標題:Biden visiting Asia this week By Peter Baker Published: January 6, 2009 WASHINGTON: Vice President-elect Joe Biden will not wait to be inaugurated before embarking on the new administration's first overseas fact-finding trip. Biden will fly to undisclosed destinations in Southwest Asia this week. Although Biden will travel in his capacity as a senator, a job he will vacate within days of returning, the trip effectively represents the incoming administration's first foray into foreign policy since the Nov. 4 election. While outspoken on economic matters, President-elect Barack Obama and Biden have avoided discussing most international issues during the last two months, deferring to President George W. Bush. The journey will also throw a spotlight on Biden, who has remained largely out of the public eye since the election, and reinforce his intention to play an important role in foreign policy in the new administration. With the selections of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as national security advisor, many in Washington have speculated about how much room would be left for Biden. Aides said Biden would not be speaking on behalf of the U.S. government or the incoming administration during the trip, although it seems unlikely that his hosts would make a distinction between Senator Biden and Vice President=elect Biden. His office declined to specify exactly when or where he would travel, citing security concerns, but Southwest Asia usually refers to a stretch of countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan, both very likely to be important hot spots for Obama. Biden will be accompanied by two Democratic senators, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/06/asia/biden.php 新聞來源: (需有正確連結) -- --

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