Hi, all. Today’s report features:
• The President’s Press Conference after NATO Summit: The President discusses outcomes of the summit, which include alignment of the NATO-led coalition's approach in Afghanistan, especially the transition from 2011-2014 to Afghan responsibility; working to forge relationships between Afghanistan and both the U.S. and NATO; plans to modernize conventional forces and adopt the U.S. approach to missile defense, and continuing to enhance NATO's relationships with the EU and Russia.
• EU-US Summit: Includes US Ambassador to the EU Kennard's preview, Secretary of State Clinton's remarks about US-EU cooperation on energy issues, and the President's summation of the meeting, calling America's relationship with Europe "a catalyst for global cooperation."
• Energy Secretary Chu in Asia: Secretary Chu explains that we need to work closely with China and Japan in developing clean energy technology or risk falling behind them in the race for the jobs of the future.
• Save the tigers: The US is sending an interagency delegation to the International Tiger Conservation Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 21-24.
• THE PRESIDENT REPORTS ON NATO SUMMIT •
From StartLoving4 | November 20, 2010:
The President’s Press Conference after NATO Summit
THE PRESIDENT:
.... For more than 60 years, NATO has proven itself as the most successful alliance in history. It’s defended the independence and freedom of its members. It has nurtured young democracies and welcomed them into Europe that is whole and free. It has acted to end ethnic cleansing beyond our borders. And today we stand united in Afghanistan, so that terrorists who threaten us all have no safe haven and so that the Afghan people can forge a more hopeful future.
.... And now, as we face a new century with very different challenges from the last, we have come together here in Lisbon to take action in four areas that are critical to the future of the alliance.
First, we aligned our approach on the way forward in Afghanistan, particularly on a transition to full Afghan lead that will begin in early 2011 and will conclude in 2014.
It is important for the American people to remember that Afghanistan is not just an American battle. We are joined by a NATO-led coalition made up of 48 nations with over 40,000 troops from allied and partner countries. And we honor the service and sacrifice of every single one.
With the additional resources that we've put in place we're now achieving our objective of breaking the Taliban’s momentum and doing the hard work of training Afghan security forces and assisting the Afghan people....
I've made it clear that even as Americans transition and troop reductions will begin in July, we will also forge a long-term partnership with the Afghan people. And today, NATO has done the same. So this leaves no doubt that as Afghans stand up and take the lead they will not be standing alone.
As we look ahead to a new phase in Afghanistan, we also reached agreement in a second area -- a new strategic concept for NATO that recognizes the capabilities and partners that the alliance needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century....
As I said yesterday, we have reaffirmed the central premise of NATO -- our Article V commitment that an attack on one is an attack on all. And to ensure this commitment has meaning, we agreed to take action in a third area: to modernize our conventional forces and develop the full range of military capabilities that we need to defend our nations....
Most important, we agreed to develop a missile defense capability for NATO territory, which is necessary to defend against the growing threat from ballistic missiles.
The new approach to European missile defense that I announced last year -- the phased adaptive approach -- will be the United States contribution to this effort and a foundation for greater collaboration. After years of talk about how to meet this objective, we now have a clear plan to protect all of our allies in Europe as well as the United States.
When it comes to nuclear weapons, our strategic concept reflects both today’s realities as well as our future aspirations. The alliance will work to create the conditions so that we can reduce nuclear weapons and pursue the vision of a world without them. At the same time, we’ve made it very clear that so long as these weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance, and the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal to defer -- deter adversaries and guarantee the defense of all our allies.
Finally, we agreed to keep forging the partnership beyond NATO that helped make our alliance a pillar of global security. We’ll continue to enhance NATO’s cooperation with the EU -- which I will talk about in my summit later this afternoon with EU leaders. After a two-year break, we are also resuming cooperation between NATO and Russia.
I was very pleased that my friend and partner, President Dmitri Medvedev, joined us today at the NATO-Russia Council Summit. Together we’ve worked hard to reset the relations between the United States and Russia, which has led to concrete benefits for both our nations. Now we’re also resetting the NATO-Russia relationship. We see Russia as a partner, not an adversary. And we agreed to deepen our cooperation in several critical areas: on Afghanistan, counter-narcotics, and a range of 21st-century security challenges. And perhaps most significantly, we agreed to cooperate on missile defense, which turns a source of past tension into a source of potential cooperation against a shared threat.
So overall, this has been an extremely productive two days. We came to Lisbon with a clear task, and that was to revitalize our alliance to meet the challenges of our time. That's what we’ve done here.
Of course, it’s work that cannot end here. And so I’m pleased to announce that the United States will host the next NATO summit in 2012 -- a summit that will allow us to build on the commitments that we’ve made here today as we transition to full Afghan lead, build new capabilities, expand our partnerships, and ensure that the most successful alliance in history will continue to advance our security and our prosperity well into the future....
Full transcript, including reporters' Q & A, here.
• EUROPEAN UNION - UNITED STATES SUMMIT •
From USA and Europe, Nov. 18, 2010:
Ambassador Kennard previews US-EU Lisbon Summit
US Ambassador to the EU William E. Kennard sets the scene for the Lisbon Summit. USA and Europe, the US- European Media Hub, U.S. Department of State, connects US policy makers and experts with European radio and television broadcasters. The Hub also provides information on US policy and positions in video format to media outlets and the European public.
From Ambassador’s Kennard’s remarks:
This EU-US Summit is the first time the President will sit down with EU leaders after the Lisbon Treaty. On the agenda: the economy, jobs and issues of general concern like climate change and investing in development around the world. Leaders will reaffirm their commitment to fighting terrorism. Discussions will also be held on the development of renewable energy. "This is an opportunity for us to come together on standards, share best practices and really link arms in our commitment to invest in future industries that will drive our economies going forward."
From EUXTV, Nov. 19, 2010:
Clinton, Ashton Meet at EU-US Energy Council in Lisbon
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton met on Friday in Lisbon to discuss cooperation between the United States and Europe in the energy sector.
From the Department of State, Nov. 19, 2010:
Secretary Clinton Comments on the E.U.-U.S. Energy Summit
Secretary Clinton:
Well, I am delighted that we have this opportunity to discuss these issues, and I believe you know the people with me – Assistant Secretary Gordon and Ambassador Morningstar, and of course, you know Ambassador Kennard and Dan Poneman, the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy, who is here representing the department and Secretary Chu.
You know how vitally important I think energy issues are to our security and prosperity, so for us to have this opportunity to look broadly at what we need to be mindful of as we plan for the future is especially useful. We have a great agenda ready to tackle. And I think this council is a very promising forum in which to do so, because it does provide the opportunity for coordinating policies and actions. It also gives us a chance to determine how to respond to what is shaping our energy markets, from shifts in demand linked to the pace of economic recovery to new sources of supply from liquefied natural gas and shale, to the advances in clean technologies and renewables.
I’m hoping that out of this, we can come up with an agenda and the practical steps that we can take together. We’ve already accomplished some significant steps since we began this just a year ago. We are working to secure new sources of natural gas for Europe by expanding cooperation with partners in the Middle East and the Caspian region, including Azerbaijan; a new supply route through Georgia, Turkey, and into Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor will help open the European market to more diverse energy sources and bolster European energy security. And we’re working with Ukraine as it tries to chart a path toward being a more reliable energy partner for Europe.
I also believe that we have an extraordinary opportunity for the United States and European Union to lead the world in developing and implementing new and more efficient technologies – smart electrical grids and electrical vehicles. The third energy directive passed in 2009 will increase competition and access to energy resources in Europe, and then I think the new energy 2020 strategy aimed at creating a more integrated internal market can help adapt to supply shocks and shifts.
And as Europe prepares for the first EU energy summit in February, I think we can play a part in helping to fulfill the goals that you are setting to quicken the tempo of our engagement. We have Ambassador Morningstar as our Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy, and we also want to work together not only bilaterally, but in multilateral fora as well. So I am excited by this. I thank you for diving into it and making it a priority on your extraordinarily packed agenda, and we look forward to the exchange today.
From EUXTV, Nov. 20, 2010:
President Obama on EU-US Summit
US President Barack Obama, EU Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Saturday met for their EU-US summit in Lisbon. President Obama gave his assessment of the meeting during a press conference afterwards.
The leaders reaffirmed historically close transatlantic ties and vowed to deepen them in areas like boosting trade and investment and fighting security threats like organized crime and cyber-terrorism. Among other areas, the two sides have agreed to establish a working group on cyber security that will report on progress within a year.
From Reuters.com, Nov. 20, 2010:
EU and US look to secure Doha trade deal in 2011
The United States and the European Union promised on Saturday to use their considerable economic weight to try to secure a successful conclusion to the Doha round of global trade negotiations in 2011.
President Barack Obama held two hours of talks with Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lisbon, with both sides emphasizing the importance of their economic relationship.
They reaffirmed a commitment made at the G20 summit in Seoul this month to promote balanced growth and avoid competitive currency devaluations that can lead to global imbalances, and underlined the critical importance of bolstering trade....
The EU's chief trade negotiator has said he expects Doha, which is aimed at lowering global trade barriers to stimulate economic activity, will be successfully completed in 2011....
The EU and United States, with a combined population of more than 800 million people, are the two largest trading powers in the world. The combined value of goods and services commerce between them is more than $4 trillion a year....
U.S. and EU officials said afterwards that the meeting had been warm and open, and said the economic crisis in Europe, where debt problems that swamped Greece in May now threaten to deluge Ireland and spread to Portugal, was discussed.
"There were discussions on specific countries, including Ireland," U.S. ambassador to the EU, William Kennard, told reporters. "President Obama recognized that the EU has put in place a mechanism to address the situation."
Earlier, during the NATO summit, Obama said the most important thing he could do for the European economy was to promote growth and jobs in the United States, saying that the quicker the U.S. economy recovered, the better it was for all.
From BBC.co.uk, Nov. 20, 2010:
EU-US summit: Reaffirming the ties that bind
By Gavin Hewitt
.... The [EU and US] teams discussed sustainable economic growth, climate change and the security of citizens. Together the United States and the EU account for almost half of the world's GDP.
They discussed how to increase trade investment and streamline regulations. They used the language of the recent G20 meeting. They promised to pursue policies that "avoid unsustainable imbalances". The word "sustainable" perhaps understandably was not defined and there was no mention of Germany's current account surplus.
The two sides promised to avoid "competitive devaluations or exchange rate policies that do not reflect underlying economic fundamentals".
There is to be a new working party on cyber security which will report back in a year.
On foreign policy the priority was addressing Iran's nuclear programme. President Obama noted that under Cathy Ashton, the EU 's foreign policy chief, there was a very good chance to engage Iran in direct talks on 5 December.
What was not discussed publicly was that the US and Europe are heading in different directions on the central economic issue of the day. In America the Federal Reserve is pumping in $600 billion into the US economy. Government spending is being expanded to stimulate a sluggish economy.
In Europe it is the age of austerity, with country after country reducing public spending in an attempt to reduce deficits. This is being done even though growth remains anaemic.
The policy is a gamble. It is questionable whether weak economies can pare down their debts while demand is reduced by cuts in the public sector.
On key issues like Afghanistan there was more agreement than anticipated and the American President secured backing from Nato to build a missile shield over Europe.
Many of the details - like how it will be financed - have yet to be agreed, but the decision to proceed was an important decision that only a short while back would have been very difficult to achieve.
• PARTNERING WITH CHINA AND JAPAN IN CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES •
From the Department of Energy:
Building Clean Energy Partnerships With China and Japan
Posted by Secretary Steven Chu
[During the week of November 14-19], I will be traveling to China and Japan to meet with government officials, business leaders and others to discuss the opportunities for partnership in clean energy – partnerships that are important to America’s economic competitiveness. China and Japan have made significant commitments to invest and develop the next generation of clean energy technologies. We need to work closely with both countries, or risk falling far behind in the race for the jobs of the future.
The United States and China account for more than 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, a staggering statistic that neither nation believes to be sustainable. This common problem has given way to a common goal, the desire to fund and create innovative technologies and approaches that can help us reduce our emissions while increasing our economic prosperity.
That mission is embodied in the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center that we launched last year, which will facilitate joint research and development on clean energy by teams of scientists and engineers from the U.S. and China. During my trip, we’ll be building on the significant progress we’ve already made on this project. I will be participating in a Steering Committee meeting with senior government officials, in which we will discuss next steps and outline our main goals and deliverables.
Of course innovation can only truly thrive in an open environment where ideas can be tested and challenged, allowing the best ones to rise to the top. That’s an outlook I hope to instill in the students and faculty of Tongji University in Shanghai when I meet with them on Monday, as they will have an important role to play as China pursues the next generation of clean energy technologies.
I am also looking forward to learning more about the clean energy investments and scientific efforts underway in Asia that can help inform our efforts in the United States. For example, I will be touring Huaneng Power's carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Shanghai, the world’s largest CCS project to date. This technology is vital to both the United States and China, and international cooperation will be an essential ingredient to our success.
During my time in Japan, I will tour Nissan’s Advanced Technology Center, and get a firsthand look at the Nissan Leaf. Thanks in part to a loan provided by the Department of Energy, Nissan will be building 150,000 of these vehicles in the United States, leading to 1,300 jobs in Smyrna, Tennessee.
This is the 50th anniversary of the historic U.S.-Japan Alliance. Last year, we built off that longstanding relationship to establish the U.S.-Japan Clean Energy Action Plan, which lays the groundwork for collaboration in energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage and the smart grid technologies. It’s a valuable partnership that I believe will only expand in the coming years.
From NTDTV:
U.S. & Japan Push for Cleaner Energy Ties
From NTDTV.com:
The U.S. and Japan are pushing cleaner energy ties, looking at multi-billion dollar businesses ranging from eco-cars to nuclear power.
On a Japan visit, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu met with trade officials as well as visited Nissan, after extending $1.4 billion in loans earlier this year to Japan's No.3 to upgrade its Tennessee factory making the electric Leaf car.
Nissan intends to make up to 150,000 EVs and 200,000 lithium ion batteries at the U.S. plant, adding a potential 1,300 jobs.
In terms of energy sources, Japan has 54 nuclear power generators, the third greatest capacity after the U.S. and France, and is stepping up efforts to sell development overseas.
Chu told Tokyo University students Thursday Japan has a key industry role, noting purchase of two major American nuclear firms along with billions of dollars of U.S. investment in the sector.
[Steven Chu, U.S. Energy Secretary]:
"Japan has a major role to play in this, in developing the technologies with its partner the United States. We see a number of developing countries, the United Arab Emirates, for example, has gone into this. Vietnam is now very interested in developing nuclear power. There are a number of other countries that are interested in developing this nuclear power."
A joint U.S.-Japan consortium lost out to South Korea to build and run nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates.
But Japan has won contracts from Vietnam to build 2 plants, and a joint venture of 13 firms, including Toshiba, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has been formed to push technologies abroad.
FROM NTDTV:
U.S. and Japan Launch Joint Green Initiative
From NTDTV.com:
On Thursday, Japan and the U.S. reaffirmed the two nations will strengthen cooperation on the development of technology to create clean energy and alternatives to rare earth metals.
[Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy]:
"The United States and Japan have enjoyed a long and deep friendship, particularly in the areas of scientific cooperation and energy; two areas that the Department of Energy plays a major role in the United States."
Japan and the U.S. also agreed to cooperate on research, including rare earths mining and alternatives to rare earths.
[Akihiro Ohata, Japanese Trade Minister]:
"Both countries will actively cooperate in research - as well as policy making and funding - on materials indispensable to the production of clean energy, such as rare earth and nuclear power."
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Japanese Trade Minister Akihiro Ohata signed a jointed statement in Tokyo.
They also agreed to look into clean energy technologies, including the establishment of a team to promote electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars.
Earlier this month, Japan and the U.S. agreed on the need to address the problem of relying too much on a single country for production and supply of rare earth minerals.
China, which accounts for 97 percent of the global output of rare earth minerals, strictly controls their trade, despite pressure from the U.S. and Japan to loosen export constraints.
From the Department of Energy, Feb. 3, 2010:
Secretary Chu Speaks at the 2010 Washington Auto Show
Secretary Chu lays out a roadmap for how the U.S. can lead the world in making the clean vehicles we need at the 2010 Washington Auto Show. He also announced that the Department of Energy had closed on a $1.4 billion loan to Nissan to build the all-electric LEAF in Tennessee and create up to 1,300 American jobs.
From Network World, August 1, 2009:
Nissan unveils all-electric Leaf car
The Nissan Leaf is powered by Lithium Ion batteries and due to be launched in Japan, the U.S. and Europe in late 2010. It also includes advanced IT systems.
From the Department of Energy, Oct. 4, 2010
The Paris Motor Show
Posted by David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs
.... Fortunately, President Obama and Secretary Chu have helped put the United States on the road to global leadership in this rapidly growing industry. With Recovery Act funding, we have made an historic $2.85 billion investment in electric vehicles. We’re investing $2.4 billion in United States-based manufacturers to produce advanced vehicle batteries and drive train components, $400 million to purchase, test, and deploy different types of electric vehicles to test their viability in the marketplace, and $300 million in cost-share projects under the "Clean Cities" program. These investments are reducing our dependence on oil, cutting pollution and creating thousands of jobs, while building a foundation for even more job growth in the years ahead.
In case you missed the 11/19 report, here’s video from comeback053:
President Obama on American Auto Industry Rebirth
• US ATTENDANCE AT INTERNATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION FORUM •
From the State Department:
U.S. Sends Delegation to International Tiger Conservation Forum in St. Petersburg
Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero will lead the U.S. interagency delegation to the International Tiger Conservation Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 21-24. During her visit, Under Secretary Otero will also hold separate meetings with civil society groups and Russian Government officials.
At the Forum, Under Secretary Otero will emphasize the U.S. Government’s commitment to saving the tiger and meeting the goal of doubling the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, the next Lunar Year of the Tiger. The United States has funded many tiger conservation and habitat protection programs and is eager to work with range states. Over the past 14 years Congress has helped to provide over $11 million in grants for tigers, including almost $2 million in 2010. Through bilateral assistance, the United States Agency for International Development has provided over $10 million for conservation work throughout Asia in 2010, much of which helps to protect key tiger landscapes.
From World Bank:
"Earn Your Stripes"
Leaders from 13 tiger range countries and a coalition of international organizations and advocates for tiger conservation - including the World Bank and WWF - are convening in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 21-24, at the International Tiger Conservation Forum, co-organized by the Government of the Russian Federation and the World Bank, in this Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Lunar Calendar.