Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
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Rice scraps plans to attend OAS meeting in Dominican Republic
06-02-2006

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has cancelled plans to attend the upcoming general assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) and will instead be sending her deputy, her office announced Thursday.

Rice was due to travel to Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, on Sunday but because of a variety of issues on her agenda, including the Iran nuclear crisis, she has decided to cancel the trip, the State Department's acting spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.

He said Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick will instead be heading the US delegation to the meeting.

Zoellick during his two-day trip will be meeting with the president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, and with other senior officials from the region, Casey said.

"Deputy Secretary Zoellick will underscore the importance of inclusive democracy, which offers the best hope to fight poverty, and corruption and to promote development," a statement said.

"He will also reiterate US commitment to work with the Secretary General and other member states to make the OAS more effective in addressing the challenges to democracy and fulfilling the promise of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which states that the peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and that OAS members are obligated to promote and defend democracy."