US Secretary of State to Travel to Europe, Mideast

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 30, 2003

US Secretary of State to Travel to Europe, Mideast

US Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Spain, Albania, Syria and Lebanon later this week, a State Department official said Tuesday.

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US Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Spain, Albania, Syria and Lebanon later this week, a State Department official said Tuesday.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the secretary is leaving for Madrid on Wednesday or early on Thursday and return to Washington on Sunday.

He said Powell is also planning another trip to the Middle Eastbeginning on May 8, which will take him to Jerusalem of Israel andthe West Bank town of Ramallah, as well as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The disclosure of Powell's travel plans came while the Palestinian legislature reportedly approved the cabinet led by newPalestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

In fact, Powell's trips had been under consideration for sometime, but US officials had insisted that they would not announce the trips until Abbas' cabinet confirmed.

The Bush administration has also promised to release the long-awaited Middle East roadmap peace plan shortly after the confirmation of Abbas' cabinet.

As to why Powell plans two trips instead of one, US officials explained that by scheduling the second trip, the administration hopes to give Abbas' team time to settle into office.

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