'Editorial Boards Will Make Their Own Decision'

Ambassador Fried: First, let me express solidarity with and sympathy forthe governments and people of Denmark and Norway in the face of the outragescommitted over the weekend in Damascus and Beirut. I gather also that there hasbeen an attack on the Austrian Embassy in Tehran.

The White House issued an unequivocal statement of support for Denmark andNorway in the face of the attacks on their embassies. We made clear that we heldthe Syrian government responsible for these violent demonstrations. We called inthe Syrian Ambassador over the weekend so there could be no misunderstanding.

We also commend and support Prime Minister Rasmussen's responsible statementsin recent days in which he has urged tolerance and respect for all faiths, aswell as freedom of the press. There is a debate about whether the cartoonsshould have been published. The right of press freedom is an absolute right.Right of press freedom brings the responsibility of editorial judgment, and mygovernment doesn't give guidance to editorial boards. They work out these issueson their own. Editorial boards will make their own decision. But there is nodebate about the inadmissibility of violent protests, attacks on embassies,threats to citizens and diplomats which have been made, and I commend thosevoices in the Middle East who have called for restraint and reason.

I note that Prime Minister Erdogan and President Zapatero have issued astatement noting the importance of freedom of the press and calling for calm. Mygovernment urges all governments to take measures now to lower tensions andprevent violence. I should add that we are also in touch with our Danishcolleagues, making sure that we share information and that our friends inDenmark understand that we are prepared to do whatever we can do to help protectDanish citizens and missions.

It was a difficult weekend for our friends, and the debate about the cartoonsis separate -- must be separate -- from the unequivocal condemnation of attacksand embassy burnings. No doubt when I take your questions you will ask aboutthese things and I'm happy to take questions, but I want to be very clear, thatthe solidarity with Denmark and Norway and other European countries who areunder threat is unequivocal.

There was also news over the weekend that I want to comment on. The IAEA voteto report Iran's dossier to the United Nations Security Council was a welcomevictory for the international community, which is concerned about Iran's nuclearprogram. Iran knows what it must do and it has some time to do it, but it mustsuspend enrichment related and reprocessing activities, cooperate fully with theIAEA, and return to the negotiating process based on previously agreed terms.This is a victory for a responsible approach based on transatlantic solidarityand solidarity throughout the responsible international community.

There are two more things I want to mention because it has been a very activeweek on the transatlantic agenda. The Wehrkunde conference, I think, founditself somewhat overshadowed in the media by the events of the weekend, but thetheme of the Wehrkunde conference was -- and I'm paraphrasing rather thanquoting -- rebuilding the transatlantic alliance, something like that. I note,in particular, that Chancellor Merkel's speech was strong and visionary aboutthe role of NATO and the transatlantic alliance in the world. It signals aperiod in which the differences over Iraq that so dominated our discussions in2003 and 2004 have ceased to dominate the current scene, and we are now focusedon what the transatlantic community needs to do together to promote security andfreedom in the world.

I applaud Chancellor Merkel's calls for strengthening NATO's role. As amultilateral organization -- and, notice I said a multilateral organization --it's not a tool box, it's not a platform for coalitions of the willing. We wantto see NATO, as such, strengthened because that is the center that is thefoundation of the transatlantic alliance. Finally, although this was lessnoticed last week, the European Union and the United States issued an unusualjoint statement in Brussels and Washington, this came out on Friday, aboutBelarus where we called on the Belarus regime to permit the conditions for freeand fair elections to take place in March, and we very much regretted therefusal of the Byelorussian regime to receive a joint European Union-U.S.delegation to discuss the importance of free elections.

The Byelorussian regime seemed to be unwilling to accept Europe and theUnited States standing together. But I think the solidarity that the UnitedStates and Europe showed by issuing the statement and issuing a clear messagewill not be lost on the Byelorussian people. So a very busy week. Much of whatwe have talked about in the past year -- that is the importance of a strongtransatlantic alliance focused outwardly on the challenges that the UnitedStates and Europe face together -- has been realized. That is at Wehrkunde, forBelarus, in the IAEA, in Afghanistan, and, by the way, we have a Dutchcolleague, so let me express again great appreciation to the Dutch parliamentand government for its support of the mission.

The transatlantic community is looking outward, working together -- theUnited States and Europe in partnership -- to address our common challenges inthe world. This is what we should be doing, this is the right agenda. This isnot easy, but we have to be working together, and it is far better to bestanding together and then consulting about what we need to do rather thanengaging in inward-looking debates. So let me stop there. I'm happy to take yourquestions. And thanks for coming. It's good to see you.