for america is also good news for the world. it is good news for you and your businesses. you know the importance of the american economy in terms of driving china's economy and other economies in the world. their importance is driving other economies in the region and elsewhere. it is a principle reason why we should invest in here. it is a top priority at a level unlike any before. you're sitting here in the heart of the most open economy in the world. the u.s. is the largest recipient of direct investment. manufacturing was mentioned. we have about 5.6 million total good paying american jobs contribute in close to when chilean dollars to our economy -- $1 trillion

to our economy that comes from foreign direct investment. that that is why manufacturing, or energy companies for many of countries are setting up shop here in the united states every day. our trade agreements are built on the premise and shared prosperity, we have deals that go both ways. those create good paying jobs all over the world. they offer american firms unprecedented global access. it also opens our doors and our markets to foreign firms. this is the direction of the world. this is the way the world is going to move. those who understand it in those who move that rapidly to embrace the higher standards and the

openness are those who will be able to take advantage of the new marketplace and be leaders in the global economy. no one can put the genie back in the bottle. we have a great nafta debate in other struggles. free trade versus this sort of old order, if you will. every single time we move forward in that openness and every single time we have embraced one of those agreements, we have done better. we have transitioned. not always without disruption or location, but with new great to the and innovation and new jobs. i want you to measure what we have done with our neighbors canada and mexico. we have opened up north america through nafta, the greatest single step toward shared disparity in this hemisphere. we know we do not have to share

a border in order to share a business. it is why we have free trade agreements with 20 countries from chile to morocco. 700 million people and $7 trillion in gdp. none of that alone would make the united states the best place to invest if we do not also focus on our workers and make sure that we are doing as much as we can to try to have the best workers and the most skilled and productive that we can in the world. that is true in part because we work hard to make sure we can train them at the best schools and universities. a lot of effort was into that. we reach out to bring the brightest minds and the best talent from all over the world. many of you know and many of you probably were educated in the united states. i cannot tell you how many heads of state and finance ministers

throughout government, heads of state and chief executives who i need as i travel the world as a senator to go to school who participated in educational exchanges and the fulbright program, meet them everywhere. foreign ministers in saudi arabia who has been foreign minister for 30 years or more. he proudly reminds me of his education at princeton. and another showed me a photograph and said this was you and me 25, 35 years ago when i met you at a law of diplomacy school when you were a senator. many immigrants know that the american dream is not restricted to those born in america.

if you go to miami, chicago, san francisco, any major city in america, you will find a community that speaks your language and understand your culture and welcomes diversity and can serve as an anchor for your next venture. it is not just the big cities. you heard it from secretary pritzker and president obama. success stories. indian manufacturers expanding plants in upstate new york. singapore companies extending their supply chain to texas. german multinationals creating jobs in small towns in kentucky. investing in suburban ohio. south african energy firms investing in southwest louisiana. that is not in the future, that

is now. there is no question that the united states is lucky to be able to offer the world's best climate today. as obama has made it clear that we are going to work at it even harder. it is about the future. we will refuse to sit still. a world is getting more competitive, but so are we. capital chases capital. i'm confident we will continue to get stronger and be more effective. select usa is a big reason why. as you heard yesterday and during the week that we are working hard now to make it easier for you to be able to invest here and making that effort is a much bigger part of our mission, especially now at the state department.

at home, we are coordinating at every level. mayors in small towns all the way up to president obama. they're working with the foreign commercial service that we must organize dedicated investment teams led by our capable ambassadors and our staff and we will actively encourage job investment in the united states as a core priority. our diplomats put a huge role in helping businesses succeed. one of ambassadors lebanon tends average to encourage texas startups to come to the united states. the auto industries making a remarkable comeback.

all over the world, working hard to help businesses meet their goal. the state department is engaged with a new level of intensity and focus because of the nature of the global marketplace. we believe we can do more and we will do more. starting at 32 markets that represent 90% of all of the investment that comes here. what does that mean for business leaders like you? it means you will have a single point of contact to connect your company with our markets and investors and the economic development organizations who are here to help you and your businesses grow. just the other week, i met with a group of ceos indonesia -- in indonesia. some expressed frustration to me with some of the foreign governments who preach the principle of open markets, but

they act as protectionism. these ceos know that for your --freer markets create more opportunity, more growth, more dynamism and more innovation. the freedom to fail is an important component in succeeding. in order to open more doors and continue the best investment climate in the world, we are going to continue to add to our strong portfolio of trade agreements that reaffirms our commitment to open and free markets. to have a level playing field. globalization means that people everywhere have higher expectations. in many ways, the revolutionary events taking place in the middle east and other parts of the world are a reflection of that. the tunisian revolution that

peacefully removed a dictator some 30 years was not ideological. it was not inspired by religious extremism. it was a fruit vendor that wanted to practice trade without interruption and without interference. that's part that revolution. people wanted to reach aspirations that they know that others in the world are living. in tahrir square was young people texting each other and using their smartphones and the virtues of being able to text and delete and connect with people -- and tweet and connect with people.

it brought about another revolution. the same thing with syria. no leader anywhere in the world can afford to look away from huge populations of young people coming at us in unprecedented numbers. it is a different world. it will change politics. all of them in touch with aspirations. it is a different world. what we are going to try to accomplish with two enormous and high standard trade negotiations that are underway right now is to raise the standards and the possibility for people that trans-pacific partnership represents 40% of trade. and we can lock that in, it will open up trade around the world. it is the largest market in the

world. it will create an enormous transformation in the standards that people are practicing. it is the largest market in the world. those efforts will dramatically expand our market reach and they will strengthen trading so we can engage and race to the top. not a race to the bottom. that helped everyone compete while ensuring strong protections for workers and consumers and the environment. while we are talking about markets, we are looking at the biggest marketing world. some people try to grab it. imagine this. the market that created the great wealth of the united states in which every single income earners saw the income go

up in the 1990s and created unprecedented wealth, more wealth than what was ever created, much more wealth created in the 1990s. that was a $1 trillion market. the global energy market is a $6 trillion market. it will climb to some where around 6 billion or more users. this is the most incredible market ever and the solution to climate change. we will fight to stay at the forefront of this energy market. we will recognize that it has the benefits of climate change as well as the marketplace.

we will develop clean technologies that will empower the world and protect our environment at the same time. we are on pace to become the largest oil reducer by 2020. the largest oil producer in the world. that gives us the promise of alternative fuels come including shale gas. we will become fully energy self-sufficient i the year 2035. -- by the year 2035. it is energy that fuels our air and that private sector. that is the energy that comes out of american value called entrepreneurship. the united states knows how to cultivate startups. not too long ago, our country was a start up. innovation is not just in our interest, but in our dna. that is why we aggressively protect intellectual property rights as part of a strong transparent or accountable or legal system.

today we need entrepreneurship more than ever. as more and more young people join the labor market, the world would need about half one billion new jobs by 2030. many of those jobs i guarantee you have not even been invented yet. entrepreneurship would help solve that puzzle and select usa can help. a few weeks ago, i met with hundreds of entrepreneurs while i was in kuala lumpur. these are innovators they came from all around the world and the could not wait to build the next big thing. who knows? the best ideas are never limited by borders. these folks might be the ones that are changing the world. it is that kind of openness that drives american economy and foreign economies and moves all of us forward at the same time.

needless to say, we have our own interest here. it is no secret that our president's number one by yorty -- priority is creating strong middle class jobs here at home. he also knows that the best way to do that is to strengthen our international ties and foster broad growth around the world. we know that demoting inclusive -- promoting inclusive growth and strengthening the rule of law and other countries also helps us to create new markets for our businesses and jobs for workers. when we help other nations to develop their own ability to govern and meet the aspirations of the booming population, we foster stable societies and everybody here knows stability is pretty important with respect to investment decisions and prognosis. we do what we do because we have always known that we are all in this together.

we are all connected in this. that is another reason why the united states the believe is the best place to invest. no other country where you can be confident that your investment is going to contribute to a shared cost -- prosperity. that idea is one of the cornerstones of our country. you saw it in the marshall plan. the marshall plan rebuilt -- after a war when all of the economies were strader -- shattered and broken. we all shared in a post-war prosperity. you sit in the recipients of those are graduating from the ascent -- assistance into full- fledged partnership in the trading community. look at south korea.

in less than a generation, south korea has been transformed from an aid recipient to one of the biggest contributors in the world. that kind of shared prosperity today is more important than ever before for the reasons i talked about earlier about young people and their aspirations. we also know in the united states that we are part of something much bigger than buying or selling in hiring and investing. before everyone is a ceo or secretary of state, we are citizens and by virtue of the fact that you are here, i know that you consider yourself citizens of the world. remember our shared responsibility to ensure shared prosperity is one of the most important ways we advance shared security.

as secretary of state, i have traveled a lot. i do it for a reason. there is no substitute for face to face diplomacy. there is no more reliable way to build trust and ensure interest and values are aligned to close a deal. that is why you come here from all over the world to be in washington and meet each other face to face and build relationships and share the ideas that could hopefully and conceivably change the world. as you build that confidence in each other, i want you to know there is no market in the world that i believe deserves your confidence more than this one. as investors and friends. i think you understand that the united states, despite momentary political hiccups and despite sometimes the politics, still marches forward with a private sector that is increasingly empowered to define for itself what the economic future will

be. my message to you is now is the best time to make that investment. my pitch to you is pretty direct. get in on the ground floor of this century of possibilities and transformation, the possibility of a great global century, a century that hopefully will be defined almost exclusively by the shared prosperity it lifts everyone around the world. individuals who yearn for the opportunity to touch what we have are able to. the sooner we get around to the business of doing it, the sooner we will solve some of the challenges we face today. thank you for letting me be here with you. thank you. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed llowing this,

the inspector general spoke with reporters. >> good morning. welcome to the wilson center. a special welcome to yukiya amano of the international

atomic energy agency. i'm the executive vice president. modern technology kept jane harman on the tarmac in new york city, or rather, laguardia airport, for over two hours this morning. she has just landed and will be here shortly. she will make a closing comment. she apologizes, but we wanted to get started. the wilson center is a public- private institution created by an act of congress and serves as the official, national memorial to the 28th president. we tackle global issues through independent research, open dialogue, and actionable ideas. we seek to provide safe political space for addressing key public policy issues. nuclear proliferation issues international history project is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear

history through archival documents, oral history, interviews, and other impure goal sources. the wilson -- empirical sources. the wilson center has followed the nuclear talks on iran especially closely, and recently had two international ground troop briefings on these talks conversations with experts in the field. we are very proud to have michael adler on the podium here is a senior scholar at the wilson center. michael was the correspondent in vienna covering the iaea for years. michael will moderate today's session. digi amano is here to help us understand the iaea, help us understand how it is helping preserve the nuclear nonproliferation treaty's grand

bargain. he is uniquely qualified to do so. his career spans 36 years in the japanese foreign ministry, and he has served with the iaea since the 1990's. he played a key role in securing an agreement should to -- to shut down chernobyl's unit number three as chair of the g7 nuclear safety roup in the year 2000 -- group in the year 2000. please join me in welcoming director general amano. director general amano will speak briefly, and then michael adler will have a dialogue for our guest, preserving have the time for your questions.

thank you for coming to the wilson center this morning. director general? [applause] >> good morning, everyone. it is a great pleasure to me to be invited and given the opportunity to speak to you. i had meetings with some high u.s. officials yesterday, and today i'm delighted to meet michael again, whom i know very well, and michael knows very well about the iaea. four years have passed since i joined the iaea in 2009. today i would like to explain a

little bit about the activities of the iaea. [indiscernible] the iaea is known as a nuclear watchdog, especially in media. i would like to say that the iaea's activity is much more extensive than a nuclear watchdog. we are a very unique stakeholder. for example, cancer is a very serious problem in developing countries. some people think that cancer is a problem in developed countries. 2000 deaths by cancer occur in developing countries. many countries in africa do not even have radio nuclear therapy

machines in their country. they come to the clinic too late, and it is not possible to provide life-saving treatment. this is very unfair. i am insisting that cancer control in developing countries should be established as a global health agenda. the nuclear technology can save lives in developing countries. everyone knows that food shortage will be a serious problem. here, too, nuclear technology can contribute by accelerating

plant mutation. we can prolong the shelf life of food, or we can eliminate the toxicity of the food. water can be better managed by analyzing the aquifer by using nuclear technology. the iaea has a huge project in sub-saharan countries to better understand the water resource. if i keep on talking about these things, it becomes endless. i stop here. the point is that iaea has the technology. we have the function. we encourage people to use it safely.

iaea is a unique player to contribute to the promotion of millennium development and its follow-up. i never thought there would be such a huge nuclear accident during my tenure in japan. i had to use a lot of time and energy to address this issue. if you have interest, i would come back to this issue. the iaea adopted an action plan to enhance the safety of nuclear power globally. the action plan is now implementation. nuclear plants are safer now. despite the belief or expression of some people, many countries

continue to improve nuclear power as an option. we are providing a regular report on iran, syria, and a dpr case. the rain in -- iranian nuclear issue is a very complicated one. every country needs to imply had the comprehensive safeguard -- implement the copperheads of safeguard -- comprehensive safeguard. for example, united nations security council. this is standard.

all the countries, including iran, need to abide by. by this standard, i can say that the material and facilities placed under safeguard in iran are staying for peaceful purpose. there are additional protocol and other obligations not implemented. they give assurance. we had long negotiations with iran in recent years. on october 28 and 29th of this

month, we had a meeting with iran. after the coming of president rouhani, we had carefully observed -- we had a meeting. we had two meetings, on the 28th and 29th. we did have a very productive meeting. if you have interest, i will come back to this issue. on syria, in 2011, i drew a conclusion of the facility that was destroyed was very likely a nuclear reactor. we are very confident that our conclusion is correct. no follow-up has been made so

far. we also need to understand that syria is in a very difficult situation. iran is the most important and only issue. seeing from tokyo, or asia, this issue is also a very serious issue. in one sense, the situation is worse because they have expelled all the inspectors and detonated nuclear weapons. one positive thing in that there is a dialogue. it is dynamic. it is not functioning now, but

countries are working formally and informally to reactivate this process. the iaea is ready to send back our inspectors, and we believe we have an essential role to play in the verification of de- nuclearization of the korean peninsula. iaea has multiple objectives. it is a technical organization. we are working in a very highly political environment. now i will stop and be happy to converse with michael. thank you very much. >> it is an honor and privilege for me to be hosting mr. amano one of the first people i interviewed when he was japan's ambassador just over a decade ago.

we have remained friendly since then. he has stamped iaea with his own style, one of talking and calling it like it is. in that spirit, i hope we can have a good session with my questions and with the audience's. this meeting which you had with the iranian deputy foreign minister, and then there was a meeting of the two sides. the atmosphere of the talks, you said, was better. the question is, when will we see concrete progress, such as a visit to the site?

>> we had that meeting with iran on the 28th and 29th of october. this is the second meeting between iran and iaea after mr. rouhani became president. the first one took place at the end of september. it was a get to know each other meeting. the last meeting was a very political meeting. it was productive, and there was some positive development. the important thing, there was a change. there was some change of tone, yes. there has been a change of tone since the coming of president rouhani.

iran and the iaea agreed to resolve all the present and past issues through cooperation and dialogue. iaea and iran are now working on the new proposal. we carried forward at the november meetings. by no means, it means the end of the process, and much more needs to be done. this is where we stand now. >> you say there was real progress made. you have several key demands. the problem is that a site which was once a container in the open

now has a shed over it. they have asphalted over the ground. the question is, it will they finally let you go there. the other question which you differed from them, you wanted to be able to go back and ask questions at any time. iran once one file to be closed, you move on, you cannot go back to the file. those are substantial issues which get to the heart of your being able to be affected. will you be able to be effective on those issues and on others? >> the first question is about the site. this is a part of the issue which we call it issues of dimension.

in the report i issued in 2011 we have identified 12 areas where we need verification from iran. that site is one of these 12 areas. we have agreed that all the issues will be resolved, and the access to parchin will be part of the process. we are now working on other issues. regarding the question as to whether we can go back to the

place again or not, we have not discussed that much in details at this time. the basic agreement is that we will resolve all the issues through cooperation and dialogue. this is very important. >> i wish you luck going forward, and i hope you can make some progress. another question about iran, are you currently inspecting iran in a full enough weight to be able to detect any breakout effort to make enough weapon grade uranium for a bomb? could iran do this in a two-week period? >> we are quite confident that we can find any changes, any deviation in a reasonable amount of time.

for if there is any facility not nuclear, we don't have that assurance. >> since you have not been applying judicial protocol since 2006, would they be able to be hiding things from you elsewhere? >> it is essential and helpful for us to have a better understanding. the implementation of additional protocols will give us more confidence on the peaceful nature of iranian activities. >> the advanced centrifuges which they installed, they have not put nuclear material in them

yet, as of the last report. how good are those centrifuges? do you think they will work? >> we do not know yet. they are not operating. the main purpose of our inspection is not to verify how effective they are. the main objective is to verify that the material and facilities stay in peaceful activities. >> regarding pmd, which is a huge sticking point, is the agency's aim to uncover details of all alleged activities, or simply to verify that iran is no longer engaged? >> we are seeking clarification unto iran. we would like to clarify the present and past activities.

how far we can go and how far weekend attack, it depends. -- we can get, it depends. it is essential that iran cooperates with us to clarify these issues. >> if iran cleared up the past would they get some sort of amnesty? there would not be measures against him for this, it would be one step going towards a deal, or would there have to be some kind of sanction? >> in resolving the iran nuclear issues -- there are two roots. one is on the iaea wrote. -- route. these routes are different independent, and separate. in the route between iran and iaea, the main focus is on that verification. we would like to see the

implementation of more timely provision of information, which is called modified implementation of modified code 3.1. it means timely information about iranian nuclear activities. parties that attend these talks are iran and iaea. on the other hand, eu-3 dialogue is dealing with possible lifting of sanctions, possible limitation of enrichment activities. the parties involved are different. russia, china, and the united states. they are negotiating with iran. an important meeting will take

place on the seventh and eighth of november next month. >> as you pointed out, the two tracks are separate from each other. hasn't iran said very clearly that there can be no progress in vienna until there is progress with the p5+1, and doesn't this inject a politicizing of the iaea? >> i have not heard that since president rouhani started. sometimes there was indications, sometimes there was no

indication. i can tell you that after the coming of president rouhani, we had a meeting, but we have not had this linkage. >> that would be a truly substantial change, if that is the case. >> i think so. there is some substance in the new proposal by iran. we would like to carry it forward in the next meeting on the 11th of november. >> you arrived in washington and met with secretary kerry and susan rice at the white house. what are they telling you about how they see popes -- hopes for progress and iran, and the iaea and how they feel you are doing? >> i have met with secretary kerry, and susan rice.

we have discussed the iranian nuclear issues, certification, with support to the peaceful activity, a wide range of issues. i sense a strong support of the activities of the iaea. the diplomatic purpose is not to talk about the ongoing discussions. >> did they give you any idea about the upcoming talks in geneva? >> not much in -- i take into account a discussion that just took place in vienna. p5+1 is preparing for the next

meeting. i don't have much to report unto you on this issue. >> two quick questions. the first is on syria. have the site been affected by the civil war? is there a place you can go to do proper verification? >> in syria, we have a so-called reactor that has some small amount of enriched uranium that is under iaea safeguards. we visit that facility regularly. that facility is staying in peaceful activities.

>> and then the other three sites you? >> we hunting and things. one is the syrian nuclear facility and that is safeguarded. and then the other one is under safeguarded. there is another issue of a destroyed facility located in a different place. we came to the conclusion that it is very likely that it was a nuclear reactor.

a nuclear reactor does not exist independently. we have some interest in verifying that there are three facilities and that they are not under safeguarded. no association was there to have access to them. we have not yet had access to the facilities. we do not know how they are for now. >> have many of them been inspected? >> i don't know. >> my last question. you explain the situation in north korea very well. if and when the iaea returns what would be the verification approach given that continuity of knowledge has been lost? what is safeguarded inspection be enough? would you return to north korea

with additional tools for protocol for a wider inspection? >> according to the united nations, north korea has to implement all iaea safeguards. the reality is that north korea has declared to have withdrawn from the treaty. there are some arguments. the reality is north korea is not acting as a member of the mpt. it is it is clear that north korea has withdrawn from the iaea and north korea's not a member of the iaea. so in order to do any activities in north korea, we need the

first political agreement among major states, and we need consent from the board of governors of the iaea. what can we do with respect to north korea? i think the first step we can take is a small step. perhaps we can send back our inspectors to where there exists a nuclear facility. it would just be a small step, but i think it would allow for a meeting. when we had our inspector up there in 2009, and now we continue to monitor. >> thank you very much.

i would like to open up to questions from the audience. members of the press, please hold your fire, we will get questions from you later. state your name, affiliation and please ask the question, we do not have much time. no speeches. >> thank you very much. one of the goals is to secure against more intrusive inspections by the iaea. what would these more intrusive inspections involve? what would you need to do that you're not doing now? >> this is the issue of one of

the paths, where i cannot give an answer. it basically means measures contain an additional protocols. it is verification measures of the more comprehensive safeguards agreement. it can mean more, including additional protocols. sometimes it is immediate. did i answer your question? >> more or less.

>> thank you, director general amano. welcome to the wilson center. the discussion up to now has been on specific countries of concern. more broadly, looking at there will be an expansion of nuclear energy, for energy security reasons, and because it is the primary source of low carbon energy going forward. howl that expansion of nuclear -- how will that expansion of nuclear energy, not withstanding the setbacks that there has been in the -- in japan, but more broadly, how can that expansion be accomplished without creating proliferation risks? and what does that in turn mean for the iaea's mission and resources?

>> according to our latest estimate, there will be an increase in nuclear power, and it would be an increase of 17% to 19%. we foresee a great increase in nuclear power. it is a in -- what does it mean? an increase in the workforce. therefore we are doing the best we can to maximize without risk. he cannot expect a big increase in funds in the coming years. another very important thing

that we are doing in different countries is to recommend them to follow a step. embarking on nuclear power is a huge project, it requires huge participation. it means to strengthen nuclear infrastructure, the ratification of major international conventions, established regulatory bodies, training people, and have a good selection of sites and technology. we have identified 19 steps to prepare for the embarking on nuclear power, in 16 of these countries.

-- and we are assisting these countries. we are not encouraging or encouraging the use of nuclear power, but if we continue to use it, they must used it safely securely, and without increasing the risk of proliferation. by these efforts, i hope that we can use nuclear power without bringing the risk of proliferation. >> good afternoon, mr. amano. i'm a retired diplomat. can you speak to the nature the iaea's contacts with the israeli officials? senior and not official?

>> we have regular contact with them in vienna and israel. they sent some senior staff to the general conference. that is the most important meeting of the iaea, in september. they have also been there when i have attended some other meetings, such as the munich conference, where i've had contacts with the senior officials of israel. we have had regular, normal contact with israel, and i believe that is helpful to have good communication with israel. >> i will come back to you in a second. back there. >> thank you.

i'm from the partnership for global security. i want to ask if you could speak to the iaea's role in the nuclear security process, and how that has developed over the years, and where you see that going following what we expect to be the last summit in washington in 2016? thank you. >> the first big event for me after i joined the iaea was to attend the nuclear security summit held in washington in 2009. i was tasked to make a presentation in front of president obama, and i was excited, and i was frightened, and i wasn't sure if i could survive. [laughter] after that, i regularly attend the securities conference, and we make our input. the iaea has a central role in strengthening nuclear security.

we have the capacity to analyze, and we have information in our database. we have information on the illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. information is very important. we have helped countries by capacity of equipment, and training people. through all of these efforts, we can strengthen our nuclear security in a concrete manner. we can make input into our nuclear security summit, and the

summit participants can give guidance and instruction in their own countries to strengthen nuclear security. one of the other areas that we are focusing on, is entry into the amendment on the convention of the protection of nuclear material. we call it cppmn. convention itself has entered into force. it is applied onto the sea transports.

this expands in scope. on land, it can be covered under this convention. we are promoting the entry of the amendment, and we believe that we can enhance, we can send strengthen -- strengthen the amendment. iaea has held a meeting in july of this year, the summit was one of the biggest meetings of the iaea, and we have continued to hold these conferences, and we will strengthen our nuclear community. >> hello, welcome to washington.

my understanding of the uranium proposals is that they want to keep the facilities they currently have an build even newer infrastructure. in return, they would provide more transparency. is that your understanding, and would you be monitoring the iranians 24/7 with remote cameras? >> live streaming back to vienna? >> yes. >> in the iaea iran route, we are not discussing that much in details at this stage. we have agreed to resolve all of

the issues through cooperation and dialogue, all of the issues current and past. we have brought forth a proposal based on step-by-step work, and substance. we are working toward that november 11 meeting. we will see. >> thank you. good to see you. i have a question about special instructions. the agency, as i understand, does have the option to it -- to conduct a special investigation. with a special military dimension, has the agency considered this?

could it be useful in resolving current and past questions about those activities? on technical cooperation, the agency provides a lot of technical cooperation to state including nuclear energy. what steps is the agency taking to ensure that that technical cooperation does not provide assistance to nuclear weapons programs? for instance, pakistan has heavy water operations, and has used uranium mining to produce plutonium. what is the assurance to make sure that that cooperation does not indirectly create the >> we are giving these cooperations to the facilities that are under safeguards.

for the countries that have not embarked on nuclear power, we are asking them to adhere to the conventions that establish a safeguard system -- regulatory system and help them in every way to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. for the special inspections, certainly special inspections is available under the iaea comprehensive safeguard agreement. it has conditions, and we can call for special circumstances and in the case of north korea and romania, the case was a bit

different, but it was like other cases in which we have called for special inspections. >> was that successful with north korea? >> we called for special inspection, -- >> negative reaction. in the middle, please. >> thank you. justin anderson. director general, i wonder if you could comment on the general state of health from your perspective and from the iaea's perspective of the protocol, which is a framework and has been implemented with specific countries.

the approach of the protocol has been around for a few years. how do you feel that it has worked in strengthening your ability to safeguard nuclear materials? if there is anything you would change in terms of the diplomacy part of it or the technical or scientific aspects of that, what would you seek to change? thank you. >> the immediate object of of us in the near future is to universalize the protocols. we are working on expanding the applications and implementation. when i joined the iaea in 2009 there were 93 countries that implemented the protocol. now 121 countries are implementing the protocols. additional protocols are essential to exclude the possibility of undeclared

activities. we would like to see more countries that would adhere to the additional protocols. where else we could do more or not, i think that the priority for us is to universalize or expand the number of countries that implement the initial protocols. >> unfortunately, because the questions are excellent, we will break off questions now. >> our dear leader, jane, will speak.

>> dear leader references are a little uncomfortable, but i -- i'm jane harman. before becoming president and ceo of the wilson center two and half years ago, i served as a member of congress for nine terms. i met with you in vienna as part of a delegation in january 2010 just after you have -- had assumed the responsibility as director general. we in congress at the time knew three things about you, and they still apply. number one, we know how confident you are from your years as chair of the board of governors of the iaea. number two, we knew about your straight talk. everyone in this audience has heard that. number three, we knew your willingness to take strong actions. all of which are essential as the iaea goes forward in an extremely dangerous world. you described three countries and there are probably others that could be on a longer list. you honor us by making the

wilson center your only public stop after a conference since the election of president rouhani. you have let us ask questions. there is michael adler who contributed so much, right? trying to understand sound policy choices. i want to thank you and remind everyone that one president wilson accepted that the nobel peace prize in 1919 by letter, he wrote that the cause of peace will be a continuing labor. almost 100 years later, the cause of peace is a continuing labor and a reason that i hope we will make progress. we have the iaea under very

strong leadership, your leadership, thank you and thank you all for coming. [applause] >> this concludes our program. thank you to the inspector general for coming. it was a great pleasure. great session. we have a press conference here. the press could come forward. thank you very much. >> thank you. i'm from japan. >> thank you very much. i'm from japan. nice to see you. back to pyongyang?

>> how close? >> yes. and one more question on [indiscernible] and investigating contaminated water? thank you. >> regarding the question of when iaea will go back to north korea, we do not know. the reason is in order to go back to north korea, we need basic political understanding and peace among the major stakeholders. based on the basic understanding, we can take

action. you may recall that north korea is not a member of the iaea. when the iaea has a reception for the country that is not a member, we need a vote from the board of governors. nevertheless, the iaea secretary is prepared to go back any time. we have maintained a level of training. when there is political agreement, we will seek the authorization from the board. the staff is ready anytime to be back. the next question on sending -- of the iaea related to the contaminated water, we are planning to send them in autumn.

that is the iaea mission on their commissioning. it covers contaminated water issues. in november. i'm sorry. the date is almost decided, but i do not have the latest information. it is the end of november. >> thank you. >> hello. i'm with tokyo broadcasting system. there are a lot of commercial satellites. do you share that assessment?

can you elaborate on the iaea assessment on what is happening in pyongyang and how you concerned you are with the status quo? >> we are aware of the media reports and observation findings of the satellite imagery. we are also following the issue through various means. because of the nature of the issue, i am not able to discuss it and i hope you understand that. >> i'm from the new york times. at the last meeting, it was noticed there was a positive tone. atmospherics was good. it was agreed that it was a kind of meeting that required follow- ups and eight will happen next -- and that will

happen next week. it seems that in the iaea's dealings with iran, it will result in follow-up. what people are waiting for is to find out whether the positive tone will yield concrete specific steps that results in increased monitoring or something strange on the current activity. from your perspective, from the iaea perspective, what concrete, specific steps would you like to achieve in the upcoming weeks and months that would signal progress in dealing with iran? something that went beyond atmospheric and positive discussions. >> for us, it is important that the additional photo call would be implemented. some issues would be verified. -- and the additional protocol would be implemented. however, in practical terms, not

everything can come overnight. some have a proposal that contains some substance. we are working on that. and our carriage is for the november meeting. >> a quick follow-up. the iranian step-by-step priorities and how the process should work, do you think that is a correct way to perceive? to have your own ideas of how to proceed? is that what remains to be discussed?

>> our view is that there should be some basic agreement on all the issues, past and present should be resolved. that is all of the issues that i mentioned. it should be clarified and implemented. -- that is a process. we are working on them. the majors will include transparency, clarification.

>> you mention you cannot get into details. is this a make or break moment in terms of diplomacy with iran? in the administration hearing, there has been a call to not to spend sanctions, but to freeze further sanctions. i realize the iaea has a different role. this is the time to be freezing additional sanctions? >> we think we are in a very important period. we have been negotiating for quite a long time. negotiations went around in circles. after the coming of president

rouhani, we saw -- now we see some substance. we need to work seriously and constructively to work out an agreement. regarding the question about sanctions, the iaea is -- it is handled by the united nations security counsel. the sanctions is not under the confidence of the iaea. >> thank you, director general. i'm a vietnamese-american. would you share with us the data

we have on the nuclear capacity of china? we are recognizing its global power. moving forward is the most important factor that the u.s. and the whole world knows where china is an its nuclear capacity and intention. vietnam is also getting into nuclear energy and not power. vietnam has tremendous problems with all that. is there anything you can suggest with me and him to put you can suggest to vietnam? to get more into nuclear energy? thank you.

>> i sense by 2030, there will be an increase by 17% at the minimum and 90% of the maximum. the center of expansion is in asia, and more specifically, china, india, and south korea. it is very clear that asia is the center of expansion for the use of nuclear power. i understand china is very serious about safety and security. china and iaea are in" -- are in close operation. regarding vietnam -- we are

working closely. we have worked together. i have visited other countries. ambassador of vietnam is now the chairman of the board. we have been supporting and will continue to support vietnam in their nuclear infrastructure to embark on nuclear power. >> thank you. i'm with al jazeera network. you may recall the red line said by the israeli prime minister at the u.n. regarding the ability of iran to produce a nuclear weapon. based on the expertise available to your agency, if the iranians were to decide to produce nuclear weapons, how far do you think they are from achieving that goal?

if i may have a second shout out >> i do not understand your question. >> do you have any assessment that if iran were to produce a nuclear weapon, how long would it take to do that? second question on the issue of sanction, do you think any easing of the sanctions now would create a more positive atmosphere for negotiations between your agency and iranians? thank you. >> well, these two issues -- unfortunately, these are not my field. how long it will take for them to build a new go question was one of your questions.

our function is to how to -- we are not providing [indiscernible] i hope you understand our function. also, regarding the sanctions, we do not have a lot of sanctions. what we do is send the inspectors to the ground. we verify and we share the information with member states to facilitate a decision by the member states. the iaea and iran had some constructive meetings. we reported to the member states and media to give countries to

make their policies. >> last question. >> hi. i would like to have a question. regarding the proposal for the process to build a mutual confidence, at this point, do you expect the iaea to be involved in the verification process? >> iaea has been involved in the verification from the beginning. we are in charge of the verification of nuclear

activities of iran and other countries and will continue to do so. as i mentioned, there is a different route. our main focus is on -- verification. >> ok. thank you all for coming. >> on the next "washington journal, we'll discuss intelligence and surveillance. our guest is global strategies managing director michael allen and then a look at the f.d.a.'s tightening its policy on

painkillers. we're joined by new york times business and health reporter barry meier. live every morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. agriculture secretary tom vilsack is our guest this week on news makers. he talks about the farm bill. the house version of the bill calls for nearly $40 billion in cuts to the food stamp program over the next decade. it would cost cuts by an stimed $4 billion in the same time frame. watch sunday at 10:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. >> this is a tough time for n.s.a. where everybody says what are you doing or why are you doing it?

we actually say it is much more important for this country that we defend this nation and take the beatings than it is to give up a program that would result in this nation being attacked. we would rather be here in front of you today telling you why we defended these programs than having given them up and have our nation or our allies be attacked and people killed. >> this weekend on c-span, intelligence officials defend the n.s.a. surveillance program. this morning at 10 eastern. live sunday on c-span 2 your calls and comments for kitty kelley, best selling author of unauthorized buying fiss of jackie e, nancy reagan, the bush family. on c-span 3 remembering john f.

kennedy. eyewitness accounts of his november 1963 asass pace in. last week, michigan senator carl levin traveled to afghanistan and met with president karzai. today, the senate armed services committee chairman talked about improvements in the country as the u.s. and nato prepare to remove troops from afghanistan in 2014. from the council on foreign relations. this is an hour. foreign relations. i'm johnathan karl. a high honor to be here with carl levin. actually needs no interducks introduction. carl levin is the chairman of the senate armed services committee from the great state of michigan and of special interest to me, just back from a trip to afghanistan where he met with our commanders over there and also had a one on one

meeting with president karzai. i'm eager to hear about that and senator levin has some remarks about the trip to afghanistan and then we will have a conversation. senator levin? >> well, thank you, jon. we appreciate the invitation to join you this morning and look forward to that conversation as well. i'm not just here to share my ideas but hopefully to receive some of the ideas that we all need in this kind of a world that we live in. as jon mentioned, i recently returned from afghanistan where we spent a couple days meeting with our commanders, with our troops, with president karzai. we also met with the foreign minister there and the defense minister in brussels before we went to afghanistan. and basically feel that things have significantly improved and

changed for the better during the last ten-year period. i have been there perhaps 12 times or so. my staff who is with me today will tell me later on it was only 11 or it was really 13. but i have been there a lot. and the changes are pretty striking, particularly in the last few years. that is not the impression which the american people have and i will get into that in a moment. but that to me is the obvious fact that things have changed and changed for the better. in a number of ways in afghanistan. first of all, it is more secure. it is more secure because we came. it is that simple. we and our allies have made a difference. the growth of the afghan army, the strength of the afghan army on the police now, which has

grown into a much more capable and respected force, including the local police, which has made a major difference particularly in the villages of afghanistan because they are directly connected to the elders in those villages. perhaps the most feared force are those 25,000 local police feared by the taliban and because they are so directly connected to their homes. they are protecting their homes and they have become and are a major threat to taliban control and success. obviously the insurgency or the taliban is a resilient force. it shouldn't be underestimated. a long way to go in afghanistan in terms of it becoming truly a country which is freer of terror, but nonetheless, the changes are pretty striking.

there have been changes in the economy. n. in afghanistan. we drove across kabul to the american university in afghanistan. i wish every american could go to the american university in afghanistan. just a visit there, if every american could go there, or if every american could see what is happening just in that one place or drive across kabul to it, i believe it would change the view of most americans about what we have accomplished with our allies and with the afghan security forces in afghanistan. the city now is full of cars there is traffic jams, there is shops opening all over the place. people are in markets. it is -- we couldn't drive across kabul, they