VIVAnews - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has planned to pay a two-day official visit to Indonesia on 18-19 February 2009, said spokesperson of the US Department of State Robert Wood from Washington DC on Thursday, Feb 5. The newly-assigned Secretary of State will also visit Japan, South Korea and China.
"She will visit Japan on 16-18 February; Indonesia, 18-19 February; South Korea, 19-20 February; and China, 20-22 February," said Wood as quoted from the official website of the US Department of State.
Wood revealed that in all capitals, Secretary Clinton will be discussing common approaches to the challenges facing the international community, including the financial markets turmoil, humanitarian issues, security and climate change.
According to Wood, Clinton will hold consultations with senior Indonesian officials to discuss the close and growing partnership with Indonesia and perspectives on common interests in Southeast Asia.
A reporter than asked a question: Does the Secretary plan to make any speeches in Indonesia? Wood replied that, "Indonesia is an important country for the United States. I don’t need to tell you that’s the largest Muslim country in the world, and the Secretary feels it’s important that we need to reach out and reach out early to Indonesia."
However, Wood is still working out all of the details of the trip.
Clinton had on December 2008 uttered her intention to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that she wished of being able to visit Southeast Asia especially Indonesia.
Indonesia is a country with major Muslim population and US President Barack Obama had spent his childhood in the archipelago. At that time, Clinton said that she would recommence the peace corps program which was halted in the 1960s.
The first visit that Clinton will set out is said as against the norm. Commonly, a newly-assigned US Secretary of State starts his or her first official visits to European or Middle East countries.
Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono
