Kerry hearing today at 10 on North Korea

[karynnj]

Kerry has 3 hearings he will be chairing this week:

03/01/11 10:00 AM BREAKING THE CYCLE OF NORTH KOREAN PROVOCATIONS
03/02/11 09:30 AM NATIONAL SECURITY & FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES IN THE FY 2012 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET (SoS Hillary Clinton is the witness here)
03/03/11 02:30 PM NAVIGATING A TURBULENT GLOBAL ECONOMY – IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES


http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/

(It is not on the live CSPAN channels - cspan3 is covering Bernake and 1 and 2 are covering the House and Senate.)

Incidentally, Hillary Clinton is appearing before the House foreign relations committee at 10 am to speak of Libya. I think this is the first time that she has appeared before that Republican led committee. That hearing also should be interesting because of the topic and to see how the Republicans will act.

The NK hearing does not seem to be on the CSPAN list of what they are following.

[karynnj]

1. The SFRC site does not appear to be transmitting this

Even if they start late, they usually have something saying that - but they don't. So, I'll look later to see if it is archived.

[Mass]

2. Just on now.

http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=e85bfd8f-5056-a032-528b-0969fbfd6ecc

[karynnj]

3. Thanks

[Mass]

4. Some print media reporting

http://blog.masslive.com/thefray/2011/03/sen_john_kerry_chairing_hearin.html

Sen. John Kerry, chairing hearing on 'provocations' in Korean Peninsula, calls for bilateral talks between U.S. and North Korea
Published: Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 11:47 AM Updated: Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 12:28 PM
By S.P. Sullivan, MassLive.com
...
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is chairing a hearing Tuesday morning to discuss "North Korean provocations" brought to a head in November by the bombardment of small South Korean island in disputed territory.
Kerry, who is chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said in a statement yesterday that the U.S. "must do everything within our power to avoid further deterioration and put the Peninsula back on a path to peace and stability."
The hearing, which started at 10 a.m., is being streamed live on the U.S. Senate Commitee on Foreign Relations website.
In his opening remarks, Kerry called for "bilateral talks" between the U.S. and North Korea. He said:

Given these very real risks, the best option is to consult closely with South Korea and launch bilateral talks with North Korea when we decide the time is appropriate. Fruitful talks between the U.S. and North Korea can lay the groundwork for resumption of the Six Party Talks. Right now, we simply cannot afford to cede the initiative to North Korea and China because neither country’s interests fully coincide with ours.

Let me be clear: We must get beyond the political talking point that engaging North Korea is somehow “rewarding bad behavior.” It is not. We will set the time and place and we will negotiate in good faith. Talks will be based on our national security interests and those of our allies.

We don’t know what renewed diplomatic engagement can accomplish. We do know this: Our silence invites a dangerous situation to get worse.
Providing the position of President Barack Obama's administration, of Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell fell short of agreeing with Kerry's position on bilateral talks between the U.S. and North Korea:

The United States remains committed to meaningful dialogue, but we will not reward North Korea for shattering the peace or defying the international community. If North Korea improves relations with South Korea and demonstrates a change in behavior, including taking irreversible steps to denuclearize, complying with international law, and ceasing provocative behavior, the United States will stand ready to move toward normalization of our relationship. However, if it maintains its path of defiance and provocative behavior and fails to comply with its obligations and commitments, it stands no chance of becoming a strong and prosperous nation.
The AFP news agency reported earlier today that the Obama administration has said that North Korea must take more concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament before bilateral talks can occur

[karynnj]

5. This is kind of like deja vue

This was about where Kerry/Bush were in the debates. Kerry, even then, was arguing that sometimes bilateral talks in addition to the 6 party could be useful. It is sad that Obama - like Bush - is treating talks as something that must be earned.

[karynnj]

6. Kerry's opening statement was about the Mideast and the revolutions as well as

about North Korea. It is interesting and worth reading. http://foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Kerry_Statement.pdf

I am listening to the hearing now.

[karynnj]

7. The hearing with Hillary Clinton will be on CSPAN 3 at 9:30 nt