| Obama faces 'very aggressive' foreign demands: Clinton | |
| Press Trust of India / Washington July 11, 2009, 12:00 IST | |
Foreign leaders are "making very aggressive demands" of Barack Obama now that they have a US president who responds to their needs, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shared with reporters.
Clinton, who was taking a shot at Obama's predecessor George W. Bush, told State Department staff yesterday that the foreign service bureaucracy needs reform because the "stakes are too high" and demands are now so great.
"We've seen in the last six months that the United States and particularly our new president is really expected to deliver a lot," Clinton added as the new administration approached its half-year mark in office.
"It may not be fair, but that's kind of the way it is," the chief US diplomat added.
"In some of the meetings that I've had in my travels around the world, foreign governments and foreign leaders have made very aggressive demands on our country."
"And on at least one occasion, I've said, 'You know, you didn't make those demands the last eight years.' They said, 'Well, we knew we would never get a response,'" Clinton said, triggering laughter.
"So a lot is expected of us," shared Clinton who has echoed Obama's emphasis on the need to listen to the concerns of other countries.
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