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Kerry on delegation to southwest Asia

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor January 5, 2009 04:40 PM

Senator John F. Kerry's office announced this afternoon that his first major trip as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee will be to southwest Asia, a particularly troubled part of the globe.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, will join outgoing Vice President-elect Joe Biden, the committee's outgoing chairman, on the fact-finding trip. The congressional delegation will also include Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Last month, Kerry traveled to Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Republic of Georgia, and India, where he met with Presidents Asif Ali Zardari, Hamid Karzai, Mikheil Saakashvili, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, among other top officials.

For security purposes, the details of the congressional delegation’s itinerary will be released throughout the week-long trip, Kerry's office said.

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