US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Visit Manila Next Week

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is visiting the Philippines on November 12-14, 2009 for a brief meeting with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo who will join US President Barack Obama at the APEC summit in Singapore next week

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is coming to Manila next week to confer with Philippine officials on bilateral issues before proceeding to Singapore to join US President Barack Obama to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Conference. The scheduled visit was disclosed by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The US State Secretary will be in Manila from November 12 to 13. It will be Clinton's first visit to the Philippines as US Secretary of State. The former US First Lady visited Manila with her husband, former president Bill Clinton in the 1996 APEC summit held in Subic Bay during ther term of Philippine president Fidel Ramos. Philstar.com reports:

During her visit to the Philippines, Clinton will be making a courtesy call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and will meet with her Philippine counterpart Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo," the statement said

. The meeting with Clinton will most likely set the stage for Philippine president Gloria Arroyo to sit down with US president Barack Obama when they meet in Singapore for the APEC meeting. The US Secretary of State is expected to reiterate the US desire for a clean and honest election in 2010 and the lingering human rights issues that continue to hound the administration of President Arroyo.