The US Secretary of State, Ms Hillary Clinton, will accompany the President, Mr Barack Obama, to London on May 24 for the first part of his state visit to the United Kingdom, her spokesman has said.
“This trip is a sign of the strength of the special relationship between our two countries, and of the United States’ enduring commitment to our allies and partners in Europe,” Mr Mark Toner, State Department spokesman, said.
Ms Clinton will also meet with the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Hague, while in London, from where she would be travelling to Paris, to preside over the 50th Anniversary of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting on May 25-26.
Events will include the OECD’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration, at which Ms Clinton will deliver the opening address in the presence of the German Chancellor, Ms Angela Merkel, the French President, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Naoto Kan; several signing and adoption ceremonies; and a plenary session on ‘A New Paradigm for Development’.
Mr Toner said Ms Clinton will also deliver keynote remarks in support of the launch of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education.
The Global Partnership will bring together companies, non-governmental organisations, and governments to develop innovative programmes to deliver education to women and girls, he said.