Saturday, December 19, 2009

On Hillary's Agenda...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton scheduled to visit New Zealand and Australia next month

According to the Sunday issue of the New Zealand Herald,  a trip to New Zealand and Australia is on the agenda.
Madame Secretary
The Herald on Sunday understands Clinton's trip is pencilled in for the week starting January 11 and will involve two days of official engagements and meetings. She is also expected to visit Australia.

The State Department has not confirmed this report, however, in keeping with past practice.

Official word on the visit isn't expected until the new year. When former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came to New Zealand last year, her visit was confirmed only a week before her arrival.

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said: "We're not saying anything about her visit at the moment."

The spokesman said that was at the behest of Washington: "The Americans like to play things in a very low-key way."

A press officer at the State department in Washington said: "The only time we discuss the Secretary's trip is when we make an announcement - and we haven't yet."

Read the whole article at - HERALD ON SUNDAY