HILLARY CLINTON TO VISIT 8 COUNTRIES

A written statement by US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland says that Hillary Clinton will first attend in Paris the 3rd meeting of Syria's Friends. After completion of her contacts in Paris, Clinton will go to Japan's capital Tokio to attend a meeting on Afghanistan. She will then pass on to Mongolia , Vietnam and Laos in that order to make a series of contacts. She will be the first US Secretary of State to go to Laos after an interval of 57 years.

Her last stop in south-east Asia will be Cambodia where she will attend the annual security meeting of ASEAN. On July14, Clinton will go to Egypt to demonstrate her country's support to Egypt's democratic transformation and economic development. She will have talks with high level officials on July 15 and 16 , following which she will go to Israel for a two day visit on July 16.

Clinton will take up the peace efforts in the region and a raft of subjects concerning the region and the world.