US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today urged African leaders to abandon Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, saying it was time to live up to their pledges to promote democracy across the continent.
Clinton, the first US secretary of state ever to address the 53-member African Union, said unreformed African leaders were themselves at risk from the same tide of democracy sweeping the Middle East, proclaiming “the status quo is broken and the old ways of governing are no longer acceptable.”
“It is true that Gaddafi has played a major role in providing financial support for many African nations and institutions, including the AU,” Clinton said in her speech at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa.
“But it has become clear that we are long past the time when he can remain in power.”
Clinton and Lavrov exchange documents formally, bringing into force the landmark nuclear arms reduction pact START during the 47th Conference on Security Policy in Munich today, February 5, 2011
The United States and Russia formally inaugurated their new START nuclear arms treaty today, capping two years of work to “reset” the sometimes strained ties between the former Cold War enemies.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged the final START documents at the Munich security conference, where two years ago US Vice-President Joe Biden launched the Obama administration’s push for better relations with Moscow.
“Two years ago we all laughed about the translation of the ceremonial ‘reset’ button I gave to the foreign minister,” Clinton said, referring to a diplomatic gaffe in which she presented Lavrov with an oversized button on which “reset” was mistranslated into the Russian for “overcharge”.
“But when it came to the translation that mattered most, we turned words into action to reach a milestone in our strategic partnership.”
Happy family: (left to right) Marc Mezvinsky with Hillary Clinton, his bride Chelsea and father-in-law Bill Clinton after the couple's wedding
Chelsea Clinton has finally become a married woman, saying her vows in an idyllic gazebo decked with white roses under the late afternoon summer sun.
The groom was ‘a bundle of nerves’ and the father of the bride ‘so emotional’ he considered just getting his daughter down the aisle was ‘a major accomplishment’. As for the bride, she had, she told friends jokingly, rather hoped for a small wedding.
But it’s hard to be low-key when your big day is hailed as America’s ‘Royal wedding’, and last-minute preparations include shutting down a chunk of federal airspace, with the secret service making sure access roads to the venue are secure.
"A key element of our strategy is to strengthen regional and global institutions," Hillary Clinton said
July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced North Korean aggression and urged Myanmar to make its first elections in two decades more democratic.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The United States announced Thursday it will resume cooperation with Indonesia's special forces after ties were severed more than a decade ago over human rights abuses allegedly committed by the commando unit.
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton, left, and Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem raise their glasses for a toast during a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of relations between Vietnam and the U.S. in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, July 22, 2010
Chelsea Clinton's big day may be half a world away but that hasn't tempered enthusiasm in Vietnam for her upcoming nuptials.
In Hanoi on Thursday for diplomatic meetings a little over a week before the July 31 wedding, mother-of-the-bride and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was given a wedding present — a white tablecloth — for her daughter by the Vietnamese government along with gemstone mosaic portrait of her and Chelsea during their 2000 visit to the country.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, speaks with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the presidential palace in Kabul Afghanistan on Monday, July 19, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan, a day ahead of the International Conference on Afghanistan
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quresh gestures during a press conference, one day ahead of the International Conference on Afghanistan, Monday, July 19, 2010, in Kabul, accompanied by Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq.
The strategy sits for now on a table in a locked-down Afghan capital: Hand over security in all 34 provinces to the government by the end of 2014 — more than three years after President Barack Obama's date for the start of an American troop drawdown.
Clinton (L) confirmed that US planned to formally designate Pakistan's Haqqani network a foreign terrorist organisation
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday vowed the United States and its allies will stand by Afghanistan even as fears are growing about the course of the nearly 9-year-old war and the Obama administration plans to begin withdrawing American troops from the country next year.
Hillary Clinton will meet Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
The pair share a laugh during their meeting
Hillary Clinton with Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner during a meeting in Buenos Aires yesterday
Hillary Clinton has pledged to help Argentina and Britain resolve new tensions over the disputed Falkland Islands, which sparked a war between the two countries in 1982.
Argentina is expected today to urge the U.S. secretary of state to press Britain to negotiate over the Falklands.
Its president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, is meeting with Mrs Clinton at the inauguration of Uruguay's new president Jose Mujica in Montevideo.
Mrs Kirchner, who is known as the Queen of Argentina for her imperial manner, counts Mrs Clinton and ex-U.S. president Bill Clinton as friends.
She and husband Nestor, a former president, are said to want to take advantage of that relationship to put pressure on the Government.
The U.S. has said that it remains neutral on the issue of the islands' sovereignty.
But Mrs Clinton said today that America stood ready to help.
'We'll be going to Buenos Aires later today, I look forward to meeting with President (Cristina Fernandez) de Kirchner and discussing a full range of issues,' Mrs Clinton said during an appearance in Montevideo.
'It is our position that this is a matter to be resolved between the United Kingdom and Argentina. If we can be of any help in facilitating such an effort, we stand ready to do so.'
President Obama was irritated by the fact Mrs Kirchner spent the day of his presidential inauguration with her friend Fidel Castro in Cuba.
Americans were also angered by George Bush being snubbed by the country's then leader Nestor Kirchner at a summit in Argentina in 2005.
President Barack Obama was accused of being 'feeble' by failing to back London in the stand-off with Argentina over the disputed islands, despite the 'special relationship'.
London and Buenos Aires are at odds over UK firm Desire Petroleum's decision to drill for oil 60 miles north of the Falklands.
Geologists estimate there are up to 60billion barrels of oil in the seabed.
The Argentine government has tabled a UN resolution condemning the plan. It has also secured backing from 32 South American nations supporting its claim that Britain has occupied the islands illegally since 1833.
The Falklands remains an emotive issue in Argentina and offers a way for a populist president to whip up public support.
Mrs Kirchner issued a presidential decree last month forcing ships sailing to the Falklands from Argentina to seek a permit, after learning that an oil rig was to start exploratory drilling.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he did not expect any direct contact between Mr Brown and Mrs Kirchner on the issue and said Britain had given no thought to any military response.
Mrs Clinton had been in a meeting with President Obama when she heard her husband had been taken ill
Three Presidents: Clinton with George W. Bush and Barack Obama last month
Clinton was rushed to the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York
The world's media gather to hear about Mr Clinton's progress
The view of the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital tonight, where Mr Clinton is recovering following his stent operation
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is flanked by secret service agents as arrives at the hospital to see her husband
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, seen here helping the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti on January 18, was rushed to hospital last night
Bill Clinton is today recovering after major heart surgery after being taken to hospital in New York with chest pains last night.
The fast food-loving ex-President was said to be in 'good spirits' after an emergency operation to clear a blocked coronary artery by implanting two surgical stents.
A stent is a small mesh tube inserted into a narrowed or weakened artery to support it and allow blood to flow through.
His wife, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left the Oval Office after a meeting with President Obama in snowbound Washington to be at her 63-year-old husband's bedside at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
An eye witness outside the hospital said he had seen Mr Clinton being wheeled in.
'We saw eight men wheeling a gurney and when we saw closer we saw Mr Clinton with an oxygen mask on his face being wheeled into hospital,' he said.
The former President had been taken to the hospital after feeling 'discomfort', an aide said, adding: 'He knew that something was wrong. He didn't feel right. He didn't collapse, but he knew he should head to see his cardiologist right away.'
The operation was carried out by Craig Smith, the heart surgeon who performed a 2004 heart bypass on Mr Clinton.
In 2004, he had a quadruple heart bypass at the same hospital. Doctors then found four major blood vessels that supply oxygen to the heart were blocked, some by as much as 90%.
High cholesterol and a love of fast food like McDonald's hamburgers were regarded as the likely culprits.
Since the surgery, he went back to his active life, campaigning for his wife's presidential campaign and remaining heavily involved in his charity and humanitarian efforts.
It is understood that one of the bypass grafts from the 2004 operation had become obstructed, making it necessary for two stents to clear the artery.
In a statement, Mr Clinton's spokesman Douglas Band said: 'Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries.
'President Clinton is in good spirits, and will continue to focus on the work of his Foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts.'
It is understood that one of the bypass grafts from the 2004 operation had become obstructed, making it necessary for two stents to clear the artery.
Health experts described the procedure as 'relatively routine'. Mr Clinton was expected to return to his home in Chappaqua in upstate New York to rest soon after the procedure.
There was speculation last night that Mr Clinton's work as a special U.S. ambassador to Haiti may have exacerbated his heart problem.
Since the surgery he had returned to his active life, campaigning for his wife's presidential bid and remaining heavily involved in his charity and humanitarian efforts.
In a statement last night, Mr Clinton's spokesman Douglas Band said: 'Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries.
'President Clinton is in good spirits, and will continue to focus on the work of his Foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts.'
Mrs Clinton was expected to cancel or delay a planned diplomatic trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In 2001, shortly after his presidency ended, Mr Clinton had a cancerous growth removed from his back.
A pre-cancerous lesion was removed from his nose, and a year before that had a benign cyst taken off his chest.
Allegations: Monica Lewinsky says former President Bill Clinton lied about their relationship during an impeachment trial, according to Ken Gormley's book The Death of American Virtue
Monica Lewinsky says former President Bill Clinton lied under oath when he described their relationship during an impeachment trial, a new book claims.
The Death of American Virtue, by law professor Ken Gormley, is due to be published in February and also alleges that Clinton had a long-running affair with Susan McDougal, a key player in the Whitewater scandal.
Despite offering no concrete evidence of the affair, Gormley told Politico.com: ‘I feel very, very comfortable with that conclusion after having conducted extensive interviews and seen documents that were not generally accessible to the public.’
In an email to Gormley, Lewinsky made it clear she believes the president lied.
‘There was no leeway [there] on the veracity of his statements because they asked him detailed and specific questions to which he answered untruthfully,’ she wrote.
The book reportedly paints an unflattering portrait of Clinton and independent counsel Kenneth Starr who led the inquiry into the affair.
Clinton was impeached in 1998 but not thrown out of office.
According to Gormley, Starr’s successor, Robert Ray, was prepared to indict Clinton after he left office in January 2001 unless he admitted to lying under oath about the Lewinsky relationship, the New York Daily News reported.
Ray relented, but ‘President Clinton would never fully grasp how close he came,’ Gormley claims.
Clinton initially swore under oath that he ‘did not have sexual relations’ with Lewinsky but later admitted that he had misled the American public.
Lewinsky revealed her relationship with the president involved oral sex but not sexual intercourse.
She famously kept a blue dress which she claimed held DNA evidence of their affair.
Clinton has been dogged by headlines over his private life.
During his presidential campaign, nightclub singer Gennifer Flowers made claims of a 12-year affair with the former governor of Arkansas.
Clinton denied the affair, but later confessed to a single sexual encounter with her.
During his second year in the White House, a 27-year-old former Arkansas employee called Paula Jones claimed that Clinton had made an unwanted sexual advance to her in a hotel and asked her to engage in 'a type of sex' that was ‘humiliating’.
She sued the President, but the lawsuit was dismissed. On appeal however, Clinton entered an out-of-court settlement by agreeing to pay her $850,000.
In 1998 White House volunteer aide Kathleen Willey alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by the President during his first term. Clinton denied the allegation.
In 2007, Clinton's long-suffering wife Hilary gave an interview in which she said marriage to Bill was worth the investment.
She said: 'I know the truth of my life and of my marriage, my relationship and partnership, my deep abiding friendship with my husband. It's been enormously supportive to me through most of my life.
'Now obviously we've had challenges as everybody in the world knows,' she reportedly said.
'But I never doubted that it was a marriage worth investing in, even in the midst of those challenges, and I'm really happy that I made that decision.'
Murder appeal: Amanda Knox's supporters have arranged to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as they prepare to fight for her release. Found guitly prions sentence 26 years.Led to jail: Amanda Knox on Friday following her conviction for murder
Convicted: Rudy Guede (left) was jailed for Meredith's murder last October. Knox's former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito (right) was sentenced on Friday
Click to enlarge.Details witness of neighbour hearing scream of death from next door.
Disbelief: Knox's parents and sisters protesting her innocence, yesterday.'We'll appeal': The parents of Amanda Knox have vowed to fight to free her
Gruesome death: Sollecito (left) and Knox are said to have killed Kercher (right)
Meredith Kercher was stabbed to death in Perugia two years ago. Right, her killer Knox is pictured arriving at court to hear the verdict
Click to enlarge.List the reasons for appeal from DNA bad quality,questionable methodology of investigation,confession under duress,bad argument on murder weapon and others.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill.Said she will discuss with the Senator Cantwell whom said there was 'anti america' sentiment in the Italy trail tainted by evidence negligent.
Taking aim: Amanda Knox poses with a gun.Amanda Knox: Her mother had planned a trip to a spa and a Mexican meal for her homecoming.Jailed: Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison
guity for stabbing to death Meredith.
Click to enlarge. A dramatic new photograph of the crime scene where Meredith was stabbed to death
Hillary Clinton has been drawn into the battle to overturn Amanda Knox's conviction.
Amid a growing U.S. backlash against the verdict, the American Secretary of State has agreed to meet a senator from 22-year-old Knox's home state of Washington.
On Friday night, Knox was found guilty of the drug-fuelled sex murder of British student Meredith Kercher and jailed for 26 years.
Her conviction, alongside her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, came in tense late-night scenes in the Italian town of Perugia at the end of a year-long trial. Sollecito, 25, was jailed for 25 years.
Last night, Miss Kercher's family told of their anguish for the first time since her killer was jailed.
Her mother Arline, 64, said the entire family had been given a 'life sentence' and were 'living in a nightmare' for the two years since she was slain.
She also revealed how they keep the 21-year-old's bedroom exactly as it was when she left in the vain hope she will one day come home.
Miss Kercher's semi-naked body was found in November 2007 in a pool of blood in the bedroom of the home she and Knox shared in Perugia.
The court heard that Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was subjected to a terrifying ordeal when she returned to her Italian home after an evening with friends.
Knox, Sollecito and another man, drifter Rudy Guede, attempted to involve the Leeds University student in a sex game, cutting her throat when she refused and leaving her to die in 'slow agony'. Guede, 22, was convicted of murder and sexual assault last year and jailed for 30 years. After the verdicts, Knox's furious father Curt Knox vowed to fight to clear his daughter's name and spoke of his 'anger and disbelief' at the Italian justice system.
His campaign seems to be gaining support on Capitol Hill. Senator Maria Cantwell, from Washington state, declared there were 'serious questions about the Italian justice system'.
She said she was concerned there had been an 'anti-American' feeling at the trial and said she would be raising her concerns with Mrs Clinton.
'The prosecution did not present enough evidence for an impartial jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Miss Knox was guilty,' she said. 'Italian jurors were allowed to view highly negative news coverage about Miss Knox.'
She said Knox, who called herself Foxy Knoxy on a web page, had been a victim of 'harsh treatment' and branded handling of evidence 'negligent'.
Mrs Clinton was asked about the trial in an appearance on a U.S. news programme.
She said: 'Of course I'll meet with Senator Cantwell or anyone who has a concern but I can't offer any opinion about that at this time.'
She said she had not expressed any concerns to the Italian government. Last night, Knox's Italian lawyer distanced himself from the senator's claims. Luciano Ghirga said: 'That's all we need, Hillary Clinton involved. I have the same political sympathies as Hillary but this sort of thing does not help us in any way.'
Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini said: 'This senator should not interfere in something she has no idea about. I am happy with how the trial went.'
Knox plans to appeal against her conviction, but if it is unsuccessful she is likely to have to serve the bulk of her 26-year sentence inside an Italian jail. As in Britain, prisoners can be released on licence, but Knox is unlikely to be eligible for even day release for at least 20 years.
She could make an application to serve her sentence in the U.S.
On Saturday, Knox's father, mother Edda Mellas, her sister and half-sisters visited her at Capanne prison, just outside Perugia.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walks towards her seat during the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. Clinton is in Brussels for talks aimed at rallying more allied support for the Obama administration's plan to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, shakes hands with the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, as British Foreign Secretary David Miliband looks on, at the NATO foreign minister meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. Clinton is in Brussels for talks aimed at rallying more allied support for the Obama administration's plan to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives at NATO headquarters ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday the allies will prevail in their bid to stabilize Afghanistan but only if America's allies answer U.S. President Barack Obama's call for more allied troops on the ground.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives at NATO headquarters ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday the allies will prevail in their bid to stabilize Afghanistan but only if America's allies answer U.S. President Barack Obama's call for more allied troops on the ground.
Some two dozen countries will send an estimated 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan next year, the chief of NATO said Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told her allied counterparts that an infusion of forces is crucial to turning the tide in the long war.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark told reporters at NATO headquarters that at least 25 nations would provide the additional forces in Afghanistan in 2010, "with more to come." And he said the 44 countries now involved are "absolutely united" in their commitment to seeing the eight-year war through to a successful outcome.
The troop estimate was 2,000 higher than the 5,000-strong pledges that Ramussen cited Tuesday, after President Barack Obama announced his decision to bolster the United States' war effort. Obama said he will send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by next fall.
"The strongest message in the room today was solidarity," Rasmussen said. "Nations are backing up their words with deeds."
U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, the top NATO and U.S. commander in Europe, said in an Associated Press interview during a break in the talks that he believes several thousand more non-U.S. troops may be contributed next year, in addition to the 7,000 cited by Fogh Rasmussen.
"What we are all underlining to potential troop contributors is that we are truly asking for emphasis in the training area," Stavridis said. "And what I'm hearing is that we'll get very good responses."
Clinton told allied foreign ministers that it was essential that contributions to the war effort be provided as quickly as possible. She thanked Italy and Britain for their announcements of new troop contributions and said nonmilitary assistance is equally important.
"The need for additional forces is urgent, but their presence will not be indefinite," she told the North Atlantic Council, NATO's highest political council.
She cited President Barack Obama's pledge on Tuesday to begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011.
"At that time, we will begin to transfer authority and responsibility to Afghan security forces removing combat forces from Afghanistan over time with the assurance that Afghanistan's future, and ours, is secure," Clinton said, according to a copy of her prepared remarks to the closed-door meeting.
"The pace, size, and scope of the drawdown will be predicated on the situation on the ground. If things are going well, a larger number of forces could be removed from more areas. If not, the size and speed of the drawdown will be adjusted accordingly."
In his remarks to reporters, Fogh Rasmussen made a similar point.
"Transition (to Afghan control) does not mean exit," he said.
Clinton acknowledged the sacrifice, in blood and treasure, that many allied countries have paid in Afghanistan over the past eight years.
"Today, our people are weary of war," she said. "But we cannot ignore reality. The extremists continue to target innocent people and sow destruction across continents. From the remote mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, they plot future attacks. As Secretary General Rasmussen said earlier this week, `This is our fight, together.' And we must finish it together."
She thanked Italy for its announcement that it will send another 1,000 troops, and for Britain's pledge of another 500.
"I look forward to discussing further commitments with many of you today and in the coming days," she said. "Additional troops, enhanced support for the vital training mission, and added civilian assistance will help deny al-Qaida a safe haven, reverse the Taliban's momentum, and strengthen the capacity of the Afghans to take responsibility for their own security."
Fogh Rasmussen provided no breakdown of the 7,000 troops expected. But other NATO officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the figures were not being publicly released, said firm commitments totaled about 5,500, with roughly another 1,500 expected on the basis of unspecified "indications" from certain countries.
There are now about 38,000 non-U.S. foreign troops in Afghanistan, along with some 70,000 U.S. troops. The additional U.S. troops to be sent by Obama and the foreign commitments cited by Fogh Rasmussen would take the overall total to about 145,000 by the end of next year.
The Afghan national army now has about 97,000 soldiers and is scheduled to grow to 134,000 by next October.
Clinton sought to strike a delicate balance between stiffening allied resolve for hard combat in Afghanistan while also promising that it will not last for decades.
"Even as we signal resolve through the deployment of additional forces and a long-term civilian commitment, we want to send a signal that our combat presence is not permanent, and to provide a sense of urgency to the Afghans to do for themselves what we know they're capable of doing," she said.
"But I want to stress that this timeframe does not mean that we can or will end our commitment to Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the region. Our political, economic, and diplomatic presence in the region will endure. I know that this has not always been the case in the past, but we intend the future to be different than the past."
The central theme of her remarks was a need for unity of purpose.
"We are in this together. And only together can we succeed," she said.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Miliband share one final joke as they get ready to pose for a group photograph
It may be easy to see why Mr Miliband likes Mrs Clinton - as this group photo of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels today shows, she certainly stands out in a crowd
Perhaps David Miliband really is this funny.
Or, perhaps not - perhaps Hillary Clinton is, once again, taking the 'special relationship' a little too literally.
The U.S. Secretary of State collapsed in a fit of girlish giggles during a Nato meeting today at Mr Miliband's presumably witty comments.
Mrs Clinton owned up to an unlikely crush on the 'vibrant, vital, attractive, smart' British Foreign Secretary last month.
Speaking in Vogue magazine, Mrs Clinton, 62, joked with an interviewer about Mr Miliband's accent. 'Well, if you saw him it would be a BIG crush,' she said.
'I mean, he is so vibrant, vital, attractive, smart. He's really a good guy. And he's so young!'
Her remarks are an unlikely compliment for Mr Miliband, who has often been teased about his geeky image.
Former Labour spin doctor Allistair Campbell famously called him 'Brains' - not because of his formidable intellect, but for of his resemblance to the nerdish puppet character of the same name in the children's programme Thunderbirds.
Mr Miliband also seems taken with his American counterpart.
Today he seemed to take delight in teasing the former First Lady - and looked distinctly unimpressed when another man joined their tete-a-tete.
Last month he said Mrs Clinton was 'delightful to deal with one on one' and added: 'She's someone who laughs and can tease, and she's got perspective as well.'
The pair are not the first in their roles to exchange flirtatious remarks.
Mrs Clinton's remarks mirror the mutual compliments between Jack Straw and Condoleeza Rice in 2006
Mr Miliband and Mrs Clinton could perhaps be forgiven for seeking some comic relief during the meeting today.
The assembly of Nato foreign ministers were discussing the complex subject of Afghanistan - and facing calls from Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to help Barack Obama's latest surge by committing more troops.
Mr Miliband himself made an impassioned plea, telling reporters on arrival at the meeting that all alliance members must 'ask themselves whether they are doing the maximum possible ... to ensure success in Afghanistan.'
'We know the stakes are very high indeed. So this is the time for all of the international community to make sure it steps up to support the efforts of governance in Afghanistan and Pakistan to ensure stability in that crucial part of the world,' he added.
Mrs Clinton also said her piece, telling the meeting that she was looking forward to the expected support by the allies - whether military, financial or civilian - for the war effort.
Mrs Clinton sought to sell Mr Obama's revamped war strategy, which relies on major new allied contributions, not just to escalate the combat effort but also to bolster civilian functions and provide more development aid.
Allied governments need to be able to sell their publics on the idea of enlarging the war, and in particular countries in which political parties share power have to be sure 'the political stars are in alignment' before they announce new commitments, Mrs Clinton said.
The meeting came two days after Mr Obama agreed to send 30,000 more American troops to the country and asked other Nato members to also add military muscle.
Nato officials said pledges from other nations have exceeded 5,000 troops. More than 20 nations are expected to make firm commitments at a force-generation conference on Monday or following the international conference on Afghanistan in January.
However, the prospect of more German troops appeared slim.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said his country was 'ready to contribute to civilian reconstruction, especially police training (but) a debate that focuses only on 'how many troops' is in our view neither useful nor appropriate.'
Fogh Rasmussen said eight years into the Afghan mission 'it will still take more time, more commitment.'
'The fact remains that what happens in Afghanistan has a direct impact on our own security. If this international effort is to succeed - and it will - it must be a true team effort,' Fogh Rasmussen added.
