Congo-Kinshasa: U.S. Secretary of State Postpones Visit

14 July 2007
allAfrica.com
By Bruce Hamilton

Washington, D.C. — United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has postponed a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The visit was originally scheduled for next week.

State Department Spokesperson Sean McCormack, speaking at a press briefing on July 12, said a stop in the DRC would be rescheduled for a future date when Rice would be able to spend more "quality time" in Africa. No date has been set.

"The Secretary, given the logistical constraints and time constraints, really wanted to be able to spend more time on an extended trip to Africa," McCormack said. "She very much wanted to go to the DROC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], but given the logistics of the trip as it was previously configured it was actually going to be a fairly short stop that actually posed some real logistical challenges as well."

The visit was originally scheduled to mark the country's recent elections and transition of power, as well as to discuss areas of conflict and potential "trouble spots," McCormack said on July 9.

Rice is still due to travel to Accra to attend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum next week.

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