Cooperative Education Program Students.
1:15 p.m. -- Lunch with Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
2:30 p.m. -- Bilateral with His Excellency Samuel Lewis Navarro, First Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama.
3:00 p.m. -- Bilateral with His Excellency Elias Murr, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Lebanon.
4:00 p.m. -- Bilateral with The Honorable Stephen Smith, M.P., Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia.
5:00 p.m. -- Bilateral with His Excellency Dr. Taieb Fassi Fihri, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco.

G-20 Leaders Comment -- Asia | Pacific, Middle East, Africa

Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister, Australia

'Given that this is a global economic challenge, only the G20 has the global economic reach to provide the response necessary to begin to mend this global economic recession and to support the restoration of jobs around the world.'

Taro Aso, Prime Minister, Japan  

'I have renewed confidence that the world's largest and the second-largest economies can work together by joining hands.'

Lee Myung-bak, President, Republic of Korea
'The recovery of the global economy will depend on actions the US Government takes. It's very important for us to strengthen international co-operation so that global economies can co-ordinate large fiscal stimulus packages and we can recover together.'

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia

'What they are in need, as they say, is the restoration of confidence. I think that if the big world economies get acquainted with means of cooperation among them, then they will become capable of surpassing the crisis as they surpassed previous crises.'

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister, Turkey

'I will meet with the managing director of the Fund during the G-20 Summit in London on April 1-2. After completing the talks process, we will sign an agreement. If we cannot agree with IMF officials, then we keep on preserving current conjuncture.'

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President, Indonesia

'I attend the G-20 meeting in order to discuss leaders of major countries on how to jointly overcome the global crisis [and] voice Indonesia's interest, so that our economy could be managed and our people could be protected, though there are obstacles.'

Kgalema Motlanthe, President, South Africa

'No country can respond to the global financial crisis in isolation. South Africa's banking system will play a key role in ensuring that we come out of the global economic re

Secy. Clinton, P.M. Rudd on Missile Defense, Poles, NATO

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd
Remarks and fielding press questions after their meeting, Washington, DC, March 24, 2009:
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I am delighted that we’ve had the opportunity, first with the President and now here at the State Department, to discuss a range of important issues with the prime minister and with his delegation. America doesn’t have a better friend in the world than Australia, a friend through good times and hard times on so many of the historic and difficult challenges that have faced the United States and Australia, both singly and together. And we have reaffirmed out commitment to working closely on the range of difficult problems, but also exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
So, Mr. Prime Minister, again, welcome here to the Benjamin Franklin Room in the State Department.
PRIME MINISTER RUDD: Thank you very much, Secretary of State. It’s good to be back here in the State Department. I’ve been here many times before, and it’s good to be here with you as Secretary of State. We regard you as a genuine friend of Australia, and it’s good to have had this discussion with you.
The Secretary is convening soon a conference in The Hague to galvanize international support for the good people of Afghanistan. This is something which Australia strongly supports. Foreign Minister Smith will be attending. This sort of collaborative effort is important for the future of Afghanistan. It is also further evidence of the strong leadership which we see from the Obama Administration and through the Secretary of State in so many areas of foreign policy.
The only other thing I would say is the Secretary of State’s recent visit to East Asia, I believe, sent a very strong and positive signal to our part of the world about this Administration’s engagement with the Asian Pacific, which will be such a dynamic part of the 21^st century.
So, Secretary of State, thank you for hosting me to the State Department today.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Prime Minister. Thank you all.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, one question if you would. The Polish foreign minister was quoted over the weekend with some unusually strong language saying that the Poles had taken considerable risk in agreeing to cooperate in American missile defense plans and that they are waiting on the current Administration’s announcement of its further plans with regard to missile defense and that he hopes that the Polish trust in the Americans was not misplaced. I’m paraphrasing, but it was close to that.
Now given the unusual nature of that language, what can you tell us about whether or not the Poles, to put it colloquially, are being left high and dry?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have a very long and deep relationship with Poland and with the Polish Government and the Polish people. We are going to continue to consult with them and work through the issues concerning security that are of, you know, great interest to not only the Poles but all Europeans and the United States. As members of NATO, we take seriously our alliance commitments and I’m very confident that we will work through whatever issues lie ahead on any front. And that’s part of what will be discussed at the upcoming NATO summit.

-- end  --

US State Dept. today - Clinton thinking about Borders and Australia

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Daily Appointments Schedule for March 24, 2009

7:45 a.m. -- Breakfast with Vice President Biden
1:00 p.m. -- Working lunch for Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia.
3:30 p.m. -- Meeting with Congressional Border Caucus

BIO Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia:
Excerpted from his official from the office of the Prime Minister: "Kevin Michael Rudd was sworn in as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia on 3 December 2007. Mr Rudd was born in the country town of Nambour in Queensland in 1957, the son of a share farmer and a nurse. Mr Rudd was educated at the Eumundi Primary School, Marist College Ashgrove and Nambour State High School, where he was Dux of the school. He joined the Australian Labor Party at the age of 15 in 1972...Prior to entering Parliament in 1998, Mr Rudd worked as a diplomat, as a senior official in the Queensland Government, and as a consultant helping Australian firms to establish and build their business links in China and in Taiwan...On 4 December 2006 Mr Rudd was elected as the 19th leader of the Australian Labor Party...Mr. Rudd has written extensively on Chinese politics, Chinese foreign policy, Australia-Asia relations and globalisation...Mr Rudd and his wife Thérèse were married in 1981. They have three children."