Albright Plans Philippines Trip

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Albright Plans Philippines Trip

 .c The Associated Press 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will travel to the
Philippines later this month for two sets of talks on regional security issues
and the Asia financial crisis. 

The meetings will be a follow-up to the annual meeting of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, which is comprised of Brunei, Burma, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Albright will be in the Philippines from July 26-29. 

Among the security issues to be discussed are the implications of the nuclear
tests carried out in May by India and Pakistan. 

Joining the nine ASEAN countries for the additional sets of talks, in addition
to the United States, will be representatives from Australia, Canada, China,
the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the
United States. 

Afterward, Albright will make a brief stop in Papua New Guinea and then travel
to Sydney, Australia, for annual ministerial-level talks involving the foreign
and defense ministers of the two countries. 

Her last step will be Auckland, New Zealand on Aug. 1. She returns to
Washington the following day.