Hillary’s New Style and Other Summit Gossip

Senior officials from many countries gathered in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly. The appearance of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the U.N. headquarters caught the interest not only of political observers, but also of gossip columnists.

The detail that “Mrs. Secretary of State” grew her hair longer than ever before was noticed by journalists in late August and early September, when the head of U.S. diplomacy was involved in direct negotiations to resolve the Middle East conflict. Currently, she has radically changed her appearance — she brushed her hair back and secured it with pins.

In addition, Hillary has added a bright blue suit to her new image. Journalists and Internet bloggers launched a stormy debate — what is it that the head of the State Department wanted to demonstrate with her transformation? Or was she imitating one of her predecessors — Madeleine Albright — whose mood could be read by which brooch she wore to the debates?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in New York with lots of energy. In the U.S., he gave a one-hour interview to the Associated Press. Ahmadinejad once again dismissed the allegations that Tehran was seeking to create a nuclear bomb and urged Washington to recognize his country as “a major power.” “Those who insist on having hostilities with us kill and destroy the option of friendship with us in the future, which is unfortunate because it is clear the future belongs to Iran and that enmities will be fruitless,” said Ahmadinejad.

At the same time, another interview with Ahmadinejad had been published by the Iranian media, in which he stood up for his French colleague’s wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. She had previously defended Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was sentenced to death in Iran for adultery and for involvement in her husband’s murder. This caused a harsh reaction in Tehran; some conservative media outlets have directed verbal abuse toward her. Ahmadinejad considered the behavior of journalists a violation of the Islamic law. Although he did not call Bruni-Sarkozy by name, the hint was more than transparent — it was about “insults at the president’s wife from a European Union country.” “If there is justice, the authors of such statements should be brought to justice,” he added. It should be noted that previously, the Iranian government tried to distance themselves from the remarks of conservative publications.

The news of gossip columnists from the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan is not limited to these people: Today is the final day of a U.N. summit on “Millennium Development Goals.” The summit was opened by Switzerland’s Joseph Deiss, the summit chairman of the 65th session of the U.N. General Assembly, under which this forum was developed. It is assumed that during the meeting, the delegates from all countries that are members of the U.N. will participate. Russia is represented in this forum by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Barack Obama arrives in New York today. He will speak at the summit, and tomorrow he will address the U.N. General Assembly. Obama is going to touch on such topics as the economic crisis, the fight against al-Qaida, nuclear proliferation, the Middle East peace process and the protection of human rights.

The owner of the White House, like the other world leaders, has a very rich program of work — a number of important bilateral events await him. One of these events is a meeting with the president of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbayeva.

The deputy assistant to the president of national security, Ben Rhodes,* told reporters: The United States gives “humanitarian and diplomatic support to the people of Kyrgyzstan, as it strives to overcome a very difficult period and build democracy and ensure the rights and opportunities” for all citizens of the republic.

In addition, Obama will meet with Premier Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan, the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

* Editor’s Note: Ben Rhodes is the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications.