WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that Iran had a “clear opportunity” to engage with the international community, amplifying the conciliatory tone struck a day earlier by President Obama toward Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
Sketching out an ambitious diplomatic agenda, Mrs. Clinton also suggested that there could be some form of direct communication between the United States and North Korea. And she said relations with China had been excessively influenced by economic issues during the Bush administration.
Mrs. Clinton, in her first remarks to reporters since becoming the nation’s chief diplomat, said, “There is a clear opportunity for the Iranians, as the president expressed in his interview, to demonstrate some willingness to engage meaningfully with the international community.”
Speaking Monday to an Arabic-language news channel, Al Arabiya, Mr. Obama reiterated his determination that the United States explore ways to engage directly with Iran, even as he said Tehran’s suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and its support for terrorist groups were destabilizing.
Less than a week into her job, Mrs. Clinton seemed energized. She traveled to the White House on Monday to help send off the administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, George J. Mitchell, and she has racked up a list of calls to nearly 40 foreign leaders or foreign ministers.
The world, Mrs. Clinton asserted, was yearning for a new American foreign policy.
“There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of damage to repair.”
Mrs. Clinton did not disclose the options under consideration for reaching out to Iran, beyond mentioning the existing multilateral talks involving Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. But she indicated that she and Mr. Obama were thinking broadly.
The multilateral group is scheduled to meet next week in Germany, and European diplomats said they hoped that the meeting would provide the first clues about the administration’s strategy.
The administration is expected to name Dennis B. Ross, a longtime Middle East peace negotiator, to a senior post handling Iran, according to State Department officials. That Mr. Ross was not at the same meeting as Mr. Mitchell surprised some people who follow Iranian issues, given how long his appointment had been rumored. But officials said Mr. Ross was at the State Department on Monday.
Analysts said the timing for an American overture to Iran was better now than it had been for a long time.
“The Iranian regime is in a truly desperate situation,” said Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian studies at Stanford University. “The regime is in a much more amenable mood because the economy is in a shambles. They’re also dealing with someone whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.”
As for North Korea, Mrs. Clinton said the administration was committed to existing multilateral talks over its nuclear program. But she noted that in the past, there had been bilateral talks within the current six-nation arrangement. “We’re going to pursue steps that we think are effective,” she said.
On China, Mrs. Clinton said that the United States needed “a more comprehensive approach” and that the strategic dialogue of the Bush administration “turned into an economic dialogue.”
“The economy will always be a centerpiece of our relationship, but we want it to be part of a broader agenda,” Mrs. Clinton said. She did not specify what other issues the United States would put on the table.
Last week, Timothy F. Geithner, who was sworn in Monday as Treasury secretary, signaled a potentially more confrontational stance toward China, saying in written testimony to the Senate that China manipulated its currency.
During the Bush administration, the Treasury Department, particularly under Henry M. Paulson Jr., played a lead role in coordinating policy toward China. Mrs. Clinton has pushed for the State Department to increase its profile on economic affairs, which suggests a stronger role on China.
Mrs. Clinton declined to be drawn out on details about changes in policy toward Iran or another thorny challenge, Afghanistan. Both, she said, were the subject of policy reviews.
She also said little about Mr. Mitchell’s first mission, except to note that the United States was focused for now on talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. She did not address Syria’s role.
Mrs. Clinton brushed off suggestions that the appointment of Mr. Mitchell and another emissary — Richard C. Holbrooke, who will be special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan — could lead to conflict or rivalries in policy making.
“Oh, no, no,” she said. “I think we have already established a collegial, effective working relationship.”
The New York Times
Sketching out an ambitious diplomatic agenda, Mrs. Clinton also suggested that there could be some form of direct communication between the United States and North Korea. And she said relations with China had been excessively influenced by economic issues during the Bush administration.
Mrs. Clinton, in her first remarks to reporters since becoming the nation’s chief diplomat, said, “There is a clear opportunity for the Iranians, as the president expressed in his interview, to demonstrate some willingness to engage meaningfully with the international community.”
Speaking Monday to an Arabic-language news channel, Al Arabiya, Mr. Obama reiterated his determination that the United States explore ways to engage directly with Iran, even as he said Tehran’s suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and its support for terrorist groups were destabilizing.
Less than a week into her job, Mrs. Clinton seemed energized. She traveled to the White House on Monday to help send off the administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, George J. Mitchell, and she has racked up a list of calls to nearly 40 foreign leaders or foreign ministers.
The world, Mrs. Clinton asserted, was yearning for a new American foreign policy.
“There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of damage to repair.”
Mrs. Clinton did not disclose the options under consideration for reaching out to Iran, beyond mentioning the existing multilateral talks involving Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. But she indicated that she and Mr. Obama were thinking broadly.
The multilateral group is scheduled to meet next week in Germany, and European diplomats said they hoped that the meeting would provide the first clues about the administration’s strategy.
The administration is expected to name Dennis B. Ross, a longtime Middle East peace negotiator, to a senior post handling Iran, according to State Department officials. That Mr. Ross was not at the same meeting as Mr. Mitchell surprised some people who follow Iranian issues, given how long his appointment had been rumored. But officials said Mr. Ross was at the State Department on Monday.
Analysts said the timing for an American overture to Iran was better now than it had been for a long time.
“The Iranian regime is in a truly desperate situation,” said Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian studies at Stanford University. “The regime is in a much more amenable mood because the economy is in a shambles. They’re also dealing with someone whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.”
As for North Korea, Mrs. Clinton said the administration was committed to existing multilateral talks over its nuclear program. But she noted that in the past, there had been bilateral talks within the current six-nation arrangement. “We’re going to pursue steps that we think are effective,” she said.
On China, Mrs. Clinton said that the United States needed “a more comprehensive approach” and that the strategic dialogue of the Bush administration “turned into an economic dialogue.”
“The economy will always be a centerpiece of our relationship, but we want it to be part of a broader agenda,” Mrs. Clinton said. She did not specify what other issues the United States would put on the table.
Last week, Timothy F. Geithner, who was sworn in Monday as Treasury secretary, signaled a potentially more confrontational stance toward China, saying in written testimony to the Senate that China manipulated its currency.
During the Bush administration, the Treasury Department, particularly under Henry M. Paulson Jr., played a lead role in coordinating policy toward China. Mrs. Clinton has pushed for the State Department to increase its profile on economic affairs, which suggests a stronger role on China.
Mrs. Clinton declined to be drawn out on details about changes in policy toward Iran or another thorny challenge, Afghanistan. Both, she said, were the subject of policy reviews.
She also said little about Mr. Mitchell’s first mission, except to note that the United States was focused for now on talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. She did not address Syria’s role.
Mrs. Clinton brushed off suggestions that the appointment of Mr. Mitchell and another emissary — Richard C. Holbrooke, who will be special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan — could lead to conflict or rivalries in policy making.
“Oh, no, no,” she said. “I think we have already established a collegial, effective working relationship.”
