Ambassador David D. Nelson Arrives in Uruguay

Career diplomat David D. Nelson, confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, arrived in Montevideo with his wife Gloria January 26, 2010. Uruguayan Protocol director, Ambassador Cesar Rodriguez, and senior U.S. Embassy officials welcomed Ambassador Nelson upon his arrival at the Port of Montevideo. Ambassador Nelson will soon be presenting his credentials to Uruguay President Tabare Vazquez.

Ambassador Nelson looks forward to working with Uruguay to deepen bilatertal relations. In his confirmation statement delivered before the Foreign Relations Committee on December 1, 2009 Nelson described Uruguay as an example of stable democracy, not only by holding regular elections, but with a deep commitment to democratic values, civil rights, and civil society. “Uruguayan leaders of all parties are dedicated to improving the situation of all Uruguayans, including through education and market-led economic growth. Uruguay’s commitment to education is highlighted by its recent achievement of providing a laptop computer to every student”.

USNS Comfort Begins Treating Haiti Earthquake Patients

The U.S. Navy’s 1,000-bed hospital ship Comfort arrived off the Haitian shore and began receiving patients from the January 12 earthquake even before it dropped anchor in Port-au-Prince harbor.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the arrival of the Comfort is “a big help,” as international medical personnel on the ground continue to cope with casualties despite ongoing challenges resulting from the natural disaster.
Speaking to reporters at the State Department January 20, Clinton said the Comfort has brought with it more than 600 American medical personnel and “adds important capacity to our relief efforts.”
“Already patients are being taken onboard via helicopter and treated,” she said.

See compelete article:

http://uruguay.usembassy.gov/usaweb/2010/10-029EN.shtml

Former U.S. Presidents Team Up for Haiti Relief Fund

Former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton teamed up to spearhead a global fundraising effort to rebuild Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that has killed tens of thousands and injured even more.
“By coming together in this way, these two leaders send an unmistakable message to the people of Haiti and to the people of the world. In these difficult hours, America stands united,” President Obama said at a televised White House press conference January 16 with Bush and Clinton at his side. “We stand united with the people of Haiti, who have shown such incredible resilience, and we will help them to recover and to rebuild.”
Bush and Clinton created a Web site, which is designed to begin a fundraising campaign that will be needed to support immediate relief efforts and to address long-term recovery efforts:
http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

See complete article:
http://uruguay.usembassy.gov/usaweb/2010/10-022EN.shtml

Haiti Disaster Relief Is Top U.S. Priority Right Now, Obama Says

The first wave of American search-and-rescue teams, disaster relief experts, military forces and supplies are at work in Haiti, beginning what President Obama says will be a massive U.S. relief effort in response to the January 12 earthquake, which caused losses that he called “nothing less than devastating.”
“None of this will seem quick enough if you have a loved one who’s trapped, if you’re sleeping on the streets, if you can’t feed your children. But it’s important that everybody in Haiti understand, at this very moment, one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history is moving towards Haiti,” the president told reporters at the White House January 14.
Obama said he told his national security team that Haiti “must be a top priority for their departments and agencies right now.” The moment calls for American leadership, he said, and “responding to a disaster of this magnitude will require every element of our national capacity — our diplomacy and development assistance, the power of our military and, most importantly, the compassion of our country.”
See complete article:
http://uruguay.usembassy.gov/usaweb/2010/10-018EN.shtml

U.S. Search-and-Rescue Teams Are Arriving in Haiti

The U.S. Agency for International Development has dispatched a disaster assessment team along with a U.S. military assessment team to determine the scope of the humanitarian crisis affecting the Haitian people in the aftermath of one of the region’s most violent earthquakes in a century.
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said January 13 that an agency Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was expected to arrive in Haiti from San Jose, Costa Rica, about 1:30 p.m. EST (18:30 GMT) to assess the crisis even as relief efforts from governments and relief agencies gear up their responses. He said two urban search-and-rescue teams with 72 personnel each are being sent to Haiti.
In addition to a USAID mission already in Haiti, the deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Army Lieutenant General P.K. Keen, is in Port-au-Prince and has already begun providing an assessment for the U.S. military, SOUTHCOM Commander General Douglas Fraser said at a special briefing January 13 in Washington.
USAID is working in conjunction with the U.S. departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in mounting relief efforts, he added.
See complete article:
http://uruguay.usembassy.gov/usaweb/2010/10-015EN.shtml

Clinton Sees U.S. Aid Based on “Partnership, Not Patronage”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States is elevating development to play a role equal to diplomacy and defense in U.S. foreign policy, and says efforts to end poverty and inequality are indispensible to creating a more stable and democratic world.
The secretary spoke January 6 at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. She said the Obama administration’s emphasis on development is based on “partnership, not patronage,” with the countries it is seeking to help.
Instead of dictating solutions from afar, the United States will work with countries that “take the lead in designing and implementing evidence-based strategies with clear goals,” Clinton said.
“Development built on consultation rather than decree is more likely to engender the local leadership and ownership necessary to turn good ideas into lasting results,” she said.
See complete article:
http://uruguay.usembassy.gov/usaweb/2010/10-005EN.shtml

Secretary Clinton on U.S. Human Rights Agenda for 21st Century

"Today, I want to speak to you about the Obama Administration’s human rights agenda for the 21st century. It is a subject on the minds of many people who are eager to hear our approach, and understandably so, because it is a critical issue that warrants our energy and our attention. My comments today will provide an overview of our thinking on human rights and democracy and how they fit into our broader foreign policy, as well as the principles and policies that guide our approach.
But let me also say that what this is not. It could not be a comprehensive accounting of abuses or nations with whom we have raised human rights concerns. It could not be and is not a checklist or a scorecard. We issue a Human Rights Report every year and that goes into great detail on the concerns we have for many countries. But I hope that we can use this opportunity to look at this important issue in a broader light and appreciate its full complexity, moral weight, and urgency. And with that, let me turn to the business at hand."

See complete speech:

http://uruguay.usembassy.gov/usaweb/2009/09-338aEN.shtml

Launching of the Frank and Kathy Baxter Science Corner

The Frank and Kathy Baxter Science Corner of the Alianza Binational Center debuted yesterday with a live video conference featuring former Apollo XI astronaut, Buzz Aldrin.
Buzz spoke with Uruguayan students and scientists telling of his experience as a crew memeber of Apollo XI and landing on the Moon forty years ago, and the future prospects for the peaceful use of space to benefit mankind.
The Frank and Kathy Baxter Science Corner is intended to create an environment of communication between the Uruguayan and U.S. scientific communities for the exchange of advanced scientific information, to provide support materials and to encourage the study of science.
Frank Baxter is a former U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay.

See photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassy_montevideo/sets/72157622969466564/show/