PART ONE - JOHN KERRY GIVING FULL REMARKS ON THE UNITED STATES STRATEGY IN SYRIA

USPA NEWS - Secretary John Kerry :'...It´s great for me to be here, and I want to thank the United States Institute of Peace for hosting all of us here this afternoon...Now, there´s another reason that I am especially pleased to be here, and that is stated boldly in the very name of this institute: peace...

Secretary John Kerry :'...It´s great for me to be here, and I want to thank the United States Institute of Peace for hosting all of us here this afternoon...Now, there´s another reason that I am especially pleased to be here, and that is stated boldly in the very name of this institute: peace. Across the street in the Harry Truman building, there are thousands of men and women who think about peace and work for peace every single day. And they think about especially what it would mean to the many millions of people who live without it, including many who have never in their entire lives actually known it.'

'And as a veteran, a diplomat, a citizen, a father, a grandfather, I personally believe that peace is as worthy a pursuit that anybody could imagine, and that no matter how hard it is to achieve, the attempt, if guided by principle and realistic vision, is always worthwhile.'

'I doubt there are many leaders who at the end of their lives look back with regret at having done all that they could to prevent war. And I hope there are none who think to themselves, 'Thank God I didn´t bother to lift a finger to stop people from killing each other.' I doubt that.'

'So it shouldn´t be a surprise to you that peace is a major theme, here at this institute this afternoon, of my remarks. As you know, these are extremely complicated times. That´s not an excuse; it´s a statement of the playing field. And I appreciate the chance to share some thoughts in advance of the G20 summit that begins Sunday in Antalya, Turkey. Our leaders will assemble there with a full agenda, which reflects the fact that our country, my country, the United States of America, is today engaged in more areas of the world on more important issues with more partners with higher stakes than at any time in history. And that is not an exaggeration.'

'Along the Pacific Rim, we have negotiated a landmark trade pact that will bind together 40 percent of global economies based on high labor and environmental standards and 21st century rules of the road.'

'In Africa, we are working with local partners to train the leaders of tomorrow, to increase access to electricity, improve food security, to end debilitating conflicts, and ensure that our success in stopping Ebola cold and in slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS is sustained into the future.'

'In Latin America, we are reaching out to the people of Cuba by normalizing relations after 54 years, while also working hard with our special envoy to help Colombia to move closer to a negotiated solution to the decades-long struggle with the rebel group, FARC ““ the longest conflict, openly, on the planet.'

'In Europe, we are standing firm with our allies in support of a democratic and sovereign Ukraine, and in sending a strong message of reassurance that NATO´s promise of collective defense will be upheld.'

'And in recent days, we have seen the beginning of what promises to be the most dramatic transformation of a nuclear program since the breakup of the Soviet Union, as Iran begins to mothball centrifuges, destroy the core of its heavy water plutonium reactor, and export much of its stockpile of enriched uranium.'

'Finally, at the end of this month and into December, I will join the President in Paris, where we are determined to negotiate a truly ambitious, durable, and inclusive framework for curbing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.'

'Earlier this week in Norfolk, I laid out the national security implications of this challenge, from the impacts of our own military readiness to the potential multiplication of overseas crises caused by food and water shortages, higher temperatures, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and the movement of people away from areas that can literally no longer sustain life.'

'The good news that it is not too late to reduce emissions, to limit the damage, and seize the economic and environmental benefits, which are extraordinary, staring at us, waiting to be grabbed, all of them the possibilities that come from a transformed energy future.'

'Because, as we all know, the solution to climate change is energy policy. We are pulling out all the stops to make sure that we can succeed, because the consequences of continued inaction, of more excuses, more delays, more refusals to acknowledge what is taking place right before our eyes are simply unacceptable.'

'So it is an understatement to suggest that it´s complicated, that there´s a lot going on out there. In fact, there are many important subjects that we could be discussing will through this afternoon and into the evening.'

............TO BE CONTINUED WITH PART TWO

Ruby BIRD
http://www.portfolio.uspa24.com/