Clinton embarks on Pacific trip; focus on terror

[unhappycamper]

Clinton embarks on Pacific trip; focus on terror
By ROBERT BURNS
AP National Security Writer
Jan 11, 9:12 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is kicking off her 2010 diplomacy agenda as she did a year ago, with a trip meant to strengthen U.S. relations with key partner nations in the western Pacific.

This time terrorism and the Obama administration's push to improve international cooperation to thwart the threat in Asia and the Pacific, as well as the greater Middle East, will play a prominent role in her talks.

Clinton left Monday on a 10-day trip scheduled to take her to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, with a stop in Hawaii for a policy speech and a one-on-one meeting with her Japanese counterpart.

The trip will highlight the high priority the administration is placing on maintaining strong relations with major allies like Japan and Australia. She also aims to improve ties to other nations seen as like-minded on issues like terrorism, climate change and energy security.

In Australia, Clinton is to be joined by Defense Secretary Robert Gates for talks with their foreign affairs and defense counterparts. Among the expected topics: countering the terrorist threat, not only at the flashpoint along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border but across a widening arc that now includes Yemen and Somalia.


Rest of Stripes article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLINTON?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-01-11-04-20-15