Hillary Clinton's Middle East trip canceled due to ill health
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not be visiting Morocco and the Middle East as planned. The State Department said a stomach bug has Clinton temporarily out of commission.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton listens to a question during a joint news conference with Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the government building in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday. This week Clinton's trip to Morocco was canceled because she came down with a stomach virus.
Kevin Lamarque/AP
Washington
U.S. Secretary of State聽聽has canceled her trip to聽聽this week for a meeting on the future of聽's opposition because of a stomach virus, the State Department said on Monday.
Deputy Secretary of State聽聽will travel to the meeting in her place.
"Since she's still under the weather, we'll be staying put this week instead of heading to聽聽and the聽聽as originally planned," State Department spokesman聽聽said in a statement.
"In her place, Deputy Secretary Burns will travel to Marrakech for the Friends of the Syrian People meeting. We will let you know when she shakes this bug and resumes a public schedule," he said.
Clinton had been due to join foreign ministers from allied nations in聽聽to discuss the 20-month old聽聽crisis as rebels fighting to oust President聽聽push forward on the battlefield and move to unify the political opposition.
The so-called Friends of聽聽group is expected to focus on new moves to strengthen and legitimize the recently formed Syrian opposition coalition.
Clinton had planned to continue from聽听迟辞听聽and the United Arab Emirates.