liberal or conservative, you understand that you have to balance your budget. i am hopeful that as we move forward in 2010, that there will be an opportunity for us to focus on some areas where we can get our economy growing and get the spending under control. >> job creation and economic growth was the resounding message that came from the election in massachusetts last week. it is the message that every single one of us on a daily basis from our constituents here. we have an unemployment rate that is in excess of 14%. the american people understand that creating could private- sector jobs is the way for us to continue to see this country continue what we have seen over the last two centuries.

his was -- response was that he hopes to assume. impasse when it talks about these agreements, they have indicated they are sending them to us and challenging them to pass the agreement so we can create these jobs. unfortunately, time will tell. i hope he will do that. this is my 30 it stated the

union message. i have got to say that i do remember one that was more partisan than this one. the idea of taking on the night state supreme court, the idea of looking over to us and saying to us that rather than listening to the polls we should do what is right, is the right thing to do. that is exactly what is driving us. we have offered positive solutions. we just completed a historic year. never before in the 221 year history of the u.s. have we not one single opportunity to offer an open rule for consideration of legislation. what the president sent come

forward with these ideas, and these ideas have been completely shut out time and time again. >> thank you for joining as. and the american people are anxious. they are concerned about a tidal wave of borrowing and spending and ballots in takeovers and deficits. night, millions of americans were leaning in to their television sets hoping that something would change. we have been told by various spokesman for the administration that there would be a vivid -- pit by the present at the podium. -- pivot by the president at the podium. where is it?

the president of the united states came to congress and after offering a not to focusing on jobs, he renewed his embrace of the failed economic policies, calling for one more stimulus bill built on the same failed policies of the bus stimulus bill. then the president nodded in the way of fiscal discipline. house republicans welcomed the call to put our fiscal house in order. putting off to tomorrow with the spending freeze that begins in 2011 does not represent the urgency in the concern a priority that the american people want to place on fiscal discipline and getting runaway federal spending under control. after this, then we heard the

president embraced the same old same old. they endorsed a national energy tax that will crush jobs in this country. it is all in the name of climate change. the president even argued in favor of the failed economic stimulus plan of us share. -- of last year. we welcome creature dialogue and bipartisanship. we were pleased to invite the presence of the night stays to our house conference.

we were grateful that he accepted. tomorrow it will be an opportunity for us to hear from president botha the president has agreed to have a conversation. house republicans will seize the opportunity in respectful terms and make it clear to the president that we have better solutions, that we offered alternatives. the offer a budget that will make the hard choices. we have an energy strategy that will steer toward energy independence and prosperity. we have health care solutions. they will achieve the very goals the president described without expanding the size and scope of government. we look forward to this conversation. it'll be an honest conversation.

we hope that it may well facilitate the president getting the message from the american people and delivering on the promise away from this government agenda. >> did you take the new jersey and virginia massachusetts license as signals that the american public is ready to place republicans back in authority? was such as anchor -- was that just anger? >> the people elected a republican in each of those states, statewide, because they are angry. i do not think washington here is what they are saying. they clearly do not believe the president and miss pelosi and wt

the president saying. they are saying enough is enough. they sent a message. washington should listen. >> does it with the republicans back in power? >> i think they want the job killing agenda in washington to stop. they are not enamored with us. they have seen with the other teams will do. >> you said that you favor bipartisan legislation. do you think that the irresponsibility of the majority, the only way they can get it is to get the minority? >> there are 59 democrats in the senate and 41 republicans. in the house, the democrat majority is 40 seats larger than

the minority. the only bipartisan opposition to the job killing agenda are republicans and moderate democrats were saying, no, stop. they do not need us to pass legislation there has been no outreach of year. i want to sit down and try to address the problems that we have. i know my principles are. i am not going to sacrifice my principles by sitting down and negotiating. i am willing to sit down and work with them. b>> there are a majority of elements. >> i will not vote for a bill that raises taxes. i will not vote for a bill lakers decided government. i will not vote for a bill that this government -- put his government in control of the decisions american should make on their own.

>> when the president said he would like to have more regular meetings come what was your reaction. do you think that was window dressing? do you think it would be productive? >> we will see. i have never refused the president's invitation to meet. nor would apply -- nor would die. >> the president talked about offshore drilling. what is your reaction to the

idea? >> it was welcome news buthat he was for more offshore drilling. if nothing kiev -- and i think i've heard and be more forceful. we will see how it will manifest itself in legislation. >> the republican leader ask me to lead a group. is the act available -- it is in all of the above energy strategy. we also say yes to more domestic exploration for oil and national gas.

we say yes to conservation. and other instances. we did very much for it to making them aware that republicans have been all of the above strategy that is designed to leave it on the pathway toward energy independence. it is this harshening too many vested the present things in national energy tax that would raise the cost of utilities for every working family in america was an incentive to move to cleaner and greener technology. raising taxes in the middle of the worst recession in the name of climate change and moving us to new technology is a prescription the american people are rejecting. republicans have a better solution. we will be discussing it with the present tomorrow.

>> do you think there could be bipartisan legislation on that? >> i would expect that there could be. it has always been a delicate issue in terms of what type of technology in we should export around the world. we have to recognize if other parts of the world had similar technology, we should not be denying them the chance to sell the. it is an issue that is a starkly been worked out in a bipartisan way. -- that has historically been worked out of a bipartisan way. >> which of the trade agreements do you think should be brought up first? that is assuming you will have to do them one at a time. >> there is an ongoing debate as to which agreement should go first. if you go back and look at the time frame and when these were signed, and the fact that in

each of these countries, panama, colombia, and correa, they are now embarking on free trade agreement with the european union. we are boozing by not sending all of these up asap. i will not be determined to which one gets here first. i pledge to do everything that we possibly can to pass the agreements that, as quickly as we can. >> did you ask him about any particular agreement? >> i talked to him about all three. he said he hoped it would be soon. every single day that we wait, we are losing jobs in the united states because we do not have

opportunities to break into those new markets. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> after the president said he will hold meetings with tribal and religious leaders in the country to consider recreation with the taliban. he spoke at a conference in afghanistan in london. that is next on c-span. we will also hear from secretary of state clinton at the same conference. later, a conversation on humanitarian aid for haiti.

>> tomorrow, we will talk about president obama's jumps an election. after that, al qaeda is present in africa the brookings institution will discuss regional changes in poverty. "washington journal" begins each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. later, the british by iraq war and curry will have testimony from tony blair. we've been examining british involvement. live coverage begins at 9:00 eastern preve. >> representatives from 70 countries to set goals for the future of afghanistan. afghan president held a

conference until the end of the country's improving national security. at the opening session, afghan leaders in the u.n. secretary general outline their goals for the conference. >> i like to welcome you all to london. let me welcome my fellow hosts. fro they represent over 70 nations and international organizations

including every single member of the 43 nations strong international security assistance force. representing afghanistan's key regional and muslim partners, with whom we are pleased to work and whose involvement in this worldwide coalition to support peace and stability in this crucial region we welcome. this is a decisive tieme the cooperation that is helping the afghan people secured their own country. this conference marks the beginning of the transition process. agreeing the necessary conditions on which we can begin district by district, province by province the transference of security from national forces to afghan forces and people.

2009 was a difficult year in there will be more tough times ahead. hundreds of lives have been lost, thousands of casualties have been sustained. in the last year, britain has suffered over 100 fatalities last year alone. each of the countries represented here today recognizes that this mission is vital for all our national security. it is vital to the stability of this crucial region. it is vital to the security of our world. we have a clear strategy. we set out last august. we are making progress. a military surge is turning the tide against the caliban. taliban led insurgency.

it is building at the same time the capacity of the afghan forces who are fighting alongside this. a civilian surge is ensuring that the military forces clear areas of caliban and their civilization -- -- taliban has civilization seems to hold the ground that is being gamed. britain is proud that we need the civilian provincial reconstruction team in afghanistan. we doubled the number of british civilian experts in 2009. secretary clinton has announced a america is the tripling the number of american civilian deployed prevent i urge other countries to follow this lead.

i have described our strategy as one of afghanization, building up the afghan institutions, the army coming the police, so that as it becomes stronger, we can handle the responsibility of tackling somterrorism. it'll take time. i believe that the conditions set up can be backed sooner than many expect. the process of district by district will start later this year. this will not signal an end. i know none of us want to repeat the mistakes of the past. when the international committee abandoned, it will mark a new

phase in a step toward the afghan taking control of their own security. this is an upper lip that is an approach across the international coalition. 38 countries have already offered manpower. i warmly welcome the commitment made in this last day. increasing the german troop numbers to 5000. it is an increase of over 50%. now 9000 additional nato troops had been committed to the campaign since president obama announced the american increase with more being announced this

week. move in return for this additional commitment, we must agree with president karzai's plan for the expansion of the afghan army and police. we will agree today that the afghan national army will # 134,000 by october 2010. and more by 2011. we will commit to supporting a police report with afghan national police numbers preeti 9000 by october of this year. this is a present bigger than our coalition forces. we need more international trainers to do this. we are doubling the number of

military teams for the afghan police starting in april of this afghan security forces will be 300,000. international forces will rise to 135,000. the balance will continue to ship toward afghan security control. as president obama made clear last month, by the middle of next year, we have to turn the tide in the fight against the insurgency and also in our work to support the afghan government. today we affirm that the increase in our military efforts must be matched with governance in economic development, a surge to match and complement the current military surge. we have agreed today to back up the security transition's which tucci problem by problem.

president carter said -- karzai, we will stand with the and work on the five areas you raised in your inaugural address. fighting corruption, securing strong government, economic development, supporting the afghan led peace and reintegration program, and strengthening the partnership with afghans neighbors. i commend the progress you have made since your inauguration speech. today we welcome your decision to appoint an independent high office of oversight with investigative and wide ranging power and a group of experts which will provide to get their reports to you and the afghan parliament and international community. i know from many visits, that

local governance is also pretty critical. we agree to provide additional support to train at 12,007 national servants in support of the provincial and governorships and to do so by the end of 2011. i am pleased to announce a partnership with the asia -- they are lustinlaunching a new governors fund. the international community will not just maintain the aid, but aim to increase the share which is delivered through your government. we will do so to 50%.

the major creditors have only this week agreed to provide up to $1.6 billion in debt relief from major creditors taking total debt relief to $11 billion. it afghanistan is to enjoy greater stability, farmers and workers must have a greater stake in the economic future. britain is contributing over $62 million in new programs to support agriculture. i welcome chancellor merkel's decision to double germany's development aid to 130 million euros beshear and for the next three years -- this year and for the next three years.

international and afghan forces are weakening the insurgency. it applies pressure to the leadership. it familiar elements of successful resolution throughout history is to combined strategy of strengthening our security forces and strengthening the security forces of the afghan people with the offer of a way forward for those prepared to renounce violence, of benton past activities, and choose to join the political process. it is welcome the plans and the government of afghanistan for an afghan led peace and reintegration program that offers insurgents and way back into mainstream life on the condition that they continue to renounce violence, cut any ties to al qaeda, and any other terrorist groups, respect the

constitution, and pursue their political goals peacefully. as an international community, we are establishing an international trust fund to finance this and can lead peace and reintegration program. it is a pride in economic alternative. for those who refuse to accept the conditions of re-education, we have no choice but to pursue them militarily. let me conclude that as a look for to next thing that will be held in kabul, let's pay tribute to all those who have served in afghanistan through these troubled times. not just our brave forces from the country's and the afghan army and police, but also the civilians who have been doing critical work with international agencies and non-governmental organizations. but is remembered in but the

killer those who gave their lives, making the ultimate sacrifice for the security and stability of afghanistan all around the world, thousands of men and women of all religions have been murdered by al qaeda at tax. today our message to al qaeda must be clear. it is the same message we send to all the extremists that pervert the true islamic faith. we will dippy you. wielded the you not just on the. built -- we will defeat you. we will did you not just on the back obattlefield but in the hearts and minds of those around you. the people of the world speak as one.

they are united in supporting the government of the afghanistan to deliver peace and security for its people. united in our determination and resolve to do what is right to all those determined to build a more secure and prosperous life. thank you all very much the the. >> thank you very much. i would like to introduce him to give his address bu. [applause] >> prime minister gordon brown, president karzai, honorable

ministers, i am honored to address this conference alongside president karzai and prime minister gordon brown. we are aware of the great conference of the united kingdom. i wish to reiterate my of initiation for this time the event. we are here to reform -- reaffirmed long term commitment to our sisters and he loved afghanistan. i think the president to appear to reform -- reform afghanistan's commitment to the international community. this is an extremely touching time. -- challenging time. today's event is a chance to look at out to build

achievements so far. it is an opportunity to redefine the relationship between afghanistan and the international community. to build a relationship based on strength and leadership and an increase support role for the international community, and relationship where international airports a line with afghan governments. we face a long process of recovery and institution building. it must be inclusive. it will encompass the full range of things. we must strengthen governance of the afghan people. we must respect the human rights and basic needs of the afghan people.

we must foster an environment conducive to justice and accountability where corruption cannot thrive. we must seek correction for what it is the de preeti -- -- see corruption for what it is. if we are to achieve a stable and secure afghanistan, these deals must be remedied. starting with improving the electoral process and parliamentarian elections. let me turn now to how the international community can better respond to afghans needs.

in particular, to train the afghan security forces so that they can take responsibility. the single biggest impediment to progress remains in security. no one is exempt from violence. last year, three times as many deaths were attributed to anti- government elements as to those caused by pro-government forces. we must stress that all efforts come without exception, must not harm the civilian population but bill i urge -- population. i urge everyone -- we must

recognize the major elements in this strategy. it must not be the main and only focus. in his inaugural speech last november, the president outlined the government's priorities for reform. they reflect the key issues facing society today, security, governance, corruption, and the need to expand regional cooperation tied to drug trafficking.

do you think they should be measurable and accountable? they also need to hear it loud and clear the international community's long-term commitment to the afghan government reform agenda. our relationship must be based on a cordial and steady transport responsibility. after an ownership need to stand at the center of our activities. the acting government and people must take the lead in determining how to translate commitments into reality.

they had taken encouraging steps in kabul. they will expand national security forces. it can lead the way for the followup international events in kabul. despite the increasingly complex situation, the united states has a mission. we remain committed for as long as necessary to the people's pursuit of peace and prosperity. we are mandated to coordinate the -- under the leadership.

the past year has increased the need to reinforce this coordination and strengthen things with afghan efforts. coordination is a shared responsibility. owners must be ready to celebrate the requirement of building a sustainable institution. it must be aligned with and abide by afghan priorities. this is a good sign. the united nations continue to stand with our country. to all un staff on the ground, the extent my -- let me extend

my regards. not once have my brave colleagues supported the -- and not supported the afghan people out of that to take this opportunity to confirm that i am appointing him to succeed as my special representative. i like to say my 6 year -- give my sincere appreciation. he has provided outstanding leadership during a difficult time. none of my special representative has an easy job. he came to afghanistan at a crucial moment.

he persevered it through trying times. he helped shape the agenda. is a major voice of the united nations. we are grateful to you. it will take up his duties. yet great skill. i trust you will give him your full support as we work together. we are working toward peace, stability, and prosperity for the people. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you very much. i'm delighted to introduce presence karzai to deliver his

keynote address. [applause] >> hon. minister's comment distinguished delegates, i am delighted to be addressing this important conference that brings together the friends and supporters of afghanistan. my compatriots and i deeply grateful to the international community for the attention and support our country has received during the past several years. may i take this opportunity to

express my very special things. -- thanks to gordon brown for his graciousness, offering the venue to renew our commitment. this conference offers us the opportunity to discuss the way forward toward an afghan led, afghan owned, initiative. it will ensure peace and stability in afghanistan today and not talk about our selective achievements. they have been considerable and numerous. i rather with like to take this opportunity to compensate the contemplate on issues that are of great significance to the people of afghanistan and the international community.

before doing so, let greeme remd that the aeries or not have been as important without great sacrifices brought forth by the afghan people and the men and women, both military and civilian. the people of afghanistan will not forget the sacrifices. the memory of the troops that have lost their lives while fighting terrorism will always remain in our hearts. we extend our deepest condolences ladies and gentlemen, we recognize the urgency of improving security in the afghanistan. what we should also recognize is that afghanistan cannot be achieved in isolation and

develop middle communication. this is tied to circumstances that exist beyond our bodies. afghanistan need a broader and more comprehensive approach for security in the region. developing such a broad approach, the security will require a wider cooperation demand in countries of the region. well afghanistan is moving slowly but surely toward the end ago loss -- and goals of peace and security, the efforts will depend on building the confidence of the afghan people. to win afghans confidence, we need to focus on bringing security to the daily lives. we will provide them with the

need for protection, a justice, employment. to make our joint efforts successful, we must base our actions on the demand and operations of the afghan people. i believe it can be summarized in four words. afghan leadership, afghan on a ship. -- honorship. countries want to see afghanistan take strides toward ownership of security and development. to achieve this goal, we must make progress along the following six months.

the first is peace and reintegration. moving toward peace, this is what we agree on. we must reach out to all our countrymen who are not part of al qaeda or other terrorist networks to do this, we will establish the national council for peace. to make the program a success, we hope that the majesty will kindly play a prominent role to guide in excess the peace. we asked all our neighbors, particularly pakistan, to support our peace.

we are looking forward to the international community. -- supporting this plan of action. i concur that we should remove the names of some taliban from the consolidated list. we wish for more progress in this regard. we are looking for the principles of rights to all afghan men and women. it shall not be ever compromise. second, security. security remained their highest priority. with the help of our partners in neighbors, we will continue to take every step needed to achieve this noble goal. i welcome the support of the united states and other partners in strengthening the

capability and strength and leadership of the afghan national security forces. during the next two or three years, we intend to focus on gradually assuming the responsibility of security in parts of our country. this will allow our partners to avenge remove their security forces out of the parts secured by our own forces. we will spare no effort or sacrifice during the next five years in afghanistan. ladies and gentlemen, civilian casualties' continue to be of great concern. we should put the protection of

people's lives and troubles at the top of our agenda. we should also do our best to minimize the need for these rate. they may take place only under special systems. the afghan people demand that such operations are conducted by afghan forces. we must insure monopoly of states rather than force. national sovereignty also requires a commitment to justice. afghanistan once to work with the united states and with nato. the one to take charge of all the parts of afghanistan.

this process will be facilitated and completed during the coming months. this is at the top of our action plan. we will continue to deploy our state institution. we need to strengthen the leadership, management, and oversight capabilities of our civil service and democratic institutions. we should streamline and rationalize our roles and regulations. this is so they can work free of corruption. afghanistan requires the consolidation and coordination across village districts, municipalities, and areas.

creating structures can bypass and the center or will have perverse implications. revising in strengthening our traditional institutions at a local levels can go a long way in improving people's lives. this will promote healthy communities. all levels been made to the policy. our approach is expanding the reach the central government to the other part of the country.

we are looking forward to pre in their policies. -- three and a fair policies. -- in free and fair policies. elected leaders will be further down the road of democracy. we will ensure the integrity of the nation's and prevent misconduct. we have learned our lessons in elections. we hope that international efforts will be impartial, technical, and constructive. there is no doubt that could

functioning institutions are the foundations on which peaceful and healthy societies operate. the emergence of free meetings, together with the evolution of organizations have meant the public demands are more clearly heard in the chest. we are committed to working with these and other institutions. you will strengthen the public voice and accountability. fighting corruption will be the key to my second term in august. we are committed to fighting corruption with all means necessary including punishing those who are committed we must make sure we do not stop at merely fighting symptoms of corruption. we must take decisive action against this. we are working on further strengthening the high office,

providing it with resources. we are determined to put in in to the -- this as a move along the path of democracy. we will try a to protect those in those who insist in implementing the law. improving the conditions of living to the afghan people will be key in the coming years. it will create more jobs in public and private sectors.

this will be presented soon. afghanistan will continue to depend on external aid. leadership is needed to deliver these objectives. demand driven technical assistance will better serve our common goals. our supporters should focus the efforts on education and health. we to bring new land and improve agricultural productivity and reviving the power plants.

the government is taking steps toward delivering structural reforms to raise more revenue and create a competitive national resource sector. more than 80% of eighaid -- thee are high profits that played the contracts. new approaches are needed. we call upon the community. we will work hard to reform the

private sector. ladies and gentlemen, the unified mechanism with the rules for effectiveness would hand an enormous positive impact on reduction of poverty in afghanistan. regional cooperation was and will be a major part of our efforts to stabilization in afghanistan. we are trying very hard for cooperation in the region in all key areas. namely, economic cooperation, transit trade, fighting terrorism, drug smuggling, more security of these elements. afghanistan has participated in

many forms. -- forums. we are here to see more tangible results. i believe we have a strong and adequate regional platform that promotes cooperation among our the gulls. -- of our goals. this will provide a new window of security for wider corporations to combat the spread of terrorism. it is time to establish an effective declaration on could neighborhoods and to seek specific measures for

implementation. i am thankful to the republic of turkey for its efforts to serve as a venue for our talks. . . .

thank you, mr. prime minister, and thank you participants for joining this gathering. this will be a good start

towards taking afghanistan further. thank you very much. [applause] >> i would like to thank you for your contributions. >> thank you for joining us on this concluding panel.

you have distributed to you that can indicate. i would like to confirm that this is the final version. you will be relieved to hear that i will not read it all out. i will give you some of the highlights of the communique. the unifying theme of the conference was that the afghan people want and deserve a better future. we were delighted that two representatives of afghan civil society were able to speak to the conference. all speakers paid their respect to the civilian staff, afghan and international. all emphasize that 2010 was going to be a decisive year in the afghan campaign. decisive because there is a new government, there is a

refreshed counter insurgency strategy. decisive because there is a commitment of at least 60,000 or more troops. decisive because along side the increase in military effort, there is a sustained civilian surge in place. it is because 2010 is such an important year that prime minister gordon brown that we were joined -- at prime minister joined us today. we need every partner behind a clear strategy to help president karzai and his government deliver the end vicious planned -- of the ambitious plan that he laid out.

i hope you have had a chance to look at the candidate. and explains how the international organizations will work on security, governments and government, and regional figures. i winwant to highlight of the changes in security forces. alongside the growth is the endorsement of the plan for the transition to afghan security, leadership province by province. on the road team meeting president karzai's commitment that is half of afghanistan's

provinces would have security leadership within three years. i want to highlight the presentation of the conference and by the ministers in respect of the integration program that a president karzai has set out. the president said he would be convened a national reconciliation council. the international community has responded with significant funding to help support that. today, there has been over $140 million of commitments for the first year of the national integration program and we are committed to seeing this through. with respect to governance and development, afghanistan will receive about $106 billion in debt relief.

we will explain how this program or build on the economic achievements. the government has agreed to tackle the issue of corruption. the president repeated his commitment to tackle what he called the culture of impunity. there will be an independent high office for oversight and the support of the anti- corruption drive. the proportion of development assistance channeled rise to 50% within 12 years. in respect to the regional contribution, i was in istanbul on tuesday to talking with all the neighbors of afghanistan and other regional partners about how they will play a role in supporting stability.

this was repeated by the regional representatives. we look forward to the regional engagement being taken to a new level. the international community has recognized the need for us to increase our game just as we call on the people to up their game. ththere will be a new special representative of the inspector general. i would like to pay tribute to the way in which he has taken over his work with a humanity and bravery commitment. i am pleased at the very positive endorsement of that came as the new nato

representatives. the biggest thing that can be delivered is not just the individual items i have listed, the biggest is the unity and coherence in the international effort. i believe that 65 or 74 ministers will leave today's conference very clear. with that, i am happy to hand over the conversation and then we will take for questions. >> ladies and gentleman, i have to think your government for your generosity and for your

excellent organization of this gathering on afghanistan. this is the second important conference in london on afghanistan and this was -- the international community for my people, for peace, stability, and address the common challenges such as terrorism which is a common threat. afghanistan deserves to take more responsibility and to demonstrate ownership on the whole process.

this process, the issue of a sustainable document, did governments, -- and the issue of sustainable government, good governance, to realize this dream the are willing to take more possibility for afghanistan and for the future of our people. in this regard, meaning the long term commitment from international community. this is our firm commitment and determination to take responsibility to defend our country.

the problem of terrorism is not a special afghan phenomenon. this is a regional problem with international impact. during the last years, we will thank you for your collaboration. i am the minister of foreign affairs and afghanistan. i have to think keokuthank you r support. we also want to thank you for the freedom of speech, the human

rights movement. we made that in the past one of the central topics of our common activities. today was a good day for afghanistan. we renewed our common commitment as compaq for afghanistan. we are ready to take more responsibility in three years for the critical provinces. we need to take leadership for the whole afghanistan. thank you very much. that was a great opportunity. >> thank you. >> let me say that i believe this conference has for the first time set out a clear

agenda with clear priorities. the development shut agee was a broad agenda. we have a much more strategic approach. this is on the security side and the civilian side. we believe we have a more clear comprehensive strategy then we had before. let me say that this is the first time that the question of reconciliation, reintegration, has played such a role at any international conference and we have strong support from the international community. that is important to me. as i've said, we have committed to a transition strategy which

means that we in the international community must be give more responsibility to the government and the people and to the people. -- the government and the people. we have set clear objective is to the police and army. we will also set a road map for the time between now and cobb kabul. we will have clear plans for how to deal with the civilian institutions and the economy. we spend much too much money on quick impact projects. we must divert resources.

and there is a plan in which -- this is a clear sign that we are all in a transition strategy. this is tremendous. thank you. >> he will take some questions. >> the transition strategy is now coming into focus. part of it is looking to pay for this at various levels.

it do you believe that there is any moral ambiguity in finding a british soldier and paying some soldiers not to fight? >> the soldiers' families from every part of the coalition as well as the families of the afghan soldiers would like the war to be over as soon as possible. part of that a strategy requires military force. part of it requires a civilian strategy to hold the afghan people. all this must be part of a new political settlement in afghanistan. i don't except that the reintegration fund will grant back those insurgents were currently being paid 10, 20, $30

a day. the fund will help insure the employment, the infrastructure, an organization of a serious drive towards political engagement to offer long-term securities. they're better able to defend themselves because they're arguing for differences within the political space. it is very very important that we underlying what is there today. the political space in afghanistan must be extended to include significant numbers who have previously been excluded and that is very important. grievances need to be pursued through politics and not for violence. the insistence by president karzai that those who want to come into politics must respect

to the afghan constitutions. i hope that the soldiers as well as the diplomats and aid workers will recognize that today there is a viable and clear goal penn to military forces are deployed and are to support a clear political strategy. >> can you say how high up in the hierarchy of this will reach? will members of the taliban invited to a peace discussion? well, reintegration and the

constellations strategy of afghan government is not to share the political power with the taliban. this is a process to bring afghan citizens that are not happy with the government or that they are dealing with the hard-core taliban. the other reason they're fighting, we have to bring them back to the society of afghanistan. we have to give them a prospect of a better life, jobs, education. the ideological oriented leadership of the taliban, either they are part of al qaeda

or not. they have their own business. we have to encourage them for reconciliation. some member of the taliban are in the parliament of a chemist and and also they began a peaceful life. this is the responsibility of government because the effort to bring stability and peace in afghanistan is not only to reach a military told. -- toll. we have to have reconstruction, development, and all of the elements that they are ready to put down their arms. they're absolutely the majority

among the insurgents. >> i have a question for the foreign secretary. when the prime minister announced that this conference would take place, one of the things would be to process this district by district. the agreement has been put back to the cobble conference. five provinces by the end of this year would be under afghan leadership and responsibility. is this one area in which he conference has fallen short. >> i discussed this with secretary pressman says that on

monday, they create a very detailed trigger point for transition. we agreed to the process by which the security and political aspects would take place. they agreed with the balance and local decision and coalition agreement in brussels. as the prime minister said, this is the point at which the authorities were clear about how the transition would take place. this is about an international and civilian effort. the key was for the baton to be passed. this is indeed happening. the presentation by general mccrystal as well as by the secretary general shows the seriousness of purpose that

exists to ensure that this strategy informs the details of military planning and operation. i think that you will see that forced through and develop this. >> with international support and local agreements, to you have any plans for the refugees living in pakistan? this could be a breeding ground for the terrorists.

>> the example of pakistan is very important in thinking through the implications of the twin strategies as military and political together. you need a military effort and the clear political offer that those who are willing to renounce violence and live within the constitution will have a place to do so. we strongly support the initiative of the government and people of pakistan. there is no military pressure on both sides of the afghanistan border. this is very significant. the fact that the authorities are cooperating with each other rather than pointing fingers is

a very significant step forward. i believe that the recognition of stability in afghanistan and pakistan are linked represents a very significant step forward to the sort of regional cooperation that will be at the heart of any political settlement. afghanistan has been the chessboard of other countries' policies for far too long. i believe that there is a fighting chance of ensuring that afghanistan will have the independence that its people have craved. >> afghanistan received refugees from pakistan and iran. there was a tremendous amount of refugees after the second world war.

the integration of this number is a historical task. we have a huge number of refugees in pakistan. we are in close contact with the authorities in islamabad and tehran with the support and collaboration's of the u.n. agencies to locate the afghan refugees.

as you mentioned, we have maybe more than 2 million in pakistan and nearly 2 million in iran. we are creating a repatriation strategy for this number. we need money, patience. there is still the solidarity of our brothers in pakistan and iran. >> my first question is to the foreign secretary. the run as a neighbor country

was invited but not participating. do you think that this will not improve the regional aspect to have support of this country and the solution of the conflict? the next conference will be in kabul. some elements of the taliban where change by terrorist groups could fill will these be invited to the reconciliation or the reintegration as part of the taliban? >> you are right that iran's foreign minister was invited to this conference. for some inexplicable reason, she chose not to attend. on the occasions when i have

met him, he's talked to me about the dangers that his post to afghanistan. he is talking about the danger of drugs coming from afghanistan to iran. that is one reason why we thought it was right to invite iran to participate in this conference. we think it is regrettable that they failed to attend. even the ambassador of iran to london who was invited to attend the conference. they found it impossible to attend the conference. i think it is very important that countries say what they mean and mean what they say. we meant it when we thought that iran should attend. they have said before that they want to play a positive role in

promoting stability in afghanistan. the failure to attend means many countries will draw their own conclusions about the dissonance between the words and deeds. i hope in the future, the government realizes that they are not to the victims of other conspiracies, there are the author of their own misfortune. >> i prefer to respond to your question in german because in london, i have to speak with my half english these are two different gatherings.

we will have level of the foreign minister and security. the peace gathering and that is a domestic issue that is in the afghan dialogue occasion which will be done by president karzai and a few weeks could tell this will invade this from the different parts of the country. the representatives of civil society as afghanistan to come together and discuss the issue of how we can make peace with each other because this is our

issue, the issue of afghans. some have been leaving after 8 years we also had the request of afghanistan him for the listing of the request of the afghan government. we are a very happy that they did it. its citizens are not the injured part of al qaeda.

they have to respect women's rights and absolute gender equality. >> speaking of women's rights, a question. a few hours ago, i was approached by a group of women from afghanistan. they represent 200 associations of afghani women. they are appalled at the fact that government is approaching the taliban and i would like your response to that. >> i think that the group and women that you are talking about are in the room. one of them made a very powerful presentation to the conference. what i think they have expressed to me both last night and today is that we have to

mean will be say about people coming within the afghan constitution. the constitution is clear about the equal rights afforded to men and women. i think it is right that the government presents a very clear choice to the insurgency. either you reconcile with in the politics or you face unremitting military force led by afghans with international support. the choice is with those who use violence to overturn the rights of women and men in afghanistan by using violence and those who were willing to use the constitution and security forces to defend the security. i hope that that provides the sort of explanation that they want to cheer. there was a very powerful

testimony today and is reflected in the number of points that the problems of poverty, the problems of political conciliation, the problems of ethnic fragmentation require the engagement of afghan women in a very strong way. i think that that was the message that secretary clinton reinforced in their contribution today. this is a mission -- a message that has been taken on board and it always bears repeating. that is why the engagement was so important. reconciliation is not about selling out on the constitution, it is about defending the constitution. >> the issue of human rights and democratization is not a package that we can take from europe and

bring into other social political circumstances. this is a process. we have also in europe a discrepancy between the reality of freedom and equality. we have also in london, we have in berlin and other places. to remove this gap between the reality and the invasion, that is our job to act together through the -- and a better life including afghanistan. i am absolutely against that eurocentric. that democracy is only four

european countries. human-rights, freedom of speech is the universal right for all humanity. the realization of that, we need time and strategy. that will be painful. i can tell you from my own experiences that it is exactly as i demonstrated. in my country, i was 14 years old and this is 42 years and i am still lacking for the removal of the problems. now, we have to work together but despite all the difficulties, the constitution of afghanistan compared to the other constitutions in the region is very progressive. we're the only country in the region that i inform you -- we

are the only country that adapted the international law, the human rights declaration as part of our national right. this is part of our commitment to the universal declaration of human rights which includes also gender equality. the realization of the content of this declaration for the realization, we need more time. >> my question is this is the first time that the people of pakistan are united against terrorism and they are behind the army to fight extremism. there's also a growing concern

about the attacks which are conducted by the american forces on the side of pakistan. this is producing more and more terrorists. you heard from almost 70 countries. you are trying to talk with the taliban and there are other factions. is it appropriate to -- on the side of pakistan? >> i think that one important change over the last year is that the importance of pakistan to afghanistan and the importance of afghanistan to pakistan is no longer being forgotten. this is a significant shift of the obama administration. the authorities would like more help in taking on the economic and political and security challenges that they face. as you indicate in your question, pakistan is an

independent country which would like to have control over its own territory and its own affairs. we think that the growing dialogue between america and pakistan is a good thing. we think as a friend of pakistan and america, they need to work together. my message is that pakistan and america needs to match the desire of pakistan for help with the desire of america to give that helped in the face of some common challenges. it is that cooperation and dialogue that i think needs to be the answer to the question you are opposing. >> can i add a few words about the peace process? i believe that the reintegration process is important but it has to be accompanied by a political

reconciliation process. how does that process get under way? we all know from other conflicts that this is a complex process and it will take time. i believe that what you saw a couple of days ago is a psychologically important step. this is a confidence-building measure. i believe it should be followed by going through the list of detainees that exist and to see if there are people there that could be taken out of detention. that will be a confidence- building measure. let me add to that such confidence-building measures from the government and the international community have to be met by similar sentiment from the other side. if not, it will not be possible to get the peace process under way. with regard to the role of

women, this is a question i have asked repeatedly. we cannot compromise in the sense that we initiate and become -- conduct a peace process at the expect of the human rights -- add to the expense of the human rights and certainly not at the expense of half of the population. that is impossible. there is a clear red line. if there is to be a peace process, it must be where we get together and look forward and not backwards. i think that these are important preconditions for any increase process to really go anywhere. >> we are out of time, thank you very much. >> i think that we just wrapped

up a very productive conference and we have seen the results of cooperation in the international community on a number of very important issues. i would like to thank prime minister brown and the foreign secretary. the government of afghanistan and the land for bringing us together and for sponsoring this important meeting. i think that what we have seen is a global challenge that is being met with a global response. i especially thank the country's that have committed additional troops beginning with the united kingdom and also including germany, romania. we also are grateful to all of those who made their contributions known today. there are other countries such as russia, as it stands, is in pakistan providing transit assistance.

-- such as russia, khazhakstan, . there is a goal to transform and strengthened the society and insure their own security. as we heard a lot today starting with prime minister brown and president karzai and many others, the goal is to have an afghan lead and an afghan owned strategy and we are seeing that translated into reality every day. president karzai laid out an ambitious agenda for reform at his inauguration last year. there has been a number of plans could fourth and afghanistan has moved forward on preparation

for a conditions faced transition to take responsibility for its own security and an agenda for development and governance which is critical to the future. among the decisions made today was to establish a priespeace reintegration and trust fund. a plan to draw disaffected taliban into society. to renounce al qaeda, agreed to abide by the laws and constitution as afghanistan. japan has shown an extraordinary commitment with its announcement of $50 million for the fund. in parallel, the u.s. military has been authorized to use the substantial funds to support the effort in april -- enabling our commanders to support the government led initiative to take insurgents off the

battlefield. we have agreed to support the plan to work with the government on the conditions based province by province security transition. as president obama has made clear, our efforts will allow us to transition our own troops out of afghanistan in july of 2011. as i said this morning and it would underscore this afternoon, this is not an exit strategy, this is about assisting and partnering with the afghan people. the kinds of reforms that president karzai and the government have announced are important. we are going to watch them carefully and make clear our expectations that they be fulfilled. among them are the efforts to combat corruption, provide more public services to people, and

effectively manage international aid. we also had a very constructive conversations last night at dinner hosted by the secretary this morning at breakfast. hosted by prime minister brown and the conference about of the international community can support these reforms including significant progress towards the benchmarks for debt relief from the international financial institutions. i believe very strongly as is apparent in what i say about this issue that women have to be in default at every step of the way in this process. to that end, i released our action plan which includes initiatives focused on women's a security, leadership, access to judicial institutions, education

and health services. women's ability to take advantage of economic opportunities especially in the agricultural sector. this is a comprehensive forward- looking agenda that stands in stark contrast to the al qaeda agenda for the women of afghanistan. attempting to send female suicide bombers to the west. this brings us closer to the goal of a stable afghanistan and offenses our efforts to combat of violent extremists. in addition to this important work, i had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a number of my counterparts on the sidelines of this meeting. we discussed a wide range of common concerns including relief efforts in haiti. i think the british government for its significant assistance and support for the people of

haiti. i also had a chance to discuss iran's refusal to engage with the international committee on their international program. they continued to violate u.n. requirements. there was an effort that would have build confidence by trading some of their stockpile of uranium for reactor fuel to meet the legitimate needs of the people. the revelation of their secret facility has raised questions about their intentions. in response, the government has provided a continuous stream of threats to intensify its violation of international nuclear standards. the approach leaves us with little choice but to work with our partners to apply greater pressure in the hopes that it will cause a run to reconsider their rejection of diplomatic

efforts with respect to their nuclear ambitions. tomorrow, i will travel to paris will i will continue many of discussions with the presidents are cozy and the foreign minister. i looked forward to our close consultations with respect to the challenges facing us. i am delighted that we had an opportunity to get a lot of work done on many matters in one place. i think the british government for their partnership and hospitality and i'll be glad to take your questions. >> the general tenor seems to be changing the pace of what is going on in afghanistan and to some extent, looking towards the

time when troops can leave. the time scale has been mentioned by president karzai of around 15 years. i wonder whether you thought that was a practical time limit to start pulling troops out and also to have the taliban laydown their arms. >> i don't think that that is what the president's men to. -- meant. the u.s. has added 30,000, other international partners have added 9000. we have increased the tempo of our engagement and we are beginning to see some evidence of reversing the momentum of the taliban. it is necessary in order to provide the conditions for stability and security but it is

not sufficient to provide the political environment in which a lasting peace could be negotiated. as you heard it today, we will be pursuing the military action going very aggressively against the taliban, those who are trying to kill our soldiers and civilians and wreak havoc in afghanistan. at the same time, creating an opportunity for taliban who choose to leave the battlefield, renounce violence, renounce al qaeda, agreed to abide by the laws and constitution of afghanistan to enter society. it is our working assumption that we can make gains on both of these tracts over the first a few years and that we can begin

to transition security to the afghan security forces on a timetable that is conditions faced but which began as to have the afghan security forces assume greater and greater responsibility province by province beginning this year. july 2011 will mark a point of transition for american troops as we take stock of where we have come with our security efforts and we expect that there will be a portion of the country that will be under afghan control and we will move forward to transition out our forces as they are replaced by trained and qualified afghan forces. i think what the president was

referring to and i've spoken to him about this on several occasions is that our military presence may continue as it does in many countries providing training, logistics, intelligence but our combat role will diminish and transition our to. that is as it should be. there is a very significant event a few weeks ago with the multiply times suicide attacks in kabul. that was handled well by the afghan people. there were no international troops involved. the assessment by our commanders, american and nato is that the the forces performed commendably. we have seen an increase in the recruitment of young men joining the afghan security

forces in the last two months. we have seen an improvement in retention. we have increased the pay, something that was quite noticeably lacking since the taliban paid more than the afghan security forces. i mention all of that to create the context that we see this as an evolving process where we are creating the conditions for afghanistan to assume responsibility for their own security which will then permit the transfer out of international combat forces. having said that, there will likely be continuing military aid and assistance and advice from partners beyond the combat mission. >> the next question is from reuters. i would like to ask you about this integration and reconciliation process.

the government has invited the taliban to take part kinney in the meeting they're planning to half. does the u.s. supported this invitation and do you think that this should include top taliban leadership? does the u.s. have any plans to contribute funds beyond the military funds he has mentioned? do you feel that this reconciliation process we're talking about represents the first point in a real road map towards ending the conflict? >> i think the starting premise is that you don't make peace with your friends you have to be willing to engage with your

enemies if you expect it to create a situation bedpans and insurgency or so marginalizes the remaining insurgence that it doesn't pose a threat is the stability of the country. when the president announced he would be holding the afghan and mechanism for trying to reconcile competing views and reach decisions to take, it was natural for him to say that if you are going to have a peace meeting, people who are not in agreement with you might actually come. we have a very clear understanding of what we expect from this process. we expect that a lot of the foot soldiers on the battlefield will be leaving the taliban because

many of them have wanted to leave, many of them are tired of fighting. we believe the tide is turning against them. we need incentives in order to protect them and provide alternatives to them to replace the payment of a received as taliban fighters. this is similar to what the american military did in iraq. as it became clear that a number of iraqi people were tired of the brutality and barbarism of al qaeda as they began to see the potential alternatives available to them in the political system. they began to talk with our military personnel about changing allegiance and becoming part of the forces fighting against the terrorists.

so we have some experience in this of recent vintage. some of the same people including a british general who was active in this area in iraq are in advising general mccrystal. . . but we do not have any plans to

add money to the reintegration fund. we have a significant amount of money that is being used for the same purposes coming through the american military. this is an international effort. a number of partners have signed up and made commitments to the reintegration fund. they will be working in the same our arena with the same purpose. >> madam secretary, what did you hear from chinese foreign minister that assures you china is ready to support a new u.n. security council sanctions on tehran? what was the response to your investigation of chinese packings against google and other u.s. companies and concerns about u.s. intentions in china? what would you say to prominent american business leaders like bill gates who said that china's

internet censorship is actually "very limited?" >> on the ruiran, we had a prode conversation with the foreign minister. they are targeting the process, as you know it has been unified. we hope it continues to move forward. -- a move forward to work together to change the strategic calculus of the iranian leadership in respect to the nuclear program. we shared some of our thoughts with our chinese counterparts. we also set off some additional opportunities for expert consultation. we made it clear to everyone with whom i spoke today and yesterday that our efforts to

apply pressure on iran's are not meant to punish the an iranian people. they are meant to change the approach that the iranian government has taken toward the nuclear program. we made that clear when the pf plus 1 agreed on a common plan to offer iran the opportunity to ship out the leu and have it reprocessed. china is very much engaged. it is a very active member of the p5 +1. we are continuing to work together. i think that we had a very constructive conversation. i raise the issue as you would have expected i did on the

google and and and a birdie and internet freedom front. -- on google and the internet freedom front. they felt strongly that they are much more open than perhaps and they are getting credit for. i express my concern is the we do not want to create a series of actions that in any way impinges on the internet. it was an opening candid conversation. we will continue to discuss this matter. different people have different responses.

it is to make sure no one uses the internet for purposes of censorship or repression. we have a very positive exchange on this issue. i know a lot of people are waiting to coming in to talk to you. i'm asking for women from afghanistan to stand up. can you stand up? there are among the women who have been working in afghanistan for the u.s. share on behalf of expanded opportunities for women. they are protecting human and women's rights. i had a chance to work with some of the afghan women who were here for the conference today. they are very committed to their country's future. they are also very committed to making sure that women in that can stem play their rightful role in the country's future.

i want to thank them for being here and speaking out. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> tomorrow o we would hear from the chairman of the joint chiefs, admiral mike mullen. he is that the center for international studies. it starts at 3:00 p.m. eastern piddock. earlier, former president bill clinton asked businesses to help haiti with humanitarian efforts following the earthquake. that is next. after that, at a senate relations hearing on haiti. >> this weekend on of a global

tv" -- published during the war years. it goes back to the nixon and the decision. find the entire weekend schedule at booktv.org. >> night conversation on haiti with former president and u.s. special envoy bill clinton. he spoke about the recovery efforts in haiti. his remarks are followed by a panel discussion. from the world economic forum in davos, this is about 40 minutes. >> mr. president, ladies and

gentlemen, i welcome you to this important and crucial session on haiti. all of us remain deeply saddened by the scope that has ravaged haiti. scope that has ravaged haiti. the scope of the destruction. disasters of this magnitude serve as a harsh reminder of how fragile life can sometimes be. but it is also during these moments that we are reminded of the common humanity which we all share. we decided to convene this

special session immediately following the earthquake as the scale and scope became really clear of the devastation. in speaking with president clinton, he and i immediately agreed that a joint effort of the clinton global initiative, the world economic forum, together with the united nations, should be a powerful partnership to effected meaningful change. let me be clear. we are not here to try and coordinate and address issues related to the short-term disaster, relief and recovery. there are many agencies already doing great work, and here, i know many of you have already

generously contributed. i would also like to mention that many of those who have done such great work at a very short notice and have engaged personally in a very deep way into the help for haiti are sitting here in this room. and i would single out particularly the former prime minister of haiti, who has come all the way from haiti just to be here today, together with us. please, let's particularly recognize the work and the presence, not only of her, but of all those ngo's people in the

room who have done a fantastic work. [applause] i would like to introduce someone who has become a real friend of the world economic forum and whom we owe a lot. william jefferson clinton, the president of the united states from 1993 to 2001, and i will never forget, on the education of our 30th -- 30th anniversary, the very difficult situation where you joined us and where you made such a great speech. since that time, you have been with us, i think, every single year. and we are so glad to welcome you back, and particularly at

this very special occasion. [applause] i think what people appreciate most is your sense of passion and the deep sense of humanity which you show always as an individual. it is not so much your formal work as a president which impresses everybody, but it is in addition -- you as a human being, which is such a great characteristic of yours. bill, you have a relationship with the country that dates back several decades. even you had your honeymoon in haiti. and since that time, i know that

you had to spend a lot of your attention, of your time in your presidency but also after words with the clinton initiative in giving special attention to haiti. your knowledge of the country, its people, and its challenges has also been the reason why in may last year, secretary-general of the un it appointed do is the u.n. special envoy for haiti. despite all your tremendous engagement with haiti, i know from our conversations that nothing could prepare you for the degree of devastation that you have witnessed personally during your recent visit in haiti. we are now all the ford to redress, but it is more than just been addressed.

-- we are all looking forward to your address, but it is more than just an address. -- we all have an obligation to help haiti in such a way to show the world that we are really committed to improving in sustaining the country. mr. president. thank you. [applause] >> of one to thank them for making the opportunity for us together. but me say briefly what we are going to do. i will try to tell you where we are for a camera i want you to do. -- wary are and what i want you to do. then we will have remarks from

the others who are here, including the minister of foreign affairs of brazil. i want to say to all of you that the united nations security force has been commanded by a brazilian general. the brazilians have led an enormous increased involvement from south and central america, haiti's neighbors. they have done so superbly. whenever people were killed in the earthquake, they basically have held things together haitis's neighbors, and they have done so superbly. they have held things together. president obama and the secretary of state and our a.i.d. people have signed an

agreement with the brazilian leader so that we, of the united states, have tried to provide extra logistic and distribution support in haiti. but i want to say, sir, on behalf of the world, i think brazil has been magnificent and we are very grateful to you and your country and to your leaders. [applause] dennis o'brien is the chairman of the digicell group. he lives in ireland, except when there is and earthquake in haiti. we have been friends for many years. he told me not long after i met him, that young haitians who sold his telephone cards on the street or the best under norris he has ever met. he has worked tirelessly to rebuild the haitian economy. he has worked out -- to

coordinate the business people that we have recruited through the clinton global initiatives that have made it well in excess of $100 million dollars in commitments to invest in haiti. he has done everything he can to get cell phone server is back up again and then number of things to help peahaiti. hele,n, the former prime minister, who went to a lot of trouble to be here. the former president of the canadian international development agency. i, too, would like to thank the former prime minister for being here. when she left office, she asked me to keep working. she has been no real inspiration to all of us. she came all the way from haiti to be here today. if you have questions about

that, you might want to talk to her. and i think all the others to send emergency aid and long-term commitments, including our want to mention george soros who has reaffirmed his commitment to make a substantial, private sector investment in haiti. let me be very brief. i want to say a few words about where we are and then i want to turn it over to the people here, and then maybe give opportunities for you to talk without or with everybody here as soon as we break up. the world economic forum has agreed to work with us in partnership to work between now hinted that clinton global initiative in september and for the next couple of years to increase private sector involvement in haiti. there will be outside here are

haiti desk and robert will explain how it will operate. we want you to think about this. if you want more information, we will get you the information. but there will be a place where you can go between now and the end of this session of the world economic forum, to tell us what you are interested in it or ask for us to follow up with you, or to tell us what you are doing now and are prepared to do. so, where are we? the bad news is that somewhere around 150,000 have lost their lives. many of the survivors have had limbs amputated and have not received wheelchair's or prosthesis. there are hundreds of thousands of people who need temporary but extended housing and even more who need to get food and water every day.

the united nations security force has been working well. i think the americans have done a good job. the government of haiti has asked the united states to manage the flow at the airport. there are 800 to 1000 planes trying to land there. on the day before the earthquake, only 10 or 12 airplanes landed at the airport. now they land more than 100 a day, on a big, one-runway airport. they are managing it well. there are serious, and that food and water needs. part of it is the distribution system does not exist. the government was devastated by the earthquake. the united nations suffered its worst loss of life on a single day in the history of the un

. but the airport has become the de facto operations center of this relief effort. and the haitian government is building up offices there so everybody can be in one place and work on a daily basis. the immediate needs -- think about it like this. in the aftermath of the earthquake, you had all these people walking the streets, not knowing how many of their loved ones are living or dead, with only what they had on their back, with no food or water, able to get no sleep, no light anywhere at night. for days and days, there were stumbling over bodies living and dead. and i do not mind the international media showing people in unrest at the food distribution centers because it spurs us all to do better. but i think you need to know, in my opinion, given what they went through, the people of this

country be paid magnificently in the aftermath of the most unimaginable tragedy. so i think that things are better now, but there are serious problems with getting enough food, medicine, and shelter. what do we need? we need safe, sanitary shelter. that camps are being developed. both are important. right now every piece of green space in the larger port-au- prince area is i.t. by by somebody sleeping at night. -- is occupied by somebody sleeping at night without sanitary conditions. we need more food and water distributed. we are attempting to set up, even today, a better system of monitoring the hospitals and clinics in the area, basically a traditional hospitals and a number of field hospitals and off-shore hospital units have been set up.

-- do daily monitoring on what the medical needs are so that we can fly in or distribute what is already there at the airport in a more effective way. we have to then get temporary schools open and get the kids back in the schools, the teachers before they leave, and the government has no revenues to restore basic services. everything was taken away. i told somebody i spent last weekend on toilets and trucks. and i say that not to make you laugh but to remind you of what they are up against now. right now we need to figure out how to get through the week. i want the people of haiti not to have to worry about whether they can eat today, whether they can get water, whether their kids will be hungry. i want them to be able to know from one week to the next they have a place to sleep, that it

is safe and sanitary, that there are some light conditions at night, all of that. the thing we need most now is, instead of 15 distribution centers for that food, we need 100 or 200, and the only practical way to do it is trucks. we have the money. dennis and i were talking about it. former president bush and i were asked to raise money. we have raised money in our fine. i raise some money through the u.n. fund. we would like to have a good deal, but we can buy these trucks. we need to get them a distribution network down there to get this food and medicine out. the camps are destroyed. people do not have a way to get around. -- the cabs are destroyed. it is not enough to distributed at 15 sites. so if there is anybody scheerer who knows where i can -- if there is anybody here who knows where i can get, not big trucks,

pickup trucks or slightly bigger, i need 100 yesterday. they do. so, i will say again, if you want to help, unless you are in contact with a medical facility and you are sending specific medical facilities, or unless you have access to medical teams, right now we need cash more than anything else, because we have an of clocks in the kitchen and not enough distribution. -- we have enough cox in the kitchen and not enough distribution. -- enough cooks in the kitchen. the united nations is committed to cleaning up. we can involve a lot of haitians in that. insofar as they can, they are returning to normal life. there are a number of ngo's there. they have about 10,000 there,

the largest number per capita in the world with the possible exception of india. all of them had been heroic in this crisis and good on a more consistent basis. the un, the agencies like the world food program, unicef, a lot of people have been working a hard, in spite of the fact that our leadership was crushed their. here is what i want you to think about. before all this happened, i was asked to be a u.n. coordinator in a very different time. haiti lost 15% of its gdp in 2008 because of four hurricanes. michelle lui was then the prime minister, and the haitian government had a commitment to modernize the country, and the u.n. secretary-general said, we want you to go in there and help

them by making sure that the donor nations and international organizations on their commitments and we get more private investment. i said that i would do it, but only if i were helping the haitians to implement their own plan. that our goal this time should not be helping the country by helping the country to stand on its own, to determine its own destiny, to be sustainable in a fundamentally positive way. so they did that. the haitians took dr. paul colorado your's economic report. they made amendments to it. they had their own plan. -- paul collier's economic report. the donors were beginning to distribute the aid. we had a foreign investment conference where there were more people from the neighborhood, latin and central america, then from europe, canada, the u.s. and asia combined. the first time in my lifetime

the neighbors have been committed to the future. as i said, dennis o'brien will tell you in a moment, we had a group recruited over the last year or so and through the cgio that invested millions of dollars there. i tried to organize the haitian diaspora. the parliament gave dual citizenship to the haitian diaspora, which has enormous potential in positive implications for the development of the country. and the ngo community was beginning to work together for the first time to try to harmonize and intensify their efforts. we have people interested in building up the agricultural sector, the tourism sector, the potential for development of call centers, all kinds of things. then the earthquake happened. here is what i want to say. this is horrible for the people

of haiti. they are in shock now, and a lot of them are frustrated they are not getting beat a fast enough. -- the aid fast enough. i still believe they have the same chance to escape it to have the confidence of donors and accountability that will both in power and increase the power of the haitian government and involve haitian citizens and the rest of them -- of us in the reconstruction. i am working on that. we did it in indonesia after the tsunami. we have a committee that could set says with the government could do. we had total transparency and accountability in a regular set of reports. i believe that a country can rise from the ashes in a very

short time. my model for that -- his foundation and mine went to rwanda and help build the entire health-care system in three years. for years after the genocide in 1998, rwanda's per-capita income was still to under 68. -- $260. two years later, and nearly quadrupled. [applause] and what did you were probably part of that. to not tell me they cannot do it. -- do not tell me they cannot do it. this is an opportunity to rebuild what they want to be routed them what they used to be. country they want to become, instead of to rebuild what they used to be. we have to get through the emergency. we have to get it organized, and we have to have the right structure and support. i invite you to be a part of

that. and i can tell you this, and then i will turn it over to the other panelists here. after we had that investment conference in port-au-prince, we did what we always did. we went out and said, how did you like it? how you feel? you're is the most important thing, those of you on the outside of you need to know. 97% of the people who came to the investment conference agreed with dennis o'brien. they said they were surprised by the positive opportunities available there for them. i want them to become you. i will turn it over to the panel and ask all of you to visit the haiti desk. if you know you are prepared to do something, signed up and let us know. i assure you we will organize it for you and be back in touch.

thank you very much. [applause] and i think we will go down the line. dennis, would you like to speak next? >> mr. president, ladies and testamengentlemen, there is a by for haiti and it is tomorrow. there is a huge case for direct investment in haiti. we have invested over the last four years, it is -- it is a terrific place to do business. the government policies are favorably disposed towards foreign direct investors. more importantly, he has a very young population. we have 900 staff. they are hugely talented people. they are very committed. they are hard working. if there are 10 million consumers in the marketplace. and it is my view that over the next five years, the president has given an example of what

happened in rwanda, that can be replicated in haiti with a proper reconstruction plan and development plan. by way of example, i met a man at the other day, he came back to work. he lost five of his family, and he showed up for work. i think haitian workers, haitian staff, patient managers, and most of our business is run by haitian managers are some of the best people in the world. you know, you probably will ask yourselves, where are the opportunities for me and my business? first of all, there is opportunities in tourism, in the northern part. there are wonderful beaches. already the crews liners are coming in. there are hotel groups like choice hotels, best western are investing money. also in the areas of light manufacturing, particularly in textiles. there is the thing called the

hope two agreements which allows manufacturers to have favorable tariff treatment in the united states. the president has been involved in pushing that. there are opportunities in fruit production, and in food production of taiwanese group is putting $16 million into rice production. also for people in reconstruction and rebuilding businesses, property development. i think there is an enormous opportunity for those people to come in now and make solid investments. infrastructure, electricity generation as well. we, in the space of five years, have never had any problem with our business. we have never had difficulties with the government. he that is why i actually think that this market is at the doorstep of the wealthiest consumer market in the united states. most of us in this room have investments all over the world, but they are generally pretty boring, because they are -- we

are making money, creating jobs in other countries and that, but haiti is not boring. it is challenging it is cg. you can strengthen your management team by sending them there. haiti is wide open for business. for those of you who are looking for all low-cost manufacturing location close to the u.s., please go and register at the haiti desk. or get in touch with the clinton global initiative, because with in that, we are pushing investment. i will personally go and make a presentation, even though i am not the foreign direct investment agency for haiti. i just cannot strongly urge you enough to actually do something. and do it for the right reasons. not just do it for all to rest of reasons, but for economic reasons. -- not just altruistic reasons.

haiti is our great country. tomorrow, it will be an even better country. >> thank you. let me just say, first of all, we were going to have a meeting of all of the people who had already made business commitments. -- in haiti. then the earthquake intervene. dennis told them all to come to sell florida and meet anyway. and they all re-upped. i cannot thank you enough. you are right. haiti is not boring. but neither is it hopeless. i thank you for your commitment. i should also tell you i met with 50 plus ngo and philanthropic leaders, all of whom reaffirmed their commitment. the people who have been down there are hot. and they believed -- they are hooked and they believe in what

we can do together. i t y very much. i would like to ask the foreign minister from brazil to speak about his prospective -- perspective on this. where he thinks we are, where we are going. then i would like to ask ellen clark and talk about what our partnership is going to be like. mr. foreign minister? >> thank you, mr. president. i am really very honored and touched and moved to be here today, because i just came from haiti about four days ago. i could see with my own eyes some of the things that are mentioned here. in spite of all of the tragedy, people are living. the markets are reviving, even the street markets. certainly, it is not boring. actually, what i would say, just as an aside, even in the aspect of art, painting and music, that

is also an area which can bring money and which can be used. remember, that roosevelt when he was busy reviving the american economy, he also paid attention to the artists. that is an important part of the self-esteem of the country. i was reading yesterday an article which speaks about the cathedral where you have a stained-glass window with bible figures but they are black bible figures. so this is part of the national pride that has to be recovered. as president clinton said, brazil is committed in terms of security forces. we lost 18 soldiers and officers now. and we also lost what we consider the brazilian that mother teresa, who worked with children there.

and also the vice deputy of the un mission, of the civilian mission. but that did not detract retention period on the contrary. we are even more committed now. -- on the contrary. we are even more committed now. i will extend myself -- this is not the time to make propaganda publicity. this is a moment of solidarity. i am moved to see the list of donors, countries like chad, like botswana, like the bogabon. it is a moment in which the world has to show solidarity and i want to complement them for promoting this. there are a lot of experiences in haiti going on, some by ngo's, some in tri-lateral corp., that have to do with some sort of economic activity. but these are small-scale

things, like the cash for work, which is now very important at this moment. but i also want to take on what president clinton said, thinking in the medium and long term, because they are around the corner. we have to deal with them as we deal with the emergency. in this respect, i think there are four questions that have to be addressed in the private sector. i will just mention these four. jobs, energy, environment, and food security. jobs for young people. one of the main preoccupations with the president was the outflow of young people, the keys -- because these are the people who can reconstruct haiti. it is important the investment comes quickly so that people see there are prospects. in the area of jobs, just to take one, like garments, and hope two.

in brazil, we were discussing with the united states how to facilitate the rules of origin to make it easier for people to invest. i had 11 businessman from brazil in the mission that was coordinated by president clinton. it is essential to do that. for the first time, i saw the brazilian textile industry saying they are prepared to give reciprocity. if the american companies invest their, and if the hope to be wrote gives easy rules of origin, we will do the same. -- if hope two gives easy rules of origin, we will do the same. it is an area we have to do something. one of the worst -- one of the causes of the last political crisis in haiti before the earthquake was precisely the food. in energy, brazil has an enormous experience in biofuels. but this can be done and not

just to help haiti but to make money. in the beginning, it can be to hydrate. biofuels coming from brazil, going to the u.s. market. then it can be used in haiti itself. finally, environment. haiti is a devastated land, from the point of view of the environment. i do not want to go into the causes, but that is the fact. so we would need a massive program, financed maybe by the world bank. but with also private sector interested in replanting trees in haiti, because otherwise, the country will continue to suffer from floods. floods do not come only because it rains. it floods because the environment is not adequately prepared to absorb those reins. if i could just finalized, since i always came to these forum

to speak about trade. this is the time to show we are not only about profit and greed. this is the time for all developing and developed countries that can do so to offered duty-free, quota-free to all asian products with facilitated rules of origin -- to haitian products. >> thank you very much. let me clarify it. for those of you who are not involved in haiti, you saw the pictures on international television, not just of this human misery but all the channels repeatedly showed of map of the islands and of haiti and of where the earthquake was most severe, in port-au-prince and west. i want to emphasize something that both previous speakers said, but i want you to be clear. 70% of the land mass of the country and about 60% plus of

the people were not directly damaged by the earthquake. the economic plan which was developed by the government then headed by the prime minister lui includes commitments for this whole country. it is more important than effort, in my opinion, while we are trying to rebuild port-au- are trying to rebuild port-au- pr -- they were criticized for continuing to dump their ships. i think that is wrong. they brought in money that the haitians desperately needed. they can people working in needed jobs. they did not want this to shed down the whole rest of the country while the capital was

broken and bleeding in burying their dead. it would've been a terrible mistake. there were 800,000 tourists in haiti last year. they did not spend the night. there is not an airport there. i hope we can accelerate the construction of the airport. i note to investors who want to open resort to that would put thousands of people to work. but not the people have gone back to their villages. they need to make a living. we have agricultural products and projects, a tourism projects. there are all kinds of projects . tourism projects, all kinds of opportunities in the rest of haiti. doing something there will be a direct benefit to the area hit by the hurricane as we begin the

rebuilding. and i want to thank all of the people who kept economic activity going in the rest of the country during this moment. otherwise, i do not have strong feelings about this issue. i am aghast that anybody would criticize the people who are trying to keep the rest of haiti together in this moment. i want to call on our undp director ellen clark to talk about what the un system has done. i would like to say, i am of volunteer there, but i am profoundly moved by how dedicated they all are to doing their mission in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy for the u.n. system as well. so, please. >> thank you, president clinton, a distinguished fellow panelists, ladies and gentlemen. i think of all of the comet -- contributions made, there is a comment message that out of this catastrophe can, the time of

renewal, if we put together in the partnerships that make that possible. and everyone can play a part in those partnerships. there has been an extraordinary outpouring of good will and commitment for haiti, from the governmental level, from the level of the ordinary citizens across our society is, from the private sector and foundations and non-governmental organizations. the key thing is to keep that momentum going. right now the humanitarian relief phase is still very much their. we are moving into early recovery with cash for jobs. beyond that, there is the agenda that others have talked about. there is no doubt in my mind that the kind of private sector investment that president clinton and world economic forum have in mind in which i understand robert will talk about can be incredibly important. as president clinton said, there was an economic recovery plan is driven by the government in place before this catastrophe.

that plan must not stop. that's plan -- that plan must be accelerated. there are large parts of haiti that were not physically impacted. the work can go on now there. i have come today representing the secretary general to be supportive of the initiatives that president clinton and the world economic forum are putting to you and to say that the role of the private sector, the role of the foundations, the ngo's, this is just so important, alongside the role of governments can play alongside the role of development banks and multilateral institutions. it is about unique partnerships where everybody plays a role in supporting haiti at this hour of need to build back better and to actually knew. thank you. >> thank you. robert, why do not explain what we propose to do now.

we have already run over time. we do not have time to explore specific questions, but we have tried to set up a system to do that. >> thank you. as you mentioned, i was involved in haiti as the president of canada's international development agency. i am proud of canada, together with brazil and the united states on this issue. we are calling for a global partnership. we are calling upon people to go beyond in gauging and beyond giving to engaging. after the tv cameras have gone, to continue with the hard work of creating sustainable jobs for haitians. we think the power of the international business community can be a major force behind that. how do we hope to do that? well, as president clinton mentioned, we will work under the haitian leadership of the haitian economic development plan. what we will be doing, together with the clinton foundation, is we will work in collaboration, getting together the business leaders here who are interested

in engaging in committing to procuring, potentially looking at investing, a partner in to help build asian jobs and asian businesses. witt -- haitian jobs and haitian businesses. dozens of you have already signed up to look at the opportunities. i would invite to court interested to go to the haiti desk to receive more information -- i would invite all of you interested to go to the haiti desk. and, just in closing, the theme of this year's davos is rethinking, redesign, rebuild. we should rethink how we engage in these challenging situations. we should read this and how we work together. together, we can rebuild haiti. >> let me close by saying is, there is a group of people meeting in haiti, including architects and urban planners trying to imagine the future.

if he think it is hopeless, i urge you to go to new orleans and look at the former ninth water where everybody -- ninth ward. we now have some of the green as housing anywhere in the world that is more affordable than what was there before. yes, we need plans to rebuild port-au-prince. we need plans to do the rest. yes, we need a structure that guarantees accountability and all that. the me tell you what the bottom line is. haiti is the only successful country ever established as a result of a slave revolt. for that, they're were punished by being ignored or abuse. the united states to not recognize them for 60 years. when finally we did, we were in with the rest of the crowd of european powers saying they had to pay enormous reparations for winning their freedom. then for 20 years, early in this

century, starting during world war i, marines occupied haiti but did nothing to and power that people are change the fundamental structure of society, to build the self- determination you have to. when we left, things went to hell again. i cannot see how anybody could have been surprised that there were haitian leaders who abused their people the way he had been abused by outsiders, the same way some children who are abused or to be child abusers. then they started trying to get their democracy back 20 years ago. i tried to give it to them. but a lot of us on the outside have not known how to help. so, haiti has also been hurt a little bit by all of us who feel self righteous, that we are doing good to help them. they wish to be empowered to chart their own course in the future. and they need to be helped through this hideous natural disaster to get there. but i will say again, they have the best chance they have ever

had in my lifetime to escape their past. we have the best chance, those of us who are outsiders, to be partners, not just trying to help people so we feel good. but to empower people who are as gifted and hard-working and creative under unbelievably adverse circumstances than any people i have ever seen. as dennis said, this will not be boring for you. but i will guarantee you, you will feel better if you do it. in all probability, you will be successful. after this is over, you might want to talk not just to the people here but to michelle lui who asks to meet all away from the port-au-prince. to head to -- who has come all away from port-au-prince and then went to dominican republic. anad td to george soros.

i am grateful to him. there are others you're involved in the haiti project. if you have any interest in this, e now to capitol hill for a senate hearing on haiti earthy -- earthquake relief efforts. this includes john kerry of massachusetts who chairs the foreign relations committee. this is about an hour and 45 minutes. we will start the hearing. i think dr. farmer is not very far away.

i appreciate everybody's ability to move this and disadvantaged. i think what we will try to do -- we have until that 1045 or so. that ought to give as an opportunity to be able to get through both the testimony and the questions adequately. i wish we were not press. the reality is that we are. haiti is reeling in the aftermath of white men have been the worst humanitarian disaster that the americans have ever seen.

over 1000 are dead and more are dying every day. an estimated 1 million haitians are displaced. several outlying cities are flattened. does not explain the horrors that many haitians are living through. as you begin to understand the tragedy through stories and images, they probably better tell us what this is like. a haitian child dividing one rationed milk among eight members of his family. a 70-year-old woman arrested for a cathedral in port-au-prince seven days after the earthquake, too weak to stand a strong enough to sing church hymns.

only just this morning, the photographs of a young 15 year old girl being pulled out to see little more than two weeks after the earthquake. it is impossible not the move by the suffering by the resilience and dignity of the haitian people. it is our duties as neighbors to respond to this. the responsibility does not end with the rescue. we need to help haiti rebuild in a way is that they will be better off and better prepared were any future and natural disaster to strike prada -- to strike. america and the world has rested with us much assistance as they shed -- hey the's and a structure has allowed them we are well aware the suffering and

heartbreak that has affected the hard-working haitian american community. massachusetts has the third largest haitian community in the united states. we must do all we can do to hate. there has been a tremendous outpouring of generosity from the international community and americans. he left open their wallets and homes and have been working closely with dozens of families. we have been working very closely, our staff, myself, families in massachusetts to expedite the adoptions of haitian orphans that were already under way before the earthquake. we are working to make sure that our government relief efforts provide the thousands of health in -- of haitian orphans and the safeguard of the formal process that protect children from trafficking. either that account -- they have

made an impression. i'll let to honor u.s. diplomat victoria de long who lost a life and to recognize the loss suffered by the united nations begin the u.n. has made a massive contribution in haiti over the years built when the earthquake struck, we lost many outstanding people on the ground. the offer are profound gratitude and condolences to the u.n. and families of the deceased i know the agony that the parents of gunther in trying to find out what her fate might be in el and trying to recovering their daughter's body. the task before all of us remains far from over. first, we must continue the enormous effort to meet patients' immediate need for food, water, shelter, and