[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: "we want to see a stop to the settlements" -
that's not a "freeze" on construction. The Obama team sends a clear message
to Israel: we do not honor the commitments of previous administrations
(that U.S. would support the settlement blocs in final status talks) - so
don't be so naive as to make concessions in exchange for commitments from
this administration because the rules of the game are that after you make
the concession all bets are off and the operative question is "what have you
done lately".]

Remarks With Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

June 17, 2009

www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/06/125044.htm

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SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to welcome Foreign
Minister Lieberman to the State Department today for his first official
visit to Washington in his new role. Minister Lieberman's visit gave me the
opportunity to reaffirm the United States deep, unshakable friendship and
bond with Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security is and will remain a
cornerstone of our foreign policy, and I was pleased to have this chance to
express that personally to the foreign minister. The United States has no
greater ally in the Middle East and no greater friend than Israel.

Because our countries are close friends, we spoke honestly and openly about
a range of issues. And we are looking forward to continuing that dialogue in
the U.S.-Israel strategic dialogue, which has provided a useful forum for
discussion of shared concerns and challenges over recent years. We exchanged
views on the Middle East, including Iran, and reiterated the need for Iran's
leaders to comply with obligations to the United Nations Security Council
and the International Atomic Energy Agency to suspend enrichment-related and
reprocessing activities. And we look forward to Iran's response to our
offers of engagement.

And of course, we also focused on efforts to bring about a comprehensive
peace between Israel and her neighbors in the region. Israel's right to
exist in peace and security is undeniable and non-negotiable. Both Israelis
and Palestinians deserve to live in peace and security in two states that
will entail both parties fulfilling their obligations under the Roadmap.

Building on the Arab Peace Initiative, Arab states must do their part to
support the Palestinian people as they develop the institutions that will
sustain their state. And they must recognize Israel's legitimacy and, in
doing so, choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.

The United States will never do anything to undermine Israel's security, and
the United States also supports a viable Palestinian state. We do not
believe that these two objectives are incompatible. In fact, we believe they
are both critical elements of a comprehensive and secure peace.

Minister Lieberman, I hope that you enjoy your first visit to the United
States as your country's foreign minister, and I look forward to continuing
our conversation and working with you more on these issues in the future.

FOREIGN MINISTER LIEBERMAN: Madame Secretary, at the outset, I would like to
say to you how much the people and the Government of Israel appreciate your
consistent support of Israel. We value your friendship greatly. We remember
the many contributions you have made personally, even before you became a
United States senator from New York. We thank you, Your Excellency, for your
longstanding commitment to Israel and to strengthening the American-Israeli
special relationship and friendship.

I think that we have had a good discussion today covering a broad spectrum
of regional and global issues. We also covered a wide range of important
bilateral topics. Madame Secretary, I thank you for your very kind
hospitality today, and I look forward to our future friendly dialogue, both
in Washington and in Jerusalem. Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

MR. KELLY: Our first question goes to Lachlan Carmichael.

QUESTION: Yes, Minister --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Here comes the microphone, Lachlan.

QUESTION: Minister Lieberman, first, Ambassador Oren, the new ambassador to
Washington, is talking about some interesting proposals on settlements.
Could you elaborate on what they might be? And then for Secretary Clinton,
does that mean there is some wiggle room to your statement that there should
be no such settlement activity?

And finally, for both of you, did you discuss previous President George Bush's
letters, private letters to the Israeli Government? Is that issue over with?

FOREIGN MINISTER LIEBERMAN: Thank you. It's a long question. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: It's actually three questions.

FOREIGN MINISTER LIEBERMAN: Three questions, yeah. First of all, we really
don't have any intention to change the demographic balance in Judea and
Samaria. But we think that, you know, as - in every place around the world,
baby are born (inaudible), people get married, some pass away. And we cannot
accept - we cannot accept this vision about absolutely completely freezing
call for our settlements. I think that we must keep the natural growth.
Prime minister spoke about this in his speech. I think that this position,
it's - this view, this approach, it's very clear.

And also, we had some understandings with the previous administration and we
tried to keep this direction. And we are, of course, ready for immediately
direct talks with the Palestinians.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as President Obama, Senator Mitchell and I have
said, we want to see a stop to the settlements. We think that is an
important and essential part of pursuing the efforts leading to a
comprehensive peace agreement and the creation of a Palestinian state next
to a Israeli-Jewish state that is secure in its borders and future. We
believe that this process which Senator Mitchell is quarterbacking for us
has just begun. There are a number of critical concerns, many of which
overlap in their impact and significance, that will be explored in the
coming weeks as Senator Mitchell engages more deeply into the specifics as
to where the Israelis and the Palestinians are willing to go together.

I think that the whole issue that you've raised is one that we've expressed
our opinion on. And in looking at the history of the Bush Administration,
there were no informal or oral enforceable agreements. That has been
verified by the official record of the Administration and by the personnel
in the positions of responsibility. Our former ambassador Dan Kurtzer has
written an op-ed that appeared in the last few days that lays out our
position on that.

MR. KELLY: Our next question, Israeli television, Channel 2.

QUESTION: Thank you. Madame Secretary, I'm interested to know, how do you
envision any progress, any chance for achievement of progress on the
Israeli-Palestinian track when the Israeli prime minister and the foreign
minister have put so many conditions on the existing of a Palestinian state,
conditions that are all - all-out refused by their Arab neighbors, including
the Palestinians? And when you hear that the Israeli - current Israeli
Government refuses totally to talk about your demand of freezing the
settlement activity, how do you envision a progress on that track?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think if one looks at Israeli history, there have
been prime ministers going back to the beginning of Israelis' statehood that
have staked out positions which have changed over time. I personally have
known such prime ministers from Labor, Likud and Kadima, who started in one
place, but in the process of evaluating what was in the best interests of
Israel, and that has to be the primary obligation of any leader of Israel:
What is in the best interests of my people and the future of my state?

And these prime ministers have moved to positions that they never would have
thought they could have advocated before they started looking hard and
thinking hard about what the future should be. But that's what negotiations
are for.

QUESTION: Do you hold out that Netanyahu and Lieberman will follow through
(inaudible)?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I leave that to them to decide. I'm just reflecting
on history and on people who have been in these positions over the last 30,
40 years. And there has been an evolution in thought. And I thought Prime
Minister Netanyahu, in recognizing the aspirations of the Palestinians for a
state of their own in his speech on Sunday night, said something that many
people were waiting to hear him say.

MR. KELLY: Next question, Charlie Wolfson from CBS News.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, on Iran, and also for the foreign minister. The
Iranians have protested U.S. actions through the Swiss ambassador today.
Could you bring us up to date on those protests? And there have also been
criticisms or reports of criticisms about U.S. interference in Iranian
affairs because of the call to Twitter, if you could comment on that.

And for the foreign minister, does the outcome of the Iranian election
change Israel's position in any way, and were your discussions today - did
they touch on that, and any actions you asked the Administration to do?

SECRETARY CLINTON: That's four questions for the foreign minister.
(Laughter.) We have very creative reporters on both sides here. (Laughter.)

The United States believes passionately and strongly in the basic principle
of free expression. We believe that it is a fundamental human right for
people to be able to communicate, to express their opinions, to take
positions. And this is a view that goes back to the founding of our country,
and we stand firmly behind it.

And therefore, we promote the right of free expression. And it is the case
that one of the means of expression, the use of Twitter, is a very important
one not only to the Iranian people, but now increasingly to people around
the world, and most particularly young people. I wouldn't know a Twitter
from a tweeter - (laughter) - but apparently, it is very important. And I
think keeping that line of communications open and enabling people to share
information, particularly at a time when there was not many other sources of
information, is an important expression of the right to speak out and to be
able to organize that we value.

FOREIGN MINISTER LIEBERMAN: Thank you. As somebody said before you, we
support evolution, not a revolution, and we never interfered in any internal
affairs of the different countries. And what it's important for us, not the
personal creation, but the creation of policy. And what we saw during this
elections, it was only one point that every candidates were united: its
achieving, quote, nuclear capability; and maybe the other point, the hatred
to Israel. What it's important for us, it's real - not the domestic problems
of Iran, but their policy. And we hope that they will change their policy.

MR. KELLY: Last question for Channel One, Israel Television.

QUESTION: Thank you. Madame Secretary, given the latest unrest in Iran and
the very brutal way the regime there is moving to quash these protests, does
the Administration still believe there is room to engage diplomatically with
Iran? And are you concerned that such engagement might embolden actually
Ahmadinejad and his regime?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first let me say that the people of Iran deserve
the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted. The outcome of
any election should reflect the will of the people. And it is for the
Iranians to determine how they resolve this internal protest concerning the
outcome of the recent election. But it is a fundamental value that the
United States holds with respect to free and fair and credible elections.

With regard to engagement, obviously we intend to pursue engagement because
we think it's in the interests of the United States and the world community
to discuss with the Iranian Government important matters such as the one
Minister Lieberman raised concerning their intentions for their nuclear
program, their support of terrorism, their interference with the affairs of
their neighbors and other states.

So yes, we think there is much to talk about. And I would think it's a
useful exercise to look back on history and to see where countries, most
particularly my own, have engaged in ongoing diplomatic discussions with
countries whose regimes we've disapproved of, that we rejected. We never
stopped negotiating with the former Soviet Union. They invaded countries.
They promoted unrest. But we knew we had an opportunity to learn more, to
discuss fully, and perhaps to reach better understandings than we might have
in the absence of such engagement, so we pursued it.

We are doing this out of what we view as our interest and the interests of
friends and allies such as Israel. So now we are obviously waiting to see
the outcome of the internal Iranian processes, but our intent is to pursue
whatever opportunities might exist in the future with Iran to discuss these
matters.

Thank you all.

PRN: 2009/611