(11 Nov 1999) English/Nat
U-S First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has continued her Middle East tour, saying she wants her country's bonds with Israel strengthened.
The visit to the Jewish state by the wife of the American President is widely seen as a bid to woo New York's large Jewish community ahead of an expected run for the city's U-S Senate seat.
Hillary Clinton spoke about her support for the Mideast peace process on Thursday during a breakfast meeting with Nava Barak, wife of the Israeli Prime Minister, and Reuma Weizman, wife of the Israeli President.
The three women stood on the balcony of the Jerusalem Hilton, with the walled Old City providing a scenic backdrop.
When asked why she was in Israel, the U-S First Lady Clinton said she was visiting as the President's wife with the goal to "further deepen" the bonds.
When asked whether she also planned to engage in Mideast diplomacy, the First Lady said she fully supported the efforts.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Both the President and the Prime Minister have reinforced the importance of the peace process, and I am doing everything I can on behalf of my husband and our government in the United States to further the peace process. And I am looking forward to the rest of my day."
SUPER CAPTION: Hillary Rodham Clinton, U-S First Lady
Mrs. Clinton went on to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
In memory of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, Mrs.Clinton tended an eternal flame and laid a wreath with a red-and-white ribbon at the memorial.
The first lady stood in silence, with her head bowed and her hands clasped, during the ceremony in the somber Hall of Remembrance.
Later she wrote in the Yad Vashem guest book: "May God bless Israel and the Jewish people and may we always remember - and never forget - that all of us must work for peace."
Mrs. Clinton, who is expected to make a bid for a New York Senate seat, is seen as making her Middle East trip in an effort to boost her profile with the Jewish voters in the state.
Since she arrived on Wednesday for a two-day visit, she has steered clear of commenting on whether her visit to Israel is aimed at garnering Jewish support for a possible U-S Senate race.
The first lady is on a four-day Mideast tour and will go on to Jordan on Friday and Saturday.
She was scheduled to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's wife, Suha, later Thursday, and tour the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Although Mrs. Clinton was an early proponent of Palestinian statehood, her Ramallah visit was to centre on nonpolitical matters, such as a U-S grant to a group for its mother-child aid programme.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
