Iraq, you mentioned we could have spoken more. Speaking more would have , but d the government you never know. I mean, you never know what you might say that could give heart to people, could encourage them, could get some off the fence they are sitting on and possibly take action. You never know, and that was why if these were easy choices, we could to them by computer, you know, if they did not require any kind of judgment, and in that case, we went with sort of the expert consensus, but it was such a fraught time. Things below the radar screen with the demonstrators. They were doing things very much by twitter, and we learned that twitter was going to go down for a long, planned rebooting that had nothing to do with iran. Issue,just an internal and we were, dont shut down this weekend, because we wanted people to be able to talk with each other, so we did a number of things overtly and covertly to try to provide some support and encouragement, to give heart to people rising up against the rate, illegitimate elections illegitimate elections, and i cannot sit here and say that would have had some impact, but at the same time, we were working extremely hard to put together an International Sanction to put together. Nternational sanctions we were committed to that pathway, but it was not enough. Unless we could get the sanctions through the security council, sanctions through the european union, and create an environment in which other countries would feel compelled to abide by those sanctions, we were never going to be able to put together the kind of economic rusher on the regime, and the turmoil the economic on the regime, and the first part of 2010, i spent my time trying to convince other countries to impose these types of tough sanctions and then to enforce them, so it was a twopart issue. There has always been leakage. There has always been holes in t hem, but they have surprisingly and largely held, and they have hailed in part because we had a twopart strategy. The sanctions were not just to have sanctions. Iranwere to try to force to the negotiating table, and i think the economic pressures and the conditions within iran was one of the reasons we were able to start these negotiations over their Nuclear Program, so the sanctions have held up until now. The extension of the agreement i think will most likely be a period during which the sanctions will hold. There is nibbling around the edges. There are people trying to position in the event there is a deal, there is not a deal, but my assessment is that the sanctions, the International Sanctions have had the effect that we hoped for on iran. Came to the negotiating table, so those sanctions did work. They did, they did. The concern is that we have shown some people would say too many carrots and not enough sticks. My bottom line is a deal that is verifiably closes all of irans pathways to a nuclear weapon, and the key there is including and all, covert efforts, and that is what is at the center of this negotiation, and i think one might say remarkably, our partners have not jumped ship. They have stayed in the , and there has been both, as everybody now knows, a process with the socalled p5 has been and there bilateral process between the United States and iran, and they converged, as they were intended to. I was involved in making the decision to send the first team to oman to begin talking about whether or not we could talk, and just like churchill famously we had to explore as carefully and thoroughly as possible whether there was such a verifiable deal that could be adopted. Remain strongly with the idea that a deal is better than no deal. The nuclearweapon negotiations is not the only problem we have with iran. It may be the most important, and in many ways the most urgent, but irans sponsorship of terrorism, irans sponsorship that and the havock the havoc that has created, the on providingessure much elsemas, and so it engages in in the region that causes great concern to israel, to our arab partners, that is of the ongoing challenge that iran poses, but with respect to the nuclear nucleartiation weapons negotiation, i think we made the correct decision to get the sanctions imposed internationally, get our partners to the table, begin the enteration, be willing to into the interim agreement, which has so far, as we know,. Topped their Nuclear Program to be absolutely clear about their constant inspections that would be required to reach the threshold of verifiability that and to be very clear in any deal about what the consequences would be of any , and thatby iran would include, as we say, keeping all options on the table, so how this is constructed, if, indeed, it can , it will have to have those kinds of requirements embedded within it, but i think it is a very important effort to continue to pursue and to continue to see if we can reach an agreement that is in line with our requirements. Hope that, indeed, we and that nonement of our allies in the region are going to feel threatened. Is one of our biggest concerns. We have to intensify our cooperation with our partners and, obviously, most particularly with israel. You know, i think if you look at the close cooperation forget about the press coverage and the back and forth. If you look at the close with thisn administration and with what the congress of the last six years has done with respect to it is quiteurity, extraordinary. The funding of iron dome, the funding of other military needs and equipment, the continuing strategic negotiations that we have been consistently engaged know, itsrael you is hard to measure what administration did x and hwhat but no oneion did y, can question the commitment. The political back and forth we are two raucous democracies, and i have some experience in that, and you do get carried away from time to time, but with our friends in an gulf, we have to have intensely serious, ongoing consultation with them. I started something with them called the u. S. Strategic dialogue. We need a forum where we bring them all together. Easy, becauseot they have their own differences with each other, but when it comes to iran, when it comes to terrorism and other threats to their stability, they need us. We need them. To havewe can continue not only a good dialogue but a lot of positive outcomes from our cooperation that will make them safer, will make the region safer, and pave the way for more cool operations strategically between israel and the arab states. Speaking of israel and the there enough of an alignment of interest, do you think, between israel and some arab states, gulf states, and is that a path that may help resolve israelipalestinian in kind of an overall deal resolve israelipalestinian peace in kind of an overall deal . I knowntioned some, and there has to be a lot of work done to create cooperation around those convergent interests, but that is something that i think is very much in israels interests and in the gulf nationss interests. Thegulf and others in region are very fixated on other assad, isis, immediate matters, but they remain obsessed, understandably andwith irans intentions, i think that is a particular point of convergence. The arab peace initiative, which held out a lot of promise cap when it was introduced, it basically was the form of a deal which held out a lot of was introduced, it basically was the form of a deal. But is that not a chicken and an egg . With so much happening in the region, so many serious threats coming from every direction i know the president just asked to a big increase in aid jordan, because jordan is on the front lines of so much of what is happening, not only the refugee flow from syrian, but they are cooperating with us in the coalition against isis. They remain one of the bulwarks for cooperation on is really security, and i think that when you look at the issue, thatthe egg is why you cannot give up on any of these channels. You have to keep working them all of the time. Throw upt say, lets our hands and walk away in these negotiations between the israelis and palestinians. Figuring out ways for the israelis and the arab states to. Ork together security with egypt, that is very much in both of their interests, so you have to keep whooshing all of these rocks keep pushing all of these rocks up the hill at the same time. Coming to thekeep form, and the next time we will be talking about the peace that came to the region. We can hope. In closing, i would propose a game of words with you. You will have fun with that. I will name a noun, and you have to answer in one or two double your words. Can we do that . I dont know. Lets see. Fabulous. Shimon peres. Wonderful. Granddaughter. Over the moon. Womens rights. Essentail. Writing books. Writing books, hard. Ok. Love. Inescapable. [laughter] and to end on a suite note, dessert on a sweet note, dessert. Trouble. Trouble. [laughter] thank you very much, madam secretary. We are going to open it to a couple of questions, and not too many, please. The microphone, please. And introduce yourself. Ael. Sr [laughter] i would like to ask you about two countries that will be very important building blocks. Turkey and egypt. Turkey is a nato member and will be very important for a stable middle east but does not behave if you look at the games they isis and a policy that is not always desirable, and egypt, where there is a contradiction with American Values and very interests that is very poignant. With both you do turkey and egypt . Well, i think, ambassador, the two countries that you ask about are the Biggest Challenges and the biggest opportunities. With respect to turkey, i think turkey is facing an where theyry period are trying to sort out how to deal with their internal and theirions external threats, as they see them, and i see no alternative but for the United States and other likeminded countries to do everything they can to work with, to stay with, to try to influence how turkey makes those decisions. There is nothing easy about that. They have a kurdish population, as you well know, that they were on the path to try to resolve decades long internal conflict. They are now worried about the kurdish fighters on their borders with serious. That has upended a lot of their it isations, and difficult to get them to focus on isis until they have some sense of how they are going to prior challenge from the kurds. I understand that. It is something that they need to resolve and get about the business of resolving, and i think we have to do more, and i would love to see the relationship that turkey and knitl used to have slowly back together, if that is possible, so i think both United States, other members of nato, other partners in the region we cannot get discouraged or frustrated with some of the difficulties that turkey is dealing with. Instead, we have to double down and try to work with them, and that means even through periods where they say and do things that i think many of us are not too happy about. Big,are too strategic, too and they can be a source of positive change or a source of continuing difficulties, so lets try to work towards the former. Say, an example of the kind of difficult, hard choices that we faced following the revolution and the overthrow egyptarak, and i went to shortly after mubarak fell, and iwent to to rear square square, and they were very relieved and feeling quite validated that their efforts had led to the overthrow of mubarak, so when i asked of them, so what do you do next . Are you going to form a Political Party . Are you going to run people for office in these elections eu demanded . No, we do not do politics. You have to do politics, and they looked at me as if i was a relic from some ancient civilization that had ended up , and i said, look. There are two forces, the Muslim Brotherhood and the army. If you do not form a political alternative, one of those wins. In succession, and we are back to the status quo, i , so it was hard to navigate through the competing interests and the values, and we were blamed, as some of you remember, by all sides. We were not sufficiently supportive of the revolution because we were clinging to mubarak. Mubarak andisoning turning our backs on our longtime partners. We were up ending the relationship we had had, and it never got any better. No matter what we did, we were criticized. I think it is now again time to reboot the relationship and get back to trying to work where we can and do whatever is possible to work with the current leadership to not make the same mistakes. A partner. Y are they are an important partner for us on counterterrorism, and they will be increasingly so, because they will face more internal dissent and violence. They are an essential partner in the sinai. They are absolutely critical to on that security border. All of that is true, but we hope they will pay more attention to fixing their economy, giving the egyptian people more opportunity, trying to extend literacy, particularly among women. A lot of the work that needs to be done if they are going to create a more Stable SocietyGoing Forward. Is notink, again, it easy, and there is a lot of problems in the u. S. Trying to help, but we need to do what we can. Madame secretary, thank you for talking to us. In your book, you called regimen netanyahu eight called a complicatedyahu man, and with the relationship between the u. S. And israel what is due to Benjamin Netanyahu, his policies, and what would be different if the Prime Minister and the president would get along . And you go into very candid detail about after the 2008 election. I know you said you do not answer hypothetical and theoretical, but there is the have, but could you share with us what is in the pro column and the con column . I will answer the first question. [laughter] rapidity of change in the region, and everything that all of us were dealing with, i happened to believe that the relationship between the United States and israel is i happen to believe that the relationship between the United States and israel is solid and will be solid, and our Foreign Policy and domestic concerns, our values, our ideals but that does not mean we have to agree on everything. That does not mean that not only our leaders but people in our country who care deeply about s whol, just like israeli care deeply about the United States that, to me, is the mark of a mature relationship and a deep, abiding friendship. So are there differences between leaders . Absolutely. Be foolish told try to pretend otherwise. But i think that what is in portland is the continuing but iutional support think what is important is the continuing is to shall support and the support we will give israel regardless of leadership. Security support. And i think a lot of the you know, the reports of attitudes and the like maybe it is because we live in an instantaneous world, where everybody has an opinion, and everybody can say it. You know, i have dealt with a lot of different leaders. Obviously, i have seen my husband deal with a lot of different leaders, israeli leaders as well as others, and at times, there are going to be differences, and i do not think it is personal. I think it is a different sometimese about what we think is best for our friends may not be what our friends think is best for them, and when we say that, i dont orieve that is disrespectful rupturing the relationship. I think that is an honest relationship area that is the kind of friends i want. I want friends to say that to me, and i want to be able to say it back. I think that is a broader and to look at theay relationship right now. Do you have time for two more questions or one . Secretary, thank you very much for gracing us with your presence and share your wisdom with us again this year. You referred to the anxiety about iran, and that has yped in theeen h sense that they are surrounded now in yemen. The negotiations with iran and their anxiety about that, as well, and as you said, sharing the anxiety with israel, is it time for you to resurrect that idea that i think you had six years ago in the president ial campaign of some sort of security arrangement that would provide them with an umbrella, that would give them some greater sense of reassurance in this very anxious time for them . Well, martin, i think it is one of the reasons i wanted to form the gulf cooperation moreil, to begin a much regular, indepth discussion about security issues, because, you are right, i did call for what i think i said a security , then to have a nonaggression pact towards for them to have a nonaggression pact towards israel, and we, during the time i was there, explored a lot of different approaches. A never formally offered such potential package, but we looked at how we could try to create a more Effective Security environment, and it takes a lot of time and effort, and it needs to be a priority, because, for example, without naming names, where you place certain radar is dependent on geography, but countries want it to be andndent on their interests needs, so as i said, but if you look at this map, the radar should be here, and they say, no, we want it here, and you say, but that does not help us do what we are trying to do, so it is a lot of work, and it would go back to the ambassadors question and your question. There is no substitute for consistent diplomacy in the face of persistent problems, and on thinkcurity umbrella, i it is an idea in whatever form it could take worth being resurrected because of what you described. If you look at the circle around iranian, there are more were,sts now than there and a lot of that is because the countries themselves, take yemen, take those in the north the countries themselves cannot figure out how to defend themselves, and we have tried. We continue to have eight and assistance there. Is sobanese situation destabilized with hundreds of thousands of refugees, with hezbollah being basically part of assads army against the inability ofe various parts of the lebanese leadership to have a united front to protect their own country. I mean, we cannot do that for them, nor can anybody else, so a lot of this is weakness that iran takes advantage of, and, you know, in this world, you cant be mad at somebody taking beantage of you, you can mad at somebody taking advantage of you, but at the end of the day, that is your fault. In you treat your own people a way that they will not look and thatour borders, is part of what has been going on, as you know. The iranians have been incredibly focused on exploiting , and i think that we have to do what we can to try to thater a sense of security the gulf has Going Forward in order to deal with