Foreign Policy

The Russian government won't rule out a new, international currency Russian President Dimitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

"My idea is that at the moment the world needs the larger number of reserve currencies, and it is not because the dollar is bad or the euro is not sufficient," Medvedev told CNBC about his standing idea for an expanded basket of international reserve currencies, including the Russian ruble.

"But at that we do not deny a possibility of creating a so-called supranational currency," which the Russian leader described as a way to "link" international currencies.

"I do not think that the positions of the dollar would be shattered by that," he told the financial network's Maria Bartiromo. "

Medvedev said that the future of international currency is "creating the modern rules of the game," which he said would need new financial regulations.

He said that such a system would take into consideration the United States' perspective, alongside a number of other countries' preferences -- including Russia and China.

Chinese President Hu Jintao praised Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner for making a high priority of reaching out to China during a meeting between the two on Tuesday.

Hu and Geithner, who has been in China yesterday and today on official business, met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing late Tuesday afternoon, according to a pool report.

"I have noticed that since you took office, you have established good working relationships with your Chinese colleagues, and you are committed to improving China-U.S. cooperation in the international arena," Hu told Geithner. "I appreciate that."

The Chinese leader added that he's "confident" Geithner, who speaks a Chinese dialect and spent time as a college student studying in China, will help build a better relationship between the two countries.

"I bring to you the commitment of my President, to work with you in a cooperative relationship between our two countries," Geithner said. "I think we

Readmitting Cuba to the Organization of American States (OAS) would be an affront to that organization's mission, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) said Tuesday.

Martinez warned against a vote to include Cuba in OAS, the pro-Democracy and human rights organization, which is set to consider readmitting the communist nation at its meeting in Honduras this week.

"The OAS was founded on the universal principle of individual liberty," the Cuban-American Martinez said in a statement. "I can't think of anything more harmful to the OAS and the advancement of individual freedoms than allowing Cuba readmission without any requirement they respect and promote human rights and democracy."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also demanded that Cuba release political prisoners and establish human rights and democratic reforms before the U.S. would support Cuba's reentry, according to the Associated Press.

Cuba was expelled from the OAS in 1962 in the wake of Fidel Castro's takeover of the government. Many Latin American countries have pushed for its inclusion again in recent years.

The Obama administration has also made outreach to Cuba a foreign policy goal, announcing renewed talks on migration and mail this past weekend.

"The members of the OAS would be well-served by sending a message reaffirming democracy and human rights as the foundation of the inter-American system," Martinez said.

The U.S. will restart talks with the Cuban government, the Obama administration announced Sunday.

The two governments will resume negotiations about legal immigration and open mail service from Cuba to the U.S. that stalled in 2003, according to a senior government official.

The Cuban government agreed to the U.S. request to restart talks in a sign that the historically chilly relationship between the two countries may be chilling under President Obama, who'd made outreach to the communist government a priority.

The announcement also foreshadows a trip to Latin America this week by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during which Cuba may be added to the Organization of American States (OAS) after having first been suspended in the early 1960s.

President George W. Bush suspended talks with Cuba in 2003.

Florida state Sen. Dan Gelber dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary in that state, clearing the path -- for now -- for Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) to win the Democratic nomination.

Gelber told supporters he wanted to "step back" from the race, setting up a 2010 showdown for Meek and either Gov. Charlie Crist (R) or former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R).

"I'm not bowing out. I'd simply say I'm taking a step back for the moment," Gelber told supporters, according to a local CBS affiliate.

"The terrain has changed dramatically."I'd wish Dan luck in any endeavor that he pursues, but he doesn't need luck," Meek said in a statement. "He is a friend who puts party first and his message to Florida Democrats that we must unify around a slate of candidates is a powerful statement that I wholeheartedly embrace."

"Dan is a natural leader who will continue to serve our state with distinction in any capacity he chooses and our party is better off because of him," Meek added.

Rubio also wished Gelber well, tweeting:

I wish Dan Gelber luck on whatever path he chooses. He is a smart man, a great dad/husband and a good friend #sayfie

A delegation of lawmakers in China this week pushed that country on its relationship with North Korea and the region of Tibet, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday.

"China is key here because of its proximity geographically, because of its relationship with North Korea, and again that was a major subject, a topic of conversation with the Chinese leaders," Pelosi said in a news conference at the conclusion of the trip.

"I was encouraged in that regard, that everyone knows how important it is to get the North Koreans back to the table, back into negotiations, and stopping whatever purpose this saber rattling has," the speaker added.

On Tibet, a pet issue of the San Francico-based Pelosi, the speaker said she encouraged Chinese leaders to reach out to the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

"Well, we had a candid conversation on every subject that we've discussed and in our conversations we've brought up the concern in the Congress on the bipartisan basis, about China's human rights record in China and Tibet," she said. "We encouraged a conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives."

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's trip to China early next week will look back at what the two countries have done to stabilize the international economy while looking forward to building more sustainable growth.

Treasury Department officials said Thursday that a key goal Geithner's trip would be to create "balanced, sustainable growth" for both the U.S. and China in years to come.

Geithner will leave for China Saturday night and arrive late Sunday for a whirlwind tour of meetings with high-ranking Chinese officials.

The Treasury Secretary will speak at a top Chinese university on Monday, and meet with Vice Premier Wang Qishan before dining with Finance Minister Xie Xuren.

Tuesday will see meetings with Premier Wen Jiabao before a meeting with President Hu Jintao.

Treasury officials said the trip would serve to look back at what the U.S. and China have done to stabilize the global financial system, as well as to look forward to stabilizing their fiscal and monetary policies once the economy has recovered.

Geithner will also look to discuss the creation of stronger global financial systems -- somewhat mirroring one of his top domestic priorities.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the safe return of journalist Roxana Saberi from Iran in a joint appearance Wednesday.

"This was a matter of great concern to our country, certainly, to the Obama administration, to me personally, not only as secretary of state, but as a mother and my heart went out to Roxana and her parents every single day," Clinton said in remarks this afternoon.

Saberi was freed from an Iranian prison after an appeals court threw out an espionage conviction in the wake of international pressure.

"When I found out that I had this support while I was in prison, I gained a lot of strength and hope and I didn't feel so alone anymore," Saberi said. "It's wonderful to be back in the United States."

Saberi, an occasional correspondent for National Public Radio, is expected to give her first formal interview to that outlet tomorrow.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will benefit from a new commitment of $100 billion from the U.S., the Obama administration announced Monday.

The Treasury Department said the administration would ask for the sum in the supplemental appropriations bill before Congress.

The Treasury asserted in the announcement that the spending, which would be used to build reserves for the IMF's lending facility, could induce contributions from other IMF participants, and bring in as much as an additional $400 billion internationally.

"This is a central component of our comprehensive economic strategy to protect American families," a Treasury fact sheet claimed. "Without adequate IMF support, countries may experience financial failures that negatively impact U.S. jobs and exports and undermine the substantial efforts the Administration has taken to stimulate and revive our economy."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he doesn't particularly enjoy his work as secretary of Defense during wartime, calling the experience "very painful."

"The truth of the matter is, being secretary of war in a time of war is a very painful thing," Gates said in an interview with "60 Minutes" to air Sunday. "How can you like a job when you go to Walter Reed and you know you sent those young men and women in harm's way?"

The effect of being the wartime civilian leader of the country's defense efforts seems to be a negative one, Gates told Katie Couric, who conducted the wide-ranging interview.

"Every single person in combat today I sent there and I never forget that for a second," Gates said. "I don't enjoy my job."

"Whatever I can do to help them, the rest is all fluff as far as I'm concerned," the Defense secretary explained as to why he agreed to stay on the job. "It's my duty and I do it almost exclusively for these young men and women in uniform out there