New York: US Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton cited her efforts to get India and China committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions during a heated debate with rival Bernie Sanders as the two clashed aggressively over economic growth and energy security.
Clinton and Sanders, meeting for the debate in Brooklyn just days before the crucial presidential primary in New York on April 19, minced no words as they attacked each other over their stand on gun control, Clinton's handling of the Libyan crisis and their readiness for assuming the presidency.
When asked about energy security and environment, Clinton alluded to efforts made by her as Secretary of State to help find solutions for the global environmental crisis.
"Starting in 2009 as your Secretary of State, I worked with President Obama to bring China and India to the table for the very first time, to get a commitment out of them that they would begin to address their own greenhouse gas emissions," she said.
68-year-old Clinton, who served as senator from New York for eight years, added that she continued to "work on that throughout the four years" as Secretary of State, and was "very proud" when Obama and America led the way to the climate agreement reached in Paris with 195 nations on board.
She slammed Sanders, 74, for attacking the agreement, saying that getting 195 nations together on any agreement "was a major accomplishment". Sanders continued his criticism of the Paris climate deal, saying lots still need to be done to translate the agreement on paper into concrete results.
"Of course the agreement is a step forward, but you know agreements and I know agreements, there's a lot of paper there. We've got to get beyond paper right now. We have got to lead the world in transforming our energy system, not tomorrow, but yesterday," he said. Sanders began the debate questioning Clinton's judgement to lead the nation.
"Does Secretary Clinton have the experience and the intelligence to be a president? Of course she does. But I doquestion her judgment. I question a judgment which voted for the war in Iraq," he said to applause from the audience that throughout the debate booed and cheered for both candidates.
Sanders called the Iraq war "the worst foreign policy blunder" in the history of the US and criticised Clinton for "virtually every disastrous trade agreement which cost us millions of decent-paying jobs".
"I don't believe that that is the kind of judgment we need to be the kind of president we need," he said. Clinton also slammed Sanders on his response to foreign policy issues, saying he "could not answer about Afghanistan, about Israel, about counterterrorism, except to say if he'd had some paper in front of him, maybe he could."
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