Clinton Sets 12-Day Mission to Asia
By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer
Washington - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton begins 12 days of travel July 15 to Turkey, Greece, India, Indonesia and Hong Kong to discuss a range of issues including the conflict in Libya, economic development and trade in Southeast Asia and regional security.
The secretary begins her trip in Istanbul for meetings with the Contact Group on Libya and with Turkish officials, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
"The contact group meetings allow the international community to come together and coordinate views on our next steps with respect to Libya," Nuland said July 8. "They'll also allow us to further assess international progress in implementing [U.N. Security Council resolutions] 1970 and 1973 as part of our efforts to protect civilians and to facilitate the start of an inclusive Libyan national dialogue that will lead to the country's reconciliation and reconstruction."
The Contact Group is expected to discuss the status of NATO operations to protect Libyan civilians.
While in Turkey, Clinton also will meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and other political leaders, Nuland said. They will discuss "Libya, Syria and a full range of shared bilateral and multilateral issues," she added.
On July 16, Clinton will attend the meeting of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference in Istanbul ahead of traveling to Greece.
In Greece, Clinton will meet on July 17 with President Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou, Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis and other officials. Nuland said the meetings will be focused on "issues of mutual interest," and will include regional security talks, financial issues and bilateral relations with the United States.
Clinton and a delegation of senior U.S. officials travel to New Delhi for the second round of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue on July 19. It will be Clinton's second trip to India as secretary of state.
"The depth of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue demonstrates the United States' strong support for India as an important actor on the world stage and is representative of the broad and multifaceted U.S.-India relationship," Nuland said. Clinton and Indian leaders are expected to cover a wide range of issues from counterterrorism and defense cooperation to climate change, high-tech trade and scientific innovation.
Underscoring the counterterrorism talks is the series of bombings in India's financial center, Mumbai, that killed at least 17 persons and injured another 131 on July 13 during the regular rush-hour period in the city of more than 18 million. So far, no specific group has claimed credit for the three bombings that rocked the city.
In a July 13 statement condemning the Mumbai attacks and reiterating that she will travel to India as planned, Clinton said, "I believe it is more important than ever that we stand with India, deepen our partnership, and reaffirm our commitment to the shared struggle against terrorism."
Clinton will also visit Chennai, "marking the first time that a serving secretary of state has visited the city, which has emerged as a hub for the trade, investment and people-to-people engagement that is driving the U.S.-India relationship," Nuland said.
Nuland said July 12 that after visiting India, Clinton goes to Bali, Indonesia, on July 21. "Her visit to Indonesia demonstrates U.S. sustained commitment to our enhanced strategic engagement with Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN," she said.
For the third time, Clinton will participate on July 22 with the 10-nation ASEAN post-ministerial conference, which is being hosted by the Indonesian government. On July 23, Clinton leads the U.S. delegation to the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum, where talks will focus on a broad range of regional security issues, Nuland said. Clinton will deliver opening remarks at the first Regional Entrepreneurship Summit, which is a follow-up to the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship hosted by President Obama in April 2010, she added.
Clinton also meets with East Asian foreign ministers in preparation for Obama's participation for the first time in the East Asia Summit in November. Clinton will host the fourth Lower Mekong Initiative ministerial meeting with the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. She will also host the first meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong.
"On July 24, Secretary Clinton will meet with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues," Nuland said. And there will be a meeting of the Joint Commission of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership.
On July 25, Clinton meets in Hong Kong with Chief Executive Donald Tsang and with members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. She will also address the role of U.S. economic leadership in the Asia-Pacific region in a speech.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State)
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