Clinton to visit S. Korea next week to attend global aid conference

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit South Korea next week to attend an international conference on aid effectiveness and then make a historic trip to Myanmar. Clinton will arrive in the South Korean port city of Busan on Wednesday to take part in the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which will also include UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, the state department said in a statement. "Clinton''s participation reflects the United States'' strong political commitment to development as a key pillar of global security, prosperity, and democratic progress," the statement said. The Busan conference "represents a landmark opportunity for world leaders to take stock of recent changes in the development landscape and chart a new course for global cooperation," it said. About 2,500 government delegates and leaders of international organizations will start the three-day conference in Busan on Tuesday, South Korea''s (Yonhap) news agency reported. The conference aims to assess progress in improving the handling of global aid funds, following previous meetings in Paris, Rome and Accra, and set forth a new paradigm for global development aid, Seoul officials said. After a brief stay in Busan, Clinton will head for Myanmar, marking the first visit by a US secretary of state in over a half a century, the statement said. In Myanmar, Clinton "will underscore the US commitment to a policy of principled engagement and direct dialogue as part of our dual-track approach" and "will register support for reforms that we have witnessed in recent months and discuss further reforms in key areas," it said.