Albright to Visit New Zealand

"United States Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, will visit New Zealand on 1 August," Foreign Minister Don McKinnon announced from Washington DC today.

"I am delighted that the Secretary of State will visit," Mr McKinnon said. "My calls in Washington this week have underlined that the New Zealand-United States relationship is in very good shape and Mrs Albright's visit is a real expression of that."

Mrs Albright's confirmation of her visit came during Mr McKinnon's visit to Washington on Wednesday.

"Our relationship with the US is a very important and broad-ranging one," Mr McKinnon said.

"Staying in touch at a senior political level is the key to this. Mrs Albright's visit will be a further opportunity for the Government to engage with the Administration on the bilateral relationship, regional security issues and Asian economic turmoil. In particular it is a chance to focus on the lead-up to APEC 1999 in Auckland, which President Clinton is expected to attend.

Mr McKinnon was in Washington for calls on the Administration, including Secretary of State Albright, and Under-Secretary of Defence, Slocombe. Mr McKinnon also called on key senators.