Hillary Clinton to attend Friends of Syria meeting in Morocco

Washington: The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would travel to Morocco next week to attend the Friends of Syria meeting.

The meeting would be held from December 11-13, in Marrakech, Morocco. "This latest meeting provides an opportunity to consult with like-minded governments in the region and around the world on how best to continue support for the Syrian opposition and on efforts to end the bloodshed," the State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said. While in Morocco, Clinton will also meet with King Mohammed VI, as well as senior Moroccan government officials, to discuss bilateral and regional issues. From Morocco, Clinton will then travel to Tunis, Tunisia to co-host the 9th Forum for the Future Sub-Ministerial Meeting with the Government of Tunisia on December 13. "This year`s Forum welcomes increased levels of civil society, private sector, and government participation and focuses on the key themes of women`s empowerment, freedom of expression and association, and economic governance and entrepreneurship," Nuland said. Hillary Clinton will conclude her trip in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and participate in the 3rd ministerial meeting of the Global Counter terrorism Forum (GCTF) on December 14. "The centrepiece of the meeting will be the announcement by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed of the opening of the first-ever International Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism, which the GCTF set in motion at its September 2011 launch," Nuland said. The Centre will provide a venue for training, dialogue, collaboration, and research to counter violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations by bringing together the experts, expertise, and experience that exist in countries around the globe, she said. PTI