WASHINGTON, February 28, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary RodhamClinton is using her second overseas trip as the nation'stop diplomat to assess peace prospects in the Middle East,reconnect with European allies and remind her Russiancounterpart that U.S. efforts to rebuild relations withMoscow has its limits. The former first lady and former U.S. senator from NewYork is kicking off a weeklong journey by attending aninternational conference in Egypt where she will announceon Monday a U.S. government pledge of up to $900 million inhumanitarian assistance for the rebuilding of thewar-shaken Gaza Strip. Clinton also will visit Israel to underscore PresidentBarack Obama's commitment to finding a «two-statesolution» to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that wouldestablish a sovereign Palestinian state at peace withIsrael. The plan was invoked first by Obama's predecessor,President George W. Bush. Among leaders Clinton would be expected to visit in Israelare Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, leader ofthe centrist Kadima Party, which won in the election onemore seat in the Knesset parliament than Netanyahu's Likud. Netanyahu, who opposes moving forward in peace talks withthe Palestinians, was asked to put together the nextgovernment because he has the support of a majority of theelected lawmakers. Clinton also will venture into the West Bank to meet withleaders of the Palestinian Authority, including PrimeMinister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas. After focusing her first foreign trip on the Pacific Rimof Asia, Clinton is going to the Middle East and to Europeto try to build on what the Obama administration believesis early enthusiasm in those regions for changing thedynamic of relations with America after years of disconnecton many key issues. Daniel Fried, the assistant secretary of state forEuropean affairs, said Friday the main theme of Clinton'svisit to Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday will be «thereconnection of the United States to Europe and a sense ofconsolidating some of the enormous political goodwill onboth sides of the Atlantic, and harnessing it to a commonagenda _ not an American agenda but a common trans-Atlanticagenda.» On Friday Clinton is to meet in Geneva with RussianForeign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies on Friday assaying he expected the Geneva meeting to focus on armscontrol. Clinton is scheduled to wind up her trip with a stop inAnkara, Turkey, to discuss a range of topics with seniorTurkish government officials, including the Obama review ofits strategy for the war in Afghanistan. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/639485