U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Del Rosario Discuss Bilateral and Regional Issues by Phone

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke by phone with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Rosario on the evening of March 13 (Manila time).  Secretary Clinton congratulated Secretary del Rosario on his appointment as Foreign Secretary and said she looks forward to working with him on multilateral and bilateral initiatives such as the Philippine-U.S. Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, intended to raise our partnership to the highest level.

The two secretaries discussed the importance of regional institutions such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the upcoming East Asia Summit to be held in Indonesia later this year. They agreed that ASEAN should play a central role in the East Asia Summit, with a view toward increasing cooperation on maritime security and concluding a regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Secretary Clinton inquired about Philippine efforts to assist Filipinos in Libya.

The Secretaries noted that they looked forward to meeting soon and continuing to work closely together in advancing our countries’ common interests.

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