U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Afghanistan and three other Central Asian nations next week for talks on democracy, security, and economic development, the State Department announced on Tuesday. Rice will travel to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan October 10 to 13, and it is possible she will visit other countries, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "She will have discussions on a range of issues related to economic development, security matters, and democracy building," he said. "The general message is one of support for the ongoing political change and economic reform … in this important region and to underline our support for those who will undertake the necessary political and economic reforms, to have respect for human rights, promote freedom of speech, [and] to promote good governance," McCormack stated. "These are things that we want to promote in this region, and that those countries that not only speak out in support of these principles, but also act on those principles, will have a different kind of relationship with the United States," McCormack added.
