Clinton to visit Thailand, Philippines next week

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who leaves Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, will also visit Thailand and the Philippines before attending an Asian summit in Bali, her office said.

Clinton travels to Manila on November 15 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and join a ceremony launching the Partnership for Growth with the Philippines, the State Department said.

The following day, she travels to Bangkok "to underscore our strong alliance with Thailand and US support for Thailand`s recovery efforts following severe flooding," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

The worst floods to hit Thailand in decades have killed 527 people nationwide and are expected to plague Bangkok for several more weeks.

Clinton will also meet senior officials in the Thai capital to discuss regional issues ahead of the East Asia Summit in Bali.

This week she will be in Honolulu, Hawaii for the APEC forum, where on Thursday she is scheduled to deliver a speech hailing America`s enduring ties to Pacific Rim nations.

US President Barack Obama and his top diplomat will seek to prove Washington`s mettle as an Asian power as they welcome 20 Pacific leaders at APEC, hoping that a sweeping trade pact will bind together the fast-growing region and breathe life into moribund global trade talks.

Obama and Clinton will head the following week to the Indonesian resort island of Bali for the East Asia Summit -- a meeting with many of the same leaders, but one where some Asian nations had earlier wanted to exclude the United States

Source: ANTARA