Washington:  US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit quake-hit Chengdu on June 29 to express her condolences as well as meet Chinese officials and relief workers, a spokesman said today.

"First she is going to travel to Chengdu, and will be there to... Express condolences on behalf of the American people for the earthquake, and meet with some local officials and aid organizations," deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"This would certainly be the highest level of US representative there. This has obviously been a tragic situation for the people of China," Casey told reporters.

"The secretary just wants to be able to go and look for herself and talk with some of those involved in the relief effort, and again also just do this as a show of sympathy and support for those people who have been affected by this," Casey said.

Casey said Rice would leave Chengdu late June 29 for the Chinese capital Beijing, where she will have talks with her Chinese counterpart and other officials on a range of issues, including Korea s nuclear weapons disarmament.

Rice will visit Chengdu following a visit to Seoul, South Korea, where she will also discuss the negotiations with North Korea, he said.

Preceding Seoul, Rice will attend a G8 foreign ministers meeting in Japan and a meeting in Germany on aiding the Palestinians.

Source : PTI