The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, will begin tomorrow a tour of the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar.
During the trip, which ends on January 13, Mrs Clinton will meet with government officials to discuss "a full range of regional and bilateral issues," Mark Toner, a State Department official, told reporters in Washington.
In addition, Mrs Clinton will during her visit to the region seek to "emphasise the importance of government-civil society engagement", said a statement issued by PJ Crowley, the spokesman for the State Department.
The visit will be the second by Mrs Clinton to the region in as many months, the AP reported.
