Transcripts For CSPAN C-SPAN Weekend 20110522

about when he said that there is a record in the past of medicare getting changes. >> a generation ago, social security was in this urgent situation. people were put into a room and said not to come out until they had a solution. will there be something like that regarding medicare? >> i do not know anything about that. >> have you heard anyone say instead of tackling the whole budget problem, let's tackle medicare? >> it is such a political winner for the democrats. nancy pelosi was all about jobs and recently she came out and said, medicare, medicare, medicare. they know that this is a political winner for them. again, it is very unclear that they're going to be able to reach any kind of consensus. i think we will see them pushing the ball down the road again. maybe there will be some attempt to fix all we talked about and get those payments to doctors from being cut. but it is more of that. >> there is not my expectation that a deal on medicare could be worked out between now and 2012. >> medicare advantage being run in many districts. >> in the run-up to the 2010 elections, republicans have no incentive to try to fix health care reform. it was a political winner for them. why would they do anything to give away the political card? no movement at all. ironically, the proposal that representative ryan has put forward, he is handed democrats is incredible trump card. they have no incentives to give that away. it is unfortunately a political recipe. from what he talked about in terms of changing the way medicare does things, from equality in the payments standpoint, it does not require congress to do anything. i think those will continue to go along and we will get a sense over the next 12 to 18 months whether or not those are showing any promise. >> you've injected a note of optimism in an otherwise pessimistic assessment. thank you for being here this weekend. we appreciate your expertise. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> we cannot to the washington convention center here in d.c. where president obama is expected to speeak shortly. remarks under way by minority whip steny hoyer of maryland. >> a nation founded on the principles that have given our own nation life for more than two centuries. israel's tech relation of independents expresses those ideals eloquently. the state of israel will be based on freedom, justice, and peace. and envisioned by the prophets of israel, it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all of its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race, or sex. he goes on to say that it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture. it goes on in concludes it will safeguard the holy places of all religions. i have seen israel in times of celebration and times of sorrow. the onef confidence i lesson has been constant. there is a deep reverence for the land of israel and an extraordinary willingness and courage to serve its cause. israelis can teach all of us what it means to love country. and to risk all for its survival and success. [applause] how will be visiting for the 12th time israel this summer. [applause] in fact that had a number people telling me that i am -- they are going to visit with me. i'll be traveling to a nation deeply unsure of what the nation -- the future hold. across the middle east, we are witnessing convulsive change. it we have learned anything, we have learned this. history never plays out with a sureness of history books. these transformations can be chaotic and often frightening and dangerous. however they can also people of hope -- full of hope and apprehension in equal measures. we have heard words like these from the protestors in tahrir square. "i am here because everyone needs to feel like a free human being." that of course is what israel provides loan and that four of the world. -- alone in that quadrant of the world. what an example and israel the for those who seek to establish democracy in their own land. [laughter] [applause] we have also seen that bravery gunned down over a long nights a brutal repression in damascus, and other quarters. we hear great promises of a new era of democracy. from others, we hear prudent warnings that extremism and radicalism of the vacuum of power. there is hope their regimes across the middle east will be pressured to examine more closely to their people's grievances. rather than using israel has a convenient scapegoat. [applause] there is however. that despots will turn again to that scapegoating to cling to power. but prime minister netanyahu said of the uprising in egypt holds true across the middle east. he said, no one knows what the future will bring, the status quo can definitely lead to a better outcome. this happened two decades ago in berlin, in prague, and bucharest. but he went on to say that change can also lead to worse outcomes, worse for freedom, worse for human rights, and worse for peace. but as the leaders of nations watch this unfolding, we make his firm commitment -- to do everything in our power to ensure the security, safety, and sovereignty of the state of israel. [applause] to ensure the survival of democracy in our region were survival has always been a risk, where its light has shown all the more broadly for shining so often alone. the united states must maintain its commitment to the u.s.- israeli memorandum of understanding and to ensure that israel security -- [applause] and to ensure that is real security funding is provided in full. eric cantor and i have pledged to work together to achieve that end. [applause] and the world must know this as well. as they saw the united states responded to the threat to citizens in benghazi, surely they must be confident that the united states would respond to any threatened assault on the brothers and sisters in israel. at that time when i ran threatens the safety of all israelis, and indeed the world, we must and firm against the tehran regime possible nuclear proceeds. we must continue to stand by the strong sanctions and diplomatic pressure they are holding that dangerous threat back. president obama takes that threat with the seriousness it deserves. his resolutely led the global effort to stop it, and that effort must be successful. and i know bill daley will focus on that issue. thank you very much for it your leadership in that effort. [applause] we must continue to remind the world of the disastrous global implications of a nuclear-armed iran and we must ramp up pressure to prevent that outcome. and even at a time when the future of the peace process looks at how uncertain as it has ever been, but as reassert our faith that there is only one justin secure have come for israelis and palestinians alike. a future of two states for two people, all homeland for the jewish people, the other a homeland for the palestinian people. both living in peace and security with one another. and if that peace and security are to exist, israel's border must be defensible and must reflect reality on the ground. [applause] the reconciliation of hamas and fatah puts the future -- in the face of those who put their faith in violence, long opposed to seek peace imposed from outside, let us make this clear. peace can only be achieved by the return to the negotiating table without preconditions. i believe in palestinian statehood, but i stand strongly against a solution that is declared unilaterally or by an international body. peace cannot be imposed. it must be negotiated. ladies and among men, women speak with crystal clarity that we will not compromise -- we must speak with crystal clarity we can enter an alliance with -- which includes terrorists. that principle is enshrined in u.s. law. i was proud to support it. in accordance with that law, we will not fund the government that fails to accept the jewish state of israel. robert kennedy said to a group of students in south africa, "our future may lie beyond our vision but it is not completely beyond our control." he added, "is the shaping the worke america that neithe of our own hands match the reason in principle they will determine our destiny." today as them the future is beyond our vision. but let us make it with confidence and resolve. when we're called to leave behind what we know, let us so bravely and willingly go with faith that a lasting things we carry with us will be more than enough to sustain us. but the show with a conviction in times like these are born the qualities of vigilance, fidelity to purpose and principle, conviction, and courage that makes nations lasting legree. israel is such a nation. america is such a nation. together, we are better. well what tomorrow brings may be uncertain, let us confront those tomorrows with a certainty of our own immutable bond. together, israel and the united states have represented and bought to sustain the values for which so many in the arab world now stride. let us not delude ourselves about the evil dead lives in the heart of humanity nor be dissuaded from responding to the good in the hearts of others. we come together rest friends of israel to share our apprehensions and our hopes. to share our predictions, our insides, our analysis, to debate, to do the work that is the heart of democracy and the secret of democracy's success. at these times of great flux, we can count on of least this blessing -- what is certain, what is lasting, what is true standout all more brightly. and first among those facts is the unbreakable bond between our two nations. and from a foundation so strong, and so deeply rooted become a there is nothing we cannot endure together, nothing we cannot accomplish together. may god continue to bless the state of israel and the united states of america. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back aipac president lee rosenberg. i >> since i came to know president obama more than a decade ago, when he was a state senator from illinois, i had the privilege of sharing many great moments with him in our hometown of chicago, in israel, and more recently in the white house. however, mr. president, i am mystified why i remain one of your few friends not to share in the moments, greater otherwise, as her teammates on the basketball court. [laughter] ladies and gentlemen, we are honored today to welcome to aipac, to the home of america's pro-israel movement, the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause] mr. president, we look forward to your remarks, but first i my share ashore reflection about you, my friend and our president. the most important thing that i can convey in welcome you this morning is what i personally know to be your commitment to the unshakeable, unbreakable relationship between the united states and israel. [applause] as you have said both publicly and privately, the relationship between the united states and the jewish state of israel is anchored in both common interest and shared values. you understand what great depth that israel is the only country in the middle is the chair's america's commitment to freedom, democracy, and peace. you have demonstrated for your support of 410 $3 billion in critical security assistance for israel that investing in the jewish state of israel is investing instability and an unstable region. -- in an unstable region. it should also be noted and we thank you for publicly and frequently calling for increased funding for the jewish state of israel even in this difficult budget environment. you have fought for an increase in assistance. [applause] and in addition, you understand that small and democracies like israel are particularly vulnerable. that is why you appreciate your -- we appreciate did you proposed in israel receive more than $200 million to fund the on arundell more rocket defense system. -- iron dome rocket defense system. this new technology is protecting the people of israel from rocket fire from a terrorist group hamas. mr. president, if you have talked about the issue of iran. here in the united states and in the international community, we appreciate your determination to ensure that preventing iran from developing a nuclear weapon is an american priority. you have used york influence in world fora to convince the world that stopping iran from developing a nuclear weapon is a security imperative that requires focus, sanctions. mr. president, we appreciate your ongoing effort to bring a lasting peace between israel and the palestinians. we know that you share our profound disappointment that palestinian president mahmoud abbas has chosen to join forces with the present -- the terrorist organizations hamas and refuses to come back to direct negotiations with prime minister netanyahu. as you know from your meeting this past friday, the prime minister is a leader ready to join with you and engage in serious direct talks that could lead to peace. we trust that you would use the power of your office to a office tobbas to return to the table and let him know that any effort to pursue a unilateral that relation of a palestinian state at united nations will be opposed by the united states. [applause] and finally, mr. president, you sent a powerful message to weeks ago on behalf of every american and every person around the world that cares about freedom and democracy. note terrorist is safe. those who commit terror against america will not elude punishment. and when you kill innocent citizens of the united states, you will inevitably face the long arm of american justice. the operations that you order that resulted in the death of the face of the islamic radicalism and one of the world's worst mass murderers was heroic. thank you, mr. president, for ridding the world of osama bin laden. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 44th president of the united states, president barack obama. >> that was terrific. absolutely. you doing all right? good morning. thank you very much. good morning. thank you. thank you so much. please have a seat. thank you. what a remarkable, remarkable crowd. thank you, rosie, for your very kind introduction. i did not know that you play basketball. [laughter] i will take your word for it. [laughter] rosie, thank you for your many years of friendship. back in chicago when i was just getting started in national politics, i reached out to a lot of people for advice. rosie was one of the very first. when i made my first visit to israel after entering the senate, you are at my side every step of that profound journey through the holy land. so i want to thank you for your enduring friendship, your leadership, and for your warm introduction today. why also want to thank dave didn't victor and all the board of directors. and it is wonderful to see so many great friends, including a very large delegation from chicago. [applause] thank you all. i want to thank the members of congress joining us today. who have done so much to sustain the bonds between the united states and israel, including eric cantor. [applause] steny hoyer. [applause] and it tirelessly there i was a proud of. as the new chair of the dnc, debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] terbil mumbai -- joined by officials representative to the united states. and we're joined by one of my top advisers on israel and the middle east for the past quite true years and know is going to be an outstanding ambassador to israel, and shapiro. -- dan shapiro. dan has always been a close and trusted adviser and friend and i know he will do a terrific job. at that time when so many young people around the world are standing up and making their voices heard, i also want to a acknowledge all the college students across the country who are here today. no one has a greater stake in the outcome of events that are unfolding today than your generation. it is inspiring to see you devote your time and energy to help shape that future. i am not here to subject you to a long policy speech. i gave one thursday that says that the united states seize the historic changes sweeping the middle east and north africa as one of great challenge. but also a moment of opportunity. for greater peace and security for the entire region including the state of israel. on friday i was joined at the white house by prime minister netanyahu and we reaffirm -- [applause] we reaffirm that fundamental truth that has guided our presidents and prime ministers for more than 60 years. all we may at times disagree as friends sometimes well, the bond between the united states and israel are unbreakable. and the commitment of the united states to the security of his arrival is ironclad. -- to the security of israel is ironclad. [applause] as strong and secure israel is in the national security interest of the united states, not simply because we share strategic interest, although we do both seek a region where families and children can live free from the credit -- free from the threat of violence. but simply because we face a common danger, although there can be no denying that terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons are grave threats to both of our nations. america's commitment to israel's security flows from a different place. that is the values that we share. as to people's the struggle to win our freedom against overwhelming odds, we understand that preserving the security from which our forefathers and foremothers fought must be a work of every generation. as two vibrant democracies, we recognize the liberties and freedoms that we cherish must be constantly nurtured. and as the nation that recognize the state of israel moments after its independence, we had a profound commitment to its survival as a strong, secure homeland for the jewish people. . >> the eyes of an eight-year-old boy who lost his leg to a hamas rocket. and i walked among those, i was reminded of the fear of israelis when a modern dictator seeks nuclear weapons and threatens to wipe israel off the face of the earth. because we understand the challenges israel faced. my and my administration have made the security of israel a priority. it's why we increased cooperation of our military to unprecedented levels. it's why we are making our most advanced technologies available to our israel allies. [applause] it's why despite tough fiscal times, we have increased foreign military financing to record levels. [applause] and that includes additional support beyond regular military aid of the rocket system. a powerful example of american/israeli cooperation. a powerful example of american/israeli cooperation that has already intercepted rockets from gaza and helped save israeli lives. make no mistake, we will maintain israel's qualityitaati military edge. you have seen our participation to prevent iran from obtaining military weapons. here in the united states we have imposed the toughest sanction on the regime. at the united nation, under our leadership we have secured the most comprehensive sanctions on the regime that are joined by ally partners around the world. today they are cut off from the financial system. and we are going to keep up the pressure. and let me absolutely clear, we remain committed to prevent iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. [applause] if the nuclear program is just one challenge that iran poses. as said on thursday the iranian government has shown their hypocrisy by threatening protesters and treating their own with brutality. and providing weapons and funds to terrorist organizations. we will continue to work to prevent these actions and stand up to groups that seek to impose their will through rockets and car bombs. you also see our commitment to israel security in our steady fast opposition in any attempt to dehumanize the state of israel. as i said at the united nation last year, israel's existence must not be a subject of debate and efforts to chip away their visibility will be met we the unshakable opposition of the united states. [applause] so in the dublin review conference and advanced israel sentiment, we withdrew. and in the wake of the reports, we stood up for israel to defend themselves. when there are matters that need to be resolved through direct negotiations between israelis and palestinians, we vetoed it. so in both word and deed, we have been unwaivering in our support of israel's security. and it is precisely because of our commitment to israel's long-term security that we have worked to advance peace between israelis and palestinians. now -- i have said repeatedly, that core issues can only be negotiated in direct talks between the parties. and i indicated on thursday that the recent agreement between hamas posing an obstacle to peace, no terrorism organization can continue with destruction, and we will continue with peace by recognizing israel's right to exist and rejecting violence and provide more agreements. [applause] and we once again call hamas to release one kept from his family for five long years. [applause] and yet no matter how hard it may be to start meaningful negotiations under current circumstances, we must acknowledge that a failure to try is not an option. the status quo is unsustainable. and that is why on thursday i stated publicly the principles that the united states believes can provide a foundation towards negotiations, towards an agreement to end the conflict on all plains. the broad allies known for years have been the template for discussion between the united states and israel and palestinians since clinton administration. i know there is some controversy generated over the past few days. i wasn't surprised. i know very well that the easy thing to do, particularly for a president preparing for re-election is to avoid any controversy. i don't need robin to tell me that, i don't need anyone to tell me that. but i said to the prime minister that i believe that the current situation in the middle east does not allow for procrastination. i also believe that real friends talk openly and honestly with one other. so i want to share with you some of what i said to the prime minister. here are the facts we all must confront. first the number of palestinians living west of the jordan river is growing rapidly. and fundamentally reshaping the demographic realities of both israel and palestinian territories. this will make it harder and harder without a peace deal to maintain israel as both jewish state and democratic state. second, technology will make it harder for israel to defend itself in the absence of genuine peace. third, a new generation of arab is reshaping the region. a just and lasting peace can no longer be forged with one or two arab leaders. and moving forward, they must see that peace is possible for that peace to be sustained. just as the context has changed in the middle east, so too has it changed in the area over the years. there is a reason that the palestinians are pursuing with the united nations, they see that there is a peace impatience and growing and it's manifested itself in capitols around the world. those are the facts. i firmly believe, and i repeated it on thursday, that peace cannot be imposed on the party was conflict. no vote of the united nations will ever create an independent palestinian state and those will stand up to efforts at the united nation or any international form. this is not a matter of debate. that is my commitment. that is my pledge to all of you. [applause] moreover we know that peace demands a partner. which is why i said that israel cannot be expected to negotiate with palestinians that do not recognize that right to exist. and we will hold the palestinians accountable for their actions and rhetoric. but the march to isolate israel international and the negotiations will continue to gain momentum in the absence of a credible peace process and alternative. and for us to have leverage with the palestinians and arab state and with the international community, the basis for negotiations has to hold out the prospect of success. and so in advance of a five-day trip to europe, in which the middle east will be a topic of acute interest, i chose to speak about what peace will require. there was nothing particularly original in my proposal. this basic framework has long been the discussions of many parties. and since questions have been raised, let me repeat what i actually said on thursday, and not what i purported to have said. i said that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent palestinian borders of israel and palestine, and those borders should be based on the 1969 lines with mutual agreed swaps. so that secure borders are established for both states. the palestinian people must have a right to govern themselves and reach a sovereign state. as for security, every state has the right to self-defense. and israel must be able to defend itself, by itself against any threat. [applause] provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism and to provide effective border security. and a full withdrawal of military forces should be responsible insovereign state and this must be agreed and this effectiveness must demonstrated. now that is what i said. and it was my reference to 1969 lines with mutually agreed swaps that received shares of attention, including now. and since my position has been misrepresented many times, and let me reaffirm what 1969 mutually swaps lines mean. it means that israeli and palestinians will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on june 4, 1967. that's what it means, it's a well-known formula for those who have worked on this for generations. it allows for the parties to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 44 years. [applause] it allows the parties themselves to take account of those changes including, the new demographic realities on the ground and the needs of both sides. the ultimate goal is two states for two people. israel is a jewish state and home land for the jewish people, and each enjoying recognition and peace. if there was a controversy then, it's not based in substance. what i did on thursday was to say publicly what has long been acknowledged privately. i have done so because we can't afford to wait another decade or another two decades or another three decades to achieve peace. the world is moving too fast. the world is moving too fast. the extraordinary challenges facing israel will only grow. delay will undermine israel's security. and the peace that the israeli people deserve. now i know that some of you will disagree with this assessment. i respect that. and as fellow americans and friends of israel, i know we can have this discussion. ultimately it's the right and responsibility of the israeli government to make the hard choices that are necessary to protect a jewish and democratic state for which so many generations have sacrificed. and as a friend of israel, i am committed to doing our part to see this goal is realized. and i will call not just on israel but on the palestinian and it is arab states and the international community to join us in this effort. because the burden to make hard choices must not be israel's lump. but even as we do all that is necessary to ensure israel's security, even as we are clear-eyed about the difficult challenges before us. and even as we pledge to stand by israel through whatever tough days lie ahead. i hope we do not give up on that vision of peace. for history teaches us anything, if the story of israel teaches us anything, it is that with courage and resolve, progress is possible. peace is possible. it teaches us so long as a person still have life, they should never abandon faith. and that lesson seems especially fitting today. for as long as there are those across the middle east and beyond, and standing up for the rights and freedoms that are denied by their government and united states will not abandon those that are universal. and for the a better future, we will never abandon our pursuit of a just and lasting peace to end this conflict of two states living side by side. this is not idealism, but a hard-fought recognition that peace will ultimately provide for peace for palestinian people and a jewish state for the israel people that. is my goal, and i will continue to work with aipac to achieve that goal. thank you, god bless you, and god bless israel and god bless the united states of america. thank you. >> remarks by president obama by the audience gather here in washington, d.c., coming on the heels of his speech last year and when speaking to netanyahu and of the borders of the arab/israeli war. and talked with representatives in the house. you can find portions of this conference of aipac on our website and in our library, and will have the president's comments tonight here at 6:30 on c-span. >> tomorrow night benjamin netanyahu will present at the conference, we will bring you live coverage at 8:45 eastern on c-span 2. president obama leaves for europe and will have a speech in dublin, and will spend time with queen elisabeth ii, and the president will attend a g-8 summit in france and end his trip in poland. next up is presentation from the heritage foundation, in washington, d.c., this is about an hour. >> good morning. >> good morning, welcome to the heritage foundation, as director of lecture and seminars, it's my privilege to welcome you to our auditori auditorium. and ask those in-house that you make that last courtesy check that cell phones will be turned off and we will approach the program on the website for your future reference. hosting is michael franc, over studies here at heritage studies, he served as heritage director of relations and as well as served for communications for dick army. and he served in the office of national drug control policy, working in california and then returns to work in heritage. please join me in welcoming my colleague, mike franc. >> well, i will introduce our esteemed panel from the podium, and first welcome to heritage and this event. a preview of president obama's trip to ireland, great britain and poland. and we are honored to have guests to give a preview of what to expect and discuss the challenges in each of the relationships we have with each of those very friendly nations with whom we have been dealing with for a very long time. let me do a brief introduction of all three of our speakers. and i will preface this by saying, if you took collectively the diplomatic experience of our panel today, it's hard to find an area of the world that they have not been on the front lines addressing over their careers. first we will speak in the order that the president conducts his visit. starting off with the irish ambassador, michael collins who have been the ambassdor since 2006. he's served in rome, new york, washington, he's been ireland's ambassador to saudi arabia, and provided for kuwait and ambassador to ukraine. and he's also done extensive work at the u.n. and involved in the north/south relationship and challenges that ireland has faced. and as background ireland remains one of the countries that is number seven in security. and second speaker, from british embassy, and has been in that position, since april of this year, and he's a diplomat joining in 1986 and includes india and pakistan and afghanistan. the u.k. has been a high scorer in the index as well, number 16 in the world now, and we expect them to move up those rankings as they lower their government burden in the future, isn't that correct. and our third speaker from poland, robert kupiecki, began in the ministry in 1994, he's a newcomer to this. his experience in security matters, nato matters, concerning disarmament and weapons of mass destruction. and poland is one of the most aggressively improve nations in recent years. now we turn it over to ambassador collins and go down the panel. and please join me in welcoming ambassador collins. [applause] >> well, good morning, everyone, i am glad to be here. and thank you for extending the invitation to me and to speak about the president obama to ireland. this was extended to president obama in 2009, and that was renewed following the formation of the new government in dublin in march of this year. and we have five days coming into ireland found himself in the oval office and happy to find himself in the united states and happy to renew and extend the invitation to the president to ireland. and to our great satisfaction he accepted and he will be in ireland on monday as presenting to the u.k. on tuesday. this is a big thing for our country. the last president to visit ireland was in 2000, president bush was in ireland twice, 2003 and 2004, and on other business, and limerick wasn't the context of the summit. this is a big moment for us and we are excited that it's happening. and excited that the program has developed. and share that with you. the president in dublin on monday will meet the president, and meet the government nearby before he has an engagement with staff at the american embassy in dublin. and then fall from dublin to monder, that's a small town with population of 300, where he will rediscover his irish roots. and from there he will travel back to dublin where he will speak as a major public event in the middle of dublin in front of a public crowd later that afternoon. those are the basics of the program, and for a huge celebration with a president with some irish roots and any president visiting any country it's a big moment. and it's a big week, after the president's visit and for those who know irish history and no need to explain how significant that is. and the last visiting of the monarch was in 1911 and the evolution of the peace process ensures that she receives the welcome. and she leaves on friday and the president arrives on monday. and this is an opportunity for us to engage in important relations, u.k. and the united states. we are looking forward to welcoming the president. his relationship between ireland and the united states is profound. so many people in this country have a connection with ireland. and we ourselves with 35-40 million people. but there are other statistics that suggest up to 100 million people share relation with ireland. either way, so you understand why it's very important for us, and we are proud with the united states that has made such a contribution to this country and the role placed in society has given us enormous credentials as a country. from that special place and contribution they have made with others over the generations. of course as the matter with ireland has all to do with the nostalgic part, and there is a hard edge to the relationship as well, the budget edge. ireland and the united states has substantial edge on the front, and united states has played a huge part. some 95,000 ireland employees work for united states companies and these companies gain access to a european market of some half a billion people. it's an important base and a winning base for these companies to be in ireland and to be in the european marketplace and beyond. we are the only english speaking country in the euro zone and part of the euro bank. exports from ireland, and last year were up some 9%, when countries talk about their wish to grow, and most talk doing it through exports. and we are doing that as our economy, and our exports grew by some 9% last year. but it's not all one-way. it will come as a surprise to many people that know that ireland is the 13th largest number of investors and not a happy number, the 13. but so people talk about investment into ireland one way, and it's important to acknowledge a second way into the united states. and there is some 82,000 jobs in the united states from irish companies alone. and we are proud to build on that. and ireland is faced with current challenges, no denying. daunting challenges. and we went through and are going through a period of quite considerable difficulties starting in 2009. when our economy dropped by 8% alone. and 2009 it was less -- 2010 was less though, and this year we are looking returning to stability and returning to growth as well. so ireland will experience modest growth, something less than 1% in 2011. and we are looking forward to a better performance in 2012 and 2013. we have taken steps to address the difficulties in the economy, and we are sure that we will find our way out of these difficulties. and the president coming to ireland will give us an enormous boost to, do the celebration and acknowledgment that he will do. and at this particular time in ireland the boost will be important. and i want to briefly refer to the president's own background. the president will go to a town in the southwest of ireland, and we have monies there but in 1850 president obama's great, great-grandfather on his mother's side sailed for america at the age of 19. and he was a shoe-maker and his great, great grand-son will be returning to ireland with such success. and it's a great story of heritage. and at a time when our economy is facing the difficulties that we are facing. and it's very gratifying that the president would invest time in coming to see us, and enjoying the opportunity to celebrate his background. and also giving us the opportunity to promote the one message we want to promote, that ireland is very in business and its way back to economic stability. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you very much, good morning, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to start by thanking the heritage foundation by organizing today's event and to give the opportunity for the forthcoming. and unfortunately not being there and to take part but sends his greetings and apology. this is going to be the president's first visit in 2009, the time of the summit then. and has regular interactions since prime minister cameron. the prime minister was in washington last summer and met in international meetings. and they talk regularly on the telephone as well. for the united kingdom the united states is our closest ally. so the state with importance. and before i say about the state, and i want to say on the foundation on which the united states is built. it ranges across all fields of government and interactions. to use a military term and comes full spectrum. and i want to pick out of that broad relationship three areas to highlight. firstly prosperity. it's a time of economic challenge across the globe. and the u.k. and united states i think work closely together on the economic issues. and how we are all dealing with those challenges and also bilaterally we have a very important trade, an investment relationship. so by way of example, the u.k. and the u.s. are the single biggest largest foreign investors in each's country. investing half a trillion dollars in each other's economies. and it's a time when i am struck in my five weeks of talk of the rise of china. and it's worth noting that u.k. and investment in the united states is 570 times larger than that of the china. and more people work in the united kingdom and that's important of the relationship and what it does to help our people be more prosperous and to have employment to work together for a more prosperous future. the second area i want to highlight is security. we are the closest possible allies. and that's clearly stated by afghanistan where there is 10,000 british troops engaged and for that campaign there. and we have a shared approach to the security challenges that the world faces today. beit from terrorism, and al-qaeda and iran and the situation in africa. the first and final area to highlight is a softer side of innovation, research and education. again we are very close partners and the u.k. is the top choice for american students who want to study abroad, the university of greece. both of our countries act as a global hub. and if you look in 2010, nine going into partnerships and half went into the u.k. and the united states. both acted to work and make the most of that time. and on the state visit, and i think they are often seen as being a lot about pompous circumstance and those who got up in their pajamas and watched what you would get on that side of it. but as i said earlier, and i think it would be a significant amount of substance, the president arrives in london following his visit to ireland on tuesday and then will be formally welcomed by the queen and prince phillip, obviously the first lady will be there. and a day for interaction for the president and prime minister will be wednesday, and that is when they will have detailed talks. the back-drop of course is the turbulence and the great achievement in our fight against terrorism. and i think that the president and the prime minister will talk about the situation in pakistan, and i am sure that is to to discuss how to work better and support countries like egypt. as they go through transition and that's the theme of the g-8 summit immediately after the president's visit to london. and i am sure to also discuss how to help relationships in the sort of fields i have been talking about. science, innovation, our defendant partnership, cyber where the u.k. wants to play their part in joining the international society of cyberspace that was spoke about in washington. and also how to work together in things like the development field globally. so there is going to be a lot to talk about. i think there will be a lot of susstance in the visit beyond other circumstances. i want to speak about the queen's visit to ireland. it is a genuinely historic event. and i believe that it symbolizes the relationship between our two countries. and speaking of the visit to ireland and all she's done to bring communities there. i had the very good fortunate to work with tony blair at the time that the good friday agreement was reached. and i know from that first-hand experience the role that the united states played in helping to bring about that agreement of this talk they gave to the irish government to reach an agreement. in my mind there is a neatness and symmetry that the immediately after the queen's visit that the president will visit the united kingdom and for the support of the peace achieved in that part of the world. thank you. [applause] >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to echo the words of those thanking the heritage foundation for the opportunity to highlight president obama's trip to europe. poland will the be last stop of the president's tour, arriving on the afternoon of 27th of may come will come back to washington, d.c. the next day. the president's visit is a long awaited one, not only by other countries and so received by almost 10 million polish/americans living in the united states, and a large group of -- of taking the roles from central europe. the president's visit takes place in a very special moment for poland. in two months taking over the presidency of the european union, and at the time of the president's visit we will host a major summit of all central european heads of state. where the president will be a part of the summit. and where we intensify our efforts of democratization, and to asia and libya. i will say a few words about it in a moment. the president's trip takes place six months after my president visited washington in december of last year. it's a short period of time and it's the second opportunity for foreign leadership to meet and substantial discuss. the president's program will be divided into two parts. on the third day president obama will participate in the concluding working dinner of the heads of state meeting. the agenda of the meeting will be divided into two elements. the president will join to take stock of the central european economy transformation from hypocrisy to democracy. and to think and analyze in terms of applicability of the emerging process and the situation. especially in north africa. the other portion of the conversation will be exactly devoted to global issues and of the experience regarding this situation. and the other part will be filled with a meeting of the prime minister and the president. and president obama. and as far as the topics of the discussion are concerned, they will be divided into three areas. those three areas of strategic dialogue with the united states. those three areas comprise, security, political relations and democratic relation and economy. and the most prominent of the economy which is now occupied by the energy corporation. in terms of security the presidents will take stock of our corporation in nato and our joint participation in afghanistan and 2,000 polish troops continue in the providence. there are challenges and for polish and (inaudible) in the same part of the country. the challenges they had inline with the expected control will be open by the discussion of the presidents. and the presidents will take stock of what they spoke in december last year, and indicated the programs and the projects including increased presence of the u.s. forces on polish within prospect of their regional applications. so i think by the time the presidents will be able to announce the proper taking. and involve the project of poland hosting by the united states by the year 2018. and the second class of topics to be discussed with the president and prime minister of poland is democratization. and poland and other european countries have displayed strong leadership. and we have also increased our activities involving indonesia and the team on the heels of considerable economic life lead by the former president of poland. and held meetings with the representation of the society. and last week my foreign minister, the first minister of the european union visited b bengazy and had significant humanitarian. so those issues based on the joint interest of commonality and this will be a major portion of the meetings between the leadership. and last but definitely not least, the economy. over the last couple of years we see a steady growth of our trade with the united states. and it is a very significant growth. growth signifying for the last three months of this year. and showed the prospect of the exchange between our two countries. but there are projects mostly associated with those run by the american companies and they will occupy the interest and the time of the leadership. the companies are shaping poland and plwith poland and of the peace. and it is a huge prospect when it's properly put into production. that they will not only satisfy the gas consumption poland and satisfy the export and change the complex of the energy to the point of origin. and not only the economy, and not only energy related but highly political point that is being discussed by the european union and with the united states and other countries as the interest in this issue. as i mentioned the discussions with the president's visit will have its european union, taking over the presidency on july 1 this year, there is a significant angle to this visit. and there is one special issue that is very much on the agenda. poland is the only country on the visa-waiver program, and i would like to remind all of you, president obama in december, 2010 declared by the end of his presidency he would like to solve this issue. so i believe that five months after this declaration and poland's authority can ask for the americans and that project. and by the administration there is a project in the congress so the question is when the congression will solve this and this is an issue that is strong in the community. and as the case of the pulse of poland. thank you very much. [applause] >> well, thank you, we can now turn to our audience for questions. i would ask if you would be so kind when we call on you to identify yourself for the purposes of the speaker. gentleman here. >> george conden, with national journal. can you talk about the level of european concern in your countrys and overall and the continent over the american failure to deal with the debt limit, and the american deficit, is that a topic of discussion? is that an area of concern? >> well, i think we all country, the united states and the european countries fight with the economy and the debt. and this is the case in poland, and i wouldn't be surprised of those positions in the leadership. >> on the part of the u.k., i couldn't use the word concern. i think it's the wrong word, and there is key interest as you expect in the policy of the administration. and with the new government in the u.k. came in a year ago, and agreed that a new policy of reducing the u.k.'s deficit and they are set on that path. and i am sure that the president and prime minister will have a discussion around the global economy and how growth and prosperity for those countries and other around the globe. and the debt of economic ties and the future of the united states is very important to the u.k. too. >> i don't have a huge amount to add to that, obviously the economic environment generally is a prime concern and of the president, and we have economic challenges in ireland. but it's always a matter of importance to get the respect of the president of the united states, and have been in a meeting on the oval office. and that's part of the agenda, and how we manage our challenges and we would be interested in the prospective of the united states as well. >> question. in the back there. >> hi, as far as the president's trip to poland, i know there is an outreach with the pols to both the russians and the u.s. how much of that comes down to the improved relations of u.s. and russia. >> i don't believe i understand your question. >> with the pols reaching out to the russians and the u.s., to improve the relations, how much of that is between the u.s. and russia? >> since the beginning of the president, we followed close with the united states towards russia. we understood the logic of the process, and we supported the objective of the process. in the meantime in parallel with the russian/americans, we are running our own. sometimes referred to as reconciliation. and not only relations or military balance but also reaching to the historical problems. there are many avenues of dialogue opened and enforced in the last two or three years, including the activities of the performance of our polish/russian political issues, so we are moderately satisfied with the outcome of the work. and the power of the nature of the russians and the american process, i think there is some degree of . . and more of a risk in terms of more military operations, more expensive on the part of countries, particularly given what has happened in libya and whether anything like that could happen elsewhere in the foreseeable future, whether that being syria or barring more of your else. -- or bahrain or anywhere else. >> the change we are seeing in the air world has been going on since the beginning of this year and is likely to go on for some time. i think every country is different. but i do think that the british government and the prime minister see it as a major opportunity for new change, both the united kingdom and united states as well. changes are around a democratic and free societies are the changes we are seen. -- we are seeing. those of the things we want to support. we think there is a big opportunity. the prime minister is in discussions about how we, as those on the outside can support it. i think that will come about the g-j. all that said, i think it is an uncertain process and the challenge for all of us is to look of the way in which we were able to respond to bring other countries like poland and other european nations to help provide security for those countries and to find ways for countries like egypt, who want change to help them get out. >> [unintelligible] democracy in various parts of the world. but i think there will be an interest in multilateralism, especially in the european union. >> i am from the heritage foundation. i would like to ask the british representative, ever since president obama came into office and removed the bust of winston churchill from the oval office, there was the impression that this president was not quite as devoted to the special relationship as his predecessor. do think that one object of the presidential visit will be to correct this impression. >> i do not actually agree with your thesis. i am not convinced there is an impression to correct. the truth is, the british media are a little obsessed by this. it wasn't the focus when the prime minister was here last year. there are attempts to claim the relationship is less special then it was. in the full spectrum of our very deep and broad relationship with the united states, had remained as healthy and robust and positive as it has always been. i think the remarks that the prime minister and president make in public and the discussions they have in private will reflect that. i think that is an impression that needs to be corrected. >> i am the director of the u.s.-polish trade council. i would like to ask the ambassador whether there is also an emphasis on the economic development side because poland's transformation to democracy was supported by the economic development that went along with it. you had things like the enterprise program that i was involved with, tens of thousands of businesses in conjunction with the democracy building efforts that you have initiated in north africa, are you also one of those people who helped to initiate the economic changes? >> thank you for this question. the polish transformation, especially the results of the polish transformation point to one simple conclusion. your effort in the security and freedom in the market was worth every penny spent. and when you mention the enterprise program, i think we are the only country who received american assistance and returned every cent. and when you look for effective, -effecty cost relationship, we look forward to working with you in the future. -- cost effective relationship, with forward to working with you in the future. we look forward to helping democratization in other parts of the world. innovation andn modern technology and development. i think there will be some positive messages conveyed by the u.s. presidency, including high-level contact and new areas of cooperation that we will pursue in the next couple of years. >> when president obama first took office, there was unhappiness in poland over some of his policies on missile defense. can you talk about where that stands now? and also, the expected announcement that fabled removing some of 16 -- f-16's from the base in poland, can you talk about that? >> both countries agreed that the new programs will also involve poland starting from 2018. this is the timeline we are currently working with in consultation with the u.s. i do not want to speculate where those f-16's and other airplanes possibly could come from. we have been informed that there will be in rotation of military air force presence. there will be many more negotiations taking place. i hope by the time of the visit it will be possible to announce. >> what is the significance of that? what is the importance of poland -- >> i would say three-fold. first, the increased u.s. military presence. it will help not only our regional security, but it will also benefit nato. there is definitely a prospect of joint exercises, joined benefits for our operations within the north atlantic alliance. and i believe that if we look at those countries in central europe, looking at the modernization of the armed forces and the propositions that they make regarding the equipment, where is also a possibility for regional cooperation. that would very much point to the conclusion that it is a relationship that may be progressive and it has a lot of process -- prospects. >> i am wondering how the imf is going to factor into these conversations about all, and have any of your countries called for dominique strauss- kahn to resign? the imf, the controversy about what is going on there. it is going to factor into conversations, if the u.s. does have to take over if he leaves. i wonder if there is any discussion about. but i do not know. [laughter] i do know that we have completed our negotiations with the imf and world bank, and with the european central bank and with the european commission in relation to the package that we secured last november. there are some issues around the interest rate applicable to doubt that are subject to ongoing negotiations -- applicable to that, that are subject to ongoing negotiations. but in terms of the specifics of any conversations with any personalities, i could not speculate what sort of conversations there might be, if any. >> in the conversation around personalities, the thing i would emphasize is that the imf is still a functioning organization. the acting director is clearly in charge of the organization. >> and i would just add that the heritage foundation is a free market organization. more than a few people have lost quite a socialist was in that position in the first place. [laughter] >> i am with the heritage foundation. my question is about the polish ambassadors comments about a waiver and: not being in it. after 9/11, no countries were admitted into the waiver program, mostly because of those who might harm americans. president bush of the nato summit announced new partners. in the fall of 2008, eight new partners came in, including estonians, latvians, lithuanians, slovaks and czechs. many countries that were former soviet bloc countries were brought in, but not poland. how'd that resonate with the people of poland? the fact that you guys are partners with article 5, all for one and one for all with the united states, but not allowed to travel to the u.s. on the same basis as other europeans. and the second question is for the british guest and the irishman. do ireland and britain view polls as security threats? -- belleview poles as security -- view poles a security threat? >> it resinated badly among polish society. -- it resonated badly among polish society. especially considering the long time standing record of polish military cooperation with nato. and the great history of the u.s. and poland. obviously, there is no migration pressure from poland to the u.s. as my messi has indicated, rather, the steady outflow -- as my embassy has indicated, rather, the study of low -- the steady outflow from the united states. we understand the domestic justifications and how complex the situation is in the u.s., but there is no logical explanation currently to the situation. 21 years from now, there is a willingness to resolve this issue [unintelligible] we would like to have the answer, a positive answer. >> could i respond to thweathere consider poland a security threat? absolutely not. we have opened our country completely without qualification to the member states of the european union since rejoined in 2004. since that time, we have to have the pleasure of hosting some 200,000 polish people in our community. there are a bargain part of the modern ireland. we welcome them, indeed. we welcome them as members of the european union on our shores. we have a lot of -- a lot in common with the polish people and, certainly, the polish people in ireland have made a substantial contribution to our economy, particularly since 2004. >> i would echo the comments of what the ambassador just said. our experience has been positive. when one looks back over the way we have largely been involved with the european union, we have had spanish, portuguese, greek coming in when they joined the european union. and now we have the ball is coming in and my experience has been positive. they have filled gaps in our employment market. it has been a positive experience as far as economic development. and at a fundamental level, poland is a partner of the people and we treat them exactly as we would any other citizens of the union. >> thank you. question over here. >> i am from the london daily telegraph. can i ask of review what reaction you think president obama will get in each of your countries? we know how wildly popular he was in europe when he came into office, and during his campaign. do you think he still has that same popularity? >> i think president obama can expect a hugely enthusiastic welcome in ireland. the last visit we had was from president clinton in 2000. thank you to give a public event that he will be attending it will be preceded by a musical event, but the whole message has an enduring quality to it, which will resonate very warmly and well, particularly with the younger people at home. these are tough times. for the president of the united states to come and spend time with us and if reflect on the positive relationship that we enjoy with the united states, and obviously will in the future, it means very much. i cannot imagine the visit will be anything other than hugely enthusiastic. also, as my colleague said, the acknowledgement that there will be a u.s. role in the peace process is not something that, should be underestimated. if we are almost at a point in ireland where we take the piece almost for granted because the process has been hugely successful. but i do not think it would have been as successful without the portion between the british and irish government, but particularly also our american friends. president obama will be the current environment of that contribution and it is a process that we cannot take for granted. there are ongoing needs of and the ongoing support of the united states remains important. we have our challenges at the moment. i think a visit from the president on monday will be very good for us. >> i have worked in the average government quite a lot in 10 downing street and in the cabinet, so i have seen quite a lot of state visits to the kingdom, which we normally have two year. if i am completely frank, quite a lot of them , and go without the public notice. it might just be a photograph on page 5 of the daily telegraph. i am absolutely sure this visit is not going to be like that. i think it will be very significant, both in the media, but also in the general public. i think it will be extremely positive, the interest. >> it is the same situation in poland. the presidential visit has been expected for a long time, so there is much interest. their regional and bilateral and goals attached to this does it. -- there are regional and bilateral angles attached to this visit. >> what is it about him and his message -- and you think it is that from president obama will be greater than other presidents? why is he still so popular in europe? >> the president has been in office for two years. he is a person who the american people have chosen as their elected head of state. that is a very significant in for the world, given the united states' role in the world. but it is also true as you become familiar with politicians to lose a novelty. but i think there is still a freshness and news about him. i think there will be keen interest. >> one more question. >> ambassador college, looking at the financial reports, as i understand it, total support to the banks of about 55 billion , 42% of gdp. you think this discussion will arise with the president's visit? as i understand it, this seems to be a top priority. >> these things are top priority for us. the banking situation in particular. many people have had a hard time trying to fathom how these numbers that we face. we recently stress tested the banks to a very high standard and the outcomes of those stress tests are taking place at the moment. it is a matter of dignity and interest to our european partners because of the relationship, in terms of the way these things are interconnected global lead. there is no question that our prime minister -- i think he was here in march. he had talks with timothy geithner. that is not something that we would normally have on the menu of normal activities for st. patrick's day. but there are policies both within the ines, e.u., and european central bank giving reviews that suggest we are following the press right course. and overall, the united states has a significant amount of interest in it. if i'm sure the president -- i'm sure the president will get a briefing from the taoiseach. the president just asked how the taoiseach sees it unfold in. but we are very determined, very committed to follow a course that brings us out of this crisis as soon as possible. steps are being taken in relation to the banking and they are crucial to our economic recovery. >> with that, i would like you to join me in a warm round of applause for our guests today. [applause] thank you once again for being here. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> c-span's road to the white house coverage continues today when jon huntsman, former u.s. ambassador to china and former utah governor makes remarks in new hampshire. that will begin at 4:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. if it is also available at our website c-span.org, live on c- span radio, and later on a video library. -- our video library. >> history, as you know, is much more than just politics and soldiers and social issues. it is also medicine and science and art and music and theater and poetry and ideas. and we should not love things in two categories. it is all part of the same thing. >> and morris, james and more cooper, harriet beecher stowe, off thomas edison, henry adams tonight on q&a, part one of two weeks with david mccullough on the americans who made the greater journey to 19th century paris at 8:00 p.m. on c-span. >> this weekend on american history tv on c-span3, from lectures in history, regina williams on the music of duke ellington. on american artifacts, a look at the smithsonian efforts to preserve the jefferson bible. and live sunday from jackson, mississippi, a 50th anniversary celebration of the freedom rides, when 15 men and women, black and white work to integrate seven bus stops. >> retired general james jones, president obama's former national security adviser, says pakistan needs to redefine its strategic relations with the u.s. within the next few weeks. he made his comments tuesday senate foreign relations committee hearing, chaired by john kerry, who just returned from a trip to afghanistan and pakistan. this is a few hours. >> this hearing will come to order. thank you very much for coming this morning. i apologize for being a little bit late. we got caught in a little bit of traffic on the way up here. today, we continue the series of hearings which we are engaged in, the fourth actually with respect to afghanistan and pakistan. and having just returned from the region, i would simply convey to my colleagues and everybody that at every stop and in every conversation, everybody has a sense of how critical this moment is for our strategies in the region and in each country in afghanistan and in pakistan. as much as some people have reached a level of impatience or serious evaluation about where we are and where we're going, it's very clear to me that we need to be really careful and thoughtful so as to get the policy right so as to not lose the progress that has been made and progress has been made many different places and in many different ways even as we face very real complicated sectarian and other struggles, struggles of a long nature between countries and their perceptions of their interests. but we do have vital national security interests in that region. and with close to 100,000 of our own troops, and the thousand civilian who are sacrificing in many different ways every day to help build a better future and protect american interests, we owe it to them to develop a road map that allows us to responsibly transition to afghan control and to advance regional stability. members on both sides of the aisle have appropriately been asking tough questions and examining every assumption that guides our strategy in the region. and i want to thank my colleagues for their thoughtful analysis and deliberation which is a service to the american people. and i believe this committee can do a service, a continuing service to the american people as we put the facts out on the table, listen to experts like general jones and others who come before us and device a strategy that does justice to the quality of the sacrifice and contribution of the folks who are over there 24/7, 365, some of them on third or fourth tours and occasionally even a fifth tour in terms of iraq and afghanistan combined. we're very fortunate to have general jones with us here today to help us think about this. i think he is one of america's most distinguished and experienced and capable public servants. i'm very pleased to call him a friend. and i'm glad he was able to come up here today to share his wisdom and insights with us. before we hear from general jones let me just you know, a really tiny encapsulation of what i perceived in the last days and particularly the results of the conversations in pakistan. in afghanistan, i visited coast which is rc east right on the border of pakistan. and a hot spot in terms of hakani network activities coming out of sanctuaries. and i spoke with our intelligence community personnel and others there about the impact of those sanctuaries and their analysis of the war. i then flew north to mass zer shareef where the unfortunate incident of the blue mosque and the u.n. took place not so long ago in order to understand how the groups there in the north, mostly tajik in that place where there are us becks and others to see how they view the prospects of reconciliation and in kabul, in addition to meetings with our embassy officials with the u.n., i met with the afghan cabinet ministers provincial governors, civil society leaders and with president karzai and discussed the upcoming transition and the steps that we all need to take to ensure its success and finally, i had the distinct pleasure and honor of meeting with our men and women in uniform including 500 national guard troops from massachusetts who are serving at camp phoenix just on the outskirts of kabul. let me share with my colleagues, i know all of us feel this every time we go over there, but you just cannot help but be impressed by the quality of the special young men and women who are serving in the armed forces of the united states. they're smart. they're disciplined. they're remarkably committed. they know their jobs. they're away from their families. they're enduring hardships. they take life and death risks on a daily basis and for that, none of us can really say thank you enough. my discussions with them actually helped drive home a critical point, whether somebody wore a star on their uniform or a chevron on their sleeve or whether it was general petraeus or the young woman that i had a great pleasure of promoting to staff sergeant. every person that i spoke with across afghanistan understood that there is no purely military solution. they all get it. so this is an important moment. and i believe that osama bin laden's death has opened up an opportunity. certainly i learned in afghanistan that for afghans, our accomplishment in achieving that raid has given them a sense of, a renewed sense of political space and of opportunity and of confidence about the american commitment. afghans do not want the taliban to return. overwhelmingly. but many have concerns about what reconciliation means in terms of their interests. above all, they don't want their struggles and sacrifices over the last ten years to be in vain. there are many currently just afghans. i had the privilege of meeting some of them like governor si sirabi who are daily struggling to bring about a better future for their country through peaceful means. and we need to empower those voices so they could lead their country in the right direction. i do have reasons for optimism after the discussions about general karzai and general petraeus that we can find a way forward that's significantly changes the american footprint and secures our interests and on saturday night, i sat with the president karzai and listened to him talk about the necessity of bringing all of the parties to the negotiating table. he understands that time and american patience are running out, but he's also confident that there's a way forward that meets everybody's needs. he also realizes that afghanistan is going to suffer an enormous economic shock when international forces leave and that we have to work together on a plan that is financially and military little sustainable for afghans and americans alike. finally, let me just say that as much as bin laden's death opened a door in afghanistan, it has also complicated our relationship across the border in pakistan. while the pakistani leadership and people initially reacted by praising our actions in abottabad, the subsequent discourses in pakistan, unfortunately, became quite sharp and quite critical because of the issue of sovereignty and the questions surrounding the raid itself. relations between us as everybody knows, quickly took a dive. jep part diesing both of our countries' national interests. i arrived there sunday night, began the process to see if we could find a way to rebuild the relationship, and during my trip to islamabad i met with president zardari, prime minister twice, the general twice, general pasha and members of the cabinet and i emphasized in clear and absolute terms to them the serious questions that members of congress and the american people are asking with respect to the pakistan and its role in fighting violent extremism. i underscored the importance of seizing this moment to firmly reject an anti-american narrative that exploits our differences instead of finding common ground and advancing mutual goals. i also listened carefully to the frustration that many in pakistan are feeling. about how we have been doing business together. about how the raid was conducted and perceived in terms of their politics and their ability to manage in pakistan. after many hours of talks, we agreed that it was imperative to move forward jointly and take specific steps to strengthen the relationship. i also emphasized that every step of the way, this relationship will not be measured by words or by communiques after meetings like the once that i engaged in. it will only be measured by actions. and that should begin today with the return of our helicopter tail to american forces. and in the days ahead, with very clear defined measures of cooperation which will be further define bid high-level meetings by administration officials commencing tomorrow or the next day and then, depending on the outcome of those discussions, hopefully, a subsequent visit by secretary clinton. i also want to point out. i'm not at liberty to go into all the detail of some of the things we'll do in specific terms. but i'm encouraged by them think there is great ability here to shift the dynamics of the entire relationship between afghanistan, pakistan, pakistan-the united states, and all three and india and ultimately change the longer term strategic interests of the region. gnat will depend on quiet and effective diplomacy over the next weeks. the final thing i want to say is, we do have to remember in this country that pakistan has sacrificed enormously in the fight against violent extremism. over 35,000 of its citizens have died as a result of extremist violent acts. they are, themselves, suffering from insurgency in their country. over 5,000 of their soldiers have died in effects to go into the west and take on insurgents. they don't have a lot of money. in fact, they call them broke. difficult times economically. and they rely on assistance in order to be able to wage this fight with us against extremism. their leaders understand that this moment, this relationship between us is an important one where they need to take decisive action as part of a rooj nal solution in order to promote piece in afghanistan and pakistan. i'm hopeful that the joint statement we reached yesterday gnat pursues a political solution will help provide a road map that helps get us there. general jones, we look forward to your testimony. thanks for being here. >> thank you, mr. chairman, for your own honesty. you arrived on the ground out here at about 6:30 this morning, after this remarkable trip. and you report up of the findings is already important to us. we're delighted yo were here, first, safely. i join you in welcoming general jim jones. in younger years, general jones, major jones, i was in my first term in the senate. we were wandering through france and italy and other situations. back in those days, learning much more about the world. later on, i was asked by the state department, the president of algeria, could undertake a mission to free 250 moroccan prisoners. turned out the president of algeria decided he didn't want to go. i latched on to general jim jones who was willing to go. and in fact provided three aircraft that hauled the morrocans across the borderse ad out of algeria. i thank you for that but also for your service over so many years. it's great to have you here with us this morning. pakistan is one of the largest muslim countries in the world. with a sizable nuclear arsenal. it's in a permanent state of hostility toward india, which is united states has close relations with. it's expanding ties with china borders iran, and all of the united states signed a first mutual defense agreement with pakistan in 1954, we have had great difficulty in the ensuing decades conforming a consistent partnership. one of the main problems is the government is not in monolith, but a collection of power centers that interact in complex ways. there's the elected civilian government, over the years, it's not been always strong or stable. uniformed military, which has seized power at various junctures. and we're told a shadowy group of former sbel yens agents that can act on their own. they work and their influences wax and wane. they can support u.s. policy in one moment and distrust them the dmex. add to this mix, volatile public elements, and you have a partner that can seem, as some said, to be firefighter and arsonist simultaneously. though pakistan has cooperated in many ways, including the fight against terrorism, americans are increasingly exasperated by the difficulties of the relationship. especially the raid to get osama bin laden who was hiding out for year near military facilities. many have accused pakistan of duplicity. it's created a trust deficit. it's incumbent going forward that the obama administration and pakistan's leaders, civilian and military, take steps to close this deficit. adhering to the agreements and assistance programs that form the most tangible part of the relationship. pakistanis must recognize that the united states does not give out blank checks. the partnership with pakistan act passed in 2009 set up a five-year program of civilian assistance to put our twice the pakistani people on a long-term basis. yet, only a small portion of the available funds has been allocated. in part, because pakistan has failed to propose many programs that conform the bill's criteria. the substantial military comes with a requirement that the president certify that pakistan is making significant efforts to combat terrorist group, including al qaeda, taliban and their affiliates. after the raid against bin laden, can the president make that determination? going forward, pakistan must do much more to root out terrorists in pakistan. this includes the network in northwest pakistan that launches attacks against the u.s. efforts there on the border. and the taliban, on the southern border. the obama administration should communicate that going after some terrorists while ignoring others is not acceptable. pakistan's own civilian leadership is not acceptable. the revelation about bin laden's whereabouts in pakistan is a setback. to confront honestly the contradictions that plagued the relationship for many years. an independent credible investigation into who in pakistan helped support bin laden would be a good place to start. i look forward to hearing general jones' views on how to strengthen this partnership. i look forward to our discussion. i thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you very much. appreciate it very much. general jones, we'll put your full testimony in the record. do you want to summarize? thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. senator lugar, members of the committee. it's a special privilege to be able to be here this morning to talk about very important country and a very important region for the united states and our allies. i deeply appreciate this opportunity. it's something that i have been able to work on for several years. going all the way back to 2003-2004, when i became the nato commander in europe. what i would like to do is quickly, just sum up essentially, some of the highlights of how we got to where we are. and some of the milestones that we covered along the way. as you know, in 2003, nato made the initial determination that it would interested in participating in afghanistan. gnat became a reality in 2004. we had a little bit of a bifurcated mission. nato was expanding to the north in afghanistan, then the west, then to the south over a two on to three-year period. the u.s. was running its own operation under central command, primarily to the east and the southeast in the country. in 2004, when nato aflooifd afghanistan there was already an important organization called a triparty commission. pack st pakistani leadership, the u.s. leadership. nato did not have a role or a mission with pakistan. it was not included in that group. in 2006, when nato completed its counterclockwise involvement in afghanistan, the u.s. and nato missions were combined. it resulted in a much more cohesive effort. that structure has been in place ever since. there are other important things. 2 2006 was a key year for a couple of reasons. one is that -- it was the year, i think, in which pakistan underwent some major earthquakes earlier in the year. and nato responded by providing a great deal of humanitarian relief very quickly, along with the u.s. what really transpired in 2006 was that pakistan authorities made a decision with the federally administrated tribal areas, to, in exchange for the tribes patrolling the borders, that the army would not do that. would not come into the tribal areas. those of us who studied the situation were a little bit incredulous that this would work. the events proved that, and i think the pakistani military and i know the general himself recognizes that that was a big mistake, because it not only cemented the distance of the save havens, but it aloud for just a dramatic increase in the flow of insurgents to and from afghanistan, from relatively safe havens in pakistan. and as anyone nose who has ever been involved in trying to win a war against an insurgency. insurgents have a safe haven, it makes it very difficult. it complicates things immeasurably. so, this 2006 decision really was a turning point in terms of the number of fighters that were able to infiltrate into afghanistan. and it resulted, obviously, our 2009 decisions to augment our own forces in order to turn around the deteriorating security situation in afghanistan. pakistan, um, had developed its own problems internally. the insurgency turning against pakistan in the valley south waziristan posed great threat to the stability of the government. and the army moved against their insurgents. the insurgents in the swat valley in ways that were very encouraging. they did great job. as a result of prime minister sing's willingness to reduce tensions on the indo-pak border by pulling back some of the indian forces, it aloud the military authorities in pakistan to transfer a fairly significant amount of troops from their border with india to the pressing situation along -- near their capital. and as i said, their operations in the swat valley in south waziristan were significant and effective. i visited the valley and was able to talk to military leaders and the civilian leaders. and while they have the ability to clear a cold, a certain chunk of that territory, they lack in the capacity to transfer to local authorities. in such way that the local authorities can keep the peace in the areas that the army has cleared. it's a very man-power intensive operation. the pakistani army has been beset by stability problems. lack of helicopters and the like. what is really lacking is the ability to transfer and move their troops out of the areas and have confidence that the local police and the local military would be strong enough to maintain stability in those regions. in 2009, when the president assumed the presidency and turned his attention to the region, we opted to consider more of a strategic approach, take a more strategic approach, instead of dealing with india, pakistan and afghanistan separately, it became clear that increasingly, we couldn't talk about afghanistan without

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