[WCUSP] Condi & Tzipi (Gender is irrelevant when power makes the rules.)

[KATHARLOW at aol.com]

By now we should be disabused of the illusion  that women in positions of 
power will behave any more humanely than men. It is  the game of power that makes 
the rules and  gender is irrelevant.


_http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/72166.htm_ 
(http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/72166.htm) 



    
Remarks With Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of  Israel 
Tzipi Livni After Their Meeting

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
The Treaty Room
Washington, DC
September 13, 2006  
 (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/2006/72168.htm) SECRETARY RICE: Good 
afternoon. I'm very pleased  to welcome Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to the United 
States, also Deputy  Prime Minister. Tzipi and I have had a number of 
opportunities to meet  here and also in the Middle East. We've had a wide-ranging 
discussion,  including discussing Resolution 1701 on Lebanon and the need for its 
full  implementation. We have discussed the situation in Iran. Iran's  
destabilizing activities in the region and also concerns about the Iranian  nuclear 
program. We have talked about the two-state solution and how to  think about 
moving forward on Israeli-Palestinian issues.  
I also wanted to say to Minister Livni and to the Israeli people that  the 
United States continues to call for the unconditional and immediate  release of 
the Israeli soldier in the Palestinian territory and the  Israeli soldiers 
held in Lebanon. We pray for their safety and for their  well being. But the 
international community has made very clear that they  should be released and 
released unconditionally. 
Thank you for coming. 
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Thank you and thank you for the  invitation. And my 
visit comes at a very special time when we mark the  attacks of September 11th. 
I think that this was the day in which the  world was divided in two, between 
those who mourned and those who  celebrated. And Israelis cried with the 
Americans that day. And since then  Israel, under the leadership of the United 
States of America, and other  nations are fighting terrorism. And my visit to you 
also comes a few weeks  after Resolution 1701 was adopted by the Security 
Council. I think that  resolution -- I believe that Resolution 1701 represent the 
interest of the  region and it represents the interest of the region in order 
to promote  the process and to change the situation in the region. And this is 
also a  result of the determination of the United States and, personally 
Secretary  Rice, and determination not to come back to the dangerous status quo 
that  we faced before the attack -- unprovoked attack on Israel. 
But of course the question whether there is a window of opportunity or  we 
can change this window of opportunity into reality, of course, now it  depends 
on the determination of the international community in order to  implement 
fully and completely the resolution, including the release of  the soldiers, of 
the hostages and enforcement of the arm embargo and the  dismantlement of 
Hezbollah. And I think that after the last events in our  region, in Lebanon I think 
that it is also the Iranian threat now is more  clear. And I think that now 
it is more clear that the world cannot afford  a nuclear Iran. About the 
complicated situation between the Israelis and  Palestinians, of course, we 
discussed this issue in order to promote a  process. And I can assure you that 
stagnation is not the Israeli  Government policy. But since the Hamas won the 
election in the Palestinian  Authority the situation become more complicated and 
undermine in a way the  vision that President -- the President Bush vision that is 
-- that the  roadmap represent. But we will take all of the efforts and we 
take this  opportunity in order to find a way to revive and to promote the 
process in  order to achieve this goal and this vision for a better future for us 
all.  
MR. MCCORMACK: A brief amount of time for some questions. We'll  give one to 
each side (inaudible). 
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, on the efforts among Palestinians to  form a 
unity government, do you see this as a way to eventually resolve  the question of 
foreign aid to the Palestinians? Would you oppose this  government if Hamas 
does not meet the three conditions you've laid out as  a part of forming it? 
And for the Foreign Minister, the idea raised, I believe yesterday,  that 
Abbas could talk to Israel as part of a unity government even if  Hamas did not, 
does that make you any more disposed to negotiate with that  government, would 
that condition be satisfactory to you? 
SECRETARY RICE: Well, Anne, first of all, I think that the  outcome of the 
process is not clear. It's an ongoing process and our  purpose has been to be 
very clear that we do believe that the Quartet  principles represent the 
consensus of the international community about  the way forward between Israel and 
the Palestinians. It goes without  saying that it's hard to have a partner for 
peace if you don't accept the  right of the other partner to exist. It goes 
without saying that it's hard  to have a process for peace if you do not renounce 
violence. And so we  will see what the outcome is here. 
But let me just say that we continue to believe that President Abbas,  who is 
someone who has accepted these very important principles, is  someone with 
whom we can work and with whom we are working and we hope  that the 
opportunities will present themselves for the United States to  continue to engage him and 
to continue to try to improve life for the  Palestinian people. 
But the Quartet principles are important because they embody the very  
essential elements of how we would actually get to a two-state solution.  
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER LIVNI: Thank you. Well, Israel was and  still is 
willing to meet Mahmoud Abbas because we believe in discussing  with those who 
believe in two-state solution and Mahmoud Abbas is one of  them. But of course, the 
requirements of the international community are  needed and any government, 
future government in the Palestinian Authority  or the need to meet these 
requirements are the needs of any government in  the Palestinian Authority, not 
only Hamas government, but also a unity  government or any other government. And 
we expect the Palestinian  Authority and the future government to meet these 
requirements fully and  completely and we believe that these requirements are 
not negotiable. I  mean, we are not willing that the existence of the state of 
Israel will be  been negotiated or renounce violence or terrorism and these 
are the  requirements. 
And I think that now this is a moment in time in which Mahmoud Abbas  has to 
decide whether the Palestinian Authority will operate on his terms  or on the 
terrorists' term. This is the decisions that he has to make. And  this is the 
decisions that any future Palestinian government has to make.  And I hope that 
they will take the right decision in order to change the  situation in the 
region. And as Israel clearly said, any government that  will meet fully and 
completely the requirements will get legitimacy not  only from the international 
community -- not only by the international  community. 
QUESTION: Just to clarify though, could you go on dealing with  Abbas if he 
was in a partner -- 
SECRETARY RICE: Mahmoud Abbas is the President of the  Palestinian Authority, 
elected separately from the election of the  Palestinian Legislative Council 
and the formation of a government. He is  someone who personally accepts the 
Quartet principles and accepts the  responsibility to move the Palestinian 
people away from conflict and  toward peace. And we will continue to deal with 
him. I think the issue of  the government is, however, an issue in which the 
Quartet principles are  very clear. And the point that I was trying to make is 
that they're clear  for a reason. It's not just that we say there have to be 
Quartet  principles. It's because they represent very important elements if you  
wish to get to a two-state solution to peace between the Palestinians and  the 
Israelis. 
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, the deadline to Iran passed two  weeks ago and 
nothing happened. I wonder how many more deadlines the U.S.  intend to give Iran 
till an action is really taken? And I'll be happy also  to have the Foreign 
Minister take on this issue? 
SECRETARY RICE: Well, it's not quite right that nothing  happened. On August 
31st the deadline did pass. And in fact, we have now  been in very close 
consultations with the other six and with others about  what the -- what a Security 
Council resolution would contain. Now it is  true that there has been an 
effort, because we've said the path is always  open, to see if the Iranians still 
wanted to suspend. It's my  understanding that -- perhaps, not surprisingly -- 
they've canceled the  meeting for tomorrow. That should tell us something. 
And we have always  believed that the path was very clear for the Iranians: 
suspend and go  down the path of negotiation or the international community would 
go down  the path of the Security Council. It's quite clear we're on the path 
of  the Security Council. There will be a meeting in New York of the ministers 
 of the P-5+1. I think that's a natural time to assess where we are and to  
make some movement forward. But I -- I would just not likely the  impression 
that we've been doing nothing. Meetings began almost  immediately -- holiday 
notwithstanding -- began almost immediately on how  to move forward on a Security 
Council resolution. 
If the Iranians wish to suspend their activities, which is important  because 
they're then not perfecting the technologies that could lead to a  nuclear 
weapon, the road of negotiation is still open, when and if they  decide to 
suspend it. 
QUESTION: So you're willing to give them more time? 
SECRETARY RICE: No. I said we are working on a Security Council  resolution 
now. There's -- the Security Council resolution obviously has  to be -- we have 
to consult about it and we have to decide what the text  will look like. 
There will be a meeting -- there was a meeting of the  political directors. There 
will be a meeting with the ministers. We are  working on that track. If the 
Iranians still wish to suspend and begin  negotiations obviously that would be a 
good thing. But given that they  canceled the meeting, I'm -- I don't really 
know that that option is  available. 
SECRETARY RICE: All Right, thank you. 
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER LIVNI: Well, I -- 
SECRETARY RICE: Oh, I'm sorry. Tzipi, go right ahead. 
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER LIVNI: No -- 
SECRETARY RICE: No, no, please. 
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER LIVNI: No, I mean, it's easier for me to  say that 
there is no time and the international community should show  determination and 
start with the sanctions. But as was said before, it is  more easy for me to say 
from the outside, well, the United States chose  the determination but 
there's a need to get -- I don't know if everybody  -- but more states onboard and 
there are some hesitations unfortunately  from other parts of the world. But 
our expectation is that the  international community will show more 
determination on this issue and an  understanding that this is not a threat to Israel, but 
a threat to the  entire free world. And I think that there is an 
understanding, but now  let's say what happens next week. 
SECRETARY RICE: And that is our expectation, too. That is what  we agreed 
starting all the way back at London to Berlin to Paris. And we  now have to 
deliver as an international community. 
Thank you. 
2006/819 

Released on September 13,  2006

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