Clinton visit sparks hope
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Phnom Penh today for diplomatic and business talks with China and ASEAN’s 10 member states, but rights groups and opposition parties are counting on the state of human rights in Cambodia to be a top priority as well. Clinton is scheduled to attend three ASEAN meetings at the Peace Palace, including the Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, as part of an eight-country trip that has included Vietnam, Laos and Mongolia. On the first leg of her journey, America’s most senior diplomat has exhibited a willingness to bring human-rights issues to the fore. “The heart of our strategy, the piece that brings everything together, is our support for democracy and human rights,” Clinton said in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, on Monday. …
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012071157348/National-news/clinton-visit-sparks-hope.html
