Washington, Jumada II 15, 1432, May 18, 2011, SPA - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday praised the efforts of the thousands of members of the global Diaspora living in the United States. Speaking at the beginning of the first ever three-day Global Diaspora Forum, which was held, and put together by the U.S. State Department, Clinton said "one of the great strengths of America is its diversity." The forum, which is bringing together over 300 groups that are representatives of various Diaspora groups, is working to bring together and engage the different communities. "We need...smart power," Clinton said, saying that "people to people exchanges" are found to be the most effective in diplomatic encounters internationally. "The generosity in our country is legendary...and often, we tap it," the Secretary of State said, adding that the U.S. should "reach out and frankly model for others" how diversity should be embraced and "put to work" in a society. --SPA 11:12 LOCAL TIME 08:12 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/893954