Speeches by Ambassador Marie T. Huhtala

Speech on US Foreign Policy Since 9-11
at Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Kuala Lumpur Thursday, August 29, 2002

Yang Bahagia Dato' Dr. Mohamad Yusof Ahmad, Director-General of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations Malaysia, fellow members of the diplomatic corps and friends

Thank you very much for the invitation to address the students, faculty and invitees of your outstanding institute today, just two days before Malaysia celebrates its 45th year of independence.

I would like to begin my remarks by congratulating the Government and people of Malaysia and wishing you all a very safe and happy National Day.

The United States of America and Malaysia share many things, including a deep love of our national day of independence. We are both pluralistic societies of many races, many religions and many ethnic groups, united in the love of our nation and in our commitment to preserving and improving our society.

The relationship between our two countries has of course had its ups and downs over the years, but we have always seen eye-to-eye on important issues like economic cooperation, investment and security.

Last year at this time, just two weeks before the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, our bilateral relationship was just coming out of one of those strained periods. It was a time when our differences still seemed to get more attention than our many areas of cooperation. In the intervening year, as a result of many factors including our concerted response to international terrorism, this relationship has improved markedly.

There are some who say that since September 11 of last year, the United States has forgotten about issues of importance to us - such as human rights and the flawed trials of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - all in the interests of fighting terrorism. That is not true. We continue to speak frankly and openly with the Government of Malaysia, in public and in private, about these and other areas of concern, and indeed the Malaysian leaders are equally frank in discussing their differences with us.

The real difference between last year and today is that both countries have identified many areas of cooperation, where our interests overlap, so that a few areas of sharp debate no longer dominate our relations.

Prime Minister Mahathir helped set this new tone in our relationship on September 13th of last year, when he personally came to the U.S. Embassy in KL to sign our condolence book for the victims of September 11. It was a moving gesture that was deeply appreciated by all of us in the Embassy and by senior government officials in the United States as well.

It's been a busy year since then. The Embassy and the Foreign Ministry worked closely together to set up the Prime Minister's introductory meeting with President Bush at the APEC summit in Shanghai last November, as well as the Prime Minister's official state visit to Washington D.C. in May, which was a great success for both sides. We also derived considerable mutual benefit from the recent visits to Malaysia of Secretary of State Colin Powell and many other senior American officials, as well as the visits of Minister Najib Tun Razak and Minister Rais Yatim to Washington.

But there's much more than just "visit diplomacy" that's going on between us. After several years of being detoured, our bilateral relationship has moved back into the fast lane. That is good news for both countries and for our neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region as well. In my view, this is a return to a "normal" state of affairs after a period of abnormally cool relations. It is very much in both U.S. and Malaysian interests for us to maintain a lively, friendly dialogue on a wide range of issues.

In the past year, my Government has received steadfast and much-appreciated support from all branches of the Government of Malaysia as we fight the global threat of terrorism. Malaysian authorities have worked closely with us in preventive security, information sharing, law enforcement cooperation, joint criminal investigations, investigations of illegal financial transactions and in many other areas. These sorts of cooperation usually remain "behind the scenes," but without them we would be unable to defeat terrorist networks and organizations.

And we should make no mistake about this threat from terrorism. Organizations like Al-Qaeda do not only threaten the United States of America. Citizens of 91 countries died in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon last September 11, including hundreds of Muslims. And the threat to innocent lives remains real and urgent around the world today.

September 11 was a dramatic, dreadful event because so many people were killed and injured at one time. But the headlines remind us every day that terrorism has not ended since then. Hundreds more in many countries have lost their lives since September 11. Terrorism will only stop if we all resolve together to end it.

As Prime Minister Mahathir emphasized at last April's OIC meeting here in Malaysia, any form of terrorism that deliberately targets innocent civilians is wrong. It goes against the teachings of every religion, and outrages human decency. All civilized nations condemn terrorism, and in the past year we've seen considerable progress among nations in fighting this common challenge. The United States is very pleased to count Malaysia among the number of states who share our determination to wipe out global terrorist organizations, to thwart those who would use attacks on civilians to destroy the independence, democracy and pluralism that both of our countries enjoy today.

As part of our cooperative approach, the United States Government is actively engaged in discussions with the Government of Malaysia about the possible establishment of a regional counter terrorism training center here in Kuala Lumpur. This new center could offer other countries of the region an opportunity to respond ever more effectively to the threat of future terrorism by using advanced tools of analysis, information sharing and effective coordination.

We see this proposal as part of our renewed efforts to support and work effectively with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Regional Forum. Their role in addressing regional security, national stability and economic prosperity issues has grown markedly since September 11.

During the recent ASEAN Regional Forum meetings in Brunei, Secretary of State Powell attended the signing August 1 of a US-ASEAN Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism. As he said, "This is a political declaration that brings ASEAN and the United States together in a more intimate relationship. And we will use this declaration in the months and years ahead to do more work together." The Declaration includes pledges to advance US-ASEAN cooperation in a number of areas, including intelligence, law enforcement, tracking terrorist financial networks, border control and immigration.

Cooperation against terrorism has become an important component of our relationship with all the nations of Southeast Asia.

The U.S. just concluded the Balikatan exercises with the Philippines, which helped enhance the Philippine Defense Force's capability to deal with internal threats to security from groups like Abu Sayaaf and the New People's Army. Both of those terrorist organizations have a record of attacks against their own people as well as foreigners.

On his recent trip to the region, Secretary of State Powell also announced that the U.S. would make funding available for some forms of police and military training in Indonesia. Indonesia will be part of the solution in the regional fight against terrorism, and the U.S. is working very hard to encourage that. We will also work with Indonesia to help strengthen its democratic institutions and to encourage widespread respect for the rule of law and human rights.

The U.S. is also cooperating closely with the governments of Brunei, Singapore and Thailand, as well as Malaysia, in joint military exercises and other means of enhancing force readiness. We enjoy excellent cooperation with the governments of all four countries in police investigations, fighting drug trafficking, sharing information and cooperating against terrorism. We understand that the ASEAN member countries are diverse, and that there can be no "one size fits all" approach to our relations with them. That is why we will always place special value on our bilateral relations throughout the region even as we also work to strengthen ASEAN and the ARF and enhance our interactions with those bodies.

The U.S. is engaged in expanded dialogue today with the governments of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to promote greater cooperation across a range of issues. While many issues remain before we can enjoy fully advantageous relations with those countries, Vietnam has been working with us closely in recent years to enhance our ties, and the large amount of new investment and trade flowing between our two countries is evidence that those efforts are paying off.

The U.S. also acknowledges some recent positive developments in Burma and expresses its gratitude to the Government of Malaysia - and to the United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Ambassador Razali Ismail - for all the hard work so far to achieve that progress. But much more needs to be done before democracy is restored to the people of Burma. We look forward to the day when progress along these lines will allow us to again have a normal diplomatic relationship with that country.

Finally, the U.S. welcomes the independence of East Timor and supports its future admission to ASEAN and other regional fora. We plan to continue working closely with the UN and with ASEAN to help ensure that the world's newest nation remains a stable and peaceful participant in the regional community.

U.S. relations with many countries in the rest of Asia have quietly improved over the past year. One year ago, our relations with China were still tense after the P3 plane incident on Hainan Island and other bilateral frictions. While we still have many important and fundamental differences with China, we are actively engaged in dialogue at several levels today, offering promise that relations between our two nations are moving back to normalcy at last.

The U.S. works closely with our two key allies in northern Asia -- Japan and the Republic of Korea -- in many vital areas, including defense, multilateral development and economic liberalization. Korea's economy has been one of the strongest in Asia for the past four years, and its political and economic reforms have led the way for the revitalization of the region. On the other hand, North Korea's repressive and belligerent regime continues to present a threat to its neighbors and to its own people, but there have been recent signs that the Government of the DPRK is again willing to sit down at the negotiating table with other nations to help address some of its problems.

Now, I'd like to move slightly far afield from East Asia and discuss two areas of particular concern, Afghanistan and Iraq.

One year ago, Afghanistan was a captive nation, reeling from years of war, a prolonged drought, a devastating famine, and its pariah status as one of the world's major drug producing nations. Its people suffered under the rigid authority and cruelty of the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda forces that ruled the government behind the scenes.

Today, while many challenges still remain, Afghanistan is rebuilding its nation with the help of international aid. Its fields are planted with food, not drugs, and more than one-and-a-half-million refugees have returned home in the past eight months.

But governments around the world need to offer even more to help the people of Afghanistan recover from years of war and create a stable, democratic society. This is an urgent imperative, for the sake of Afghanistan's future and for the future of its neighbors.

The U.S. is the largest contributor to date. We have given almost $100 million to the World Food Program's Afghan Emergency Operation aid fund, almost 85 percent of the total contributed to date, and we plan to give another $20 million this year. The U.S. has also donated over $665 million in humanitarian aid to help Afghan refugees over the past two years.

Malaysia has also been supportive of Afghanistan's needs, offering a field hospital and making some additional contributions through the Tokyo Donors Conference and the WFP Afghanistan Emergency Operation.

We hope that all governments, including those in this region, will continue to provide support and offer as much aid as they can to revitalize and rebuild Afghanistan. We want Afghanistan to rejoin the family of prosperous, democratic nations, and to again become a country that imports and exports trade goods, not terrorists.

Now in recent months, U.S. policy on Iraq has been a subject of concern around the world. Vice President Dick Cheney gave a speech earlier this week which outlined our concerns about that country and illuminated U.S. policy objectives.

The U.S. has long been concerned that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, including biological, chemical and nuclear arms. Over 10 years ago, after his defeat in the Gulf War, Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, agreed to UN Security Council Resolution 687, to cease all development of weapons of mass destruction. He agreed to end his nuclear weapons program and to destroy his chemical and biological weapons. And he agreed to admit UN weapons inspectors into his country, to ensure that he was in fact complying with these terms.

In the ensuing decade, Saddam has systematically broken each of these agreements. The Iraq regime has in fact been very busy enhancing its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents, and it continues to pursue the nuclear program it began years ago. These are not weapons of self-defense; they are offensive weapons for the purpose of inflicting death on a massive scale. Saddam has already demonstrated his willingness to use such weapons, even against his own people, and he poses a serious threat to the people of the entire Middle East region.

The well-documented suffering of the Iraqi people in the past ten years has been due to the cynical manipulation of UN sanctions policy by Saddam's regime. Unfortunately, most of the revenues coming into the country through that policy, intended for humanitarian relief, are in fact going to the government, not the people.

Despite rumors to the contrary, the U.S. does not yet have a battle plan to meet this threat. President Bush has stated that our goal is to achieve regime change in Iraq, to bring about a change in government there that will allow the Iraqi people to live in peace, prosperity and democracy. But he has not yet decided how to do this. Because of the magnitude of the threat posed by the Iraqi regime, the U.S. Government will proceed with care, deliberation and consultation with our allies. But we will not stand by and allow this looming threat to the welfare of millions of people to go unchecked.

It is encouraging that, in the months since September 11, the nations of the world have achieved much greater clarity about the magnitude of the international terrorist threat and the measures needed to combat it. We have seen many successes in the worldwide campaign against terrorism.

Over 2,400 people linked to terrorist networks have been arrested or detained in the past year, in over 90 countries. In this region alone, the Malaysian police, working in cooperation with counterparts in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and the US, helped uncover organizations whose alleged targets included foreign embassies in Southeast Asia, together with host government and private institutions.

Since September 11, more than 160 countries and jurisdictions have blocked over $116 million in terrorist assets, belonging to 210 entities and individuals directly linked to terrorist activities. Over two-thirds of that money -- $82 million -- has been found in bank accounts and financial institutions outside the U.S.

We believe that this may be one of the best ways to make it difficult for international terrorist groups to carry out their actions. If their access to funding is blocked by countries around the world, they will find it much more difficult to hide their actions and cross borders to commit crimes.

This is a worldwide struggle that we are all engaged in. It's not a clash of civilizations or a crisis of faith. And it is most certainly not a war against Islam. In fact, many of the terrorist organizations that the U.S. is taking action against are not Islamic groups at all. They include Basque terrorists, Colombian drug lords, Philippine Communist guerillas, and Irish Catholics and Protestants who use violence to undermine the peace process there. All are included in the list of sanctions the world is imposing on terrorism.

The al Qaeda terrorists predicted that last September 11 would begin America's downfall, but instead it has launched our renewal. They did not realize how closely the world would unite to fight this universal threat. They did not expect the United Nations to pass unanimous resolutions two days after the attacks, condemning the terrorist actions and taking action to prevent further attacks. They did not foresee the way that our economies, our security and our societies would grow more united to make sure that our cherished way of life could not be destroyed by a few individuals full of hatred.

I do not mean to imply that the U.S. and other countries see eye-to-eye on every issue as a result of September 11. In fact, we still have many differences over issues like the ongoing violence in the Middle East, the pace of globalization, sustainable development and many others. The U.S. has a lively dialogue with Malaysia and many other nations on these sorts of topics. In fact, we have this kind of dialogue with all our friends.

Yes, September 11 reminded us all that the world we live in is still a dangerous place. Maybe it is more dangerous now than we thought it was a year ago at this time. But it does not have to remain that way.

If we continue to engage in peaceful dialogue in areas where we have differences, and if we continue to work together collectively when facing threats that concern us all, then we can stand up to these new threats the same way we defeated the dangers of fascism and communism in the past century.

The philosopher Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." We cannot afford to stand aside and let a doctrine of terror and hatred prevail in the world today. The overarching goal of US diplomacy today is to lay the groundwork for good men - and good women - to unite and work together to make our futures safer, more prosperous and more peaceful.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your questions.

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Speech on US Foreign Policy Since 9-11 at Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Kuala Lumpur Thursday, August 29, 2002

Speech on US Foreign Policy Since 9-11
at Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Kuala Lumpur Thursday, August 29, 2002