James Rubin Quotations

The permanent status talks haven't begun. They're scheduled to end in a year. These are excruciating issues that are going to take a long time to negotiate. That is why I characterize the peace process in dire straits.

We applaud (Colombia's) strategy as an ambitious, but realistic package of mutually reinforcing policies. The U.S. government will carefully review Colombia's request for international assistance, and, in consultation with the Congress, develop proposals on how the U.S. can best assist (the Colombian government).

There are some extremists, and the U.S. is going to step up its effort to enforce security along the border and enforce security in the U.S. sector. And there may be some problems, but I don't think we should blow this out of proportion.

We're not going to lose any sleep if Saddam Hussein suddenly isn't their leader, from whatever reason. No tears will be shed.

whether they want a peace agreement rather than a catastrophe.

We're into a phase of very hard bargaining. A lot of the underbrush has been cleared away. Some obstacles have been overcome, but significant gaps remain.

We regard this suggestion as falling far short of what is necessary in order for NATO to stop its air campaign.

would be to develop a coordinated common approach to this grave situation.

We have no reason to think this is any way related to Deputy Secretary Talbott's visit.

We have no illusions about China's desire to acquire sensitive information and technology for military uses by many different means. It is absolutely not true that we downplayed any evidence of this. We took the issue seriously, as our actions demonstrate.

We have no illusions about China an d will continue to operate with the expectation that China, like many other countries, will seek to acquire sensitive information and technology for military uses.

The fact that Iraq is exporting nursing supplies (in exchange) for hard currency, in violation of sanctions, while babies and children are suffering from malnutrition is yet another indication of the Iraqi regime's cynical disregard for the welfare of its own citizens, ... and further proof that the responsibility of the suffering of the Iraqi children lies with Saddam Hussein -- and not sanctions.

The procedural hurdle that emerged yesterday has been overcome and we are proceeding apace.

We are telling them it's a very bad idea for him to come right now.

making excuses. Why don't they let the inspectors do their job? Stop making excuses, stop trying to politicize the operation, stop trying to pick the inspectors.

Secretary Albright will do what she always does and that is tell it like it is on the subject of human rights. There has been an unfortunate deplorable pattern of crackdowns on political dissent.

Secretary Albright just got off the phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu and they agreed to meet here in Washington on Wednesday to discuss ways in which we can overcome remaining differences

Secretary Albright had asked Ambassador Ross to travel to the region this week. Of course, she will be following the situation closely.

Secretary Albright asked the State Department's senior human rights officer to undertake the mission to further develop the administration's understanding of the dimensions of the conflict in Kosovo and to emphasize U.S. support for proponents of democracy as well as victims of human rights abuse in the region.

She will make clear the stakes involved in this crisis, the threat posed, the diplomatic efforts we've sought to resolve this without the use of force, and the reasons why the use of force may be necessary.

SFOR's mandate is to ensure a secure environment, and SFOR will take action when necessary to carry out its mandate. There will be a zero tolerance for violence,

She continues to consult with both sides. But she's not in a negotiating mode.

She is also a realist and not a magician. She has realistic expectations about what can be achieved.

Mr. Karadzic has no place to run and no place to hide, ... The noose is gradually tightening around his neck.

Mr. Haider is still going to be governor, as I understand the reports, and still going to be in the party. So the question is what the party's role will be in the Austrian government.

Mr. Dahoumane is considered to be a potentially dangerous terrorist and is still at large.

No formal charges have been made, but the authorities have advised that he is presently under investigation for violation of Article 276 of the Russian criminal code, which pertains to espionage.

If we had the Kosovo Albanians agreed, that would change the situation fundamentally, because then we would be in a position to use the very real prospect of NATO military action to concentrate the minds of the Serbs.

If the Serbs fail to sign this agreement and the Kosovar Albanians do and the deadline expires, the Serbs will be subject to NATO air attacks,

I don't know who talked first. Let's just stop it, okay?

But we have made clear, while we recognize the territorial integrity of Iraq, that we think it's important and appropriate for us to meet with ... Kurdish officials in northern Iraq, and we will continue to do so as we see fit.

I can't say we are arriving in Syria optimistic that we will get the answers that are necessary.

Frankly, we want to talk with Chairman Arafat about that schedule and what is possible, and thus take stock for us in trying to assess how realistic it is to make that schedule that's been laid out.

If, as a result of Prime Minister Blair's meetings in the region, the leaders are willing to make hard decisions they've been heretofore unwilling to make, that will be a good thing.

I don't want to be in a position to discuss all the options, except to say that we of course would want the strongest possible action by the (Security) Council to back up the important work of the U.N. special commission.

I don't think people are talking about doubling or tripling the overall troop contingent, but rather trying to make sure that everybody is doing what they can.

If the Freedom Party becomes part of the government, we call upon the party to continue the tradition of Austrian support for human rights and equal rights for minorities,

he will be able to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction in a matter of months, not years.

He had no indication of anything amiss before he left, as far as I know.

The purpose of these broadcasts is not to beam anti-government propaganda into Iran. Rather, this new service would provide more detailed, factual reporting on political, social and foreign policy issues affecting Iran.

We think both sides need to understand that there is not that much time left for a negotiated solution which can give the legitimate rights to the people of Kosovo and protect the national interests of the Serbs, before we face the prospect of renewed and very dangerous conflict this spring.

What we've seen in the last three days is how emotional those small pieces of real estate can be for the Palestinians and Israelis.

The range of views now include a unified consensus that the failures are Iraq's, that the consequences are Iraq's and that the international community believes that Saddam Hussein is failing to comply with his required obligations.

Humanitarian suffering and destruction could well exceed that of the 1998 offensive.

guarantee the safe return of the refugees and the safety of all the people of Kosovo.

I think the general feeling by all concerned was that they were creating a constructive and pragmatic relationship, atmosphere.

it is not beneficial for either side to take steps which make holding ... substantive cross-strait dialogue more difficult.

I think that will make clear for all to see that the Kosovo Albanians have made the courageous decision to choose peace even while their people are being attacked and killed on the ground today.

is a trained diplomat. She's very even-tempered. She's doing what she can to get the peace process back on track.

People are dressed rather informally. It does appear that there is a better and more constructive and more pragmatic atmosphere to work on these problems than there had been in the past.

Our focus is on deeds and not so much words and personalities.

Our understanding is that the Contact Group in New York has agreed to a consensus text of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Our position is clear. Milosevic must halt the offensive against the Kosovar Albanians, withdraw his forces and embrace a settlement based on the Rambouillet framework.

People might want to wish away the existence of Serbs. But there are Serbs there. And there have been provocations on both sides in Kosovo.

people in the region would be better off if these kind of activities did not take place.

Such incidents ... illustrate the need for the two countries to resolve their differences through dialogue,

That effort is failing completely and totally. We don't see a point in negotiations.

NATO authorities will have to make a judgment at the end of the week whether there is substantial and serious compliance on the part of President Milosevic,

The air campaign will continue, and we will continue to make diplomatic efforts with our G-8 colleagues toward a peaceful resolution of this conflict.

That whole process of bringing the people together has been frozen,

My client is entitled to a presumption of innocence at this point.

will only fuel wider regional instability ... and escalate the conflict with NATO.

will meet with Serb and Kosovo Albanian leaders and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and will visit sites in the Kosovo countryside where alleged human rights violations have occurred.

We hope that as a result of the kind of meeting we're trying to arrange, that the various permanent members of the council can bring to bear some leverage and turn this process around before it's too late.

We do not expect to be able to achieve a core agreement in one round of negotiations.

We do not consider this problem resolved. On the contrary, we continue to consult with NATO allies about next steps.

We do not anticipate any changes in our relations. We view this as shuffling deck chairs.

We received assurances at a variety of levels.

We will react swiftly and firmly to any statements or actions suggesting sympathy with Nazi-era policies, or that express racism, xenophobia or anti-Semitism.

We have urged the government of Peru, ... to try Lori Berenson in a civilian court with full due process so that her guilt or innocence can be proven.

We have urged both sides to exercise restraint and to avoid inflammatory actions that would heighten tensions and fuel a missile arms race. Missile tests would not be helpful to efforts to reduce tensions and build confidence through dialogue in South Asia.

We have tried hard to maintain a working relationship with Belarus. The (Belarus) government has made that task even more difficult by this unnecessary, foolish and illegal provocation.

We believe the Mexican military is vigorously investigating, prosecuting and punishing corruption.

We are obviously engaged in a serious discussion with (Pakistanis) about their security in the aftermath of this decision by India to test, and how our relationship with them could be enhanced.

We are not saying that these individuals are, to our knowledge, directly responsible for war crimes,

The president felt there was a very good and serious exchange of views. All issues came up at the dinner,

The problems between the two parties are complex, they are deeply entrenched and they will not be solved by one trip.

Those are major sub-systems, missiles or key production facilities for missiles. So they're big and significant items.

We are committed to fight terrorism here and in every country in the world, and unfortunately again, Fidel Castro is wrong.

What we have said is that our goal is to complete the work, if possible, by Sunday. And we don't want to speculate what would happen after Sunday.

We dismissed those ridiculous numbers out of hand, ... We are not going to pay compensation to confirm that they are living up to their obligations under this important nuclear agreement.

We are concerned that they have (and) are repairing and rebuilding some facilities that could be used for that.

We have made clear that we believe that we already have the authority for a military strike, should such an option be chosen.

We are looking for substantive decisions from the leaders, real decisions.

We recognize there are a lot of events that are converging at this very moment, but we don't see them as linked and we don't see them as a crisis. We see them as hurdles that we obviously will need to overcome.

We do expect to be making decisions on these visa applications fairly quickly.

We urge North Korea to recognize this practicality and to avoid exacerbating the situation by keeping its craft north of the line.

we have credible evidence, or we wouldn't be in this situation of demanding this kind of direct discussion on this subject.

We often hear that sanctions are hurting the Iraqi people, but an objective analysis of the facts reveals that Iraq has access to international markets and the money to buy food, but Saddam will not buy or distribute it to the needy.

We view his detention for peacefully exercising fundamental freedoms guaranteed by international human rights instruments as a serious step in the wrong direction.

We don't need any more principles now. We need to get down to brass tacks and get an agreement.

We condemn this violence. We condemn this terrorist action, ... We extend our condolences to families of the victims.

We come at this problem of Iraqi compliance with a high degree of skepticism about their (Iraq's) intentions.

We have been in touch with senior levels of the Italian government to express our view that Ocalan must not go free, and we are concurrently consulting with the Germans, the Italians and the Turkish authorities regarding these reported developments,

We have been in touch with both sides, and it is our view they should continue to stay engaged to see if they can make progress.

We have been deeply outraged by both the massacres at Racak and by Belgrade's confrontational and destructive response to the justifiable international anger,

We will continue to encourage the two sides to address key issues,

We would expect President Clinton and President Kim to discuss this at length.

We would ... consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means as a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States.

We're trying to galvanize European nations to take as many refugees as possible.