Hill confirmations hearings.

[Mass]

Kerry penned an editorial supporting Hill in Politico

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20431.html

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/kerry_touts_oba.html

This Committee will hold many hearings this year, but few more important than this week’s confirmation hearings for Ambassadors to Iraq and Afghanistan. 143,000 American military personnel remain in harm’s way in Iraq and about 40,000 more are in Afghanistan. The outcomes of these wars will have profoundly important consequences for our nation. And diplomacy will be crucial to determining these outcomes.

We begin today with Iraq. In Ambassador Christopher Hill, President Obama has chosen an extraordinarily talented Foreign Service professional with a long and distinguished record of service to be Ambassador to Iraq.

Often, the reward for diplomats who succeed in difficult postings with long odds is tougher assignments with longer odds. Ambassador Hill has made a career, now entering its fourth decade, of tackling seemingly intractable diplomatic challenges.

And make no mistake: Iraq today still presents extraordinary challenges. While we have set a timetable for withdrawing our troops, as many of us have long advocated, our work there is far from finished. The days when we could hope to impose solutions in Iraq are long past. It is the Iraqis who will ultimately determine their own future. Our task is to leverage our troops’ redeployment into a sustainable political accommodation that prevents Iraq from sliding back into widespread ethnic or sectarian violence. To succeed, we will need to address Iraq’s potentially volatile internal conflicts and complex regional dynamics through a series of overlapping diplomatic and political initiatives involving a multitude of actors.

Fortunately, Ambassador Hill brings particular talents and experience well-suited to this mission. In addition to serving as Ambassador to Macedonia, Poland and South Korea, he was also Special Envoy to Kosovo in 1999 and one of the top negotiators of the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the war in Bosnia—both of which gave him crucial experience solving the complex problems of ethnic civil wars. And as we all know, as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Special Envoy to the Six Party Talks, he had to coordinate delicate multilateral negotiations on North Korea’s nuclear program while dealing directly with an extremely difficult regime in Pyongyang.

Comments on Hill's opening statement

http://washingtonindependent.com/35614/highlights-from-chris-hills-opening-statement

he drawdown of U.S. troops will be “combined with a political diplomatic and civilian effort … to lay the foundation for lasting peace and prosperity.” The objective is “normalizing our relations with Iraq” for a “broad-based” relationship, addressing “the plight of refugees and internally displaced people.” He analogizes it, subtly, to his efforts in Kosovo and North Korea. He runs down the list of generals he’s worked with as a way of insulating himself from the charge, made by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsay Graham (R-N.C.), that he doesn’t understand the military.

Priorities: “providing Iraqi government with support it needs for parliamentary elections”; deepening respect for human rights; “helping them strengthen the rule of law”; sustained economic development. He wants to work with Iraq’s neighbors to stabilize the region.

“One of the finest embassy staffs ever put together … diplomacy is a team sport.” This is a subtle way of saying he’ll rely on the experts in the Baghdad embassy to supplement his lack of familiarity with Iraq. “The most important preparation for these overseas assignments” is “a sense of humility and determination.”

In response to questions from Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), he says his tenure as special envoy for Kosovo during the 1999 NATO war made sectarian challenges “very familiar issues” to him. “You’ve got to deal with them on a very local level,” he said. “You’ve got to try to put yourself in the shoes of these communities and try to be helpful.” Spoken like a counterinsurgent.

Hearings on now.I do not know if there are opponents among the GOP senators seating on the committee, but McCain and Co opposition are another sign that they are going to oppose on principle.

http://foreign.senate.gov/

Here is the report on the beginning of the hearing.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hcWJu9bbzrJZ7uNHjvMn0BuTGqHQD9753U980

[Mass]

1. Dodd asking questions about Sons of Iraq.

Hill says it is going well, but that it is not finished. People need to be doing something. It's going to take some time to build institutions.

Dodd asking what strategic points do Iraq neighbors to help.

Hill says that neighbors want to see the Iraqi government stand on his own, says that Malaki has take some tough decision. Real problem is Iran. US and Iraq think that Iran needs to respect Iraq sovereignty.

Isackson (Sp?). question: says he is a huge admirer of Crocker. How do you see your role as Crocker successor?

Hill's answer: I do not want to screw it up.

Isackson: Microloan program funded by State. troops have been managing that. Will you have the personal to carry on this task when the troops withdraw.

Hill: Yes.

Iraqis have assume all the financial responsibility concerning the sons of Iraq.

Says his son is in Iraq.

Rich: continue the use of contractors to protect the embassy, What do you mean?

Hill: Embassy in Skopia was breached by demonstrators. we need to make sure the perimeter of the embassy is handled.

Feingold. War was a terrible diversion. withdrawal overdue step in the right direction even if too slow. need a strong ambassador that can help do that safely. Happy to see Hill is the nominee. Concern of the residual force. What does Hill think.

Hill: president decision was with careful consultation with the commanders in the field. Obama cautious we are ready for the bumps on the road. residual troops will be advisory troops. Important that the troops come back with the notion of a well done mission.

Feingold: what do you think of the talk between Crocker and Iran.

Hill: Iraqi and US concerned with Iran influence on Iraq. Policy is under review. If it says we need to talk, I will be happy to do so. Iran and Iraq need a good relationship.

Feingold: oil resource may make reconciliation difficult. How concerned should we be?

Hill: Kurdish regional govt are disputed. The UN is working on these issues. We should support them. Old fashion land disputes. I have dealt with that in the Balkans. Concerning oil contracts, urgent for both economy and politics in Iraq.

[Mass]

2. Menendez

Menendez: corruption in Iraq - Why do you think our effort got so badly offtrack? What are our responsibility

Hill: when the American tax payers give you money, we need to make sure it is well handled. Efforts made to increase our capacity to monitor money.

Menendez: very hard to go back to constituants. we need to insure that things are done prospectively and not only with auditors afterwards. What do you see as dealing with the Iraqi government to make progress and what do you see as our role for humanitarian reasons.

Hill: essential to continue what exists. Part of making Iraq a success. I will meet with people in the embassy in charge these programs. We need to have a handle on money dispensing. Not spending money with seminars that lead nowhere. I have seen things can be good if well done.

[wisteria]

3. Thank you for the links. There is so much else going on today

that no media sources are covering this important hearing.