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Clinton to address troops Friday

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be making a brief stop to the island on Friday to meet with the troops and a few elected officials.  Clinton's visit to Guam will mark the eighth visit of a senior member of an administration to come to the island and serves as another reminder of the territory's importance, not just for the military buildup and the region, but for the nation.

Clinton heads to the Aloha State tomorrow to begin a two-week diverse Asia tour. On Thursday she is set to deliver a major address on U.S. strategy, accomplishments and the way forward in the Asia-Pacific Region.  On Friday, she'll make a brief refueling stop to Guam. State Department Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell confirmed Clinton's visit during a special briefing this morning. 

"On Guam the secretary will meet with U.S. forces and troops that are stationed in Guam or are moving through. She will also have a bilateral meeting with the governor and also representatives from Guam there on the base.  From there we will proceed directly to Hanoi," he Campbell.

Andersen Air Force Base officials were unable to release specific details yet about the event, which is expected to take place sometime Friday since Secretary Clinton is scheduled to attend the East Asia Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam on Saturday.  

Governor Felix Camacho knows Clinton's time on Guam will be brief, but he's hoping to make the most of it by sharing pressing issues surrounding the island. "The military buildup, secondly the political situation in Okinawa as it relates to the buildup issues there and how it ties in to our island, and thirdly I want to talk to her briefly about the possibility of Chinese visitors in the future," he told KUAM News.  Governor Camacho said the State Department plays a critical role in negotiating a possible visa-waiver program for Guam.

Lawmakers meanwhile are also closely monitoring details about Clinton's visit.  Speaker Judi Won Pat says they're waiting on confirmation from the State Department on who will be allowed to attend the event on-base. If given the opportunity, Won Pat says she, too, will talk about the buildup.

She said, "We also need to emphasize that this whole movement in which they are telling us that the Government of Guam is to work with the different inter-agencies that it should not be us trying to go out to these inter agencies and find out where these funding sources are or grants are.  It's important that they get these inter-agencies to come and work with us."

Secretary Clinton will head to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, and American Samoa.  President Barack Obama, meanwhile, who has canceled plans to visit Guam twice, will begin an Asia tour on November 4, but there have been no indications that the territory will be on his itinerary.