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The history of the Pakistan Foreign Service is as old as Pakistan itself. Just as the country has gone through its periodic ebbs and tides, so have the Foreign Service and its mandarins experienced periods of perfect calm followed by strong currents of unsettling tumult. It has, in the process, had more than its fair share of challenges and storms.
A constant in the 60 years of Pakistan Foreign Service is the element of envy — of its mandate to man the ramparts of Pakistan abroad, often in unfriendly environs and under daunting conditions — and hostility to those charged with the onus to discharge the mission. Foreign Service mandarins, predominantly drawn from the country’s shrinking middle-class, have been a target of derision, mockery and, often, open hostility from its political masters, representing its feudal elite and soldiers-of-fortune.
Dr Samiullah Koreshi is one of the early pioneers of the Foreign Service and has deftly woven an interesting pastiche of this and other unsavory aspects of the unwelcome ambience in which the service has been cultured over the past decades. Although these are his memoirs and his reason for writing them couldn’t be any other than to highlight the personal imprints he has left on the passage of the Foreign Service over the decades since its inception, and the meandering course of Pakistan’s foreign policy, the history of the service, of which he was a luminary, unconsciously threads its way into his personal account.
He recounts, for instance, a truly hare-brained scheme of Manzoor Qadir, who, as foreign ninister under Ayub Khan, had the reputation of being a genius and a foreign policy wizard, to have only a handful of Pakistani embassies in the outside world: not more than a dozen, to cover the whole wide world. Ayub’s finance minister, Mohammad Shoaib, had an even sillier scheme up his sleeve; he sought not only to reduce the number of embassies abroad but also slash their manpower to an unworkable minimum; just an ambassador and a junior officer. He impishly christened it as ‘a man-and-boy’ team of diplomats.
Shoaib, too, was undeservedly hailed as a financial genius and ace economist whereas his only qualification was that he was a World Bank implant in Pakistan. The fetish with America-returned wizards has robustly flourished to date in Pakistan. The current power dispensation is larded, to our dismay, with such wizard-wonders, aplenty. Bankers with money-laundering credentials have been ruling the roost in Pakistan as economists, par excellence.
Dr Koreshi recalls that all these schemes were the brainchildren of powerful and power-hungry CSP officers who’d struck up an alliance with the army under Ayub. They wanted to do away with the Foreign Service altogether and have, instead, only a general pool of officers, crisscrossing the boundaries of civil and foreign services. The snide purpose was to open the rich pickings of foreign postings to the CSP cabal.
But the gods were kind to the Foreign Service mandarins because they happened to have a man as intelligent and suave as Mr Ikramullah as foreign secretary, for a second time. He saved the service by convincing Ayub of its fatuity. But the service didn’t prove to be as lucky under those who followed Ayub, especially those wearing the khaki in Pakistan. The present regime has taken the process of stuffing the embassies abroad with its favourites to the extreme, at the obvious cost of the service Brahmins.
Dr Koreshi makes some other fascinating, if not exactly sensational, revelations.
For instance, he lifts the veil on the cloak-and-dagger operation of October 27, 1958 — barely 20 days after Ayub had proclaimed martial law in Pakistan — when Ayub’s co-conspirator, President Iskandar Mirza, was unceremoniously bundled off to London in the dark of the night. He reveals, on the authority of Air Commodore Maqbool Rab, his ambassador in Ankara, that Iskandar Mirza had ordered him (Rab) to arrest Ayub upon his arrival at the Mauripur Airbase of Karachi. Rab was Vice-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force and out of inter-services loyalty reported it to his military colleagues. Ayub rewarded Rab for his loyalty with the embassy in Turkey.
Dr Koreshi, who served nearly 40 years in the diplomatic service, has other interesting anecdotes and episodes to tell in his memoirs. All diplomats, invariably, have such anecdotes to recount in their repertoire of memories. Dr Koreshi was lucky that he served in some very interesting places, India (where he served in three different locations, Jallandar, Chandi Garh and Delhi), Russia, Canada, Turkey, Lebanon, Nigeria, Japan, Indonesia, et al and met some of those who were prominent in the making of history. Some of those were colorful characters, like Yasser Arafat, General Yaqubo Gowan of Nigeria and General Suharto of Indonesia, among others.
There’s a lot of Dr Koreshi in these memoirs, a little too much, for some. But this is understandable. It’s basically an account of his personal journey as a Pakistani diplomat, who climbed the ladder of the Foreign Service with hard work, dexterity, wit and great perseverance. He earned a place under the Foreign Office sun on the dint of sheer labour and intelligence. None should begrudge him if he’s suspected of giving airs to himself at some places. Like any other diplomat, he’s entitled to prize some trophies in his bag, as he went around the world, selling his staple merchandise of words and wits.
He credits himself, for instance, for convincing Yasser Arafat to go personally to New York, in 1975, to address the UN General Assembly. That’s was Arafat’s maiden appearance at the UN when he delivered the famous speech in which he said he was carrying a gun in one hand and an olive branch in the other. Dr Koreshi claims he was the only Pakistani of any consequence whom the legendary Arafat respected from his heart, and listened to like a brother. Well, there seems little reason to dispute this statement, especially now that Arafat has been dead for three years.
Like any other Foreign Service mandarin, Dr Koreshi, too has his fill of regrets and remonstrations. For example, he feels bitter about the in-palace intrigues — quite shameless, at that — of some of his senior colleagues that robbed him of the chance to become foreign secretary under General Ziaul Haq. To become the head of the Foreign Office is a prize coveted by every service Brahmin. He, thus, has every right to feel betrayed and sourly let-down by his own service colleagues. But, the, the Pakistan Foreign Service is, and has always been, like a strait-jacket with room at the top terribly constricted. Being a smaller service, compared to the civil service or police, it has annoyingly suffered from the syndrome of ‘dog-eating-dog’ and colleagues frequently stabbing colleagues in the back, with little remorse or compunction. It’s simply survival of the smartest, not necessarily the most intelligent or competent. To Dr Koreshi’s credit, he doesn’t name the names of those villains who were his nemeses.
But Dr Koreshi himself doesn’t sound too complimenting to his Bengali colleagues, when writing about their conduct in the backdrop of the break-up of Pakistan, in 1971. He faults them for carrying chips on their shoulders against a united Pakistan but conveniently glosses over the less-than-edifying contribution of bureaucrats of West Pakistan who contributed, immensely, wittingly or unwittingly, in the widening of the gulf between East and West Pakistan.
The author had earlier written his memoirs in English. Why did he think of writing them in Urdu, too, should best be known to him. However, in doing so he has done himself and Pakistan a service, perhaps unwittingly. The readership of English books in Pakistan has been on a downward curve for sometime and readers of English abroad aren’t quite that interested in reading the memoirs of a Pakistani diplomat, no matter how colourful or controversial. By contrast, Urdu readership has a much larger and accommodating circle in Pakistan. Dr Koreshi’s memoirs, written in a fluent and uncluttered prose, should be a good and interesting read for Pakistanis, of this generation, as well as for those to follow.
The book is well studded with Dr Koreshi’s collection of mementos and memorabilia, as also with photographs of his with many of those who made history.
DAWN November 25, 2007
Foreign rail travellers arrive at St Pancras railway station and immediately get caught up in the rush. I wasn't going to bother uploading anything else from this visit, but changed my mind. I'd forgotten about this one.
Portrait d'un légionnaire du 2e Régiment étranger d'infanterie (REI) lors de l'opération 'Prométhée', dans la région de Géryville.
Operation "Prometheus" – Algeria 1960
Legionaries of 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (REI) during operation "Prometheus"
around the mountainous terrain in the region of Géryville in Oran, This operation is designed to eradicate the separatist in South Oran Algeria
The soldiers were delivered by Sikorsky Helicopters and despite the heat, which forced them to take short breaks, they move through the mountains, which highlights the breathtaking scenic panorama of the region. When contacted the Algerian independence fighters several were killed and one Legionnaire was wounded, the latter is transported on a stretcher awaiting evacuation.
At the end of the mission, a transmitter establishes a radio signal giving the helicopter to approach the helicopter for the troops.
from Tim Robertson
Jun 15, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,
Last Saturday I found myself playing the role of fake teacher. I can now see the humor of the situation but it was not an experience that I had expected. I suppose I should have seen it coming the evening before, when my supervisor from the Office of Foreign Affairs invited me and my colleague out to dinner with some of her friends - the first time this has happened since I began teaching on the old campus. She began the occasion by giving us both a gift and then proceeded to apologize for not having done her job adequately in her responsibility toward us foreign teachers. I felt embarrassed for her since giving an explicit apology is quite uncommon in Chinese culture and, although true, it was surprising to hear her admit it. I quickly assured her that she had been very helpful and that she had a very difficult job with complicated situations. I wanted her to feel I was very sympathetic toward her so that she would be more inclined to get my papers filed and completed for my new job. I needed all the help I could get and I was desperate to use whatever leverage I had to move the process forward as best I could. Was this the answer to my prayers?
Midway through the elaborate dinner Greg and I were asked to help her friends to start a new English language school to prepare local high school graduates to attend college abroad. This was the real purpose of the invitation and by that time we had no choice but to agree to their request to help them recruit students and their parents. As it turned, out the next day the official college entrance exam (the infamous gaokou) was being held at local high schools so Greg and I were taken to various schools to pose as teachers for this new business. While there, I learned that I was not to identify myself as a teacher at the local college, since it would be illegal for us to work at a private school, not to mention a violation of our contract. We were just supposed to stand next to the local recruiters and lend a white face to provide prestige and credibility for a school that we knew nothing about. I don’t know how successful they were in signing up students but we went out in the morning and afternoon and were paid for our “services”. We were both relieved to find out that our participation was not needed on Sunday.
Hiring foreigners to pose as fake associates in a business is quite common in China (see link below) but it is was never something I aspired to do. In the past I have helped to give publicity for a local training school where I was actually teaching classes, and I expected that I would be doing somewhat the same this time as well. But the main motivation for me to accept was to curry favor with the college liaison in order to give her a personal reason to do her job on my behalf. She has been quite uncooperative and irritated with my frequent requests that she get the documents that are required by the system for this process to be completed. I am hoping she will be able to get the last document that I need to renew my resident visa, and then get a two week visitor visa to provide enough time for the process to be completed. This last official document should have been given to me a month ago but for political reasons too complicated for me to understand or explain, I will not get it until five days before my contract and resident permit expire. That is why I will need the additional two weeks to send the papers to Liaoning province, in order get my new Foreign Expert Certificate and resident permit.
Each of the ten documents so far have needed to be written, translated, signed and stamped by a different person, so it has been a real education for me to find my way through the bureaucracy without offending and irritating too many people by my persistence. If I do not get the last two documents all will be for naught and I will have leave the country in order to get a new entry visa, which can be quite expensive, time consuming and complicated. This is an education for me to see what Chinese must do on a regular basis and it illustrates the need to trade favors and use connections to get even simple things done. Being an outsider (non-Chinese) with no real connections or political influence, I am constantly bumping up against the inertia and indifference of officials who got their positions through family members in the party and feel no need to do anything to earn their salary. In fact, most of the time it is safer to do nothing so as to avoid irritating a superior or losing face by helping the wrong sort of people – like me.
This next week I will be doing final exams with each of my students by conducting an informal five minute discussion. It is challenging for me to ask different questions of each student based on their choice of one of the four movies we have used this semester. These students are masters at memorizing answers to questions if they know them ahead of time and, of course, they are expected to tell their classmates the questions that I have asked them. I find it difficult to evaluate their oral language skills objectively and consistently, especially when I am tired by doing so many within a limited time frame. My consolation is that I feel that I am getting better each time I do it, but I am keenly aware of my limitations. I also feel that I am responsible for their progress even though I have them for a total of an hour and a half each week, which is totally inadequate. But I do the best to work within the system, because, as my students often remind me, it may not be a good system, but it is the only one we have. So I feel compassion for them considering the system that they have work with and the disadvantages they have in this area of China.
Tonight I will go to my last English Corner and try to find something interesting to discuss. One of the recurring questions has been, “Why did you decide to come to work here?” This reflects the response to my question, “What is you biggest disappointment in life.” The most common response being, “having attend this college.” Anhui has the reputation of being the poorest province in China and has even been called “the Appalachia of China.” So it is understandable that they would want to know why I would want to teach at this college, which is in the poorest, most remote part of the province. They find it surprising when I say I like it here, but aside from it being true, I could hardly respond by showing lack of respect for the local conditions. I do like the students very much but many of them lack the motivation to study hard and do as little as possible. Perhaps this is true of a certain percentage of college students anywhere, but the standards here are dis-hearteningly low, with little incentive, since most everyone passes their classes no matter what.
To illustrate this point, I asked a graduating senior that I have gotten to know quite well and is known as a good student, “Did you download your senior thesis from the internet?” He became quite irritated at my question but not for the reason that I had expected. His response, “Of course I did, because 99% of all senior theses at this school are from the internet.” After looking over and reading his thesis, I was struck by how my research papers in high school had higher requirements, and that was before computers or the internet when I actually had to read books and type it on a manual typewriter with footnotes and bibliography. This was the only research paper required of these students in their four years of college. So it is easy for me to get cynical and feel I am part of a diploma mill as a fake teacher. But I take it as a challenge to give more than required and more than is expected out of concern for them as individual students and out of my desire to represent my Lord. Perhaps too out of a desire to feel that I am making a difference in their lives and they will remember and appreciate my efforts. Perhaps this illustrates my own overgrown ego to think I am doing something important and of eternal value.
Last week I went on a long bike ride with another foreign English teacher who is teaching at a local high school before returning to Iowa to begin her master’s degree. I took her on a ride I had made before, but this happened to be in the middle of the wheat harvest so the concrete road on top of the levee was covered most of the way with wheat stalks that were drying from the heavy rain a couple days before. As vehicles passed over them, the grain was loosened and would later be separated from the straw and the chaff. This is a normal part of the wheat harvest although it is technically illegal to use the road for drying and threshing of crops, but universally ignored. Perhaps we were of some assistance to the farmers as we rode on top of the wheat stalks, but it certainly took more effort and we often had to stop and manually remove the straw that had gotten wrapped around the gears and jammed the gear shift mechanism. This is an example of how the experience of riding over the same route can be completely different depending on the season and the activities of the local farmers. This week my allergies were activated by the smoke from burning straw in the fields - also illegal.
About a month ago I took a long ride with a couple of students and the fluff from the cottonwood trees was so thick in the air it seemed like a snow fall in mid-May. It was particularly enchanting because the “snowflakes” did not actually fall, but drifted on the breeze as far as the eye could see. I had to remember to close my mouth as I rode so as not to inhale the minute fibers causing me to stop from time to time to cough and clear out my throat. We paused to sit along the river bank in front of a local god house which had heaps of blown-up fire crackers and piles of ashes from the burnt incense. The door was locked but I could peer into the gloom and make out the three ancient ancestral gods of the village and three Buddhist images which seemed to have been recently added. It is always striking to me that one never sees a single image; there are always at least three versions of the main figure, and usually many more on the side, often stacked on top of each other. Like Lays potato chips you can never have just one, and the more the better, often numbering in the hundreds or thousands, like wallpaper. Such is the inflation factor of idolatry. One idol is clearly not adequate to represent a deity, but the more you have, the less the value. There is always a need for more, ad infinitum. So they have to build another temple and the process starts all over again, with many temples in a complex, and others under construction. Maybe it shows that they know the gods are fake too.
There is a small Buddhist nunnery a short distance from my apartment which I have visited on occasion. At present it is hard to find because it is in the middle of a massive construction site about a square kilometer. When I first arrived the area looked like a bombed out section of Berlin after WW2, covered with heaps of rubble and debris from demolished buildings except for the temple. Now, about 18 months later there are about a dozen high-rise apartment buildings rising out of the ground like erupting teeth in a toddler’s mouth. The work continues seven days a week and would be remarkable except this is going on all round the city and into the country side surrounded by farmer’s fields. This too would be remarkable except for the fact that this is going on all over China in every city and town, with no end in sight. “And now the day has come, soon he will be released, Glory Hallelujah! We’re building, building, building the perfect beast.” (Don Henley, 1984, Album: Building the Perfect Beast)
I have several good job offers to teach English in China so if you know anyone who is interested, I will be glad to send the job information and contact with a recruiter who will be happy to send a contract to start teaching in September.
Please pray during the next two weeks that all the paper work will be done on time and as I move to Dalian (more about that next time).
Thank God, he is in control!
Tim
Article on Fake executives: www.cnbc.com/id/37759560
Article on “naked officials”: qz.com/218369/beijing-is-having-a-hard-time-convincing-of...
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Surprise!
May 12, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,
Today I am thankful that I could take a shower, do laundry, wash dishes and flush the toilet again. Yesterday, instead of writing this letter as I planned I focused my attention and energy on getting the water turned back on to the foreign teacher apartment building and, thankfully I was successful. This saga begins about a month ago when I noticed an official looking message posted on my door. Being illiterate but curious, I asked a student to tell me what it was about. That is how I found out that the school had not paid the water bill and this was a warning that the water was about to be turned off. Fearing the worst I took down the paper and brought it to the foreign affairs office to see what should be done. The liaison officer told me not to worry, that it was no problem and it would be taken care of. So, having received these assurances I did not think much was amiss when there was no water this past Friday.
After a few hours I was informed by Greg, my upstairs colleague from the UK , that the water had been turned off due to non-payment by the college. So, at least they knew about the problem and it would be soon be resolved, I assumed. On Saturday morning I began to realize that all was not going as I’d hoped, so I began to send text messages and make phone calls, but got no response until around noon. We were told to go buy drinking water in the store, but that was not very practical for other necessities. Since I was going through a bout of intestinal difficulty, I was about to go down to the river next to my apartment and get a bucket of water to flush with. Eventually I got a return call telling me to meet a student who would take me to the appropriate office close by to make the payment and get the water turned on again. After an awkward discussion, several more phone calls, and my insistence that the water be turned back on to all of the apartments in the building, and not just my own, they told me it was the weekend but it would be done in an hour. After two hours I called again and was told that the man was waiting for the rain stop. Eventually, around 4:00 pm the valve was turned back on. Fortunately, I keep my bottles of boiled water numbered for just such an emergency.
This little vignette is somewhat symbolic of my relationship with my supervisor, whose job is to make sure that all goes according to contract. I am usually the one who goes to bat for the other foreign teachers, which often results in a satisfactory resolution of the problem but also gives me the reputation of a trouble maker and an agitator for change. I figure that if I am persistent, the unjust judge will eventually give me what I need, even if it produces the impression that I do not give proper deference expected by a Party member from an underling, and a foreigner to boot. So it was not a big surprise that the administration decided not to renew my contract for next year (coincidentally I found this out at the same time as I gave her the water bill notice). But perhaps being open about my faith, discussing taboo political topics with students, insisting on following the contract and persistent advocacy for my students were also contributing factors. My contract expires at the end of June, along with my resident permit that allows me to stay in the country. So I will need to leave China during finals week which does not give me a lot of time to finish oral exams, submit grades, pack my stuff and remove it from this apartment to my next location – wherever that may be.
When I wrote you last month I was planning on teaching here for another year with the same students that I have this year, so I was disappointed to have to change my plans rather abruptly. My job search via phone, internet and email for the last three weeks has resulted in four solid offers (so far) to sign a contract for next year. At the same time, I have been praying for guidance to lead me to the right place and make the best choice based on the limited information that I can get from various sources in English. As of yesterday, I have made a tentative choice as to which offer to accept and now all I need to do is sign the printed contract, scan it and send it back via email attachment. But I continue to pray for assurance before making a commitment for the next year.
This afternoon I am meeting a couple of students who asked to go with me for a long bike ride outside the city. It is somewhat ironic that I will be showing them the places where I have already gone but they have not yet ventured. Fortunately the steady rain of yesterday has given way to sunshine and a cool breeze. After that I will meet a man downtown, who has asked me to teach some of his students in an English school that he has recently started. I will see if his schedule will coincide with mine. It is another chance for me to learn by experience in a new setting and earn some pocket money. The opportunities that come my way are surprising and often don’t last very long for various reasons. So I hate to turn down the chance to try something new and challenging to my teaching abilities and add to my previous experience. Unfortunately I have only a few weeks left here to explore the possibilities.
At English Corner on Thursday I met several students from my class last year and invited them to come over to my apartment for a spaghetti dinner this evening. The students are always eager to try some American style food and “Italian noodles” are close enough to what they normally eat. I can buy the imported spaghetti and sauce at the local Walmart and cook it in my small kitchen with other local ingredients to make a reasonable facsimile. I only wish I could find Romano or Parmesan cheese to go with it since the supply that I brought back with me from the US has been consumed on previous occasions. I can fit 4 or 5 guests around my coffee table in the sitting room/office where I can play music from my computer and speakers in order to enjoy the friendship they have offered me. The students and teachers I have invited are always very gracious and complimentary toward my efforts at cooking since it is unusual for a man (and a teacher) to offer this sort of hospitality. They also enjoy looking around my apartment and relaxing in my back yard in the hammock among the palm trees and bamboo. Since the weather was great we ate outside until the darkness and bugs drove us back inside.
Now that I am facing a new future, I am eager to make the change to see other parts of China with different culture, climate and people. Perhaps I have become too comfortable and complacent here and I need to stretch my faith in God’s provision for me. I have chafed under the oppressive atmosphere at this college and I am hopeful that in time I will see his purpose in taking me through this valley. To paraphrase Paul in 2Cor 8-10: “I want you to be aware of the hardships I have suffered in this province in Asia. I was under such great pressure that at times I had lost hope. In fact I felt in my heart a sentence of death. But this happened so that I would not rely on my own strength, but on the Resurrection and the Life. He has delivered me from this hopeless situation and he will continue to deliver me. I have set my hope on his promise to keep on delivering me.” Hallelujah! God willing, I will go to the city of Hangzhou in September and spend the next year there teaching English, earning my salary and sowing seeds. (James 4:13-15) More on that next time.
I am finishing my series of classes on the movie Titanic. It has provided me an opportunity to point out many expressions of faith in the plot, dialogue and the music. For example, when Jack says “I am on God’s good humor.” I interpret that as an expression of his reliance of God’s provision for the future. When he says “Life is a gift and I don’t plan on wasting it,” it indicates that God is the giver of life and we have a responsibility to “make it count” for him. The popular theme song also expresses faith in an afterlife. “There’s nothing I fear, I believe that the heart does go on.” Faith is also expressed in the church service on the last day before the sinking and in the prayer of the priest as he quotes from Revelation and looks forward to “a new heaven and a new earth.” Jack can also be seen as a savior since he gives up his life for Rose and she says, “But now you know that there was a man named Jack Dawson and that he saved me in every way that a person can be saved.” There is also an example of lack of faith when Cal says, “God himself cannot sink this ship.” Director James Cameron has said he intended to depict the end of the world in microcosm. While not exactly the gospel, these offer an opportunity to discuss religious topics in class to students who have been indoctrinated with atheism. I pray that from such small seeds, faith can grow.
The influence and popularity of American culture is evident everywhere and hard to miss. From the never ending basketball games that occupy the fourteen courts and backboards that I see every day on my way to classes, to the popularity of faded jeans and tee-shirts emblazoned with fake designer brand names and other random English words. I am the only one on campus who wears shirts and hats with Chinese characters on them. That fits my status as a foreigner trying to honor the host culture that has shifted dramatically in the past couple of decades. Many of my students have watched more American TV shows and movies than I have (since they are freely available to download from the internet), and they know the characters names and personalities too. (Curiously, the most popular line from Titanic in China, which I frequently hear is, “You jump, I jump.” In the U.S. it is “I’m the king of the world!”) When I ask students what their dreams are, the most common response is, to go to America to study, or just to see places they have seen on their video screens. One of my quirks is to try to decipher the English words and letters printed on clothing since it is somewhat altered from the original, either intentionally or in error. Often the words and letters seem to be chosen without rhyme or reason. Most Chinese have no idea what the English words mean, just as many Americans have no idea what the Chinese characters say on their clothes and accessories. So are these people victims of fashion or willing participants in a bizarre cosmic joke? Either way, it brings a smile to my face.
Last month I mentioned that my mother’s has cancer is no longer treatable after over 20 years of successful treatment and she is expected to live only few more weeks. I had accepted that I may not see her again in this life, but since then she has regained some strength and I am hopeful that I will be able to see her after finishing this semester. I am still exploring options for how to spend the two months of July and August between spring and fall semester. I am open to suggestions and offers of hospitality. Perhaps this is a time to try to reconnect with members of my family whom I have not seen for many years.
Thank-you for praying with me,
Tim
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On Saturday, April 12, 2014 2:15 PM, "robertsontim66@gmail.com" wrote:
Dear Friends and Family,
I am have been experiencing internet connection problems for several days so I am not sure when I will be able to send this off, but as always, I do what I can and hope for the best.
Now that I have started my second year, classes are easier because I am able to reuse some of the lesson material that I created last year. I have to adapt them to my students on this campus who have lower English skills and don’t seem to be quite as motivated, but I enjoy the challenge. My students have become somewhat accustomed to my unorthodox teaching methods and my expectations of them. After many weeks I have gotten them to put away their mobile phones, and text books, and take notes in a notebook. That is the bargain I have struck with them, since they would much prefer using American movies as a source of dialogue than using their text, which is designed to teach British English to students in the UK. I have just finished a three week series using the Disney/Pixar video of Brave, which focuses on a mother daughter relationship and whether to follow tradition. Since 90% of my classes are made up of young women who are the first in their families to go to college, this is something they can all relate to on a personal level.
Next week I plan on starting a series on Titanic since it is a popular movie in China and many of the students have already seen it. Hopefully the level of difficulty will not be too high but I feel it is better to use real actors than animated characters, which I have used so far. I also choose popular songs to go with the plot of the stories from ones they have requested and written down for me in the attendance book that I pass around for them to mark. It usually takes three times before they feel ready to sing along, but repetition and review is part of the learning process. I also use short video clips of OMG!Meiyu that are produced by Voice of America and teach authentic language used by young people in American pop culture. The slang, idioms, and figures of speech are presented by a cute young American named Bai Jie (Jessica Beinecke) who speaks fluent Mandarin and has a large following on Weibo - the Chinese version of Facebook/Twitter. She is much more attractive and interesting to watch than me, so I use a couple of her three minute videos each week to help explain expressions related to the dialogue from the movie. I also find pictures and use music videos on the internet to help illustrate new concepts and settings. The combination of multi-media helps to produces images, sounds and scenarios so that I do a minimum of explaining and oral instruction. In addition, I make a list of new words and idioms from the script that I put up on the screen for them to write in their notebooks, along with the slang expressions, which I write on the chalk board.
After I show selected scenes from the movie with subtitles, and have them read the parts from the script (which I transcribe and project onto the screen) in groups. I then ask some of them to perform it in front of the class from a printed copy of the script, while the rest read along from the screen. In this way, they go over the same material three times. The visual images, pronunciation, context and plot are much better in communicating the meaning of the language than a textbook or a lecture on grammar or traditional memorization. This technique allows me to engage all of the students in the class all of the time without intimidation or embarrassment, since “losing face” is such a huge deterrent for them to speak up in class. I usually end the class by drawing parallels between the characters and situations in the movie to China and the students themselves. Thus, they learn English as well as how we share many things in common on a cultural and personal level. I teach each lesson eight times but I have to adapt and modify it each time according to how the students respond. By the end of the week I have the bugs worked out so that I can move seamlessly between the various programs and media in the right order and within the given time frame. The many hours spend preparing, finding and downloading pay off with greater enthusiasm and participation in the classroom.
I have started wearing short sleeved shirts as the weather warms and the bright green of new leaves appear on the various kinds of trees, especially the gingko and the dawn redwoods. The cherry blossoms are out and leaves are emerging on the bamboo and palm trees that I planted in my back patio area. I have strung up the hammock (that I bought in Qingdao last summer) between a tree and the concrete wall. I find it a relaxing way to end the day gazing up at the birds, moon and stars as they make their way through the tree branches in the evening. I listen to music with headphones or play my harmonica while tugging on a wire to keep swaying gently in the evening breeze. This reminds me of the many hours that I spent reading and relaxing at my home in the jungles of Peru many years ago, although I do miss the grand sweep of the Milky Way visible in the southern hemisphere.
The weather is also ideal for long rides out into the country side where the winter wheat is over a foot tall and the yellow rape seed is blooming in the fields and garden plots. The birds are singing to their mates, especially the black and white magpies which are as big as ravens and build onto their huge nests each year in the tops of the cottonwood trees. The air is full of the drifting fluff from the ever present cotton woods which is the primary tree planted for wood. On a recent ride I stopped to watch some men and women operating a large lathe to peel sheets off the logs, which are then cut put on racks in the yard to dry in the sun before being trucked off to be laminated. I was impressed at how much human labor was used and how small the logs were – usually less than a foot in diameter. The operators were happy to let me ride around and watch them at work, and even offered me a smoke. It was the first time I had observed this process although I have often seen the machinery and products along the road from a train or bus window. The physical exercise and the peaceful landscape, crowded with farms and villages give me a chance to see new aspects of life in this area which are good for body, heart and mind.
I have been gradually broadening my range of dishes that I can cook in my rudimentary kitchen equipped with only a hotplate, a microwave oven, a rice steamer and an electric tea kettle. As a result, I am finding it harder to shed the extra weight I gained during the winter when I spent many days without physical activity due to the weather and my travel itinerary. Perhaps I am also burning less calories in nervous energy that inevitably came with adapting to a new culture, profession and lifestyle. It seems I am continually moving around the cycle of tension, frustration, cynicism and complacency as a result of trying to solve various problems. I have learned to value the small progress in various areas from the classroom to my apartment and add to my knowledge of this strange and fascinating place called China. For instance, after eight months living in this apartment I was finally able to get my toilet bolted down to the floor. Now if it would only flush properly, stop flushing and refill the tank automatically! Each small victory encourages me to keep pushing for improvements on a personal or professional level. Although it does not seem like much, over time it adds up to significant progress.
Another interest I have is in teaching at a local pre-school one afternoon each week. I have finally realized that kids of this age are not impressed with technology and I have switched my focus to high touch. When I enter the room I go around to shake hands and greet them individually. At first, many were reluctant to extend their hands to me, but now they approach me and shake enthusiastically. When I leave at the end of class, I am surrounded by a crowd of three foot tall minions asking to shake hands and get a hug. Breaking the physical barrier also encourages them to speak and sing and dance with me even without the music and video on screen. Since most of my college students had never met or talked with a foreigner until my class, it is encouraging to see how quickly and easily three, four and five year-old children have adapted to me as their teacher – often, faster than college students. In China the old ways change very slowly but once the change has come on a personal level of experience, there is no going back. Building up familiarity, respect and credibility takes much time and effort, but it is the only way to open minds and hearts. In the same way I swing back and forth between empathy and impatience with my students and the pace of learning in the classroom, but the progress is evident and inevitable if I do not grow weary and lose heart.
There are many pleasant elements to life on campus, like the strains of instrumental melodies leaking out of the music building close to my apartment, and the family of feral cats that I feed on my back patio. (Thanks to Greg, my upstairs neighbor who buys their food.) They have gotten used to me giving them food and water, hanging up my laundry and hanging out in my hammock. So much so, that if I do not close my door, some of them will venture inside looking for more food. Somewhat less enjoyable is the chanting that comes from athletic field and vocal warm-ups of voice lessons starting around 6:00. I have gotten used to the frequent honking and the sound of fireworks going off at all times of the day or night. The students’ attire is also changing with the seasons and I am becoming accustomed to seeing short girls in high heels and short skirts with long straight black hair. They enjoy shopping for the latest fashions in the stalls and street markets as well as the large department stores. So, they are more attractively and fashionably dressed than us fashion-challenged foreign teachers. To compensate, I try to wear a different hat to class each week to go along with the lesson – another visual aid.
Along with these bright spots comes news of my mother who has recently returned home from the hospital and has been put on hospice care. The medications that she has been taking for the last twenty-five years are no longer effective and the cancer has spread from her breast to her lungs, diaphragm and liver. Unfortunately the cancer meds have also lowered her resistance to infection resulting in her stay at the hospital and taking high dosages of antibiotics. Her doctor estimates that she may have only two months left. I am trying to decide if I should return to Michigan to see her one last time, or for the funeral - as I did for my father about 18 months ago. I knew that when I visited her in early February that it might be the last time that I would see her. My oldest sister and her husband are there to help with another sister coming later from Canada to provide in-home care. The college administration has given me permission to go but I do not look forward to the time and rigors of travelling 10,000 miles there and back again, not to mention the costs. My younger sister has just begun to teach at an adult English training school in Shanghai and my older brother will soon be leaving for a job in Africa, but there will be many other family members who will be able to be there. So I am waiting to see what I should do and asking God for wisdom and guidance.
I hope you will pray along with me in this and many other matters that I face.
Looking forward to the resurrection,
Tim
= = =
Tim Robertson's posts about his time as an English teacher in Anhui at the Fuyang Teachers College are uploaded at: www.flickr.com/photos/ray_mahoney/9114089397/in/photostream, www.flickr.com/photos/ray_mahoney/8302698850/in/photostream, www.flickr.com/photos/ray_mahoney/14217075257/in/photostream; www.flickr.com/photos/ray_mahoney/9012874492/
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin, Germany, on June 24, 2022. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]
Home Secretary Theresa May is photographed by guests at the 2010 Eid reception in the Durbar Court of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, 21 September 2010.
18/02/2022. Munich, Germany. The Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss talking to the Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolyat the Munich Security Conference. Picture by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street
Soldiers from the Castelnaudary 4th Foreign Regiment (Legion etrangere) march down the Champs-Elysees during the annual Bastille day parade in Paris, on July 14, 2011.
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 14: Soldiers from the Castelnaudary 4th Foreign Regiment (Legion etrangere) march down the Champs-Elysees during the annual Bastille day parade on July 14, 2011 in Paris, France. The French National Day celebrates its revolution in the storming of the Bastille in 1789 through various parades and official ceremonies throughout France.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken participates in a virtual roundtable with foreign media at the Foreign Press Center, ahead of World Press Freedom Day, from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 2021. [State Department photo by Freddie Everett/ Public Domain]
01/12/2021. Riga, Latvia. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives to attend the NATO Summit in Riga, Latvia. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Go to Page with image in the Internet Archive
Title: X-ray observations for foreign bodies and their localisation
Creator: Gage, Harold C
Publisher: St. Louis : Mosby
Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons
Contributor: Columbia University Libraries
Date: 1920
Language: eng
Printed in Gt. Britain
If you have questions concerning reproductions, please contact the Contributing Library.
Note: The colors, contrast and appearance of these illustrations are unlikely to be true to life. They are derived from scanned images that have been enhanced for machine interpretation and have been altered from their originals.
Read/Download from the Internet Archive
This is foreign in a rather literal sense -- I gathered bottles together from a variety of countries and got this shot.
Looks more like that Happily Ever After Snow White. Non-transforming dress, prince philip's cape among other changes.
What is foreign? What is native?
I know its a deep philosophical question, I had to think hard=P
(this was in one of the places I stayed in Botswana, see below if you can't read it)
Secretary Pompeo hosts a working dinner for Mexican Foreign Secretary-Designate Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on December 2, 2018. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Un transmetteur de la Légion établit une communication radio lors de l'opération 'Prométhée'dans la région de Géryville.
Operation "Prometheus" – Algeria 1960
Legionaries of 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (REI) during operation "Prometheus"
around the mountainous terrain in the region of Géryville in Oran, This operation is designed to eradicate the separatist in South Oran Algeria
The soldiers were delivered by Sikorsky Helicopters and despite the heat, which forced them to take short breaks, they move through the mountains, which highlights the breathtaking scenic panorama of the region. When contacted the Algerian independence fighters several were killed and one Legionnaire was wounded, the latter is transported on a stretcher awaiting evacuation.
At the end of the mission, a transmitter establishes a radio signal giving the helicopter to approach the helicopter for the troops.
Former Foreign Secretary William Hague met Qatari Foreign Minister His Excellency Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah on 23 August 2013 in London.
Légionnaires de la 13e DBLE montant à bord d'un Puma camouflage sable du BATALAT de Djibouti
Legionnaires from 13DBLE ( 13e demi-brigade de Légion étrangère,) during a training exercise in Djibouti 21st to 28th March 2010
20/05/2022. Turin, Italy. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is greeted by Luigi Di Maio, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs as she arrives to attend the Council of Europe Summit in La Venaria Reale in Turin. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
"Foreign Buildings," consisting of images of the Sweden, Norway, and Germany buildings. From Columbian Gallery: A Portfolio of Photographs of the World's Fair by The Werner Company. 3 photographs from a series. 1893.
Digitial Identifier: GN90799d_CG_064w
Un transmetteur du 2e Régiment étranger d'infanterie (REI) se désaltère lors de l'opération ';Prométhée'dans la région de Géryville.
Operation "Prometheus" – Algeria 1960
Legionaries of 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (REI) during operation "Prometheus"
around the mountainous terrain in the region of Géryville in Oran, This operation is designed to eradicate the separatist in South Oran Algeria
The soldiers were delivered by Sikorsky Helicopters and despite the heat, which forced them to take short breaks, they move through the mountains, which highlights the breathtaking scenic panorama of the region. When contacted the Algerian independence fighters several were killed and one Legionnaire was wounded, the latter is transported on a stretcher awaiting evacuation.
At the end of the mission, a transmitter establishes a radio signal giving the helicopter to approach the helicopter for the troops.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland welcomes Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, during the G-7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, April 22, 2018. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Remembrance Sunday
Garrison Sergeant Major London District Billy Mott of the Welsh Guards checking on arrangements before the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m.
The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.
The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.
Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.
From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Each year, the programme of music at the National Ceremony remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:
Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne
Heart of Oak by William Boyce
The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore
Men of Harlech
The Skye Boat Song
Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
David of the White Rock
Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson
Flowers of the Forest
Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
Dido's lament by Henry Purcell
O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris
Solemn Melody by Walford Davies
Last Post – a bugle call
Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch
O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft
Reveille – a bugle call
God Save The Queen
Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.
Cenotaph Ceremony and March Past - 10 November 2013 Order of March and Ticket Allocation
Column D [Lead Column]
Marker NumberDetachmentNo of marchers
1War Widows Association 126
2British Gurkha Welfare Society 78
3West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18
4Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18
5Bond Van Wapenbroeders 26
6Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain Trust Fund 40
7Canadian Veterans Association 10
9Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24
10Hong Kong Military Service Corps 18
11Foreign Legion Association 24
12Not Forgotten Association 54
13The Royal British Legion 348
14The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 6 New
15The Royal British Legion Scotland 26
16Ulster Defence Regiment72
18Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 42
19Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12
20ONET UK 10
21St Helena Government UK 24
22Commando Veterans Association 30
23South Atlantic Medal Association 196
24SSAFA Forces Help 66
25First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12
26Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48
27British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48
28British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48
29British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association24
30Royal Hospital Chelsea 30
31Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen30
32The Royal Star & Garter Homes20
33Combat Stress48
34Walking With The Wounded14
Total 1,590
Column E
1Merchant Navy Association 150
2Royal Naval Association 160
3Royal Marines Association 198
4Aircraft Handlers Association36
5Telegraphist Air Gunners Association12
6Aircrewmans Association30
7Cloud Observers Association10
8Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association36
9Fleet Air Arm Association30
10Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association24
11Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association24
12Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association18
13Fleet Air Arm Officers Association40
14Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association18
15Sea Harrier Association24
16Flower Class Corvette Association18
17LST & Landing Craft Association10
18HMS Andromeda Association18
19HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association22
20HMS Cumberland Association18
21HMS Ganges Association36
22HMS Glasgow Association30
23HMS St Vincent Association36
24HMS Tiger Association20
25Algerines Association25
26Ton Class Association30
27Type 42 Association35 New
28Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service35
29VAD RN Association18
30Association of WRENS90
31Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association10
32Royal Naval Communications Association30
33Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 6
34Royal Naval Benevolent Trust18
35Royal Navy School of Physical Training24
36Russian Convoy Club30
37Yangtze Incident Association24
38Special Boat Service Association 6
39Submariners Association30
40Association of Royal Yachtsmen24
41Broadsword Association36
Total 1,489
Column F
1British Korean Veterans Association 500
2National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association98
3Normandy Veterans Association 6
4National Service Veterans Alliance 150
5Italy Star Association48
6Monte Cassino Society20
7Gallantry Medallists League36
8National Pigeon War Service30
9National Gulf Veterans & Families Association30
10Fellowship of the Services 150
11Burma Star Association50
12Far East Prisoners of War 8
14Memorable Order of Tin Hats36
15Suez Veterans Association50
16Aden Veterans Association84
171st Army Association36
18Showmens' Guild of Great Britain30
19Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard18
20Popski's Private Army 4
21Pen and Sword Club18
22Black and White Club18 New
Total 1,420
Column A
2Royal Northumberland Fusiliers48
3The Duke of Lancaster's Regimental Association30
4Green Howards Association44
6Cheshire Regiment Association24
7Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment36
8Mercian Regiment Association30
9Rifles Regimental Association48
10The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association
30
11Royal Irish Regiment Association12
12Durham Light Infantry Association60
13King's Royal Rifle Corps Association60
14Light Infantry Association48 New
151LI Association36 New
16Royal Green Jackets Association 198
17Parachute Regimental Association 174
18The Royal Regiment of Scotland Association18 New
19Royal Scots Regimental Association40
20King's Own Scottish Borderers50
21Black Watch Association45
22Gordon Highlanders Association60
23Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 6
24The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)24 New
25Grenadier Guards Association48
26Coldstream Guards Association48
27Scots Guards Association40
28Guards Parachute Association36
294 Company Association (Parachute Regiment)24
30Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment72
32Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association30
33Royal Sussex Regimental Association12
34Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association12
Total 1,443
Column B
1Blind Veterans UK 198
2Royal Scots Dragoon Guards30
3Royal Dragoon Guards78
4Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish)12
5Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association96
6The 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers36 New
7Gurkha Brigade Association36
8JLR RAC Old Boys' Association30
943rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Association 6
10Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association48
11North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association78
12Association of Ammunition Technicians36
13Beachley Old Boys Association36
14Arborfield Old Boys Association18
15Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120
16656 Squadron Association72
17Home Guard Association12
183rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association60
19Royal Artillery Association18
20Royal Engineers Association30
21Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association65
22Airborne Engineers Association24
23Mill Hill (Postal & Courier Services) Veterans' Association30 New
24Royal Signals Association48
25Army Air Corps Association42
26Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps of Transport Association40
27RAOC Association18
28Army Catering Corps Association48
29Royal Pioneer Corps Association54
30Reconnaissance Corps18
31Royal Army Medical Corps Association36
32Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association48
33Royal Military Police Association 100
34The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 6
35Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association36
36Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps18
37Intelligence Corps Association30
38Royal Army Physical Training Corps24
39Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Association48
Total 1,783
Column C
1Royal Air Forces Association 125
2Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300
3Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association20
4 Federation of Royal Air Force Apprentice & Boy Entrant Associations 150
5Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association24
6Royal Air Force Police Association90
7Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association40
8Bomber Command Association20
9Royal Observer Corps Association80
10National Service (Royal Air Force) Association42
11RAFLING Association24
126 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association18
137 Squadron Association30
14RAF Habbaniya Association30
15Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association30
16Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club12
17Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association30
18Royal Air Force Butterworth & Penang Association 6
19Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association15
20Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association12
21Women's Auxiliary Air Force12
22Blenheim Society18
23Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association24
Total 1,152
Column M
1Transport For London48
2First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps)24
3Munitions Workers Association18
4Children of the Far East Prisoners of War60
5Evacuees Reunion Association48
6TOC H12
7Salvation Army36
8NAAFI12
10Civil Defence Association10
11British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team)12 New
12National Association of Retired Police Officers36
13Metropolitan Special Constabulary36
14London Ambulance Service NHS Trust36
15London Ambulance Service Retirement Association18
16St John Ambulance36
17St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6
18Firefighters Memorial Trust24
19Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association36
20Ulster Special Constabulary Association30
21Commonwealth War Graves Commission12
22Daniel's Trust36
23Civilians Representing Families85
24Royal Mail Group Ltd24
25Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals24
26The Blue Cross18
27PDSA24
28HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association24
29Old Cryptians' Club12
30Fighting G Club18
31Malayan Volunteers Group12
32Gallipoli Association18
33Ministry of Defence30
34RBL Non Ex-Service Members 123
35Union Jack Club12
36Western Front Association11
37Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign18
38Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes24
39National Association of Round Tables24
40Lions Club International24
41Rotary International24
4241 Club 6 New
43Equity12
44Romany & Traveller Society18
45Sea Cadet Corps30
46Combined Cadet Force30
47Army Cadet Force30
48Air Training Corps30
49Scout Association30
50Girlguiding London & South East England30
51Boys Brigade30
52Girls Brigade England & Wales30
53Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade30
54Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets18
55St John Ambulance Cadets18
56British Red Cross12 New
Total 1,489
Newindicates first time participation in 2013.
Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 10 November 2013 Summary of Contingent Composition
Column A1,443
Column B1,783
Column C1,152
Column D1,590
Column E1,489
Column F1,420
Sub-total8,877
Column M1,489
Total 10,366
News report on 10 November 2013
Remembrance Sunday 2013: The Queen leads nation in honouring fallen heroes
Her Majesty laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall as the UK fell silent at 11am in tribute to those who lost their lives in conflict
The Queen was joined by Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family as she led the nation in honouring members of the Armed Forces killed in conflict.
The monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to commemorate all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the decades since the First World War, bowing her head after paying her respects.
As Remembrance Sunday services took place around the UK to remember our war dead, the royals, politicians, military leaders, veterans and serving personnel laid wreaths of poppies at the monument.
Prince Harry was laying the wreath on behalf of his father Prince Charles, who is currently abroad on an official tour of India with the Duchess of Cornwall, and was marking the occasion there.
Kate Middleton, who dressed in a navy, military-style coat, watched from a balcony with Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.
Troops in Afghanistan were joined by the Duke of York, who laid a wreath during a service held at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province to mark Remembrance Sunday.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond also flew to Afghanistan last night to join servicemen and women.
Millions across the UK fell silent in tribute to those lost in war, joining the crowds gathered in central London who stood in a moment of quiet contemplation as Big Ben struck 11am.
During the two-minute silence, only the distant sounds of traffic and the rustling of leaves could be heard, despite the fact that police said Whitehall was at capacity.
The beginning and end of the silence was marked with the firing of a round by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, using a 13-pounder First World War gun.
In cold but bright weather, the royals and dignitaries then laid their wreaths at the Cenotaph.
Prime Minister David Cameron was first after the royals to do so, followed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband.
Former prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and London Mayor Boris Johnson also attended the ceremony.
The Duchess of Cambridge was accompanied on the Foreign Office balcony by the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Royal Navy in 1939, wore the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet for the ceremony. Prince Harry, who has undertaken two tours of duty in Afghanistan, wore the uniform of a Captain in the Household Cavalry. His brother William left operational service recently after more than seven years in the forces. He wore the uniform of Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant.
Following the wreath-laying, the Bishop of London the Right Reverend Richard Chartres conducted a short service in his role as Dean of HM Chapels Royal.
More than 10,000 veterans and civilians then marched past the Cenotaph to pay their respects to their departed comrades, led this year by members of the War Widows Association, wearing black coats and red scarves.
They were all warmly applauded as they paraded past, some veterans in wheelchairs and motorised scooters as they marked the loss of their comrades.
There was a large contingent of veterans from the Korean War, the armistice of which was 60 years ago.
The 70th anniversaries of the Battle of the Atlantic and the Dambusters' Raid were also marked this year.
20/01/2022. Sydney , Australia. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss meets Australian Prime minister Scott Morrison alongside, Marise Payne, the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Peter Dutton at at his residence in Sydney, Australia. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
A late running M338 manifest train on the Canadian National Freeport Sub as it run under the Leithton Sub flyover. This has been one of many CN trains led by motive power other than CN locomotives. Taken during one of the small snowstorms we had in mid December.
Scenes from the Foreign Schools sessions at the 2018 FSA Training Conference in Atlanta, GA on Nov 26, 2018
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman poses with a Foreign Service Orientation Class following a swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2023. [State Department Photo by Freddie Everett/ Public Domain]
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Legionnaires from 13DBLE ( 13e demi-brigade de Légion étrangère,) during a training exercise in Djibouti 21st to 28th March 2010
Secretary of State John Kerry And Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota - After Their Meeting
FOREIGN MINISTER PATRIOTA: (Via interpreter) I was mentioning that he has a good knowledge of Portuguese in function of Mrs. Teresa Kerry. She’s also Portuguese.
But I would like to say that we had a meeting, a working meeting, this morning in this, which is the first visit of Secretary of State John Kerry to Brazil, to South America actually. He had a stopover at Bogota, which we consider to be very positive. It is our second meeting. I have kept a meeting with the Secretary of State in D.C. the past 20th of May. And moreover, the – aside from the meeting we had, we will receive him now for lunch in a short while, in which we will have also representatives from the legislative, the presidents of the foreign relation committees, as Senator Kerry has been, himself part of, also journalists, representatives from the civil society, and as all of you know, Secretary of State will be received by President Rousseff later this afternoon at the Planalto Palace.
Secretary of State John Kerry requires no presentation. He’s a known character to Brazil, a former candidate to the U.S. presidency, a senator of – from 1985-2013, president of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate between 2009-2013. And when he came to be the Secretary of State in the second term of President Obama, he is bringing with himself a commitment but several causes, which are extremely valued throughout Brazil: a commitment to sustainable development, all the agenda related to climate change, also a decisive support to the retaking of peace efforts in the Middle East, and we would like to congratulate the Secretary of State for his own efforts, which shall take us to a process within nine months’ time to be producing results.
In the last meeting this morning, we examined items in the bilateral agenda, which present, as all of you know, a robust trade and investment agenda. The U.S. are still the country with the largest stocks of investment in Brazil, the second largest partner of Brazil now with a growing deficit on the Brazilian side. We’ve also talked about that for over 30 bilateral mechanisms involving areas which go from energy to racial equality, gender equality, contact with the private sector, the universities, the civil society. Today, the United States is the largest destination of Brazilians within the Science Without Borders program. It’s 5,800 students. That is increasing every day.
Anyways, the potential of the relationship is even greater, especially now in a moment in many observers are referring to the relationship between Brazil and the U.S. as a relationship which is growing more and more. It’s getting more mature. But this maturity includes encompassing more relevant themes, especially in a moment we are about to redefine our contacts with a strategic partnership. President Obama in his letter to invite President Rousseff to visit, which will take place in October this year, referring to a strategic partnership with Brazil, President Rousseff responded with the same terminology.
At the same time, I should not forget to mention that we’re now facing a new type of challenge in our bilateral relationship. It is a challenge which has to do with wiretapping, telephone calls. And in case these challenges are not solved in a satisfactory way, we run the risk of casting a shadow of distrust on our work. We have established technical communication means, political channels are open as well. We have clarified everything that was requested. But these are not an end in themselves, so this doesn’t meet – accept the status quo. We need to discontinue practices which are an attempt to sovereignty in the relationship between the states and which can violate the individual freedoms that both of our countries are very much fond of.
Let me make it very clear that there is a broad space for us to advance. We have recently received the Secretary of Agriculture. We will receive the Secretary of Energy in a few days’ time. The mechanism with economic and commercial cooperation TECA is going to be meeting in September at the level of vice ministers. In September as well, we will have the third conference for innovation, Brazil and U.S, the working group for the scientific and technological committee. On the same theme and at the same time, we should not minimize the relevance acquired so far regarding espionage.
Within a few moments, we’ll keep on talking to Secretary Kerry in an environment which I believe is a symbol to our commitment with democracy, freedom, a good government, freedom of the press, opening with the civil society. And so this will be an occasion for us to hear a bit more of the last developments in this retaking of the peacemaking process between Israelis and Palestinians. Also, we had an opportunity to talk about Syria and other situations on my part.
As well, I shall be ready with a dispositioned and even interested of making an updated snapshot of a region, which as I have mentioned to Secretary Kerry today, I think we’re distinguished for being a space of democracy, economic growth, social justice with enough conditions which are unprecedented worldwide.
Thank you very much. Mr. Kerry.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, bom dia. I’m happy to be here with everybody. Thank you very much. Thank you, Foreign Minister Patriota for hosting me here today. I’m very happy to be back in Brazil. I have great memories of my first trip here in 1992 to the Earth Summit in Rio, and I’m happy to be back here now and very grateful for the opportunity to continue the good dialogue that Antonio and I have had since the day we first talked on the telephone when I was appointed to this job.
Even when I came to Brazil back in 1992 for the Earth Summit, I could sense this incredible energy in Brazil, and I could feel firsthand the amazing commitment of Brazil to try to grab the future and particularly back then to address the issue, which was then even urgent, of climate change. I’m pleased to see that over the years Brazil’s commitment to environmental stewardship has continued right up until this day, and there have been very important efforts on the reduction of deforestation problems, alternative renewable energy problems, biofuels, other kinds of initiatives, but also very important, last year’s hosting of Rio+20.
And for those of us who have been involved in the challenge of climate change for all of that time, I think it was a bittersweet moment to measure 20 years, when the hopes of 20 years before we had to acknowledge had not yet been realized. So the challenge is ahead of us, for all of us, and I know that the United States has a great commitment under President Obama to take our own initiatives, not even to wait for congressional action, but to move administratively in order to do our part. I know we can continue to work with Brazil on this issue of climate, and we look forward to doing so.
Our mission is very, very clear. We need to inspire meaningful reform and action within the Major Economies Forum. We need to lead the effort to phase down hydrofluorocarbons in the Montreal Protocol. And together, Brazil and the United States need to join with other countries in an effort to negotiate a climate agreement in 2015 that is ambitious and flexible and that works for all of us.
Now, obviously we have also had some moments of disagreement, and I’m sure I’ll have an occasion in the questions to be able to address some of that with you. But the United States and Brazil – I want to emphasize, rather than focus on an area of disagreement – the United States and Brazil share a remarkable and dynamic partnership. Every single day we work together to advance economic opportunity, human rights, environment protection, regional peace and security, democracy, as well as major global challenges in the Middle East and elsewhere – Syria for instance and the question of the humanitarian challenge in Syria.
The United States respects and appreciates that Brazil is one of the world’s largest free market democracies, and our partnership is only made stronger as all of the world continues to grow. The United States recognizes and welcomes and greatly appreciates the vital leadership role, the increasing leadership role, that Brazil plays on the international stage – excuse me – and that ranges from its participation in global peace initiatives to its stability operations and promotion of human rights and its efforts to try to help either promote the peace or keep the peace in certain parts of the world.
Through the Global Peace Operations Initiative, we are working with Brazil and the United Nations to build the capacity of countries to be able to contribute themselves to peacekeeping operations. Brazil has provided more than 1,400 uniformed personnel to the stabilization mission in Haiti. We’re very grateful for that. And we’re also exploring opportunities for closer collaboration on peacekeeping in Africa.
It’s fair to say that protecting universal rights is at the very heart of the shared values between Brazil and the United States. And together, we remain committed to advancing those rights and to advancing the cause of equality for all people.
The United States also supports a very vibrant and active Organization of American States, and the OAS Charter reminds us of our responsibilities to offer our citizens liberty and to create the conditions in which all people can reach their aspirations, can live their aspirations. We believe that it is important that Brazil engage fully with the OAS and use its strong voice for a hemispheric vision of democracy and fundamental freedoms.
Now, our relationship is not only rooted in shared values, it is literally strengthened every single day by our citizens. Each year thousands of people travel between the United States and Brazil, forging new ties between our countries. Student exchanges under President Rousseff’s Scientific Mobility Program, which I had the privilege of visiting this morning and sensing firsthand the amazing energy and excitement and commitment of these young people, that’s something we share in common. And together with President Rousseff’s program and President Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative, we are encouraging together approaches to address the shared concerns of our young people to include social inclusion and to work towards things like environmental sustainability.
Our exchange programs also ensure that today’s generation is going to be ready to respond to the enormous challenges of tomorrow and of the future. The vibrant and the growing connection between the United States and Brazil, between our governments and our citizens, is absolutely one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. I said to Antonio, and I believe this and I know President Obama believes this and he communicated this when he came here recently, the future belongs to young people. Our job is to lay the groundwork for them, is to provide the opportunity for them to make the most of education and of the technologies and jobs that will define the future.
So I look forward, as President Obama does, not only to growing this partnership but to finding ways to work on our common values, our common interests, and our common hopes for our peoples. And we very much look forward to welcoming President Rousseff to Washington, D.C., for her meeting and a state visit with President Obama and our country in October. And with that, I’d be happy to answer any questions.
MODERATOR: (Inaudible.)
QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Secretary Kerry, we wanted – if you could, we wanted you to speak briefly about this issue of espionage and if by any chance Brazil – the United States will stop spying on the rest, and what guarantees the U.S. Government can give if the answer is no that you’re not going to stop spying, please what will you do? Do you think you can have deteriorated or hampered this relationship with Brazil?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, obviously, first of all, I did not think it would be a surprise if I got a question on that subject, so I wanted to have a chance to be able to share some thoughts with you, and now I’m happy to address that and other things.
But very, very important, I ask the people of Brazil – and I will answer the question very directly. But I ask the people of Brazil to stay focused on the important realities of our relationship, the bilateral relations between our countries which continue to grow stronger and stronger. We share democratic values and we share a commitment to diversity and we share a determination to improve opportunities for our people. And the U.S.-Brazil relationship has the opportunity to provide extraordinary positive global impact if we continue to work together on these kinds of issues, on the environment and science and technology and sustainable energy, nonproliferation, on access to education, on disaster management, and our strong trade ties, our strong investment ties, our energy cooperation, our sustainable development cooperation. All of these things need to remain in the forefront of people’s minds as you consider this question of the national security revelations that have upset some people and created questions in others.
Let me be crystal clear: I can’t discuss with you operational issues, but I can tell you very definitively the Congress of the United States passed on a law after 9/11 when we were attacked by al-Qaida, and we began a process of trying to understand before they attacked us what these kinds of plots might be. The executive department of our government, after a law was passed by Congress which met our legal standards and passed the muster of law, then implemented the program with the supervision of our judiciary. So all three branches of the American Government have been involved in reviewing this particular program.
Now, we have engaged with the Brazilian Government very, very directly, and I want to express my appreciation to the Foreign Minister and to Brazilian officials who have visited with us in Washington, and we are here now and we will continue to have this dialogue. And we will have this dialogue with a view to making certain that your government is in complete understanding and complete agreement with what it is that we think we must do to provide security not just for Americans but for Brazilians and for people in the world.
Over the last years, regrettably, a number of countries – a number of groups – not countries – a number of groups in the world have individually targeted not just American interests but free interests in the world. There have been bombings in many places in the world. Innocent people have lost their lives. And what the United States has been trying to do is prevent these things from happening beforehand by knowing what others might be plotting.
So I would respectfully say to everybody that the United States, as the President said last Friday, the United States gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations in order to protect their citizens, in order to protect our citizens. And our activities are firmly based on law and they are subject to oversight by all of the branches of our government. We are convinced that our intelligence collection has positively helped us to protect our nation from a variety of threats, not only protect our nation but protect other people in the world, including Brazilians.
And so we have engaged now with the Brazilian Government, we will stay very closely engaged with the Brazilian Government, and I can promise you that President Obama is determined that the United States will live up to the highest standards both of cooperation, of transparency, and accountability, in keeping with our ability to be able to protect ourselves and to protect others in the world.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Mr. Foreign Secretary, you have said that all the South American ministers are united in condemning the alleged spying, and Brazil was asked for a formal explanation from the United States on this. What explanation have you received today? And also, you mentioned that if this situation is not resolved in a satisfactory manner that it risks perhaps more distrust in the relationship. So what are you looking for the United States to do?
FOREIGN MINISTER PATRIOTA: (Via interpreter) Well, in a summarized way I believe that you do know of the fact that ever since the first moment when these news came to be, we did get in touch with the U.S. Government by means of Ambassador Thomas Shannon here in Brasilia, and also the Embassy in D.C., and we opened dialogue channels, communication channels, both technical and political, And at the same time, there have been individual protests in Brazil and other countries in the region, as you all said, and on July 12th, a meeting by MERCOSUR adopted a decision which did instruct the countries – Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, who had subscribed – to start with the UN Secretary General taking this to the Security Council at the UN.
These demonstrations took place. They do reflect a considerable concern, and I think it’s legitimate, by the region and the international community in general, what practices which may be an attempt to the sovereignty of the very countries and to the rights of individuals. There have been demonstrations regarding the violation of human rights, especially from the High Commissioner of the UN for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.
And as a matter of fact, this clarification process, as I have mentioned, it’s not an end in itself. What we do consider is that the United States will never find a better partner in the fight against international terrorism and several other threats to homeland security as they are taking forth in a transparent way. International partnerships, when they’re done fully transparently, they do strengthen the trust. And when there is a lack of knowledge or lack of information on the country they may weaken this trust, so what we want to avoid from happening.
SECRETARY KERRY: Can I just add, if I may, to that? We’re not surprised and we’re not upset that Brazil would ask questions. Absolutely understandable. And Brazil is owed answers with respect to those questions, and they will get them. And we will work together very positively to make certain that this question, these issues, do not get in the way of all the other things that we talked about. And we will guarantee that Brazil and other countries will understand exactly what we’re doing, why and how, and we will work together to make sure that whatever is done in a way that respects our friends and our partners, and that is what we’re going to achieve.
QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Flavia (inaudible) Sao Paulo. Let me change the subject here a little. I would like to know if the topic regarding the issue on some visas in – to Brazilians, did you two talk about it? And is there a deadline for the waiver of the visa, or exception from a visa? And if the visit – President Rousseff to D.C. in October can be decided on her trip coming October?
FOREIGN MINISTER PATRIOTA: (Via interpreter) Well, briefly I mentioned that there are several initiatives and also meetings that are programmed for the next few months, which are included within those prospective preparation of the state visit to the U.S.
In one of the works that we’re going to be developing will be exactly this issue of exempting the visas to Brazilians. As you all know, there is a proposal which is known as the Global Entry – in English – which is being discussed between the two sides, and I understand that the last counterproposal of Brazil of a language to accommodate a few of the issues we have over here is under exam right now. And a declaration can be agreed upon in September, coming September, in which we’ll then have a text during her visit. So we do consider that. In this term, progress has been encouraging, satisfactory, and we will have some results soon to come.
Now related to the elimination or the exemption of the visa itself is a more complex issue, which we’ll need more time for discussion.
SECRETARY KERRY: Let me just say that we are – is that on? Yes. We’re committed to as vast a visa application processing process as possible. And we’re very proud that we have streamlined our operations over the course of the last year. We very much want to see more Brazilians coming to the United States for business, for tourism, for study, visiting friends, relatives, and so forth. So it’s very much in our interest to facilitate this.
Last year, we processed about one million visa requests all across Brazil, and we have managed to make the appointment times – the wait for those visas is down to either five days or under – less than five days. We have spent millions of dollars to upgrade our facilities in order to try to make this happen more effectively, and we’re going to be opening new consulates in Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre. So we’re moving as much as we can to facilitate this.
And finally, we want to continue to consult very closely with Brazil in order to make sure we have legal statutory requirements that have to be met to allow for a reciprocal free visa travel under the visitors program. And we hope to get there. I’m confident we can, but we just need to continue to work together. But I promise you, we welcome as many people to come and visit and be able to move freely back and forth as is possible, and I’m confident we’ll get to the day when we have an open visa program.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, we understand that earlier today you spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, including presumably about the settlements, which by some counts have reached 3,100 new or advancing units appeared in recent days. What can you tell us about that conversation and your message to the Prime Minister? Have you had a similar conversation with President Abbas? Are the Palestinians still on board for the peace talks? And finally, what would you say to those who say that the Israelis are doing this – they’re playing along with their initiative – but that they’re really too divided to make the hard decisions for peace? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: No. Well, I – thank you. It’s a very appropriate question. It’s timely, obviously. Yes, I did speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning, and I, first of all, conveyed to him my hopes for his speedy recovery. As you know, he’s just had surgery, and he’s dealing with these issues in the middle of that, and I can tell you that’s obviously not easy.
We had a very frank and open, direct discussion about the question of settlements. Let me make it clear: The policy of the United States of America with respect to all settlements is that they are illegitimate, and we oppose settlements taking place at any time, not just the time of the peace process.
But – here’s the but – that said, Prime Minister Netanyahu was completely upfront with me and with President Abbas that he would be announcing some additional building that would take place in places that will not affect the peace map, that will not have any impact on the capacity to have a peace agreement. That means that it is building within the so-called blocs in areas that many people make a presumption – obviously not some Palestinians or others – will be part of Israel in the future. He has specifically agreed not to disturb what might be the potential for peace going forward.
Now, we still believe it would be better not to be doing it, but there are realities within life in Israel that also have to be taken into account here going forward. President Abbas understood that coming into these talks. That’s why these talks are pressed into this time period of nine months. That’s why we all understand there is urgency, as I said yesterday, to getting to the discussion of borders and security. If you resolve the borders of Israel – and you can only do that also resolving the security issues for Israel – you have resolved any questions about settlements, because then you know what is in Israel and what is not. And so the sooner we get to that discussion the better.
I will be talking to President Abbas today. We have a call scheduled for later. And he is committed to continue to come to this negotiation, because he believes the negotiation is what will ultimately resolve this issue, not a temporary decision or restraint. So we will continue to work this very, very closely with Israelis and we will continue to work it very closely with Palestinians. And our hope is that we get to the real issues on which we ought to be focusing, which are the final status settlement – the final status issues. And I’m very hopeful we will get there very, very soon.
FOREIGN MINISTER PATRIOTA: (Via interpreter) Just briefly, at the same time that we support the efforts of Secretary Kerry and we are bringing up to the table the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation, we do – we do – we are against the Palestinian settlements, which are done against the UN Security Council resolutions, and they do represent a violation of the international law. We do consider that this kind of fact will not contribute for creating a propitious environment for the understandings of the whole international community, and Brazil specifically would love to see coming at the end of this nine month period time upon which negotiators will be working.
Let me also mention that I have encouraged Secretary Kerry to give more relief to the participation of the civil society in Israel and the Palestine along this peacemaking process. I was well impressed when I visited the region last year in October and when I saw that in the – among the civil society on both ends there are voices that are quite committed to peace and they do convey messages which are a bit different from the ones we’re used to seeing. These messages are in repudiation of violence and consumed facts and the establishment of settlements, which are not favorable for the understanding for peace.
SECRETARY KERRY: That’s it. Okay.
FOREIGN MINISTER PATRIOTA: (Via interpreter) Thank you.
# # #
August 13, 2013
Itamaraty Palace
Brasilia, Brazil