Author: Lynn Sweet

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release April 11, 2010

PRESS BRIEFING ON

THE PRESIDENT’S BILATERAL MEETINGS AND THE NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT

BY

BEN RHODES, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION,

MIKE MCFAUL, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR RUSSIA AND THE CAUCASUS,

LAURA HOLGATE, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR WMD TERRORISM, AND THREAT REDUCTION

Via Conference Call

4:37 P.M. EDT

MR. RHODES: Thanks, everybody, for joining the call. We just wanted to take this opportunity to update you on some developments as it relates to the schedule for the next couple of days, and also to give you some updates on the bilateral meetings that have already taken place today as well.

I’m joined today by Laura Holgate, who is our Senior Director for WMD, Terrorism and Threat Reduction on the NSC and has been closely involved in planning this summit for some time; and Mike McFaul, our Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia, who can speak to the Kazakhstan bilateral meeting.

Let me just begin by going through the schedule tomorrow, along with some updates that we’ve made. Tomorrow the President will begin at the Convention Center with a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan. The President will then hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Najib of Malaysia.

Then we have added an additional meeting that we had not yet announced, which is the President will hold a bilateral meeting with President Yanukovich of Ukraine. This will be the first opportunity for President Obama to meet with President Yanukovich in person since his election. They spoke shortly after President Yanukovich’s election, but we’re looking forward to this opportunity to discuss a range of issues on which the United States and Ukraine cooperate.

Ukraine is obviously a very important country as it relates to non-proliferation and nuclear security. And the United States and Ukraine have a partnership on a number of security and economic issues that the two Presidents will be able to discuss tomorrow.

The President will then hold a bilateral meeting with President Sargsian of Armenia. And then he will hold a bilateral meeting with President Hu Jintao of China at 2:30 p.m. Each of these meetings will have pool sprays at the top of them.

Then at 5:00 p.m. the President will welcome the heads of the delegations to the summit. There will be — that will be an open press greeting for each of the heads of state and heads of delegation. Then tomorrow evening the President will hold a working dinner with the heads of delegation. This dinner will be dedicated to addressing the threat of nuclear terrorism. We believe, of course, that this summit is necessary to galvanize the kind of collective action that’s necessary to deal with what really would be the highest consequence threat to the American people and to global security as it relates to the ability of terrorists to acquire a nuclear weapon and use one in one of our cities or any city around the world. This would obviously have devastating consequences both in terms of the immediate destruction and loss of life, but also implications for the global security environment after an active nuclear terrorism.

So tomorrow night, to forge a consensus view about the nature of this threat, the President will be leading a discussion with the heads of the delegations about their perceptions of the threat and, of course, what needs to be done to confront it.

We will also hold a briefing tomorrow. Robert Gibbs will be doing his briefing, along with John Brennan, the Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, tomorrow afternoon at the Convention Center, so that John Brennan can help walk you through the United States’ assessment of the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Just two additional announcements as it relates to scheduling updates. On Tuesday, in addition to the meetings which we’ve already briefed you on as it relates to the summit schedule, the President will meet on a bilateral basis on the margins of the summit with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, a NATO ally and a partner on a number of critical regional and global security issues.

And then the President, after the conclusion of the summit and his press conference, will host a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Merkel of Germany. Obviously Germany is one of America’s closest allies. And Chancellor Merkel has been one of the President’s closest partners on a number of security and economic issues. And they are happy that they were able to find this time to meet on a bilateral basis after the summit’s conclusion.

With that, I’ll just turn to what’s taken place today before I turn it over to my colleagues. The President held his first bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Singh of India. This was Prime Minister Singh’s first visit to the United States since he was hosted here for an official visit and State Dinner in November. The President believes that the strategic relationship and partnership that the United States has with India is one of extreme importance to the United States and to the world. And the two leaders discussed the upcoming U.S.-India strategic dialogue as a next step and a process of deepening that partnership.

They discussed a range of issues on development, food security and poverty reduction. They also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and their shared commitment to work for a strong, stable, and prosperous South Asia. President Obama thanked Prime Minister Singh for India’s continued humanitarian and development assistance in Afghanistan.

And of course, they discussed a range of issues related to nuclear security in advance of the summit, and India’s commitment to making the summit a success. And I believe that those discussions will, of course, continue between the President and his counterparts as they head into the working meetings of the summit.

Of course, India has a very strong appreciation for the importance of non-proliferation and nuclear security, and the threat posed by nuclear terrorism.

The President then met with President Nazarbayev, and before I turn to Laura and Mike to speak to that meeting, I’ll also just say that he’s currently meeting with President Zuma of South Africa, and this is the first opportunity that he’s had to host President Zuma here in Washington for a bilateral meeting.

We, of course, in addition to the close partnership that the President has developed with South Africa on issues such as development and climate change, are also underscoring the example that South Africa has set to the world as it relates to non-proliferation. South Africa gave up its nuclear weapons capability and chose to meet its international non-proliferation obligations in one of the most important and dramatic non-proliferation developments that we’ve seen take place.

Of course, South Africa has found greater security and prosperity within the international community as a result of that decision. And again, the President believes strongly that this speaks to the benefits that nations can find when they do choose to meet their non-proliferation obligations. So he, in addition to having a bilateral discussion about a number of issues where we’re cooperating very closely with South Africa — whether it’s on implementing the Copenhagen Accord on Climate Change, pursuing developments in the region, and addressing another range of security and economic issues that we can read out to you after that meeting in some more detail — I just wanted to underscore the importance that the President places on South Africa’s example as it relates to non-proliferation.

With that, I’ll turn it over to Laura, who can speak to the nuclear aspect of the Kazakhstan bilateral meeting, and then Mike can speak to some of the other issues that came up at what was an important meeting for the President.

So I’ll turn it over to Laura Holgate right now. Thanks.

MS. HOLGATE: Thanks, Ben. The meeting with President Nazarbayev, in connection with the nuclear peace as it related to, obviously, Nazarbayev’s personal and Kazakhstan’s historical participation in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, his historic decisions in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union to close the test site, to remove all nuclear materials, all nuclear weapons from his territory, and to cooperate with the U.S. in destroying the residue that remains in Kazakhstan has really been historic and led to a number of important successes in the non-proliferation context.

That cooperation has proceeded ever since then and we are working with them right now in the context of decommissioning a nuclear reactor, of managing the safe and secure disposal of the fuels associated with that reactor. We’re also cooperating at a different smaller research reactor near the former capital of Almaty that uses highly enriched uranium; we’re working to convert that to use low-enriched uranium that is not weapons-useable, and to destroy the highly enriched uranium that remains.

So this has really been a very warm and supportive and cooperative relationship with Kazakhstan on the non-proliferation front, right at the heart of the issues of the summit.

MR. McFAUL: Let me just — I just came from a meeting, let me just echo a few of the things that Laura said and then talk about the many other pieces of this bilateral relationship that was discussed just now.

First, to remind you, this is our first meeting. The meeting lasted about an hour. They had spoken when — shortly after the election President-elect Obama called President Nazarbayev. They remembered that call fondly and then were glad to finally have the chance to meet today.

On non-proliferation and nuclear safety issues, President Obama praised Nazarbayev as really one of the model leaders in the world, and I think he said something to the effect we could not have the summit that we were having without his presence here.

In his own part, it was interesting that they had a discussion about how one can secure — have greater security and economic prosperity, and it was noted that Kazakhstan is an excellent example of that, whereby giving up nuclear weapons they received security assurances from all the countries in the region, and that has helped to make Kazakhstan one of the most stable countries in the region. And secondly, by giving up nuclear weapons they went from a country that might have been isolated had they kept those nuclear weapons, and in turn was open to the international economy and has managed to attract foreign investment. And both Presidents noted that that’s an important lesson for other countries in the world, and they particularly noted Iran when talking about a different path and a different way forward.

Second, the Presidents talked about Afghanistan, which of course is a very important issue for the Kazakhs being in the region. President Nazarbayev talked about their recent decision to start a program, a $50 million program to educate Afghans in Kazakh universities. He sees this as a major contribution to our efforts there, not only on the military side but really emphasize the importance of building for a new future on the economic and non-military side. And this will be an important part of what we are trying to do in Afghanistan as well.

He also announced several — talked about several ways that we can enhance the Northern Distribution Network, which as many of you, I’m sure, know, is one of the critical ways that we supply our troops and our support services in Afghanistan that now accounts for roughly 30 to 35 percent of all supplies that go to Afghanistan go through the NDN. And today they talked about numerous ways to enhance that, including, as announced today, an agreement to have polar overflights permission for a transit agreement between Kazakhstan and the United States that will allow our planes to fly over the globe directly from the United States into the theater, rather than have to go through, as they now do, through Europe and then through various ways into Afghanistan. This will save money, it will save time, in terms of moving our troops and the supplies needed into the theater, as President Obama has already announced.

Third, they had a very long discussion about Kyrgyzstan and the very volatile situation there. President Nazarbayev, of course, knows that situation well. He knows all the players involved, on both the opposition and the President Bakiyev, the fallen former head of state there. They talked about ways that we are reaching out to the new interim government; noted that Secretary of State Clinton has spoken to the new provisional head of government, Roza Otunbayeva, yesterday. I myself have spoken to Ms. Otunbayeva as well, and many other members of her government, with the goal there to stabilize the situation and prevent any further — any further violence in what has already been a very tragic situation.

President Nazarbayev, being a very well-respected leader in that region, said that he will do all he can to defuse that situation.

Fourth, they had a long discussion about the really excellent cooperation we’ve had on economic issues. President Nazarbayev noted that the United States is a major investor in Kazakhstan, and he agreed that he would work with our companies to maintain the contracts, the integrity of the contracts that are already there. There’s been some dispute in the press that they might try to rewrite those in terms of taxation. I think we came out very assured that that will not happen.

Also today, a major contract was announced between General Electric and the Kazakh rail officials. They agreed to jointly develop 150 diesel electric locomotives for use both in Kazakhstan and in other countries in the region.

We also discussed, and President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to push for Kazakh membership into the WTO, and also Jackson-Vanik was discussed as well.

Fifth, the President — President Obama recognized the historic occasion of President Nazarbayev and Kazakhstan’s chair of the OSCE, and we agreed to work together to try to develop a substantive agenda for a possible OSCE summit, although no decisions were made as to whether or not there would be a summit this year.

And finally, in connection with OSCE, the Presidents had a very lengthy discussion of issues of democracy and human rights. Both Presidents agreed that it’s never — you don’t ever reach democracy, you always have to work at it. And in particular, President Obama reminded his Kazakh counterpart that we, too, are working to improve our democracy. We spent a particular discussion of Mr. Zhovtis, a human rights official, which was — and the Presidents agreed that we need to try to find a creative solution to solve this very difficult issue. Mr. Zhovtis, for those of you who don’t know, was involved in a traffic accident last summer where someone was killed, and many human rights organizations has raised this issue about the processes that were used to convict him. Let’s just leave it at that, the fact that both Presidents had a very frank discussion about this case.

And finally, once we get done with this call we’ll be releasing a joint statement on the summit — we’ll probably hit the “send” button just as soon as we’re done here.

MR. RHODES: Thanks, Mike. And with that we’ll just move to your questions.

Q Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us about this today. My one question, the meeting with the Turkish President — was it announced previously? I’m wondering if you can talk about how that got scheduled, why that got scheduled and what you hope to accomplish at that meeting. Thank you.

MR. RHODES: Sure. Let me just begin, Josh, by marveling at your ability on these calls to get the first question in. You’ve got a great run going. (Laughter.)

It’s a good question. And really it was a matter of just finding a time. There’s obviously a very busy schedule here, 47 leaders and a full schedule of meetings around the summit that the President has to preside over. You know, at other gatherings where he is not in the chair, for instance, it’s possible for him to do more bilateral meetings. But because of his role as the host of this summit it’s very important for him to lead the discussions throughout the two days.

But we very much wanted to have this opportunity to consult with Prime Minister Erdogan. There’s a range of pressing issues that the United States and Turkey are working together on, and I would anticipate that they discuss the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan; that they would discuss non-proliferation issues broadly, as well as the need for Iran to live up to its obligations. And I would expect that they would discuss the ongoing effort to pursue normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, which the United States strongly supports.

So in addition to wanting to take the opportunity to meet with this important NATO ally, there are a number of issues that I think they’ll have the opportunity to address specifically, including the ones that I just went over.

Q Yes, hello, thank you. My only question would be about Azerbaijan. Is there any specific reason why Azerbaijan was not invited to this summit, since there is a large quantity of nuclear waste in the country? Thank you.

MS. HOLGATE: In determining the invitations for the summit we were intending to get a representative collection of countries. We couldn’t invite every single country that has any nuclear connectivity and so we were looking for countries that represented regional diversity where we had states that had weapons, states that don’t have weapons, states with large nuclear programs, states with small nuclear programs. And frankly, nuclear waste is not really part of the agenda of the summit itself.

So there’s no magic to the process, but representative character was our highlight.

Q Thank you. On the bilateral the President and King Abdullah of Jordan tomorrow, there have been many reports in Arab media that a big chunk of their meeting is going to be spent on the peace process in the Middle East. Can you please shed some light on this?

MR. RHODES: Sure. I’d just say a number of things about that. First of all, the President has a very warm and close working relationship with King Abdullah. It predates his presidency; he very much enjoyed being hosted by King Abdullah, for instance, in Amman the summer of 2008 when he was just a candidate and a senator. They’ve continued to have a dialogue on a range of issues since the President came into office.

Of course one of the most prominent issues that we work with our Jordanian friends on is the pursuit of a conference of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and between Israel and its broader Arab neighbors. So the President sees King Abdullah as an important partner on a range of issues and an important partner in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. And we know that King Abdullah is very — can play a constructive role in helping to move that effort forward and we expect that the peace process will be one of the prominent issues that the two leaders will discuss tomorrow.

They’ll be able to discuss the current efforts to get moving with proximity talks between the United States, the Israelis and the Palestinians. And I think they’ll be able to discuss the steps that can be taken by countries in the region, along with the international community, to support that effort and to strengthen Palestinian institutions and to support the Palestinian people. For instance, Jordan has helped play an important role in that regard in the West Bank.

So I do believe that issues of Middle East peace will be an important part of that bilateral meeting.

Q Yes, my question is to what can be done in your opinion to enforce any new measure this time around on nuclear material security, considering that there were two previous conventions that were never ratified by some governments or ignored in other cases — and I think by that I mean the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material in 1980 and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism adopted again I believe in 2005. I guess my question is how different is this new effort?

MR. RHODES: I’ll hand this over to Laura, who can speak to the specifics of the previous meetings you mentioned. I’d just say to preface that, the reason that the President felt that this demanded really an unprecedented gathering of world leaders was to instill a greater sense of urgency about the need to take action. The President believes, again, that the consequences of an act of nuclear terrorism are so significant that we cannot afford to delay action and that we need to be moving forward both collectively, as an international community, and individually to secure vulnerable nuclear materials that we do know exist around the world.

So the first thing I’d say before I hand it over to Laura is simply that this is being done in many instances at the head of state/head of government level, and it’s being done with the clear leadership of the United States in trying to galvanize collective action along with our partners on this issue.

So again, a key reason to hold the summit in its own right was to provide that sense of urgency and a high level attention to the issue of nuclear security and nuclear terrorism.

And I’ll pass it over to Laura now.

MS. HOLGATE: Thanks, Ben. The two conventions that you mentioned are in fact at the heart of our discussions as we’ve been preparing for the summit. We’re trying to use the summit to advance, accelerate and give higher profile to the wide range of existing commitments and instruments that already exist. And so one of the key things we’re trying to do through the summit is to enlarge the number of countries who have, in fact, ratified and implemented those two agreements that you — those two conventions that you mentioned.

And in particular the amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials that requires a minimum number that’s on the order of 90 countries in order to come into force. So we’re trying to use this summit to press for those and, in fact, in our own case it’s been — we have advanced our own efforts in the U.S. to complete our ratification process on those two conventions. So I hope that we’ll be able to complete that soon ourselves.

Q I just wanted to know if the list of bilaterals is closed, or is there still a chance that you have some countries — there have been some speculation that Argentina could have a bilateral?

MR. RHODES: Sure. I’d just say that we do continue to look for opportunities for the President to engage on a bilateral basis with his colleagues throughout the course of the summit. So we provided the additional updates of meetings that have been added today that are now locked on his schedule. But, you know, we will continue to look for occasions for — I know he will continue to look for occasions to engage on a bilateral basis with his colleagues.

Of course that can be done in a range of ways. They’ll have opportunities to speak on the margins of the meals and the summit activity. But we will continue to provide you all with updates as things are scheduled and we’ll also, again, alert you to bilateral interactions that do take place throughout the course of the next two days.

Q Hi, there. I’ve just got two very cheeky questions, one is a procedural one. Can you confirm that it’s just going to be — is it a phone call with Goodluck Jonathan or is it a face to face at Blair House with Goodluck Jonathan? And also can you confirm with the President told Manmohan Singh that he would support India having access to David Headley when they met? Thanks.

MR. RHODES: Sure, I can, on both those questions. First, I should have mentioned that the President will be seeing Goodluck Jonathan at the Blair House, so we will have a readout of that meeting at well. But he looks forward to this opportunity to welcome President Jonathan to Washington and to speak with him. And so when that takes place later this afternoon — it should be the last of the meetings that the President has today — we’ll provide a readout on that.

On the David Headley situation, that is currently — I do believe — well, I actually don’t — I couldn’t tell you with specificity, I’d have to check with our team as to whether it came up in the meeting itself. But I do know that this is a matter that our Justice Department is responsible for and that the Attorney General is responsible for. So they would be — they would have the best information as to what the current status is. I will say that we cooperate very closely with our Indian friends on issues of counterterrorism. So we addressed these kinds of issues in that spirit of cooperation.

Q Hi there, thank you. There have been some reports in the British and Turkish press that the reason why Prime Minister Netanyahu is not attending this summit is within the margins of the summit there has been an expectation of a declaration with the leadership of Turkey and Egypt to invite Israel for nuclear transparency. Does the White House have a position if something like that, a paper like that, comes up?

MR. RHODES: Sure, I’d just say a number of things. First of all, Prime Minister Netanyahu, I think, and the Israeli government, have spoken to their decision related to his participation. However, they are sending the Deputy Prime Minister, who is the figure within the Israeli government who has responsibility for these nuclear security issues. So we believe that Israel will be well represented at this summit and will be part of the collective action that we are seeking as it relates to nuclear security and nuclear terrorism.

I’d also say that, as it relates to this summit in particular, it is focused on the issue of nuclear security and nuclear terrorism. There is obviously a broader non-proliferation agenda that the President, for instance, has been working on throughout the week, as you saw with the release of our Nuclear Posture Review and the signing of the New START treaty. However, this summit is focused narrowly and specifically on nuclear security and nuclear terrorism because we believe that the threat is of such magnitude that it needs to be addressed on a focused basis.

On the issues of nuclear security and nuclear terrorism, we do both believe that there is a broad consensus among nations in the Middle East and around the world on the cooperative actions that need to be taken. And that broad consensus will help enable the shared effort that we want to see coming out of this summit, and is separate and apart from other issues, including some of the non-proliferation issues that I think you’re speaking to.

Q Thank you. Do you anticipate any binding communiqué out of this meeting? How would you enforce it? And will you talk about the issue of Iranian sanctions?

MR. RHODES: I’ll say a few things, then I’ll hand it over to Laura, I think, who can speak to the communiqué.

Again, I think what we expect to see out of this summit are a number of things. One is a communiqué addressing the pursuit of securing vulnerable nuclear materials around the world within the next four years, as well as a work plan for the international community to take steps in pursuit of that goal.

I think we’ll also see, over the course of the next two days or so here, specific national actions that will be announced to advance the effort of nuclear security. So I think we’ll see a number of concrete steps that will be announced in association with the summit and this broader effort.

For instance, we’ve already seen Chile ship its high-enriched uranium out of the country. We’ve already seen the United States and Russia are pursuing an agreement on plutonium disposition.

So in addition to the communiqué and work plan, I think we’ll see some specific national actions that will be announced over the course of the next couple days we’ll let you know about.

But I’ll turn it over to Laura now to speak with greater specificity to the communiqué.

MS. HOLGATE: Well, to the basic question, the communiqué is not legally binding. It’s a political document. It does, however, make reference to a number of legally binding treaties and conventions and U.N. Security Council resolutions that apply to all nations. And so what we’re trying to do is to raise the level of awareness and attention and participation in those international legal structures as key elements of our toolkit in addressing the danger — the global danger of nuclear — insecure nuclear materials and nuclear terrorism.

As Ben mentioned, it will be underpinned by a work plan, which gives the specifics about how the broad goals and commitments of the communiqué are actually implemented and then, again, the various national activities that you’ll be hearing about over the next couple of days.

Q Hi, this is for Mike McFaul. When you were discussing the discussion between President Nazarbayev and President Obama about human rights and democracy, you seemed to be suggesting there was some equivalence between their issues of democracy and the United States’ issues, when you said that President Obama assured him that we, too, are working on our democracy. Is there equivalence between the problems that President Nazarbayev is confronting and the state of democracy in the United States?

MR. McFAUL: Absolutely not, Jonathan. To be clear, what the President was saying is that all democracies need to work to improve their democracies. And he’s taken, I think, rather historic steps to improve our own democracy since coming to office here in the United States. There was no equivalence meant whatsoever.

What was discussed was, you know, one needs to take concrete steps, and in the particular instance of Mr. Zhovtis they had a very frank discussion about why that is such an important issue to us here in the United States. And I think that it’s important that they hear directly from the highest levels, not just from people like me, that we’re watching these issues of human rights and democracy very closely in countries like Kazakhstan.

MR. RHODES: Well, thanks, everybody. I believe we’re going to be — I just want to let you know we’ll be sending out paper readouts of all the bilats that are taking place today. The South Africa one is completed, I think, and you heard the President make some comments at the top of that bilat about the focus of the summit and the goals that he has.

The additional bilateral meetings that will be taking place today are with Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan and then the President will be seeing Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria. So we will have paper readouts of those bilats coming to you this afternoon. And then tomorrow, of course, we’ll be moving over to the Convention Center.

So I thank everybody for getting on the call. We just wanted to take the opportunity to keep you informed of developments, and we will continue to do so.

The other thing that I just wanted to mention that we will be doing, obviously the United States and the entire world have been shocked and saddened by the tragedy that befell the Polish people with the loss of their President and such an extraordinary delegation of Polish civilians and military leaders. Of course, the President spoke to Prime Minister Tusk to personally express his condolences yesterday and sent a wreath to the embassy here in Washington today from the President and First Lady as well. And I believe that General Jones and Rahm Emanuel paid a call on the Polish embassy as well.

To mark the solidarity between the international community and the people of Poland at this tragic time, we will have a moment of silence at the beginning of the first plenary session on Tuesday to honor those who were lost and to underscore the fact that the United States and the world stand with the people of Poland right now at this time of such great tragedy.

So with that, again, I’ll thank you for joining the call and look forward to keeping in touch with you over the course of the next two days. Thank you.

END 5:17 P.M. EDT

First lady Michelle Obama lands in Mexico City Tuesday evening on her first solo official international trip, partnering for much of her short stay with Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala — who, like Mrs. Obama, is a lawyer with small children.

“I think she will bowl Mexico and Mexicans over,” Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan told me. This will be Mrs. Obama’s first time in Mexico and Sarukhan predicts enormous interest: “It will be on the front pages of every newspaper in Mexico.”

Mrs. Obama’s Mexico visit was described by one of her White House advisers on Friday as the “kick off” of her “international agenda” that will include more solo foreign travel in the months ahead with a focus on developing youth leadership, “part of the president’s broader vision around global engagement and the United States.”

That Mrs. Obama’s diplomatic debut is in Mexico underscores not only the close bilateral government relationship but also a warm personal relationship that has developed between the “first couples” of Mexico and the U.S.

Mrs. Obama dines Wednesday night at Los Pinos, the presidential residence, with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Mrs. Zavala. On May 19, President Obama and Mrs. Obama host a state dinner at the White House for Calderon and Mrs. Zavala.

Calderon, who travels to Washington on Monday for Obama’s nuclear security summit, will rush back to Mexico City on Tuesday with Sarukhan — hoping to land in time to greet Mrs. Obama on the tarmac at Benito Juarez International Airport.

Not only are Mrs. Obama, 46, and Mrs. Zavala, 42, lawyers who gave up their careers when their husbands became president, but “both President Obama and President Calderon became presidents after a grueling primary process in which neither of them were seen or perceived to be front-runners in the process,” Sarukhan said. “So I think there are a lot of issues that provide empathy between them.”

Mrs. Obama’s visit is brief — she departs Thursday morning — and it comes as U.S. and Mexican leaders are grappling with their mutual problem of escalating violence between drug cartels in Mexico who are fueled by steady consumer demand for illegal drugs in the U.S.

One of the issues Mrs. Zavala focuses on is reducing the market for drugs. When she was in Washington on Feb. 25 for a drug control demand reduction conference, she met with Mrs. Obama at the White House. I asked White House officials on Friday whether Mrs. Obama will be addressing cross-border drug issues and was told, “undoubtedly, the issue of demand reduction is one that Mrs. Zavala will draw upon” and “undoubtedly it is an issue among many that will be discussed.”

Both the U.S. and Mexico have high obesity rates; Mrs. Obama is leading a U.S. drive against childhood obesity and Mrs. Zavala also has in her portfolio addressing obesity and diabetes.

Mrs. Obama’s first stop on Wednesday is a private visit with Mrs. Zavala at Los Pinos. From there, the women tour the famed National Museum of Anthropology. Mrs. Obama was “very explicit in her desire and willingness to be able to get a sense of Mexico’s history and rich culture and its arts,” Sarukhan told me.

After that, Mrs. Obama stops at a public elementary school with low-income students and then heads to the Universidad Iberoamericana, where she delivers a speech to high school and university youths.

She returns to Los Pinos for a reception with female leaders hosted by Mrs. Zavala, followed by the dinner with the Mexican first couple. On Thursday Mrs. Obama hosts a breakfast round table with young Mexican leaders.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

Today, the President will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, which is dedicated to nuclear security and the threat of nuclear terrorism. The President will meet with leaders of 46 countries to discuss ways to secure vulnerable nuclear material around the world.

The President will hold separate bilateral meetings with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Prime Minister Mohammed Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia, President Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine, President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia, and President Hu Jintao of China at the Washington Convention Center. There will be pool sprays at the top of each meeting.

In the evening, the President will also welcome each head of delegation to the National Security Summit. There will be Nuclear Security Summit pool coverage. Later, the President will host a working dinner for Heads of Delegation in the Washington Convention Center Dining Room. This is closed press.

Monday’s In-Town Travel Pool

Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg

Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP

TV Corr & Crew: CBS

Print: NY Daily News

Radio: ABC

EDT

9:30AM Pool Call Time

10:15AM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the Convention Center to attend the Nuclear Security Summit

Pool Coverage (Gather time 9:40AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

10:45AM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan

Washington Convention Center

Pool spray at the top

11:45AM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia

Washington Convention Center

Pool spray at the top

12:55PM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with President Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine

Washington Convention Center

Pool spray at the top

1:30PM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia

Washington Convention Center

Pool spray at the top

2:30PM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with President Hu Jintao of China

Washington Convention Center

Pool spray at the top

5:00PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes Heads of Delegation to the National Security Summit

Washington Convention Center

Nuclear Security Summit Pool Coverage

6:30PM THE PRESIDENT holds a working dinner with Heads of Delegation

Washington Convention Center Dining Room

Closed Press

Briefing Schedule

1:30 PM Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan Briefing

Washington Convention Center Press File

Open to pre-credentialed media

###

Listen to Lynn Sweet on the BBC “Americana” show discuss famous U.S. presidential debates–as Britian hold its first ever televised debates with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown facing his major rivals

A primer on why United Kingdom voters will see three debates– from Foreign Policy magazine— is here.

excerpt from FP:

Gordon Brown, Britain’s embattled prime minister, announced Tuesday that he will hold the country’s most hotly contested general election in a generation on May 6, four weeks from now. Before then, the Labour leader will face off in a contest of a very different sort: three televised debates against the heads of the two other major parties, the Liberal Democrats’ Nick Clegg and the Tories’ David Cameron. The debates — set for April 15, 22, and 29 — are the first such events in British history.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 10, 2010

Below and attached is a list of world leaders and Heads of Delegation attending the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on April 12-13:

People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
His Excellency Mourad Medelci
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria

Argentine Republic
Her Excellency Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
President of the Argentine Republic

Republic of Armenia
His Excellency Serzh Sargsyan
President of the Republic of Armenia

Australia
The Honorable Senator John Faulkner
Minister for Defense of Australia

Belgium
His Excellency Yves Leterme
Prime Minister of Belgium

Federative Republic of Brazil
His Excellency Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

Canada
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada

Republic of Chile
His Excellency Sebastián Piñera
President of the Republic of Chile

People’s Republic of China
His Excellency Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China

Czech Republic
His Excellency Jan Fischer
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

Arab Republic of Egypt
His Excellency Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt

European Union
His Excellency Herman Van Rompuy
President of the European Council

Republic of Finland
Her Excellency Tarja Halonen
President of the Republic of Finland

French Republic
His Excellency Nicolas Sarkozy
President of the French Republic

Georgia
His Excellency Mikheil Saakashvili
President of Georgia

Federal Republic of Germany
Her Excellency Dr. Angela Merkel
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

Republic of India
His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of the Republic of India

Republic of Indonesia
His Excellency Dr. Boediono
Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia

International Atomic Energy Agency
Mr. Yukiya Amano
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Israel
His Excellency Dan Meridor
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy of Israel

Italian Republic
His Excellency Silvio Berlusconi
President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic

Japan
His Excellency Yukio Hatoyama
Prime Minister of Japan

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein
King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Republic of Kazakhstan
His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Republic of Korea
His Excellency Lee Myung-bak
President of the Republic of Korea

Malaysia
The Honorable Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia

United Mexican States
His Excellency Felipe Calderon Hinojosa
President of the United Mexican States

Kingdom of Morocco
His Excellency Abbas El Fassi
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco

Kingdom of the Netherlands
His Excellency Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

New Zealand
The Honorable John Key
Prime Minister of New Zealand

Federal Republic of Nigeria
His Excellency Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan
Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Norway
His Excellency Jens Stoltenberg
Prime Minister of Norway

Islamic Republic of Pakistan
His Excellency Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Republic of Philippines
Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic of the Philippines

Republic of Poland
His Excellency Radoslaw Sikorski
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

Russian Federation
His Excellency Dmitry A. Medvedev
President of the Russian Federation

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
His Royal Highness Prince Muqrin bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
President of the General Intelligence Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Republic of Singapore
His Excellency Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore

Republic of South Africa
His Excellency Jacob Zuma
President of the Republic of South Africa

Spain
His Excellency José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
President of the Government of Spain

Sweden
His Excellency Fredrik Reinfeldt
Prime Minister of Sweden

Swiss Confederation
Her Excellency Doris Leuthard
President of the Swiss Confederation

Kingdom of Thailand
His Excellency Trairong Suwankiri
Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

Republic of Turkey
His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey

Ukraine
His Excellency Viktor Yanukovych
President of Ukraine

United Arab Emirates
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces

United Kingdom
The Right Honorable David Miliband, M.P.
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

United Nations
His Excellency Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General of the United Nations

United States
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States

Socialist Republic of Vietnam
His Excellency Nguyen Tan Dung
Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

##

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2010

WEEKEND GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
SATURDAY, APRIL 10 AND SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010

The President has no scheduled public events on Saturday.

On Sunday, the President will hold separate bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Singh of India, President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, President Zuma of South Africa, and Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan at Blair House. The President will also hold a courtesy call with Acting President Jonathan of Nigeria at Blair House. There will be pool sprays at the top of each meeting.

Saturday’s In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: NBC
Print: National Journal
Radio: Talk Radio

Sunday’s In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: ABC
Print: Newsday
Radio: VOA

Saturday, April 10, 2010

EDT

11:30AM Pool Call Time

Sunday, April 11, 2010

EDT

12:30PM Pool Call Time

1:25PM THE PRESIDENT walks to Blair House
Pool spray (Gather time 1:00PM – Stakeout Location)

1:45PM THE PRESIDENT holds bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Singh of India
Blair House
Pool spray at the top

3:00PM THE PRESIDENT holds bilateral meeting with President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
Blair House
Pool spray at the top

4:00PM THE PRESIDENT holds bilateral meeting with President Zuma of South Africa
Blair House
Pool spray at the top

5:00PM THE PRESIDENT holds bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan
Blair House
Pool spray at the top

5:45PM THE PRESIDENT holds courtesy call with Acting President Jonathan of Nigeria
Blair House
Pool spray at the top

6:05PM THE PRESIDENT walks to the White House
Pool spray

Schedule for Week of April 12, 2010

On Monday and Tuesday, the President will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, which is dedicated to nuclear security and the threat of nuclear terrorism. The President will meet with leaders of 46 countries to discuss ways to secure vulnerable nuclear material around the world.

On Wednesday, the President will attend a bipartisan Congressional meeting to discuss financial reform at the White House.

On Thursday, the President will travel to Cape Canaveral, Florida where he will deliver remarks at the Kennedy Space Center on the bold new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. Leadership in human space flight.

On Friday, the President will attend meetings at the White House.

###

WASHINGTON–Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who told President Obama he will retire this summer, is a Chicago native, whose family has long-time ties to the city. Bill Barnhart is a Chicago journalist whose Stevens biography, written with Gene Schlickman, “John Paul Stevens: An Independent Life,” will be published next month by Northern Illinois University Press.

Barnhart highlighted Stevens Chicago connections for the Chicago Sun-Times:

1. Stevens’s father and grandfather built what was the world’s biggest hotel, The Stevens, on South Michigan Avenue, now the Chicago Hilton. That’s where the “S” crest above all the doors comes from.

2. His great uncle was Charles A. Stevens, owner of the former landmark Chas. A Stevens women’s apparel shop on State Street.

3. Stevens had an indirect brush with the law in his teenage years when his father and grandfather were indicted for embezzlement from the family business. His father, Ernest J. Stevens, was convicted in 1933, but the conviction was reversed by the Illinois Supreme Court.

4. Stevens grew up on 58th Street in Hyde Park, when to the U. of C. Laboratory Schools and the U. of C. undergraduate college. One of his mentors at college was Normal Maclean, author of A River Runs Through It. He was chairman of the board of the Chicago Maroon student newspaper during the restive years as America geared up for World War II. (His law degree is from Northwestern.)

5. Stevens is a life-long Chicago Cubs fan. He recalled being at Wrigley Field when Babe Ruth at the plate signaled to fans in the bleachers where he planned to hit his next home run .

6. When the Picasso statute was unveiled in Chicago, Stevens wrote a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune speculating that the statute depicted a GOP elephant, erected by Mayor Richard J. Daley as a trophy to the Democratic Party.

7. Stevens’s first major dissent as a judge of the seventh Circuit U.DS. Court of Appeals came in the case of the Milwaukee priest Father James Groppi, who was jailed for disrupting the Wisconsin legislature in a protest over the treatment of poor people. Steven’s dissent was affirmed later, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 7th Circuit’s majority opinion.

8. Stevens represented baseball owner Charley Finley, who was an insurance executive with offices on Michigan Avenue. Finley and Stevens were exact opposites in personality – Finley was crude and loud. But Stevens helped Finley move the Athletics from Kansas City to Oakland.

9. Stevens is a champion bridge player. Many Chicagoans peg their memories of Stevens to bridge.

10. Steven’s experience with Chicago politics, including misdeeds by two Illinois Supreme Court judges, shaped his view of the law, especially his dislike of any sort of legal immunity for politicians. He ruled against President Clinton, for example, in the infamous Paula Jones case.

WASHINGTON–The Obama White House learned of Justice John Paul Stevens decision to retire in a letter the White House received at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, giving President Obama his second appointment to the court. Stevens, a Chicago native, signaled his impending resignation in recent interviews. A senior administration official tells me Obama is expected to address Stevens departure when he returns from Prague this afternoon. Stevens will turn 90 on April 20.

Stevens one paragraph letter started, “My dear Mr. President:”

“Having concluded that it woul be in the best interests of the Court to have my successor appointed and confirmed well in advance of the commencement of the Court’s next Term, I shall retire from regular active service as as Associate Justice….effective the next day after the Court rises for the summer recess this year.”

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a statement, “Justice John Paul Stevens, a native Chicagoan, is widely seen as one of the wisest and most accomplished jurists of our time. The fourth-longest-serving Justice in U.S. history, Justice Stevens’ judicial philosophy may be hard to label but his integrity is rock solid. A lifetime in the law and the courage to speak his mind (see Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission) make him a national treasure on our highest court.”

“In the tradition of the President who nominated him, Gerald Ford, Justice Stevens has been a moderate, independent voice on a Court now dominated by conservative ideologues. Justice Stevens’ commitment to expanding freedom, safeguarding our rights and liberties, and understanding the challenges faced by ordinary Americans will be his legal legacy. He has had no judicial agenda other than fidelity to the law and the Constitution.”

“Now the President and the Senate must work together to honor his service with a justice who can honestly aspire to the high standard of public service Justice Stevens set.”

WASHINGTON–With unconfirmed reports that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is stepping down coming out on Friday, speculation rises on who will be President Obama’s second Supreme Court nominee–with Chicago’s Diane Wood one of the contenders. Wood has been a judge of the Chicago based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 1995 and was in the running for the seat Obama tapped Justice Sonia Sotomayor to fill. A Wood bio is here.

WASHINGTON–First Lady Michelle Obama hits Mexico City on Tuesday for her first solo international trip. She will be spending a lot of time with Mexico’s First Lady, Margarita Zavala–like her a lawyer with young kids. The visit underscores the important U.S.-Mexico relationship. My story on Mrs. Obama’s visit to Mexico–coming amidst growing concern about drug use and violence related to drug trafficking–is here.

On Friday morning, the White House released Mrs. Obama’s schedule. Click below for the details. The East Wing added a Thursday stop in San Diego, Calif. for Mrs.Obama after she leaves Mexico City to make a West Coast swing to discuss the Obama White House anti-childhood obesity programs.

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA’S VISIT TO MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

In recognition of the deep ties between the United States and Mexico, First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Mexico City, Mexico, April 13-15, on her first solo official trip as First Lady. During this visit, Mrs. Obama will have the opportunity to engage the citizens of Mexico, particularly young people, and build on her recent conversation with Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala around areas of interest to both first ladies.

The following is Mrs. Obama’s public schedule including pooled and open press events:

Tuesday, April 13 – First Lady Michelle Obama will arrive at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City. Mrs. Obama’s evening arrival will be open press, however space is limited.

Wednesday, April 14 – Mrs. Obama will start her day by traveling to Los Pinos – the residence of President Calderón and Mrs. Zavala – where she will meet privately with Mrs. Zavala. This event will be closed press.

Upon conclusion of her visit at Los Pinos, Mrs. Obama will accept Mrs. Zavala’s invitation to tour the Museo Nacional de Antropologia (National Museum of Anthropology). The museum is a centerpiece of Mexican culture and history housing the largest collection of ancient Mexican pieces in the world. This event attended by both first ladies will be covered by a pre-determined pool of American and Mexican press.

Then Mrs. Obama will visit with students and teachers at Escuela Siete de Enero, a public elementary school that serves local low-income students ages 6-12. The school also participates in a mentoring program with the American School Foundation (ASF), an academically rigorous, international, university preparatory school offering students from diverse backgrounds an American independent education, in Mexico City. Mrs. Obama’s event will be covered by a pre-determined pool of American and Mexican press.

Mrs. Obama will then travel to the Universidad Iberoamericana, a multidisciplinary institution serving over 11,000 students including 800 graduate students, to address invited university and high school students from in and around Mexico City. Mrs. Zavala will attend Mrs. Obama’s address as a guest of honor. This afternoon event is open press, however space is limited.

In the evening, Mrs. Obama will return to Los Pinos to attend a reception with women leaders organized by Mrs. Zavala. Following the reception, Mrs. Obama will have dinner hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Mrs. Zavala. This event is closed press.

Thursday, April 15 – Mrs. Obama will begin her day by thanking United States Embassy employees and their families. This event will be closed press.

Then Mrs. Obama will host a group of young leaders at La Hacienda de los Morales, an event center with a rich history dating back to the 16th century, for a breakfast roundtable discussion. Mrs. Obama will ask these men and women about their experiences and encourage them to continue their leadership in the community. Mrs. Obama’s event will be covered by a pre-determined pool of American and Mexican press.

Upon conclusion of the roundtable breakfast, Mrs. Obama will depart Mexico City.

Thursday, April 15 – On the return trip from Mexico, the First Lady will stop in San Diego, California, for a Let’s Move! event. Further details on this event will be circulated next week.

White House videographer Arun Chaudhary highlights here.

WASHINGTON–President Obama, in Prague to sign the anti-nuclear START treaty, brushed aside Sarah Palin’s criticism that he was soft-on-nukes during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues,” Obama said.

On Wednesday on Fox News, Palin compared Obama to a kid in a playground who is asking for a punch in the face.

“It’s unbelievable. Unbelievable,” said Palin told Fox New’s Sean Hannity. “No administration in America’s history would, I think, ever have considered such a step that we just found out President Obama is supporting today. It’s kinda like getting out there on a playground, a bunch of kids, getting ready to fight, and one of the kids saying, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face and I’m not going to retaliate. Go ahead and do what you want to with me.’”

Here’s the exchange about Palin:

STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to get to some of those broader issues. Because you’re also facing criticism on that. Sarah Palin, taking aim at your decision to restrict the use of nuclear weapons. Your pledge not to strike nations, non-nuclear nations, who abide by the nonproliferation treaty. Here’s what she said. She said, “It’s unbelievable, no other administration would do it.” And then she likened it to kids on the playground. She said you’re like a kid who says, “Punch me in the face, and I’m not going to retaliate.” Your response?

OBAMA: I really have no response. Because last I checked, Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But the string of criticism has been out there among other Republicans as well. They think you’re restricting use of nuclear weapons too much.

OBAMA: And what I would say to them is that if the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff are comfortable with it, I’m probably going to take my advice from them and not from Sarah Palin.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But not concerned about her criticisms?
OBAMA: No.

Click below for transcript

ranscript: George Stephanopoulos Interviews President Obama
‘Good Morning America’ Anchor Sat Down for Exclusive Interview Following START Treaty Signing
April 9, 2010–

“Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewed President Barack Obama in Prague, Czech Republic, just after Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the new START treaty.
The following is a transcript of the exclusive interview, which took place on Thursday, April 8, 2010.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thanks very much for doing this.
OBAMA: Thank you.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, some tough but successful negotiations with the Russians, now comes the Senate. You sounded pretty confident about ratification, but you know there is this concern about missile defense, and a lot of Republicans believe that even these unilateral Russian statements linking missile defense in the treaty could imperil it.
OBAMA: Well, first thing I think it’s important to remember is that this is a process that wasn’t just run out of the White House. The Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs looked at this every step of the way, our secretary of defense looked at this every step of the way, and the intelligence community looked at it every step of the way. And we were firm, and are now absolutely confident that this in no way impedes our ability to move forward on the missile defense program that’s designed not to target Russia, but in fact, is designed to deal with —
STEPHANOPOULOS: The Russians are saying they’re going to pull out if you proceed.
OBAMA: Well, no, that’s not what they’ve said. What — what they’ve said is that — as we’ve adapted in Europe a phased approach to missile defense, hopefully, we’re going to be able to create a situation where we cooperate with them. But it is going to be contingent and developing, based on our threat assessments. If for example, we are able to create a situation where Iran is no longer posing us a threat in terms of intercontinental ballistic missiles, then it may be that our missile defense configuration is able to be scaled back in a way that doesn’t threaten Russia.
So, all these pieces fit together. We’re looking at a timetable over a five, 10, 15, 20 year time horizon. This treaty itself absolutely accomplishes our initial goal, which was to replace the previous START treaty. To reduce the number of deployed warheads, the number of vehicles, launchers, that are used. But it’s only a start. And we’re going to have to continually build and evolve a whole approach that is designed for the 21st century as opposed to the 20th century. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you have no doubt you’re going to get the eight Republicans you need to ratify this treaty?
OBAMA: Well, you know, the — listen, I’ve now been in Washington for long enough that, for me to say I have no doubt (LAUGHS) about how the Senate operates would be foolish. I feel confident that leaders like Dick Lugar — who actually was somebody I worked very closely with when I was in the Senate on issues of bomb control — when they have had the opportunity to fully evaluate this treaty, [they] will come to the conclusion that this is in the best interest of the United States. But I will also say to those in the Senate who have questions, is that this is absolutely vital for us to deal with the broader issues of nuclear proliferation, that are probably the number one threat that we face in the future.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to get to some of those broader issues. Because you’re also facing criticism on that. Sarah Palin, taking aim at your decision to restrict the use of nuclear weapons. Your pledge not to strike nations, non-nuclear nations, who abide by the nonproliferation treaty. Here’s what she said. She said, “It’s unbelievable, no other administration would do it.” And then she likened it to kids on the playground. She said you’re like a kid who says, “Punch me in the face, and I’m not going to retaliate.” Your response?
OBAMA: I really have no response. Because last I checked, Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But the string of criticism has been out there among other Republicans as well. They think you’re restricting use of nuclear weapons too much.
OBAMA: And what I would say to them is that if the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff are comfortable with it, I’m probably going to take my advice from them and not from Sarah Palin.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But not concerned about her criticisms?
OBAMA: No.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s talk about President Medvedev. I’m going to see him tomorrow. You’ve spoken with him about 14 times negotiating this treaty. And it’s been a struggle. If this was just two lawyers hammering out the details, what did you learn about him?
OBAMA: Well, he — he is a — he’s a very deliberate, very methodical, very honest partner in negotiations, which I find very useful. He’s somebody who says, “Here’s what I can do, here’s what I can’t do.” He, he showed flexibility in negotiations, that, you know, haven’t always been the case in negotiations between the United States and Russia, where essentially you can just trade the talking points and not —
STEPHANOPOULOS: He — really talked?
OBAMA: He actually talked, he actually listened. I think we’ve developed a good working relationship. And I, what he recognizes — and is, I think, one of the central concerns of our whole approach — is that, you know, although the United States and Russia remain by far the largest nuclear superpowers, that the issues of proliferation, the challenges of nuclear terrorism and asymmetric threats, loose nuclear materials, that these are all things that in this environment, probably pose a much greater danger to the safety and security of the American people, or for that matter, the Russian people, than, you know, particular payloads coming from historic adversaries like the United States and the former Soviet Union.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you convinced he’s the man in charge in Russia?
OBAMA: You know, I will tell you, he has been able to consistently follow through on the commandments that he’s made. You know, I think there’s no doubt that he takes the counsel of Putin very seriously. I think that there’s no doubt that, you know, Russia is a big, complicated country just like the United States is. And there are all sorts of different voices coming at him at any given time that he’s got to take into account.
But what I’ve been impressed with is, is that from the time that we first met in London, a year ago to today, he has consistently been able to keep the commitments that he’s made, and follow through on them, and — and — the treaty that we signed today is just one example of that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And it sounds like you may be now on the same page in dealing with Iran.
OBAMA: Uh-huh.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you convinced that Russia and President Medvedev take this as seriously and, and feel the same urgency that you do?
OBAMA: I am convinced that what you heard today would’ve been unimaginable a year ago. For me to lay out clearly our approach to sanctions and to have then a Russian president next to me say there’s nothing I heard that I could disagree with, I think it’s an enormous shift and a signal that Russia, like the United States, recognizes that unless we can get all countries to start abiding by certain rules of the road — and right now, our biggest concerns are obviously Iran and North Korea — but they’re a broader set of issues at stake out there. That — that’s going to be damaging to their national security just like ours. And, and so, what you heard today was the Russians I think are clear that we need sanctions that will change the behavior of Iran. And I think that what you’ll be able to see over the next several weeks is, is that both the United States and Russia as part of a broader international effort are going to say to the Iranians once again, you’ve got options here.
STEPHANOPOULOS: An international effort that includes China?
OBAMA: You’ve got options. You can take the path you’re on, and get further isolated with greater and great consequences, or you can actually look at the very reasonable offers that have been out there that would allow them to pursue civilian nuclear energy without pursuing weapons.
Now, you know, you were asking about China. I think China is obviously concerned about their energy. You know, when you have that many people, and you’re growing that fast, then issues of oil are going to be high on your list. But what I’ve been encouraged by in conversations that we’ve had recently with the Chinese is the recognition, as they recognized when it came to North Korea, that if the international community is just standing by toothless and there are no consequences to actors who act contrary to their international obligations — that over time, that’s going to be destabilizing.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But what do you say to critics who say you’re on the same page with Russia now because you’ve given away too much? And that sanctions aren’t going to change Iran’s behavior, unless they include real limits on this trade in oil and refined gasoline products?
OBAMA: You had a compound question here. First, you made a suggestion that we gave away too much, and I — it would be — I’d be curious as to what exactly we gave away.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re giving away that — the taking — taking the fine petroleum products off the table.
OBAMA: Oh, I see. So, so, why don’t you reformulate the question here, George, because I’m just trying to follow you here. You’re, you’re suggesting that —
STEPHANOPOULOS: You said you and Russia are on the same page. You’re on the same page, because they’ve taken refined petroleum products off the table. And critics say —
OBAMA: No, no, no, no. I — I didn’t say that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You don’t believe it. Well —
OBAMA: What — what — what I —
STEPHANOPOULOS: — they said that.
OBAMA: Well, what I said is — is that the United States and Russia both are committed to making sure that there are sanctions that change Iranian behavior. That’s what you heard President Medevdev say, say today. Now, our assessments in terms of what that particular mix is — that hasn’t finalized. That’s still a process of negotiation.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, it could still include that?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I — I don’t want to negotiate on ABC News. But I think that there are going to be a whole host of measures that we put on the table, that they put on the table, that they think are effective, and that we think are effective, and we’re not doing this in isolation. We’re doing this with the other P-5 Plus One members. So, China is entering in negotiations in New York. We’ve got Germany, and France, and Great Britain. All of us are going to be sitting and crafting, shaping a sanctions regime that we think is actually going to be effective in changing Iranian behavior.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me — let me —
OBAMA: But if the question is, do we have a guarantee as to the sanctions we are able to institute at this stage are automatically going to change Iranian behavior, of course we don’t. I mean, the history of the Iranian regime, like the North Korean regime is that, you know, you apply international pressure on these countries, sometimes they choose to change behavior, sometimes they don’t. Part of that may have to do with their internal political dynamics. But if that pressure is steady, and applied, and consistent, and there’s a unified international effort, over time, you can see changes in behavior. And we saw that in Libya for example, which had pursued —

STEPHANOPOULOS: But so far, three rounds of U.N. sanctions haven’t worked.
OBAMA: Well —
STEPHANOPOULOS: What will be different this time?
OBAMA: Well, the — I don’t think you have seen the degree of international unity that you’ve seen in this effort. Now, we’ve got to explore a whole range of other options. And I’ve been consistent about that. But I think the important point is if that we came in a year and a half ago, close to a year and a half ago, saying that we would approach the Iranian government, give them an option, and we would move on parallel tracks, not because we were naive that the Iranians would automatically accept an open hand from us, but rather because we understood that by taking ourselves off the table as an issue, by showing that we would be willing to engage if, in fact, Iran was willing to act responsibly, what we would be able to do is to mobilize the international community much more effectively than we have in the past. And I think you’re seeing the results of that bear fruit today.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me just press this one more time. Are — are — are you saying now that you’re willing to consider blocking the trade in gasoline to Iran?
OBAMA: George, what I’m saying is I am not going to discuss the specifics of sanctions at this point.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So far, the Iranian officials are calling the sanctions a joke. And I’m sure you’ve seen that. And President Ahmadinejad took after you personally. He — he’s basically calling you a cowboy. The quote — the quote was, “inexperienced amateur,” and he wants you to wait “until your sweat dries and you get some experience.” What do you make of that?
OBAMA: Well, let’s see, George. So far, you’ve quoted Sarah Palin (LAUGHS) —
STEPHANOPOULOS: No, it’s President Ahmadinejad. You have to have deal with him.
OBAMA: — and now President Ahmadinejad. You’re — you’re trying to get a rise out of me.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And it’s not going to work?
OBAMA: No, it’s not. I mean, look, the guy — the guy’s known for saying some pretty, pretty unconstructive stuff, how’s that? And offensive stuff. So, I don’t take that seriously. What I do take seriously is the fact that if we consistent and steady and applying international pressure, that over time, Iran, which is not a stupid regime, which is very attentive in watching what’s happening in the international community, will start making a different set of cost benefit, you know, analyses about whether or not pursuing nuclear weapons makes sense for them.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Whose mind do you have to change there?
OBAMA: Well, I think, you know, how Iran works internally is a, is a pretty complicated thing. Ahmadinejad is just one player among many. Obviously, Khomeini is the, the person who probably has the ultimate power in Iran right now, but I think things are in flux in part because after this election, what we’ve seen is a delegitimizing of that regime. The violations of human rights, what we’ve witnessed on the internet and other venues have, I think, weakened this — this — this government.
So that there are probably a whole bunch of different power sources. And that’s part of what has made this process difficult. I mean, it’s not at all clear that they would have made the same decisions, for example, to reject the international offer that was made by the P-5 Plus One had they felt more secure and more stable. The fact that it came after an election may have, in fact made them dig in their heels a little bit more.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you seeing any signs there that they’re ready to change their behavior?
OBAMA: Well, you know, we haven’t seen the kinds of signs that would satisfy me. And that’s why I think we’ve got to keep on pursuing all options. And at this point, the most important option in front of us is — is strong and vigorous sanctions.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask you about Afghanistan. There’s been something of a war of words between your administration and President Karzai recently. And — and your press secretary, Robert Gibbs, refused to call him an ally the other day. And I think a lot of Americans wonder, if he’s not an ally, why are we putting American lives on the line?
OBAMA: Well, first of all, the reason we’re putting American lives on the line is because 3,000 Americans were killed by an attack that was launched from Afghanistan. And those people are still out there, still plotting to kill Americans.
So the reason the American troops are there, first and foremost, is because we’ve got to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen again. And that means that we are going after al Qaeda to dismantle and destroy them. I say at the beginning of my Afghan strategy, that was our central concern. That remains our singular focus. But in order to do that, what we’ve said is we’ve got to work both in Afghanistan and in Pakistan to create an environment in which these extremist organizations are further and further isolated.
And that means having a stable Afghanistan that has a trained security force, that is not allowing the Taliban to take over huge sections of the country, and potentially allow another platform for al Qaeda to operate. And in that process, what we’ve seen is steady, demonstrable success over the last several months. Now, President Karzai, I think, is going to be a critical partner in this effort, because if we are just succeeding on the military side, but not succeeding on the civilian side, then you’re going to continue to have instability in the region.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Is he a partner now?
OBAMA: Well, I think he has been a partner, but I think that he has his own domestic politics that he has to deal with. I think that — what in my last meeting with him, what I said to him was, the — the most important thing from the United States perspective, the thing we want most, is not to control Afghanistan or have a presence in Afghanistan. We want a prosperous, stable, secure Afghanistan that we can partner with to make sure this isn’t a base for terrorist activity.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But that means he has to be there.
OBAMA: And — and — and that means that he has to adjust and make continual changes and improvements that give his government greater legitimacy. That make ordinary Afghans feel that it is in their interest to support this national government, that they’re seeing better irrigation, that — that their crops are getting to market, and they’re getting a decent price. That there’s rule of law, and they’re not experiencing corruption. That — that people — you know, their government is — is representative of those concer — their concerns.
And I think the fact is, is that real progress has been made, but, you know, this is a country that went through 30 years of — of war. It’s one of the poorest countries in the world. Does not have a tradition of a strong centralized nationalized government. And so, part of President Karzai’s challenge is he’s got to bring his country along into a 21st century in which it is functioning and effective and —
STEPHANOPOULOS: But are you convinced he’s committed to doing that?
OBAMA: I think he is committed to doing that; that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. And that doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be times when he and I disagree in terms of how things should proceed, and how rapidly things should proceed. But, you know, generally speaking, what I’ve seen is each time I’ve had a conversation with him — one that’s respectful of Afghanistan’s independence and sovereignty and traditions and culture, that I say to him, “Here are some things that are going to make us more effective in partnering with you — to achieve a strong, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan.”
Each time I’ve had those conversations, he’s responded. And the key is to continue to have those frank and honest conversations in a way that allows that strategic partnership to develop, and grow so that we can succeed, again, primarily from our perspective, because it’s national for our national security.
STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re just about out of time. I just have two quick questions. Number one, the governor of Virginia proclaims Confederate History Month in Virginia. What did you make out of that?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I’m a big history buff. And I think that understanding the history of the Confederacy and understanding the history of the Civil War is something that every American and every young American should, should be a part of. Now, I don’t think you can understand the Confederacy and the Civil War unless you understand slavery. And so, I think that was a — an unacceptable omission. I think the governor’s now acknowledged that.

And I think it’s just a reminder that when we talk about issues like slavery that are so fraught with pain and emotion, that, you know, we, we’d better do so thinking through how this is going to affect a lot of people. And — and their sense of whether their part of a commonwealth or part of a — of — of our broader society.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, speaking of history, a new book out by David Remnick, a biography of you, includes a story from the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. She recounts the conversation she had with you during the campaign where she was really struck by your ambition. She said — she quotes you saying, “I have no desire to be one of those presidents who are just on the list, you see their pictures lined up on the wall.” You’re pretty confident that you’re going to avoid that fate?
OBAMA: Well, look, here’s what I’ve been spending my time thinking about. I’m pretty confident that we’re not going to plunge into a Great Depression, which I wasn’t so clear about a year ago. I’m pretty confident that we’ve stabilized the financial system. I’m pretty confident that economy’s on the mend, and we — that — I’m also pretty confident that we’ve got a heck of a lot of work to do to put people back to work. I’m confident that health care was the right thing to do, and that’s going to be a significant achievement when generations look back on it. And I think this START Treaty that we signed is — is the start of a good direction for American national security policy. But I’m going to wait until I’m maybe 10 years out of office before I start making assessments about how I did.
STEPHANOPOULOS: OK, Mr. President, thanks very much.
OBAMA: All right, thank you, George. Appreciate it.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2010

In the morning, the President will hold a bilateral meeting with President Klaus of the Czech Republic at Prague Castle. There will be a pool spray at the top of the meeting.

The President will then depart Prague. The departure from Prague Ruzyně Airport is open press.

The President will return to Washington, DC in the afternoon. The arrival on the South Lawn is open press.

Out-of-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: FOX
Print: New York Times
Radio: CBS

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: FOX
Print: MediaNews
Radio: SRN

CEST

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT holds bilateral meeting with President Klaus of the Czech Republic
Prague Castle
Travel Pool spray at the top

10:25AM THE PRESIDENT departs Prague, Czech Republic en route Andrews Air Force Base
Prague Ruzyně Airport
Open Press

EDT

1:05PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
Travel Pool Coverage

1:20PM THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House
South Lawn
Open Press (Pre-set 12:50PM – Final Gather 1:05PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

##

First Lady Michelle Obama hits the cover of Conde Nast’s Traveler talking about living in Washington. Where are Mrs. Obama’s favorite places? Click below.

Excerpt from Conde Nast Traveler story on Mrs. Obama’s Washington…

Mrs. Obama shares a few of the First Family’s favorite Washington spots:
· The Newseum, D.C.’s most interactive museum: “High recommendations (from the kids). They love the Newseum.”

· Monticello: “It is just incredibly beautiful, and that beautiful garden that he planted that is three times the size of anything that you’d ever do. It brings it to life, not just for my kids but for me.”

· Luray Caverns: “Yes! We saw the egg. Barack was very jealous — he’s a Tour Guy.”

· Blue Duck Tavern: The Obama’s celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary at chef Brian McBride’s cozy West End restaurant.

· Restaurant Nora: President Obama surprised Michelle for her 46th birthday at this farm-to-table restaurant.

· Good Stuff Eatery: Mrs. Obama’s old-favorite burger joint. They’ve named a burger the “Michelle Melt” for Mrs. Obama (it’s free-range turkey and local organic veggies).

· Bureau of Engraving and Printing: “We did the Bureau of Engraving (and Printing tour).”

· Freshfarm Market: “In this society today, sometimes it’s hard to make regular meals, healthy meals, a part of everyone’s existence.”

The May 2010 issue of Condé Nast Traveler will be on newsstands April 14.

First Lady Michelle Obama hits the cover of Good Housekeeping’s 125th anniversary issue.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 8, 2010

PRESS GAGGLE
BY PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS
AND DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUMICATIONS BEN RHODES

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Prague, Czech Republic

8:41 A.M. CEST

MR. GIBBS: Good morning. So we’re just going to take you quickly through the day, answer a few questions. We have not a ton of time because they’ve got to do a meeting in here with the President in a little more than about 10 minutes.

Q We could just stay.

MR. GIBBS: He appreciates the offer to share his conference room.

Just have Ben walk you guys through what the President has on his schedule, what he’ll see. I will say this — I’ll send around a post that went up on the White House blog overnight from Brian McKeon, who is with the Office of the Vice President, but also works for the NSC. Brian was formerly the chief counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will be heading up our efforts to see the treaty ratified through the Senate. So there’s a blog posted that discusses a little bit about what’s in the treaty, what the use of terms like unilateral language means, and some particulars around that.

The treaty will be made publicly available later today. We will post that.

Q Is that something you send around, or how does that get posted?

MR. GIBBS: I assume it’s rather large, so we’ll put it up
— I believe they’re going to put it up on the Internet. And then starting later today members of our negotiating team will begin briefing on the specifics of the treaty to the Senate.

I’ve said this a few times in my briefings and I’ll get you these exact years and votes, but if you look back at previous nuclear reduction treaties in the late ’80s, the early ’90s, and even as late at 2003, these are documents that enjoy vast bipartisan majorities — votes in the ’90s. We are hopeful that reducing the threat of nuclear weapons remains a priority for both parties.

So with that, let me have Ben walk you guys through a little bit of what you’ll see today.

MR. RHODES: Sure. And just to add to what Robert said, we’ll have fact sheets on different parts of the treaty, different key areas of the treaty that we should be able to share with you. And then I’d just also add, too, that the consultations with the Senate have been ongoing, so we’ve been in consultation obviously throughout this process. And today we’ll have a chance to brief on the full text of the treaty and the protocol.

So just to walk through the day, when we arrive we’ll go to the Prague Castle, where there will be a welcome ceremony with President Klaus. Obviously we’re being hosted by our very close friend and ally, the Czech Republic, and President Klaus will greet President Obama in a signing ceremony there.

Then the President will head right into his bilateral meeting with President Medvedev. This will be an opportunity of course to mark the conclusion of the START treaty, to discuss some issues related to that, but also to cover a broad agenda of issues between the United States and Russia on which we’re cooperating.

The President will have a smaller bilateral meeting with President Medvedev and then an expanded bilateral meeting with —
(the President comes in.)

THE PRESIDENT: I was going to say, he’s doing a really good job. (Laughter.) I was impressed. It sounded like he knew what he was talking about. (Laughter.)

Q Do you want to take over, Mr. President? (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: No, I’m good. (Laughter.)

MR. RHODES: So they’ll have a bilateral — I think we’ll have a spray at the top of that, but they’re obviously going to be making their statements later.

Then they’ll proceed to the signing ceremony, which is also at the Castle there. President Medvedev and President Obama will sign the treaty. Then they’ll both make statements and have a press conference. After the signing ceremony there’s a ceremonial lunch, and that is the United States, Russia and the Czech Republic will be at that lunch to mark the occasion.

Around this time, again –after the treaty is signed, I think that is when it will be released. And again, I expect it will be posted on the web, and we’ll see about having paper copies available. And again, this is the treaty and the protocol. So this will be the first time that that text has been made fully available.

Then there’s a bit of a break and at that time we’ll I think have the opportunity to brief you more fully on the treaty with some of our negotiating team who will be there with us, as well as the bilateral meeting that the President had with President Medvedev. I think we’re going to head back to the hotel and do the briefing there.

Then the final event of the day for the President is we are hosting a dinner for Central and Eastern European heads of state and heads of government. There will be 11 leaders there: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, and then of course, the Czech Republic, and both the Prime Minister and the President will be there from the Czech Republic.

The President wanted to take this opportunity since he was in Prague to have a dinner and multilateral discussion with these 11 close allies of the United States, to, again, discuss a range of issues on which we cooperate closely with them from the global economy to European security, to how we’re cooperating around the world, in Afghanistan and other places. These are all, of course, NATO allies.

And that’s it. At that dinner I think we’ll have a pooled arrival and then the dinner itself will be a closed working dinner where they’ll have an opportunity to discuss a range of issues. I imagine we’ll have some kind of a readout to the dinner as well for you guys.

So that’s the day. And then the next morning, before we leave the President will have a bilateral meeting with the Czechs, with both the President and Prime Minister together, before we take off on Friday morning.

So that the schedule, and I’ll take a couple of questions if anybody has any.

Q — expects the bilateral meeting with Medvedev to focus heavily on Iran. How much progress do you expect the President to be able to make on that issue with the Russians?

MR. RHODES: Well, the Russians have been a close partner with us throughout the process of the P5-plus-1 negotiations. I think you’ve seen President Medvedev be in line with President Obama in both his statements and his approach in terms of providing Iranians with an opportunity to change course but also saying that there will have to be consequences if they don’t.

The Russians are currently negotiating with us for a multilateral sanctions regime in New York, so currently we’re in multilateral negotiations where we believe we’ll have a sanctions resolution this spring. This will be an opportunity for them to discuss those negotiations and discuss recent developments as it relates to Iran, but again, those negotiations are now in a multilateral basis in New York. So while — it’s an important opportunity for them to consult and I think to continue to discuss the progress of those negotiations.

And again, what we’ve said and what I think we’d underscore again today is that when the President took office relations with Russia were at a — really at a post-Cold War low, and that in the pursuit of the START treaty I think says something about an important landmark in terms of arms control nuclear policy, but it also demonstrates that we believe we can work together with the Russians on issues of common interest. And that would of course include Iran. And we believe we’ve worked constructively with them on Iran. That would include Afghanistan. It would also include economic and trade issues that we’ll also be discussing as well.

So there will be a range of issues discussed, to include Iran. And we believe that, again, the Russians have been good partners throughout this process at the P5-plus-1.

Q What is issue number one? What’s issue number one? Is it Iran?

MR. RHODES: Well, first of all, I think really issue number one is coming here to sign this treaty. I mean, President Medvedev and President Obama really worked personally together on this. I mean, a lot of you travel with us. I mean, they — I think they met seven times bilaterally, both in Moscow but then on the margins of multiple summits. They spoke on the phone an additional seven times.

Q So is this eight?

MR. RHODES: This would be eight, yes. This should be their eighth meeting. So this is something that the two of them personally invested a lot of time and effort in. So I think it was important for them to mark that achievement.

The President, of course — so there’s a discussion of the kind of completion of that treaty and look to the future cooperation on these issues.

President Medvedev is obviously coming to the nuclear security summit, and obviously President Obama just released an important document in the Nuclear Posture Review, which we’ve consulted with the Russians in. So there’s a range of nuclear non-proliferation and security issues I think they’ll discuss.

Iran is obviously one of those, because as you’ve heard us say many times, for the non-proliferation regime to work effectively those who break the rules and fail to live up to their obligations have to be held accountable. So I think Iran will be discussed in that context of a shared commitment that they have to non-proliferation and nuclear security.

So it’s an important issue. I think there will be also a broader range of issues discussed. Russia is cooperating in Afghanistan. The recent terrorist attacks in Russia, President Obama was able to express his condolences personally to President Medvedev by the phone. I’m sure that he’ll have an opportunity to do that again in person today. And then some issues related to economic growth and the G20 as well.

Q And on Iran, what’s your best-case scenario coming out of this meeting, going into the meeting next week with Hu Jintao?

MR. RHODES: I think these are important opportunities to discuss Iran bilaterally; to discuss Iran’s continued failure to live up to their obligations. But again, what I would underscore is that we’re into a period of intense negotiations in New York. The Chinese are a part of those negotiations, as you’ve seen recently reported. So a lot of those — the details of that sanctions regime are being worked through in New York.

So this is an opportunity for the President to consult on a leader-to-leader basis with his Russian counterpart. He’ll have that opportunity with President Hu, and he also recently met with President Sarkozy. He talked to Prime Minister Brown on the phone. And I think we’ll also have an opportunity to talk to Chancellor Merkel. So I think he’ll be meeting with each of the leaders to discuss the progress that’s being made, but also the focal point of the negotiations right now is in New York, given the fact that all the P5-plus-1 is now at the table on this.

MR. GIBBS: I’d just underscore that — because this goes to both the relationship that we have bilaterally with Russia but also the engagement that the President has undertaken over the course of 15 months, has brought us to the point where, as Ben just said, the P5-plus-1 is all actively at the table negotiating this, something that — again, 15 months ago, the problem of Iran existed; what didn’t exist was an international framework in the P5-plus-1 to deal with it.

Through the President’s both engagement with these countries bilaterally, multilaterally, and by the offers that have been made to Iran that have been turned down, the world has been brought together at a point that it wasn’t at only a short time ago.

Q Well, I guess that’s the exact reason to ask these kinds of questions, is because you’ve got these intense negotiations, you’ve got all the parties at the table, so here the President is meeting with the two most important players in those negotiations in the span of, I don’t know, four days or five days, if I’m doing the math right. And so he’s got to want something out of that. It can’t just be, hey, there’s stuff happening in New York.

MR. RHODES: No, I think — look, I think — well, no, but the point of New York is that that’s where the details — I mean, we’re in a period of —

Q But this is how you get to the end, is leaders come together and they figure out ways you can break through those talks, right?

Q I guess are you guys hoping that when the bilat ends today that President Medvedev says something specific to push —

MR. GIBBS: He’s there. We’re at that point. We’re no longer coming out of these meetings where people are looking for whether the Russians or whether the Chinese are at a point where —

Q (Inaudible.)

MR. GIBBS: I understand, but — and I don’t —

MR. RHODES: — negotiate the specifics of a sanctions resolution.

MR. GIBBS: They’re not going to come out of here today and say, we’ve reached an agreement on — because —

MR. RHODES: It’s a bilateral meeting, and —

Q But can they make any progress on Iran today? Are they hoping to?

MR. GIBBS: I think they’ll discuss it, but again, I don’t — again, they’re at a point where what wasn’t possible many months ago now is. But again, I don’t expect any pronouncements today coming out of this meeting. I do think the meeting upcoming with the Chinese leader is important and demonstrates, again, the approach that we’ve taken to bring all our partners, including the Chinese, into these negotiations, and to have his important participation in the nuclear security summit, which, in many ways, builds off both the Nuclear Posture Review and the START treaty that we signed today, moving the agenda on reducing the threat of nuclear weapons forward.

MR. RHODES: I’d just add to that, I mean, echoing what Robert said, President Medvedev has been clear for a time — we would come out of these meetings, and he’s been supportive of the need to move to sanctions if the Iranians continue to fail to live up to their obligations. So we believe the Russians are onboard with the sanctions effort.

I think that you’ve heard the President express the importance of getting this done. Of course, it’s an opportunity for them to discuss the importance of holding Iran accountable. But what I would also say, though, is that, just echoing what Robert said, these consultations further isolate the Iranians. I think the Nuclear Posture Review we released, which focused upon the Non-Proliferation Treaty as the central dividing line between those states that will have a negative security assurance and those states that don’t, further isolates the Iranians and sends a message to them that they will not find greater security through the pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

So there’s a range of actions we’re taking, of course, ongoing unilateral sanctions that we have on the Iranians, whose enforcement we’ve tightened, and then of course these multilateral efforts at the United Nations, which, again, we believe should and will conclude this spring.

So I think there’s a whole range of ways in which the international community is working to isolate Iran. And I think that they’ll cover that broad range in their discussions. But of course the sanctions regime that is being negotiated will be a topic. But again, as Robert said, the Russians are already committed to the notion of holding Iran accountable through the multilateral sanctions regime, and that’s being worked hard in New York too.

So I’m not trying to downplay. I’m just — we believe that they have —

Q So you’ve got everybody onboard with maybe — with talking about sanctions. Then you’ve got the really hard process of what do they look like; what can everybody agree on they’ll say and they’ll do. And that’s the really difficult part that you’re in right now.

MR. GIBBS: Right, and quite frankly it will play out in many places. You know, Bill Burns and others actively engaged with their counterparts in the P5-plus-1; Ambassador Rice at the United Nations; as well as the President and his counterparts.

So these are discussions that are happening I would say simultaneous, but it will be 3:00 a.m. on the East Coast, so maybe that would be too cute by half.

We’ve got about one or two more minutes and then we’ve got to get the —

Q Has the President been briefed on the situation in Kyrgyzstan and will that be playing any part in the discussions with various leaders?

MR. RHODES: Yes, the President has been kept informed about the situation in Kyrgyzstan throughout the day — the day and a half. And I do expect that that would come up, given the fact that both the United States and Russia have relations with Kyrgyzstan so I expect it will be a topic of discussion.

Q How much of a fight are you guys expecting in the Senate for the START treaty?

MR. RHODES: Well, again, I think when the agreement was announced — and again, I said this, I don’t want to pre-judge votes here, but obviously the very strong statement that Senator Lugar issued about moving this process through the Senate quickly, which I know is important to many, including President Obama — as I said, this is an issue that President Obama got involved in as a senator through a partnership with Senator Lugar. Brian McKeon as I said, on the Vice President’s staff and working with the NSC, will head up our efforts to get this through the Senate.

And I would say again, this is an issue that, from Reagan to Clinton to Bush, has enjoyed bipartisanship. It’s why leaders like Secretary of State Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn, Bill Perry put out supportive statements upon our conclusion a few weeks ago of this treaty.

So I think it’s the President’s hope and expectation, one, that the Senate will ratify this treaty this year, and secondly, that what has always been a strong bipartisan issue will continue to be so. And I’ll send around the votes. Again, the last three prominent nuclear reduction treaties that have gone through the Senate have passed with no less than 93 votes. So we’ll get an opportunity to see.

MR. RHODES: I’d just add one thing to that. Secretary Gates said this when the treaty rolled out, but we’ve consulted with the Senate throughout this. A couple of issues were of interest to a number of senators, included the missile defense and the stockpile management. The treaty places no constraints on the development of our missile defense in Europe. And similarly we’ve made significant investments in the stockpile that we’re very confident that we can actually strengthen the infrastructure of the stockpile and have a reliable nuclear deterrent with these reductions in deployed weapons and launchers.

So we’re confident that based upon our consultations with the Senate throughout this process that the final product of this treaty is very much in line with some of the issues that were expressed just by senators.

Q Do you think before the August recess —

MR. GIBBS: I don’t know that I would set a timetable of before August.

All right. Thanks, guys.

END 9:03 A.M. CEST

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2010

The President will arrive in Prague in the morning. The arrival at Prague Ruzyně Airport is open press.

The President will then travel to Prague Castle, where he will be greeted upon arrival by President Klaus of the Czech Republic. The President will then take a family photo with President Klaus and President Medvedev of Russia. These events are open press.

The President will then hold a bilateral meeting with President Medvedev. There will be a pool spray at the top. They will then hold an expanded bilateral meeting. This meeting is closed press.

Following the meetings, President Obama and President Medvedev will sign the New START Treaty. They will then hold a press conference. This is open press.

President Obama and President Medvedev will then attend a lunch hosted by President Klaus. The President will deliver toast remarks. There will be travel pool coverage of the President’s remarks.

In the evening, the President will host a dinner for Central and Eastern European heads of state and government from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia at the Ambassador’s residence. The President will greet leaders on arrival. There will be travel pool coverage of the arrivals. The dinner is closed press.

Out-of-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CNN
Print: Washington Post/AFP
Radio: NPR

CEST

9:25AM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Ruzyně Airport
Open Press

9:45AM THE PRESIDENT arrives at Prague Castle and is greeted by President Klaus of the Czech Republic
Prague Castle
Open Press

9:55AM THE PRESIDENT takes family photo with President Klaus and President Medvedev of Russia
Prague Castle
Open Press

10:05AM THE PRESIDENT holds bilateral meeting with President Medvedev
Prague Castle
Travel Pool spray at the top

10:45AM THE PRESIDENT holds expanded meeting with President Medvedev
Prague Castle
Closed Press

11:50AM THE PRESIDENT and President Medvedev attend New START Treaty signing ceremony and hold a press conference
Prague Castle
Open Press

1:00PM THE PRESIDENT and President Medvedev attend ceremonial lunch hosted by President Klaus; THE PRESIDENT delivers toast remarks
Prague Castle
Travel Pool spray for toast

6:30PM THE PRESIDENT greets Central and Eastern European leaders on arrival
Ambassador’s Residence
Travel Pool Coverage

7:15PM THE PRESIDENT hosts dinner for Central and Eastern European leaders
Ambassador’s Residence
Closed Press

##

WASHINGTON–Last August, President Obama tapped Martha Minow and John G. Levi, two lawyers with Chicago ties–and personal connections to the president and First Lady Michelle–as board members of the Legal Services Corporation. On Wednesday, they were sworn into office and Levi was elected board chair and Minow vice chair.

Read my August report here.

Minow, the dean of Harvard Law School, is the daughter of Newton Minow, the former chair of the Federal Communications Commission, who is senior counsel at Chicago’s Sidley Austin. When Obama was at Harvard Law School, Minow recommended that Sidley hire him for a summer job.

Levi was the Sidley partner who actually hired Obama–and also another attorney at the firm, one Michelle Robinson. Obama met Michelle at Sidley Austin, when she was assigned to be his advisor.

below, release…

LSC Board Elects Chairman, Vice Chair

Washington, DC–Six presidential appointees to the Legal Services Corporation’s Board of Directors were sworn in to office this morning and at their inaugural Board meeting elected John G. Levi, a partner in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin, as Board chairman and Martha Minow, dean of the Harvard Law School, as vice chair.

The oath of office was administered by Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy during a ceremony at The Eisenhower Executive Office Building that was attended by family members and friends of the appointees.

In addition to Levi and Minow, the new Board members are Sharon L. Browne, a principal attorney in the Pacific Legal Foundation’s Individual Rights Practice group and a member of the foundation’s senior management; Robert J. Grey Jr., a former president of the American Bar Association and a partner in the Richmond, Va., and Washington offices of the Hunton & Williams law firm; Charles N.W. Keckler, a professor at Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law; and Victor B. Maddox, a partner in the Louisville, Ky., law firm of Fultz Maddox Hovious & Dickens.

LSC is the single largest provider of civil legal assistance to the poor in the nation. Funded by Congress, LSC operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. The grants currently go to 136 nonprofit legal services programs across the country.

In addition to Justice Kennedy, speakers at the swearing-in ceremony included LSC Board Chairman Levi, Vice Chair Minow, outgoing LSC Board Chairman Frank B. Strickland, LSC President Victor M. Fortuno, Daniel Meltzer, principal deputy White House counsel to the President, and Harold Hongju Koh, legal adviser at the State Department.

Levi, in his remarks, said, “Today, LSC funding, now over $400 million annually, is an essential part of our country’s effort to provide civil legal aid for the poor, and we take our Board positions at a time when our nation’s poor desperately need that aid.”

Requests for help with foreclosures, unemployment benefits and consumer issues are rising at LSC programs, Levi said. But “even as the need for LSC services increases, the funding resources necessary to make it happen are dwindling,” he said, adding that “we will need to find ways to make our dollars go further while seeking even greater financial support.”