Karen Hughes spells it all out: We'll help you learn English

[Harold F. Schiffman]

From:    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0511/S00050.htm

Karen Hughes Press Conference Kuala Lampur
Thursday, 3 November 2005, 10:43 am


Karen Hughes, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Kuala Lampur City Library, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia


UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Well, thank you all very much for joining us this
morning, I first of all would - President Bush has sent a letter at I
would like to personally extend on his behalf and the First Lady's behalf,
their sympathies and prayers to the Prime Minister and the people of
Malaysia after the loss of his wife, I know that she was much loved here
and it's been a big loss for the Prime Minister and for your country. And
President Bush considers the Prime Minister a good friend and he mourns
with him in this time of sadness and sorrow and sends his best thoughts
and prayers, so, with that I'll be glad to answer a few questions

LESLIE LAU: Ms. Hughes, on your listening tour

THIRD PARTY: Excuse me, could I ask you to identify yourselves?

MR. LAU: Yes, Leslie Lau from Singapore Straits Times. On your listening
tour, what do you think is the reason for, how would you say, bad public
image of the U.S. among Muslim countries and what kind of message do you
hope to bring back to President Bush from your tour of Indonesia and
Malaysia?

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Well, I hear a lot of different things, one of the
things that I've heard in every country I've visited, including here in
Malaysia last night, very strongly made, was the importance of
people-to-people exchanges. How important it is that we increase the
number of Malaysians coming to America and Americans coming to Malaysia.
There's no substitute for that sort of contact, for having the opportunity
to go to America and experience for yourself what it is like, or having
Americans have the opportunity to come to Malaysia, as I have, to see for
myself the kindness and warmth of the people, the beauty of the country,
the spirit of friendship and cooperation that exists between America and
Malaysia. So that's one of the things I've heard emphasized.

Another thing I've heard emphasized, is the importance of education, is
one of the things that came up at the buka puasa last night, and one of
the things that I'm committed to doing as part of America's Public
Diplomacy efforts is to increase our English language programs, and that's
something the Ambassador and I have discussed as being something that
might be very helpful here, particularly in rural parts of Malaysia. When
you help young people with English language training, you give them a
skill they want and need, and it helps them to have a better life, and
also opens a window into America and our values. And so, like the Lincoln
Corner that we opened here today, I think those educational opportunities
are very important parts of our increasing friendship and understanding
between our peoples.

I also hear, obviously, about areas where we disagree. I know that many
people here have concerns about the war in Iraq, as do some of my own
fellow Americans. No one likes war. We believe that when we are able to
build a stable and unified and democratic Iraq, that the cause of peace in
the world will have been furthered. So, I hear a lot of different things.

Here in Malaysia I think one of the things I've heard most strongly,
again, is the importance of exchanges. We want to increase the number of
students from Malaysia who are coming to America. It's dropped somewhat
since 1998. In 1998, we had about 12,000 students from Malaysia come to
the United States. That was down to about 6,000 last year, and we want to
build that back up. We want Malaysian students to know they're welcome in
the United States and that our universities want them, that the American
people would welcome them, that our Embassy is working very hard and has
improved the visa process. I know that it was a little slow after
September 11th. But we've worked very hard to improve that situation and
we now have, I believe, about a day to get an appointment and about a day
to get a visa is the average. So, it's actually very quick, and the
Embassy wants to help more Malaysians travel to the United States.

MR. LAU: Since you were in the Middle East, and now you're here in
Malaysia and Indonesia. How do you see the difference between - I mean how
does the U.S. see countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, which are more
moderate Muslim countries compared to the Middle East?

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Well, each country is unique. And each region has
certain differences, and as you know the Muslim world is not monolithic,
it's - each country has it's own culture and traditions. I do believe that
Malaysia can be a very important part of our outreach - and when I say
"our", I mean civilized people's outreach - to confront terror, because
here in Malaysia, you have an experience of having people of different
faiths and different cultures live together in an atmosphere of tolerance
and peace. And I think that provides a very important example to other
parts of the world, to Iraq for example, as people there try to figure out
how to get along better and how to have people of different faith
traditions, different cultures, different tribes live together in a spirit
of harmony, and I think that Malaysia is uniquely positioned to help with
that because of your leadership, because of your leadership in so many
important organizations the OIC, the Organization of the Islamic
Conference; and the Non-Aligned Movement; and the ASEAN, and so you're in
a unique position, in Malaysia to have a important role and I think a
valuable role to foster tolerance and understanding throughout the world.

MR. BENDEICH: Ambassador, sorry, Mark Bendeich from Reuters. Is that
something you will be sharing tomorrow with the Deputy Prime Minister?

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Yes it is, it's something I'll be talking about
with him tomorrow in my meeting. It's something that we discussed a little
last night at the buka puasa at the Ambassador's house. It's something I
know that the Ambassador has discussed with officials here, and it's
something I will talk about as well.

MR. BENDEICH: Do you have any thoughts on Islam Hadhari, the Prime
Minister's moderate brand of Islam, and how do you see that playing some
sort of role?

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Again, I think it says to the world that Islam is
a religion of peace, a religion that seeks to work in cooperative ways
with other people and other faiths, and that's a very important message.
One of my jobs is to foster a spirit of cooperation and understanding
among people of different faiths and cultures and countries around the
world, and by doing so to help isolate and the marginalize the extremists
who would hijack faith to try to justify horrible acts of murder. And so I
think that the Malaysian example is a very important example of an Islamic
tradition that is tolerant and respectful and peaceful.

MR. BENDEICH: I guess that's fine, but the assumption that this is
basically a misunderstanding . How much of your trip abroad tells you it's
- how much is misunderstanding and how much is just plain disagreement
over American foreign policy? They understand the policy, they just don't
agree with it?

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Well, you know, it's a - I understand there are
some areas where we are going to disagree. As I said, I know that many
people in the Muslim world disagree with America's decision to go into
Iraq. Some Americans disagreed with that decision. President Bush made it,
in what he believed was the best interest of America's security and
greater peace in the world including the Muslim world. He believes it's in
the best interests of the Middle East itself, that Iraq become a
democratic and stable nation at the heart of the Middle East. I do think
that there is some misunderstanding on some issues, for example the
Israeli Palestinian issue. America's policy is that we support a
Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel, and I think
based on the type of questions I get and some of the concerns I hear, I'm
not sure that people always understand that we support that very strongly.
This week, President Bush met again with President Abbas, for the second
time in Washington. I was present a couple of weeks ago, when President
Bush asked to meet with a group of young Palestinian leaders who were
working in the Abbas government and sat in the Oval Office with them, and
it was a extraordinary conversation to watch seven, six or seven, I can't
remember if it was six or about that number, sit in the Oval Office with
the President of the United States and talk about their hopes for their
country, and having the President talk to them about how - his hopes -
that they would be able to develop institutions in Gaza as a first step
toward the creation of a Palestinian state that would live side by side in
peace and freedom, and he talked about what a moment of opportunity and
hope that he believes this is. And so, I think sometimes around the world
people don't always have the opportunity to hear that perspective.

MR. BENDEICH: Do you think there are implications for foreign policy
itself? I mean, apart from people-to-people exchanges, greater
understanding, and so on, have you come away from your trip with any
apprehension about foreign policy itself? Do you think that it may need
tweaking or changing?

UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES: Well, I hope that everything I learn will
contribute toward foreign policy or foreign-policy decisions. One of my
goals at the State Department is to more fully integrate Public Diplomacy
with policy, and Secretary Rice wants me to do that. That's why I'm now
sitting on her policy meetings, her most senior policy meetings and not
only me, but members of my staff. And we have elevated the presence of
Public Diplomacy professionals within the regional bureaus where much of
the policy of the State Department is made. On my last trip, and again on
this trip, I came home and wrote an extensive report for the President,
the Secretary of State, our senior policy leaders, about what I've heard,
about the concerns I've heard, about the insights that I'd heard, about
all sorts of different things and I will do the same this time.

I also consider one of my jobs to be to help to foster greater
understanding among Americans about people of different countries and
cultures. One of the things that I've heard here in Malaysia, and also
heard on my trip to the Middle East is concern about how America views the
Muslim world and views Malaysians, or views - in the case of my Middle
East tour - people in the Middle East. And so, I think a part of my job is
also to go home and convey to the American people what I have witnessed
here, and talk to them about the buka puasa that I attended last night
where very committed Muslims, people of great faith, whose faith is very
important to their life and helps guide their life, were sharing with me
their thoughts about the future of their country and about our relations
between America and Malaysians. That's part of my job too, is to go home
and convey what I have learned here.

One other point I wanted to mention, I was telling the Ambassador this
morning somebody last night asked me if this was my first buka puasa, and
I said, "No, actually I will attend five this week," which is a real honor
for me. I attended my first one in - the American Muslim community calls
them Iftar dinners - and I attended one at the White House on Monday
night. And it was thrilling to hear the call to prayer on the State floor
of the White House and to realize how rich our religious freedom and
diversity is the United States of America, and then to come here to
Malaysia and before that Indonesia where I attended in Indonesia a buka
puasa at the Ambassador's home and then in a neighborhood, a little
community where we had the Indonesia's rock musician "Donnie", came and
played with a band of local young people and sang as they played and then
last night here at the Ambassador's house, and then tonight I'm really
looking forward to attending a buka puasa at a local home. And so I will
be at a local home here in Malaysia with a woman who very kindly has
invited me and some of my friends to come to her home to break the fast,
so I'm very much looking forward to that.

Thank you all so much. I appreciate your time.

Released on November 2, 2005