Clinton says U.S. failing to explain policies to Muslims

The outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that America has not been successful in explaining its policies to the Muslim world.

When questioned on why favoritism toward America in recent years has even been lower than the Bush administration, Clinton responded: "I take responsibility, along with our entire government and our Congress and perhaps our private sector."

Clinton made the remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington in her final address as secretary of state. She is expected to step down on Friday and be succeeded by Democratic Senator John Kerry.

Clinton said one of the reasons is the United States has "not done a very good job in recent years reaching out in a public media way or in a culturally effective way to explain ourselves."

She said she had encountered many depictions on U.S. policies by media in the Arab and Muslim world, which she believed are " absolutely untrue."

"Our response has been -- nobody will either believe it or we can't possibly contest it," Clinton said.

To change the dynamics, Clinton called for active engagement with the media in the region, including al-Jazeera, the popular pan-Arab satellite channel, who she viewed as "relentlessly negative" about America.

"You can't be in the arena and expect there to be a change if you're not willing to get off the bench," she said. "And from my perspective, that's our fault."

Washington (Xinhua)