http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/rice/ en-us Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:55:05 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048732/posts She may be the highest ranking African-American in the Republican administration of President Bush, but when it comes to who will get her vote for president in November, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice won't say publicly that she's backing Sen. John McCain. When asked Sunday by Wolf Blitzer on CNN's “Late Edition” if she had "decided who to vote for,” Rice replied, “Wolf, yes.” But when Blitzer asked if she wanted to reveal her choice, Rice said, “No.” newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048732/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:55:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048681/posts U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Monday that it faced more sanctions if it defied a two-week deadline to agree to curb its nuclear program. Rice said Iran was stalling and must give a "serious answer" within the deadline set by six world powers which offered trade and technical incentives if Tehran halts its uranium enrichment. The West fears Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb. "We are in the strongest possible position to demonstrate that if Iran does not act then it is time to go back to that (sanctions) track," Rice said, Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048681/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:04:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048035/posts TEHRAN -- Critical talks in Switzerland over Iran's nuclear program began today with both Iranian and United States officials making their highest level diplomatic contacts since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana smiled as they posed for pictures before heading into the closed-door meetings which will include U.S. undersecretary William J. Burns, the State Department's number three official. LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048035/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:51:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047447/posts Interview on the Sean Hannity Radio Show (Condoleezza Rice) (Excerpt) - SECRETARY RICE: ... First of all, this decision, this tactical decision to send Bill Burns one time to receive the reply that the Iranians are supposed to give to the offer that the United States, Russia, China, and three European states made – he’s going to go receive the reply, and he’s going to tell the Iranians, in no uncertain terms, that if they want to negotiate, the condition for doing that is to suspend verifiably their enrichment and reprocessing. So this is really to reinforce the policy that... State Dept http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047447/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:02:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043751/posts For months before a group of disguised Colombian soldiers carried out a daring rescue of three U.S. citizens and a prominent Colombian politician from a guerrilla camp, a team of U.S. Special Forces joined elite Colombian troops tracking the hostages across the jungle in the country's southern fringes. The U.S. team was supported by a vast intelligence-gathering operation based in the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, far to the north. There, a special 100-person unit made up of Special Forces planners, hostage negotiators and intelligence analysts worked to keep track of the hostages. They also awaited the moment when the rescue... Seattle Times via WaPo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043751/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:10:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039525/posts US has means to verify North Korea statement -Rice (Adds amount of plutonium, other details) By Susan Cornwell KYOTO, Japan, June 26 (Reuters) - The United States believes it has the means to verify North Korea's estimate of its nuclear programmes, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday. North Korea was expected to declare between 30-50 kg (66-110 lb) of plutonium in the document, given to the Chinese government on Thursday, a senior U.S. administration official said separately, but added that "our estimates are greater". Verification, which meant calculating and resolving differences in estimates, could take "months and... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039525/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 01:59:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037914/posts In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, "This week, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives held a conference to highlight the work being done by our Nation's armies of compassion, with help from the Federal government. This conference demonstrated the remarkable difference these groups have made over the past eight years." US President George W. Bush said Saturday he had directed that sanctions be drawn up against the "illegitimate" government of Zimbabwe after a run-off vote boycotted by the opposition. US President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in California on Saturday and ordered... yahoo news; whitehouse.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037914/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:28:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035502/posts From: http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1230980&lang=EN N. Korea invites media to nuclear plant blast 24.06.08 11:19 North Korea is to blow up a key part of its controversial Yongbyon nuclear reactor on Friday. The destruction of the plant's cooling tower is part of an agreement with the United States aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula in exchange for loosening some restrictions on the highly secretive Communist country, reported CNN. The North Korean government has invited news organizations, including CNN, to witness the event. Earlier this year, Pyongyang agreed to disable its nuclear reactor and provide a full accounting of its plutonium stockpile, "acknowledge" concerns... TrendNews (Azerbaidjan) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035502/posts#comment Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:01:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035920/posts Iran's rice farmers ask where's the money By Zahra Hosseinian CHALUS, Iran (Reuters) - From the lush paddy fields of northern Iran to the dusty grain bazaars of Tehran, the pain and paradoxes of the global crisis spawned by rising food and fuel prices are starkly on show. Rice prices have more than doubled in Iran since March but farmers working from sunrise to sunset in the rice-growing northern region around Chalus, a city on the Caspian Sea, say little of that money goes into their pockets. "Traders bought our rice very cheap. They have put it in storage and... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035920/posts#comment Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:35:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035432/posts BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday the United States was determined to reach out to the Iranian people despite quarrels with their government over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. ... "The United States has been for some time trying to reach out to the Iranian people in various ways," Rice said. Iranians could travel to Dubai to get U.S. visas, she said, but acknowledged it might not be convenient for them to do so. "We want more Iranians visiting the U.S.," she said, adding that she favoured cultural exchanges such as visits by artists and athletes.... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035432/posts#comment Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:11:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035210/posts International donors offered $120 million on Monday to help rebuild a Palestinian refugee camp badly damaged in fighting between Islamist militants and the Lebanese army last year. The Austrian foreign ministry, hosting a conference in Vienna, said the sum had been pledged for the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon. It did not give a breakdown of the donations by country. The camp was home to about 40,000 people before fighting erupted in May last year in the worst internal violence since the civil war. The 15-week battle killed more than 420 people, including 168 soldiers, and left the camp... reuters.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035210/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:20:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032018/posts US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she welcomes a new power-sharing arrangement in Lebanon, even though it increases the power of Hezbollah militants at the expense of US-backed moderates. "Obviously, in any compromise there are compromises," Rice said during a surprise visit to meet Lebanon's new consensus choice for president. The election of former army chief, Michel Suleiman, last month is the clearest sign that Lebanon has stepped back from the brink and that the deal with Iranian-backed Hezbollah is taking hold. But Hezbollah's ascendancy is a bitter pill for the US, which is worried that Iran's influence is... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032018/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:39:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031691/posts US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's harsh criticism of Israel's plan to continue building in east Jerusalem met with little panic and no formal response on Sunday, a sign - one government source said - that with less than five months to the US elections, "it is not that important what she says anymore." "Comments that in the past would have set everybody abuzz, are not making much waves today," the source said. He attributed this both to the waning days of George W. Bush's administration, and a growing realization that the chances of finalizing any "shelf agreement" with the... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031691/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:05:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031689/posts JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's persistent building of Jewish homes on disputed land undermines the U.S.-backed attempt to write an Israeli-Palestinian peace draft this year and invites questions about Israel's motives, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday. Using exceptionally harsh language, the visiting U.S. envoy said Israel must understand the pall its actions cast over talks and on the confidence of the United States, European nations and others that Israel is bargaining in good faith. She said the Jewish state has apparently picked up the pace of housing expansion since President Bush inaugurated negotiations with a splashy summit at Annapolis,... AP News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031689/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:58:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031223/posts US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived here last night for two days of talks and criticized proposed housing expansion in Jerusalem over the Green Line as undermining the US-backed push for peace. As Rice arrived, she appeared more exasperated with the Israeli construction than she has in past condemnations of announcements of building plans that have often come just before or after her visits in the past 18 months. "Unfortunately, there have been a few [building plans], whether I'm coming or not," Rice told reporters on her plane. "Look, it's a problem, and it's a problem that we're going... jpost.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031223/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:15:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028013/posts President Bush returned to the White House today (presumably from Camp David). He was accompanied by Secretary of State Rice. First Lady Laura Bush made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Sunday with an appeal to the international community not to abandon the war-torn country in the face of resurgent Taliban violence. President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Jim McKay Laura and I were saddened to learn of the passing of Jim McKay. For a generation of Americans, Jim was more than the much-honored host of Wide World of Sports and ABC's Olympic coverage. He was a... Yahoo News Photos; Whitehouse.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028013/posts#comment Sun, 8 Jun 2008 20:48:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026989/posts (IsraelNN.com) The US State Department is working hard to exert damage control after a televised speech in which Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) announced he wants to sit down and make peace with the rival Hamas terrorist faction in Gaza. Gaza-based Hamas leader and former PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh quickly responded with positive statements of his own, calling on Abbas in a statement late Thursday to immediately begin negotiations for a national unity government. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Thursday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Abbas and spoke with him... Arutz Sheva http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026989/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 12:28:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026112/posts Today, President George W. Bush hosted a meeting with Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Oval Office of the White House. Transcript President Bush congratulated Senator Obama via a statement by Dana Perino: "President Bush congratulates Senator Obama," spokeswoman Dana Perino said. Bush "knows from personal experience that the presidential nominating process is a grueling one, and Senator Obama came a long way in becoming his party's nominee," said Perino. "And his historic achievement reflects the fact that our country has come a long way, too," she said. Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, also congratulated Senator Obama. Speaking... Yahoo News Photos; Whitehouse.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026112/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 23:08:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026012/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday Barack Obama's emergence as the first black American to win a major party's presidential nomination was a landmark for equal rights after more than two centuries of struggle. Continues: HERE Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026012/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 20:16:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025792/posts WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice escalated the Bush administration’s anti-Iran rhetoric on Tuesday, accusing its government of pursuing nuclear weapons and calling any dialogue with its leaders pointless until they suspend the country’s enrichment of uranium. While Ms. Rice’s message was familiar, the tone of her speech, before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, was unusually sharp, taking oblique aim at Senator Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders who have called for the United States to engage Iran diplomatically. “We would be willing to meet with them but not while they continue to inch toward nuclear weapons under... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025792/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 13:12:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023979/posts The slow disintegration of Israel’s Government makes it even less likely that it would attack Iran’s nuclear installations, a question that has arisen again this week after a new report cautioning that Tehran may be developing nuclear weapons. The likelihood that the US would take that course has also fallen in the past six months. The result is that the response to Iran’s determination to put nuclear weapons within reach looks more like being the first difficult decision facing the next US president, rather than the last, dramatic one of President Bush. This week’s report by the International Atomic Energy... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023979/posts#comment Sat, 31 May 2008 14:23:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022260/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department has begun to identify diplomats who could be forced to serve in Iraq next year unless enough volunteers come forward to fill about 300 positions, The Associated Press has learned. A department-wide notice issued Tuesday says officials have looked through the files of all foreign service officers who will be applying or "bidding" for new jobs in 2009 and compiled a roster of candidates who are "particularly well-qualified" to work at the American Embassy in Baghdad and in outlying provinces. Those on the list will be notified of their status this week and urged... Breitbart via Drudge Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022260/posts#comment Wed, 28 May 2008 02:37:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022217/posts Mexico's poor get food cash boost The price of staple foods such as rice has risen sharply in the last year. The Mexican government is to give its poorest citizens a monthly cash payment of 120 pesos ($11.55; £5.85) to help them cope with rising food prices. The news came a day after the country said it would cut tariffs on imported crops such as corn, wheat and rice. In a further sign of the impact of rising food and fuel costs, inflation in Vietnam jumped to 25% in May, the highest rate for 10 years. Average food costs have... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022217/posts#comment Wed, 28 May 2008 01:18:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020807/posts I recently asked Rice if she opposed the surge and advocated a pullback of American troops. First of all--look, I have never been in favor of pulling back any--pulling ourselves back from Iraq. Look, I am fundamentally a believer in what we did in Iraq. I believe we did the right thing. I believe we have to win. I believe we are winning. The question that I've had--that I had at the time when we were looking at different options, because what we were doing in Iraq was not working, was if we were going to have more forces, what... The Weekly Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020807/posts#comment Sat, 24 May 2008 19:43:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020186/posts With prices now falling, the global rice crisis seems to be subsiding. That's thanks in part to a policy announcement by a Japanese bureaucrat. On May 19, Japan's Deputy Agriculture Minister, Toshiro Shirasu, said that Tokyo would release some of its massive stockpile of rice to the Philippines, selling 50,000 tons "as soon as possible" and releasing another 200,000 tons as food aid. The first shipment could reach the Philippines by late summer. Shirasu also left open the possibility of using more of its reserves to help other countries in need. To understand Japan's role in deflating the rice market,... Good News Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020186/posts#comment Fri, 23 May 2008 13:06:40 GMT