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 We're Seeking To Restore That Democratic "Norm" In Honduras - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 6/29/09 — Tuesday, June 30, 2009 —  MR. GIBBS: Yes, sir.Q Thank you, Robert. Five years ago when President Aristide of Haiti was overthrown by the military, the previous administration promptly recognized the new government by the chief justice, because under the Haitian constitution he was next in succession. Now with President Zelaya leaving Honduras, the congress elected their President, Mr. Micheletti. MR. GIBBS: Certainly one way of putting it, I suppose. Q "Ousted." MR. GIBBS: Or "ousted." (Laughter.) Q -- elected their President, Mr. Micheletti, as new President to the country, which is in accordance with Honduran law. Why doesn't the administration simply follow the precedent of Haiti after Aristide here? MR. GIBBS: Because I think what we saw over the course of the weekend was a severe disruption in any sort of democratic norm. We're seeking to restore that democratic norm in Honduras and haven't changed the recognition of who we believe is the President of that country. International Relations | Latin America | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: International Relations, Latin America, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:32:00 AM  We've Been Entirely Consistent - Press Conference by the President 6/23/09 — Tuesday, June 23, 2009 — Like the rest of the world, we were impressed by the vigorous debate and enthusiasm that this election generated, particularly among young Iranians. We continue to monitor the entire situation closely, including reports of irregularities. THE PRESIDENT: All right? Major Garrett. Where's Major?June 13, 2009 Statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the Iranian Election Q Right here, sir. In your opening remarks, sir, you were -- you said about Iran that you were appalled and outraged. What took you so long to say those words? THE PRESIDENT: I don't think that's accurate. Track what I've been saying. Right after the election, I said that we had profound concerns about the nature of the election, but that it was not up to us to determine what the outcome was. As soon as violence broke out -- in fact, in anticipation of potential violence -- we were very clear in saying that violence was unacceptable, that that was not how governments operate with respect to their people. So we've been entirely consistent, Major, in terms of how we've approached this. My role has been to say the United States is not going to be a foil for the Iranian government to try to blame what's happening on the streets of Tehran on the CIA or on the White House; that this is an issue that is led by and given voice to the frustrations of the Iranian people. And so we've been very consistent the first day, and we're going to continue to be consistent in saying this is not an issue about the United States; this is about an issue of the Iranian people. What we've also been consistent about is saying that there are some universal principles, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, making sure that governments are not using coercion and violence and repression in terms of how they interact with peaceful demonstrators. And we have been speaking out very clearly about that fact. Q Are Iranian diplomats still welcome at the embassy on the Fourth of July, sir? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think as you're aware, Major, we don't have formal diplomatic relations with -- we don't have formal diplomatic relations with Iran. I think that we have said that if Iran chooses a path that abides by international norms and principles, then we are interested in healing some of the wounds of 30 years, in terms of U.S.-Iranian relations. But that is a choice that the Iranians are going to have to make. Q But the offer still stands? THE PRESIDENT: That's a choice the Iranians are going to have to make. International Relations | Iran | President Obama | Presidential Press Conference | White House Press Corps Labels: International Relations, Iran, President Obama, Presidential Press Conference, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:44:00 PM This "Debate" That's Happening Within Iran - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 6/22/09 — Monday, June 22, 2009 — MR. GIBBS: Yes. Q Can I ask you, is he correct, though -- there is a perception out there that the President has ratcheted up -- you said earlier that his statements have been crystal clear and consistent, but there's a perception out there, I believe, among a lot of the pundits and others that -- I know, pundits, whoever -- that there's a perception out there that he has gradually ratcheted -- MR. GIBBS: Far be it for me to conduct our foreign policy based on pundits that we see on television -- Q And members of Congress. MR. GIBBS: -- where's that gotten us? (Laughter.) Q Wait, we're asking the questions here. (Laughter.) But that's the perception -- MR. GIBBS: I think I'm answering them fairly well today. (Laughter.) Q Glad you're so confident. MR. GIBBS: Sure, why not. I'm a pundit. I'm doing great. No, but let me tell you, Chip -- Q But there's a perception out there -- (laughter.) Q Well, let him finish the question. MR. GIBBS: Well, I knew the answer almost before you asked it. (Laughter.) Like I said, I'm a pundit, I'm grading myself pretty well today. Chip, this isn't about -- I think you've heard the President say this isn't about a foreign policy that makes us feel good; this isn't about statements that might make us feel good or sound good on television. This is -- Q But I'm not asking that. I'm asking has he ratcheted up -- MR. GIBBS: No, no, I understand, but this is -- Q -- has he increased the pressure a little bit with his statement? MR. GIBBS: I think obviously you've seen events -- I think anybody would say events on the ground have changed over the course of the last week. The President last Monday warned against the potential for violence -- and we've seen that escalate throughout the week. But, again, Chip, this is about ensuring -- as the President said, that he is speaking out for universal principles. He said that last week. But, Chip, there are many in Iran that would love us to be the story, as the President said and as I have said. They would love to take this debate that's happening within Iran, by Iranians, about the direction of their leadership and the direction of their country -- and instead take that out and put us in. The President has said he recognizes that, he understands that's not helpful and, I think quite honestly, Chip, many of the experts that -- many people in this room, their organizations have talked to, many Republicans have denoted that -- or have noted that the President has struck the right response here. That's what's important. Democracy | International Relations | Iran | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Democracy, International Relations, Iran, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:01:00 PM "Pissed" At The Obama Administration - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 6/12/09 — Friday, June 12, 2009 —  Q I have two questions, Robert. First, how do you respond to the charge that in the hurry to make the President's deadline of closing Guantanamo within a year, some decisions are being made without proper consultation of -- a senior State Department official yesterday said that the British government was "pissed" that they had not been consulted about Uighurs going to Bermuda.MR. GIBBS: I think they were -- if I'm not mistaken, and I don't want to parse the word "pissed," but I think they -- (laughter) -- Q It was their administration's word, not mine. MR. GIBBS: But I think if I read most of the stories correctly, they were not pleased with the government of Bermuda. Q They were "pissed" at the Obama administration, is what we have been told by the State Department. MR. GIBBS: Well, maybe I misread many of the stories -- Q Maybe they were "pissed" at both of you. (Laughter.) MR. GIBBS: There may be a lot of that. I don't know. I think that, again -- Q But we're not getting into that, the issue of just the fact that you are trying to make this deadline, for that reason, there has been criticism that the decision was made to close it before there was a full plan of what to do with all the detainees. The decisions are being made, as you say, on a case by case basis. The other day you couldn't or wouldn't say what would happen to Ghailani if he's found not guilty. Obviously, the British government is not happy -- regardless, of who they're not happy with, whether it's Obama, Bermuda, or both. Clearly, you are trying to make this deadline and decisions are being made before there is completely a plan in place for everything. MR. GIBBS: Well, I think I would obviously take a -- I don't think that's true that any of these decisions are being made in a hasty way. But keep in mind -- let's take, for instance, as I had mentioned here, five of the six transferees just this week were required by a federal court. The Uighurs that we've discussed, five of them were transferred in '05 or '06 to Albania. I don't know if that was a hasty decision. Since they've no record of acting violent since that transfer, I don't think that it would be considered hasty. A court ruled that of the remaining 17, one was -- one should not be labeled an enemy combatant. And the Bush administration labeled, after that, the other 16 being held as not enemy combatants. They've been waiting for a location for resettlement. I don't think moving them was hasty, and I don't think the decisions that are being made are hasty. As I said earlier this week, I think bringing somebody to trial after committing a crime 11 years ago indicted on 286 charges, responsible for taking part, allegedly, in the death of 224 individuals, including 12 Americans in 1998; since it's 2009, I'm not sure many people would think that's hasty. The President and his team are going through this process in a very methodical way, understanding that it's complex, but that the benefits to our security and to our image in the world demand it. International Relations | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | United Kingdom | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: International Relations, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, United Kingdom, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:36:00 PM One-on-One with Mr. Chavez - Mexico City Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 4/16/09 — Friday, April 17, 2009 —  Q This weekend with the Summit of the Americas, number one, are you ruling out a one-on-one meeting with Hugo Chavez? And also I know you guys keep -- keep this secret, I guess -- are you having any one-on-one meetings with any leaders now?MR. GIBBS: We will get you a list of the highly secret meetings that we're having in Trinidad. How careless of me to -- having included you all on such a secret trip -- (laughter.) We'll get you a list. There's no one-on-one meeting with Mr. Chavez on the schedule. I believe he is among several leaders that are in a multilateral meeting. We will get you a list tonight of what meetings we're doing. There are a couple of bilateral meetings, but most of them are multilateral meetings. Q Would he at all -- if Chavez pulled him aside to say, let's have a conversation -- would President Obama -- MR. GIBBS: Every time I pull the President aside to have a conversation we've had that conversation, so I assume he would do the same. Hugo Chavez | International Relations | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Hugo Chavez, International Relations, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 8:35:00 PM Did He Bow Or Didn't He - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 4/9/09 — Thursday, April 09, 2009 — Q And then one unrelated question. When the President met with King Abdullah, there was something that took place that I believe the White House explained as just the President being taller than the King. We took a look at the video, and it does appear that the President actually bowed to King Abdullah. Did he bow or didn't he? MR. GIBBS: Well, I think he bent over with both -- to shake with both hands to shake his hand. So I don't -- Q It appears to show one hand, that he was just -- MR. GIBBS: Well, I -- Q Did he bow or didn't he? MR. GIBBS: No. But I think this meeting was like a week ago, right? Q That's right, but this is something that a lot of people are still talking about today. MR. GIBBS: I can only imagine it is of great cause and concern for many people struggling with the economy. (Laughter.) G20 | International Relations | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Video | White House Press Corps Labels: G20, International Relations, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Video, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:34:00 PM Around Here - Al Faw Palace Press Gaggle by Robert Gibbs 4/7/09 — Wednesday, April 08, 2009 — MR. GIBBS: There are updates on the schedule even as we speak, so I’ll come back out and do that again. Q Okay. Q I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear that part. MR. GIBBS: There are updates to the schedule, and I’ll come out there -- Q So he may have a face-to-face with Talabani? MR. GIBBS: Yes, yes. Q But still here? Everything here? MR. GIBBS: Somewhere in Camp Victory, yes. Q He’s not going to the Green Zone, right? MR. GIBBS: Right. It will be somewhere -- I don't -- Q Around here. MR. GIBBS: It's not likely to be in that office, but it will be nearby. International Relations | Iraq | President Obama | Press Gaggle | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: International Relations, Iraq, President Obama, Press Gaggle, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 12:20:00 AM The State Dictating Salaries - London Press Conference by the President 4/2/09 — Thursday, April 02, 2009 —  PRESIDENT OBAMA: All right, let me sprinkle in another -- it's got to be an international person. All right, this young lady right there. Q Mr. President, Emma Alberici from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. At the moment, in the U.S., the U.K., and in Australia, executive salaries and bonuses are decided in the boardrooms of major publicly listed companies. Who will be making those decisions on salaries and bonuses as a result of the agreement you've made here today? And if it is still the boards, will they be guided by principles or legislation? PRESIDENT OBAMA: The principles that we outlined I think put in place or move us in the direction of what I consider to be best practices, which is that there is some accountability with respect to executive compensation. Now, theoretically, that should be the shareholders. But the way that too many corporations have operated for too long is that you have a CEO who basically selects his board; the board, in a fairly cozy relationship oftentimes with the executive, hires a executive compensation firm, which, surprisingly, tends to think that it's necessary to retain the best talent to pay people $20 or $30 million a year; and we get into the kinds of habits and practices that I think have not been -- have not served shareholders well, I think ultimately distort the decision-making of many CEOs. When I was in the United States Senate, I actually worked on a piece of legislation that would -- made the simple proposition that executive compensation should be subject to a shareholder vote, even if it was nonbinding, so that there was transparency and accountability and perhaps a shame function that would take place. And that principle, I think, is reflected in these guidelines. What it says is, is that if you get shareholders involved and those shareholders are given a set of principles and best practices by which they can judge executive compensation, then you can still have outsized rewards and success for successful business people, but it will be based on not short-term performance, not three-month performance, not your ability to flip quick profits off products like derivatives that don't turn out to be particularly productive to the company, but based on sustained, effective growth. And that's what's embodied in these documents, and I think that you're going to see a lot of countries try to encourage that kind of transparency and accountability. It doesn't mean the state micromanaging -- ( sneezes) -- excuse me -- I've been fighting this all week -- it doesn't mean that we want the state dictating salaries; we don't. We -- I strongly believe in a free-market system, and as I -- as I think people understand in America, at least, people don't resent the rich; they want to be rich. And that's good. But we want to make sure that there's mechanisms in place that holds people accountable and produces results. Okay? Economy | G20 | International Relations | President Obama | Presidential Press Conference | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, G20, International Relations, President Obama, Presidential Press Conference, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:01:00 PM Toning Down The Expectations - Air Force One Press Gaggle by Robert Gibbs 3/31/09 — Tuesday, March 31, 2009 —  Q Can I ask about -- can I sort of put the Russia and China meetings together? Both of those nations have been pretty aggressive in the way they've talked about the U.S., particularly on the currency issue, and are kind of looking to boost their own image and stature in the world by talking that way. How big a part do you think those kinds of issues will play in the meetings tomorrow?MR. GIBBS: Well, I -- look, I can't speak for what those countries will bring up. I think it's been -- we've been quite clear that the reserve currency of the world is now and will continue to be the U.S. dollar, the strength and the breadth of our economy is unmatched. I do think the President looks forward to each of these meetings as a way, again, of speaking of issues that are of mutual concern. Obviously there are -- there's a lot to deal with on the world stage and this is an opportunity for him to get a chance to talk to these two leaders on a very personal level tomorrow. Q Both of these nations are trying to sort of use this moment to more assertively challenge the U.S. So how does the President go into those meetings, sort of knowing that they occur in that context? MR. GIBBS: Well, I don't think it -- look, I think the President will have the issues that he wants to discuss and bring them up with each of those two countries. I don't think that changes what the President does at all. Q Robert, there seems to have been a -- everything seems to be toning down the expectations, trying to tamp down expectations for everything on this trip. What are the fair measuring sticks? April 7th, flying back, measuring sticks out of G20, out of NATO, out of the EU -- is it -- what are they? MR. GIBBS: Well, look, let's take the G20, for example. I think it's likely that we will come out of the G20 with very broad agreement on measures that have to be taken to address the global recession. We've already gotten -- despite what a lot has been written about -- at the financial ministerial level just a couple of weeks ago the commitment to continue to evaluate what has to be done to spur the global economy along. Q What does that mean? "Commitment to evaluate" -- I mean, that sounds like -- do you worry you get so much to a broad consensus -- MR. GIBBS: Let me be more specific, because this also hasn't been reported -- so I'll give you a chance to enumerate my evaluation. As we said last Saturday on the phone call in preparation for this, if you total up what the G20 nations have pledged to address the economic downturn, it represents 1.8 percent of GDP for the G20 nations. That is a significant commitment to addressing the downturn in GDP around the world. The pledge is to evaluate whether or not more steps will be needed in the future to address the breadth and severity of the crisis. I think secondly there will be broad consensus about far stronger financial regulations to ensure that what we're dealing with now never happens again, that we have different rules of the road for the 21st century. And I think that the United States and the Obama administration last week demonstrated its commitment to leadership in this endeavor by rolling out as strong a set of financial regulations as any country has proposed -- as well as a commitment to get them through Congress this year. So that we will not simply propose new rules of the road, but have them instituted by the end of the year, which will make progress in the sense of we won't just be speaking about this stuff, we'll be acting on it. We'll address hedge funds and derivatives as part of regulation. There are tougher capital requirements. There are tools to ensure greater security and safety in our financial system. And finally, as both the President and the Secretary of Treasury have spoken about, they give any administration unique tools and necessary tools to deal with systemic risks like resolution authority, which is something we lack in dealing with something the size of AIG. Q NATO? MR. GIBBS: You know, NATO, I think we will have an opportunity to discuss and review what the President has proposed. As I said, the Secretary of State heard some -- was pleased with what she heard in public and in private. So I think we want -- I think we're making progress and we'll see progress that demonstrates that the concern, as I said a minute ago, about Afghanistan and Pakistan are not simply the concern of one country or one -- Q -- measureable, though? Is it troop commitments? MR. GIBBS: Well, I don't want to get ahead of where we are. I think if we can demonstrate that there's broad international concern and that people are working together to address it, I think that'll be a success. Q What specifically pleased the Secretary of State the most, that she heard? MR. GIBBS: Well, again, I think it was an understanding that -- well, first of all, bringing together neighbors in the region to address in a larger way the problems that we face in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As you know, the President committed at the beginning of his administration to reviewing our policy -- not simply as one that relates to Afghanistan or one that relates to Pakistan, but one that relates to the region as the whole. That was important. Demonstrating -- understanding and demonstrating that commitment I think is important. And she was pleased with what she heard, as I said, in public and in private. Look, I think it's a helpful development if they're willing to continue their involvement to have Iran, a neighbor of Afghanistan, who can and should be concerned about drug trafficking into their country. If they are willing to accept the responsibility of playing a constructive role in that region, I think that's an important development. We'll see as we move forward how that goes. Q What parts of the G20 agenda are still in flux or still being negotiated? Or is it pretty much set right now, in terms of what the outcome will be? MR. GIBBS: I can go ask those guys in terms of what, in terms of the communiqué. I think the call that he had with Prime Minister Brown demonstrated that they made progress on a number of issues. One last thing I forgot to mention at G20 is obviously -- and this is largely agreed upon -- is a far greater commitment to international institutions in order to help emerging economies as we see this massive slowdown in global trade. Q -- contribution? MR. GIBBS: Yes. Q And do you think -- is that on the China agenda? When he meets with Hu, is that about getting them to kick in on this? MR. GIBBS: I will double check on that. But I know, again, that that is -- you know, greater exports from our country into emerging economies means jobs back home, so that's important. Q You talked about his consultations going into the G20, you know, all the conversations he's had with leaders in person and on the phone. Could you quantify that? I mean, pull together how many conversations and meetings he's had? MR. GIBBS: I can go back and try to -- you mean with leaders, not -- Q Yes. MR. GIBBS: Okay. Again, I know that -- like I said, in the past 10 days he's had -- Q We know, but when the President announced -- it seems like he's had a couple different conversations with some leaders, that once -- MR. GIBBS: Let me go back and try to pull together all of it. Again, I know -- you know I think about most of them. As I said, conversations in the past 10 days or so -- teleconferences with Sarkozy and Merkel; conversations with Brown, and visits by Rudd and Lula to the Oval Office. I should mention he talked with Prime Minister Harper in within the last, I think, 48 hours. Q Was it about cars? MR. GIBBS: I think partly to talk about that, but also to talk about G20. Air Force One | Economy | G20 | International Relations | Obama Administration | Press Gaggle | Robert Gibbs | White House Press Corps Labels: Air Force One, Economy, G20, International Relations, Obama Administration, Press Gaggle, Robert Gibbs, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:33:00 PM
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