Hillary to attend Afghanistan conference on March 31

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to the Netherlands to attend an international conference on Afghanistan, the State Department said Monday. The conference is March 31 at The Hague. The International Conference on Afghanistan's agenda will include discussion on a comprehensive strategy in a regional context, said department spokesman Robert Wood.

Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke will accompany Clinton, Wood said. Clinton and Holbrooke are expected to provide details of a review of U.S. strategy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is set to be released by the Obama administration before the Dutch conference.

Wood also stated:

"Building on the achievements of the conferences held in Bonn and in London, and most recently in Paris last year, The Hague conference should reaffirm the solid and long-term commitment of the international community to supporting the government of Afghanistan and shaping a better future for Afghanistan and its people."

While in the Netherlands, Clinton is scheduled to meet with Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, Wood said. Earlier this month, Clinton said Iran's foreign minister also would be invited to attend The Hague conference, setting up her first chance to meet a senior official from Tehran in her new role as top U.S. diplomat. Which demonstrated a complete 180 from President George W. Bush's isolation policy of Tehran.

Wood said he knew of no meetings planned between Clinton and the Iranians, but also did not rule it out. Iran has said it would be interested in attending the meeting in the Netherlands but has not yet said who could be there. Read more about the Conference here.