Select questions Jan 17/18 2008

QUESTION: Can you — in Kenya, nine Western government, including Australia, Britain, and Canada called in a joint statement for an end of killing unarmed civilian.

Mac: thank you for bringing that up: It’s obvious and disheartening to think that only 9 Western governments think that killing unarmed civilians is wrong. The US was not a signatory to such a blatantly one sided document as we lead the free nations in thinking that killing ALL civilians is wrong. We are in the process of bringing together a coalition, including the French and our neighbors to the West, the Mexicans, that will condemn all such acts. Next question.

QUESTION: And in terms of what happens afterwards, are you looking at whether the Solana channel will still be useful and whether it’s going to be useful to continue with — is it Jalili? I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten.

Mac: thank you for bringing that up: Solana, Jalili, Larinjani, Who in the dickens thinks up these names? I think the reason there is so much miscommunication is that no one really knows who we’re talking to. To that end, We are in the process of bringing together a coalition, including the French and our neighbors to the West, the Mexicans, that will attempt to normalize and standardize the naming of people so we don’t get into this “Jalili” mess. Do you know there are some countries where everyone has the same last name?

Next question.

QUESTION: Cambodia. Do you have any confirmation that U.S. is ready to play a role in the tribunal?

Mac: thank you for bringing that up: One of the most difficult parts of any International effort has already been addressed; the assignment of an acronym that everyone can use.

In this case the designated acronym is the “ECCC”. While it is a ‘good’ acronym, it is not a ‘great’ acronym. So we are in the process of bringing together a coalition, including the French and our neighbors to the West, the Mexicans, to study the different possibilities and report back to the International community with several different options.

Next question.

QUESTION: Yes, on Latin America. Yesterday, President Chavez again denounced (inaudible) plot between U.S. and Colombia to destabilize Venezuela and also try to kill him. I wonder if you have an official reaction to —

Mac: thank you for bringing that up: While we can sympathize with President Chavez’ predicament, the fact that he was NOT chosen for the “Celebrity Apprentice” show is not a matter that the Federal government can address. As for the rumors of ‘assassination’, President Chavez only has to look at our past history of such attempts and be assured that any successful assassination attempt would most assuredly be an accident. As for any complicity between the country of Columbia and the United States, We are in the process of bringing together a coalition, including the French and our neighbors to the West, the Mexicans, to examine the implications of bilateral cooperation between separate countries.

Thank you

jan 21, 2008