”This was an unacceptable provocation by North Korea and the international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond“, Clinton said to reporters following her talks with leaders of South Korea.

The sinking of the ship requires a solid but deliberate response, said Clinton, though she did not give more details.

The United States would consult with South Korea and UN Security Council members regarding the appropriate action that should be done. However, she refused to provide a timeline for action.

”We’re very confident in the South Korean leadership, and their decision about how and when to move forward is one that we respect and will support“, said Clinton.

The state secretary spent only a few hours in the Korean capital, along with the South Korean chiefs. North Korea has denied responsibility on the incident and threatened to take revenge if action is taken against it.

She arrived in Seoul on Wednesday following intense talks with Chinese officials in Beijing about the worsening situation in Korea.

Clinton said on Wednesday that China understands the issue’s seriousness and is ready to listen to the worries voiced by both the US and South Korea.

When asked regarding the possibility of Russia or China barring action by the UN Security Council, Yu Myung-hwan, foreign minister of the country, said that ”will take time, I’m sure, but they will not be able to deny the facts”.

The ministry came out with the statement after the telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Clinton on Sunday.

The US is firm in its resolve to iron out the relationship with Turkey, which is NATO’s lone Muslim member and also a major ally in troubled regions covering Afghanistan and the Middle East.

It has been said that Turkey pulled out its envoy in Washington following the approval of a committee of the US House of Representatives of a non-binding resolution on 4 March asking President Barack Obama to label the killings of approximately 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

The statement noted: “Secretary Clinton emphasized that the US administration opposes both the decision accepted by the committee and the decision reaching the general assembly”.

P.J. Crowley, the spokesperson of the US State Department said: “Certainly, from our standpoint, we understand the reasons why Turkey, you know, recalled its ambassador, and we hope that the ambassador will be returned as quickly as Turkey feels comfortable”.

More than 20 nations have identified the killings done by the Ottoman Turks about a century ago as a form of genocide.

While Armenia and Turkey are attempting to repair relations and make their shared border accessible, progress is made more difficult by the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, an ally of Turkey.

Clinton added that US authorities are hoping that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will be taking part in the summit to be conducted in Washington in April which is set to focus on nuclear disarmament, according to the foreign ministry.

The secretary stated that the government, which started functioning in January, was elected democratically and that it is unifying the population which was divided by the coup in June 2009. She also noted that the present government is entitled to have normal relations with nations that severed ties with it following the overthrow of their former president.

At a news conference in Costa Rica, the secretary said that, “We think that Honduras has taken important and necessary steps that deserve the recognition and the normalization of relations”.

She lauded the initiatives undertaken by President Porfirio Lobo, whose appointment in November started the solution to the political turmoil caused by the defeat of former President Manuel Zelaya. The ex-president was removed from office while working on a constitutional revision that would have permitted him to run for another term.

The secretary said that she had already informed the US Congress that approximately $31 million in suspended aid will be restored. She also pointed out that it is now the proper time for Honduras to be welcomed to the Organization of American States.

Moreover, the secretary commented on the refusal of Brazil and Argentina to restore ties with Honduras. She said of this development, “I don’t know what they are waiting for, but that is their right to wait. We believe that President Lobo and his administration have taken the steps necessary to restore democracy.

“We share the condemnation of the coup that occurred, but we think it is time to move forward and ensure that such disruptions of democracy do not and cannot happen in the future”, she concluded.

Iran has remained stubborn regarding their nuclear programme despite various warnings and penalties from the United Nations. Clinton said that they are making every effort to hasten the process of imposing different sanctions on Iran in the hopes of curbing the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear plans.

“Our efforts to apply pressure on Iran are not meant to punish the Iranian people. They are meant to change the approach the Iranian government has taken toward its nuclear programme,” Clinton declared.

Obama’s administration said that Iran seems intent on creating nuclear weapons, though they are claiming that their nuclear programme is of a peaceful nature. Many believe that Iran has already produced ample nuclear supplies for them to manufacture one bomb—and more supplies are being generated daily.

White House officials have already invited Iran to various talks, hoping that the concern can be negotiated. However, as Iran has continued to act nonchalantly about the issue, the US’ actions have shifted to giving penalties.

China is said to be one of the major hindrances in attaining the fourth set of UN penalties, and Clinton was accompanied by a team composed of sanctions specialists to negotiate with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. A US official disclosed what transpired during the meeting, saying that China did not promise anything, though they are still open to creating new sanctions.

Clinton also met with officials from European and Arab nations, and discussed Iran’s issue with Saudi Arabia, Britain, France, UAE, Germany, and Italy.

US officials have already prepared a rough draft of the new sanctions they wish to impose on Iran.

After consulting with lawyers from the State Department regarding a legal way to fund the project, she launched a fund-raising campaign that was able to raise $54 million in less than nine months.

The United States is now set to open the 60,000-square-foot pavilion for the Shanghai Expo 2010, thanks to millions of dollars pledged by American corporations like General Electric, PepsiCo and Chevron, among many others.

Officials said that the idea of America’s secretary of state of asking for money became a concern for government lawyers. Thus, Clinton was not allowed to make one-on-one appeals for cash. Despite economic problems and the restrictions imposed by government lawyers, Clinton was able to show her political prowess by nearing her goal of $61 million. She has expressed pride in her efforts, which could also possibly strengthen American-Chinese ties.

Apart from contacting the chief executives of big companies and meeting with corporate sponsors in Shanghai, she also sought the help of two prominent fund-raisers: Elizabeth F. Bagley, who became the department’s special representative for global partnerships, and Jose H. Villarreal, who was appointed as the commissioner general to the expo.

“These three young people are obviously not only on the minds of their family members but on the minds of all of us,” said Clinton after her closed-door meeting with the families. “It was an emotional meeting and I described to the families everything that we are doing.”

“I was impressed by their strength and fortitude and commitment. They are determined, as we are, to see these young people returned home,” she added. “As a mother, my heart went out to all of them. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to know that your child was imprisoned, for now 100 days, with very little contact between you and them.”

Clinton appealed to the Iranian authorities to release the hikers, who have been in custody since late July, on compassionate and humanitarian grounds. She also emphasized that the U.S. government is “exploring every angle” and doing everything for the release of the captives.

Bauer, Shourd and Fattal were taken into custody on July 31 for illegally entering the Iraqi border, while hiking through the northern part of the country. The three University of California, Berkeley graduates are currently detained in a Tehran prison. The families and the U.S. government said that the hikers were only on vacation and did not intend to go beyond the border.

Her praise of Israel restricting the settlement activity was criticised by Arab nations, saying that it may be a sign of the U.S. softening their stand on stopping the settlement construction.

When asked by a reporter regarding her response to the reaction of the Arab nations, Clinton read a written statement:

“Successive American administrations of both parties have opposed Israel’s settlement policy,” Clinton said. “That is absolutely a fact, and the Obama administration’s position on settlements is clear, unequivocal and it has not changed. As the president has said on many occasions, the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”

She also informed the Israelis to develop “movement and access” for Israeli security and Palestinians.

“This offer falls short of what we would characterize as our position or what our preference would be,” Clinton added. “But if it is acted upon it will be an unprecedented restriction on settlements and would have a significant and meaningful effect on restraining their growth.”

Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib; however, criticized Clinton’s remarks saying, “I believe that the U.S. condones continued settlement expansion,” he said. “Calling for a resumption of negotiations despite continued settlement construction doesn’t help because we have tried this way many times. Negotiations are about ending the occupation and settlement expansion is about entrenching the occupation.”