US Secretary of State-designate Sen. Hillary Clinton faced hours of questioning by former colleagues during confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Here are some of her quotes on key topics from her Confirmation Hearing Speech
Iran
"We will pursue a new, perhaps different approach. What we have
tried has not worked.
"No option is off the table."
"We will do everything we can pursue through diplomacy, through the
use of sanctions, through creating better coalitions with countries
that we believe also have a big stake in preventing Iran from
becoming a nuclear weapon power."
"We have no illusions, Mr. Chairman, that even with a new
administration looking to try to engage Iran in a way that might
influence its behavior, that we can predict the results. But the
president-elect is committed to that course and we will pursue
it."
Cuba
"The president-elect (Barack Obama) is committed to lifting the
family travel restrictions and the remittance restrictions. He
believes ... that Cuban-Americans are the best ambassadors for
democracy, freedom and a free-market economy."
Korea
"It is a framework that the president-elect (Barack Obama) and I
believe has merit but it also provides an opportunity ... for
bilateral contact as well between North Korea and the United
States," Clinton said regarding the six-party talks that include
the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
"This is under review. We are looking at all of the record of the
negotiation up to this date. Our goal is to end the North Korean
nuclear programs.
"It is our strong belief that the six-party talks ... is a vehicle
for us to exert pressure on North Korea in a way that is more
likely to alter their behavior."
Darfur
"There is a great need for us to sound the alarm again
about Darfur. It is a terrible humanitarian crisis compounded by a
corrupt and very cruel regime in Khartoum."
"We have spoken about other options, no fly zones, other sanctions
and sanctuaries, looking to deploy the UN/AU force to try to
protect the refugees but also to repel the militias."
"There is a lot under consideration."
Global economic crisis
"The world is now in the cross currents of the most severe global
economic contraction since the Great Depression. The history of
that crisis teaches us the consequences of diplomatic failures and
uncoordinated reactions."
"We know that emerging markets like China, India, Brazil, South
Africa and Indonesia are feeling the effects of the current crisis.
We all stand to benefit in both the short and long term if they are
part of the solution."
Climate change
"The world is in need of an urgent, coordinated response
to climate change and as President-elect Obama has said, America
must be a leader in developing and implementing it."
"At the extreme it threatens our very existence, but well before
that point, it could very well incite new wars of an old kind --
over basic resources like food, water and arable land."
