Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gesturs during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. (AP Photos/Susan Walsh)
Posted on 12/21/2007 2:32:07 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday held out the prospect of improved relations with the remaining two members of President Bush's "axis of evil," Iran and North Korea, as long as they meet international demands over their nuclear programs.
Rice said the Bush administration in its remaining year would welcome fundamental changes in its dealings with the two countries, as well as with Syria, and as an example pointed to warming ties with Libya, which renounced weapons of mass destruction in 2003.
"The United States doesn't have permanent enemies, we're too great a country for that," she told reporters at a State Department press conference.
But she stressed that neither North Korea nor Iran would benefit from closer relations with the U.S. unless they come clean about their weapons intentions.
The third member of the "axis of evil," Saddam Hussein's Iraq, did not do so to Bush's satisfaction and was invaded in 2003, although no weapons of mass destruction were found. The administration has said it wants to deal diplomatically with the threats it sees from North Korea and Iran.
Rice repeated calls for North Korea to honor its pledge to provide a complete declaration of its atomic programs and to disable all nuclear weapons facilities by year's end, although she left open the possibility Pyongyang would miss the deadline for disabling nuclear sites.
"We have been very clear that we expect a declaration from North Korea that is complete and accurate," Rice said, reiterating Washington's position that the country must describe all of its nuclear activities, including possible sales of equipment to other nations and its alleged dabbling in uranium enrichment to complement a known plutonium program.
Rice would not comment on a report about the discovery by U.S. scientists of uranium traces on aluminum tubes in North Korea, apparently contradicting Pyongyang's claim that its acquisition of the tubes was for conventional purposes. Such tubes could be used in the process of converting hot uranium gas into fuel for nuclear weapons, according to the report in Friday's Washington Post.
Rice said, "We have long been concerned about highly enriched uranium as an alternative (nuclear weapons) route in North Korea."
The declaration is due by Dec. 31, which is also the deadline for disabling North Korea's plutonium plant at Yongbyon. However, diplomats have said the North would likely not be safely able to complete one key disablement step — removing the fuel rods from its reactor — for several months.
"I sincerely hope it will be by the end of the year, but the key is to get this process right," Rice said.
If North Korea meets its commitments, the U.S. has said it will remove the North from terrorism and sanctions blacklists and enter into talks to forge a permanent peace deal to officially end the Korean War.
On Iran, Rice said, "I continue to say that if Iran will just do the one thing that is required of it by the Security Council resolutions that have been passed — and that is suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities — then I'm prepared to meet my counterpart any place and anytime and anywhere and we can talk about anything."
She warned the Iranians would not get a pass and sidestepped a question about whether "anywhere" would include the Iranian capital of Tehran.
Iran has thus far refused to comply with the international demands and Rice said that "as long as the Iranians are talking and practicing enrichment, we're not getting anywhere."
She added that the administration was also "open to better relations" with Syria, which it has accused of supporting anti-Israeli terrorist groups, allowing insurgents into Iraq, and interfering in neighboring Lebanon, where a deadlock between pro-Syrian politicians and the Western-backed government has left the country unable to elect a president.
"But they must choose cooperation not confrontation with the international community," Rice said.
Rice pointed to her meeting in Washington next month with Libya's foreign minister as evidence that changes in behavior will be rewarded by the United States. Libya was removed from the U.S. list of "state sponsors of terrorism" in 2005.
Iran, North Korea and Syria are still on that list.
She noted increased international investment in Libya and the interest of U.S. companies in doing business there, since leader Moammar Gadhafi decided to give up weapons of mass destruction.
"I'm looking for an opportunity to extend our relationship further," she said, adding she hopes to visit Libya despite concerns from some lawmakers that Tripoli has still not fulfilled obligations to compensate victims of terrorist attacks. "I actually look forward to the opportunity to go to Libya. I think it will be an important step."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gesturs during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. (AP Photos/Susan Walsh)
Technically nothing physical is permanent so I guess we should just ignore the obvious threats until they ‘go away’. I used to lice Rice. A lot.
lice=like.
‘Rice: US has ‘no permanent enemies’
Well, if the military were allowed to do its job, That would be a true statement.
We hear these canned press conferences, but we don’t hear what the diplomats say to each other. They come out of the closed room usually smiling and saying it was constructive.
I used to lice Rice. A lot.
i followed her career a bit before she got the post. i can’t explain what the hell happened.
No. Sorry. I like lice Rice better.
You’re stuck with it.
Wow! Condi’s been in the beltway to long
Its probably hard being a Secretary of State, schooled in Soviet/Russian politics, to be effective during two wars against muslim based nations.
In light of the above, its hard to say that she has been effective at all during her tenure. But I don’t know how anyone could have been any more effective.
She can always go back to teaching:
Rice to students: “So there I basically was talking to Vladimir over a cocktail about Boris’s antics when suddenly it seemed like the middle east, like, blew up! Geez!”
“”The United States doesn’t have permanent enemies, ...”
We usually get them first...
It’s true historically. Our greatest enemy throughout history has been Great Britain.
I get the impression that Secretary Rice could say “It’s a sunny day, how about them Cowboys?” and she’d get abuse on this board.
Boy, those sound like famous last words, eh?
“It’s a sunny day, how about them Cowboys?”
Well, as soon as Jessica lays low,...pretty darn good.
Dan Snyder is buying her tickets for next week!
You are more than likely correct.
I like Condi and I admire her past performance and accomplishments - I just disagree with her diplomatic stance in some areas.
diplomatically we have no permanent friends either. Just common interests.
I read some of her papers in college. I thought they were pretty unremarkable. My professor thought they were, too - except they were written by a black conservative woman. Here’s the reality - tokenism exists even on the conservative side of the aisle. With the exception of Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas and a few other examples, the really smart black intellectuals are to be found on the liberal side of the aisle. Pity. As to choosing her for the presidency, I’ve always thought she was a liberal who happened to be a hawk with respect to Communism. My impression is that she is a liberal in every other way.
she is now in “legacy” mode ...
Except The Democratic Party
I think Jessica doing just that has been the problem.
Condi? Is that you? Are you There?
Egyptian Coptic Christians, circa 640 AD were attacked and slaughtered by Islamic crusaders.
Bordeaux, France Christians, circa 735 AD were attacked and slaughtered by Islamic crusaders,
I can keep on but, this has been going on now for awhile
Might not be permanent but it is getting close.
Sec. Rice could do us all a favor and stay out of the Balkans. Being told now if Kosovo becomes independent and controlled by Muslims the rest of the World or at least the benevolent USA will be forced to support the Islamic crusaders. Did Clinton ever mention this to the Americans before he went to war for the Muslims against the Christians in Serbia? Believe he forgot to mention this!
Last week I said that Condi Rice—with her pledge of $555 million to the Palestinian Terror Authority—had entered into a tie with Madeline Albright for “Worst Secretary of State Ever”, with over a year to go. Today’s press conference shows Ms. Rice is determined to win the crown for herself alone.
Some Russian "expert". She was dead wrong about Putin and made her bos look like a fool as a result.
It is high time for John Bolton to be SOS.
What the hell happened to this woman...
Well, I guess we ought to take seriously Clarke’s complaints that he could not get her attention about the terrorist threat before 9/11. She was oblivious to the Muslim threat. Probably still doesn’t “get it.”
This is the most ridiculous statement Rice could have made...
I also expect greater terrorist attacks and have really given up any hope this country will weather the next ten years unless we actually elect someone who will tackle illegal immigration and the treason that has been occuring in D.C. in the past decade.
The country is being given away to illegals and our economy is being sold to China, along with military secrets.
Menopause?
Yes, it does. They're called the mainstream media.
Legacy building for the Boss..
...only permanent interests. She should have added the rest of Lord Palmerston's quote.
Rice, everytime you leave a meeting my wallet is lighter and my hind quarter begins to ache.
It’s called incipient liberal DEMentia and it’s a sad thing to watch.
Wrongo, Ms. Rice. No peace with Al Quida ever. Total surrender, period.
Sorry Condi. Between the left in Hollywood, the marxists in the press and the mindless hatred from Islam and assorted communists, we have more enemies than Bill Clinton has notches on his bed post.
Because we’ve been at peace with the North Koreans since the Korean War of the middle of the 20th Century. < /NOT! >
You are more right than you know. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is funding challenges to illegal alien restrictions and joining forces with radical groups such as MALDEF and La Raza. ICE is staging very infrequent and high-profile raids to divide families on purpose to create resentment towards the raids themselves and help the cause of amnesty legislation. And China has "invested" $25 billion this year alone in the largest Wall Street banks, and is strengthening ties with our Latin American and Islamic foes.
The craziest conspiracy theories don't seem quite as crazy anymore.
Slip slidin' away.
I know plenty...
I suppose this is a correct. The enemies are temporary until they are erased from existence.
Ohhkay, we should just go and hug our Islamic brothers, with love, peace and understanding we will never have to fear them, right?
Not in this dimension, maybe in Bizarro world.
Condi Scowcroft. (o_O)
100% correct. And the (Saudi) Riyals will start rolling into her account (as it now does into his) starting on January 21, 2009.
“Peace for our Time”
[US has 'no permanent enemies']
I suspect this statement is rooted in an idealistic belief that, if our enemies can be led to an appreciation of the self-evident truths spoken of in the U.S. Declaration of Independance, then they will find a common cause with us and cease to be our enemies.
Freedom, if genuine, is a powerfull attractive force.
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