By Francesca Ross - 6th March 2009
The task of authority is to continue progress, and Europe and the US are united in that vision.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has addressed a 'town hallmeeting' of young people in the European parliament, telling them"every generation faces challenges of its time…we don't have a choice,we have to."
The meeting on Friday formed part of her two day visit to Brussels where she laid out her plans to "broaden and deepen engagement" with Europe and to work towards a "more peaceful, more prosperous and more progressive future" by addressing mutual challenges.
On dealing with the economic crisis, its resulting pressures and climate change, she joked that a senior aide had advised President Obama to "never waste a good crisis" as an opportunity to push forward necessary change in both areas.
She explained that the twin issues of the economy and climate change were closely interconnected, and as a result, investment in green energies formed a key part of the US's newly agreed economic stimulus package. A lesson, she said, which had been taken from European experience.
Throughout her trip she reiterated the importance of building stronger EU-US relations and told the group of young people that "the task of authority is to continue progress, and Europe and the US are united in that vision."
She took other questions from the group, consisting mostly of EU interns and trainees based in Brussels, relating to many of the other pressing issues she faces in her new role. These included gay rights, Darfur and the complexities of the EU governance system.
Clinton emphasised the new US administration's support for a two-state solution to the Palestine issue, noting growing settlement activity by the Israelis was "unhelpful."
Commenting on the best ways to deal with terrorism she explained the US position that "the underlying goal must be to support governments and people acting in good faith" saying "it is not enough to try and avoid it – it's random."
She also touched upon relationships with Russia saying that there could be a number of "areas of cooperation" including fighting terrorism and non-proliferation although there were still concerns that work needed to be done regarding "minimising undue interference" in the running of sovereign states.
During her trip to Brussels, Clinton also revealed that she hopes arrangements for a Nato summit on Afghanistan can be reached quickly to promote solutions to the conflict through discussion with regional actors, including Iran.
She then announced that President Obama would be visiting Europe at the end of this month with visits scheduled in for the UK, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.
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