By Xinhua,
Canberra : Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on Saturday that United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Australia next Thursday and Friday.
He said in a statement that Rice will visit Perth, the state capital of West Australia, and that will be only the second visit to Perth by a US Secretary of State. The first was George Schultz in 1985.
“The visit by secretary Rice follows my personal invitation to her to visit my hometown and electorate when we first met in Washington in January this year,” Smith said.
“Secretary Rice’s visit highlights the ongoing strength of our alliance relationship with the United States, which spans 60 years and is built on a firm foundation of shared values and democratic traditions,” the statement said.
“Australia and the United States remain committed to working together to face shared global and regional strategic challenges,” he added.
“Secretary Rice’s visit is an opportunity to share with her the pride Western Australians have for John Curtin’s foresight in securing our post World War II economic and strategic security,” he said.