United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William J. Burns is traveling to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil from December 9 to December 13. The purpose of his trip is to expand relations with key regional partners.

In Chile, Under Secretary Burns plans to meet with Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno and Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter to discuss our increasingly close partnership in a range of areas, to include trade issues, nuclear security, and cooperative projects to develop regional capacity in rule of law. He will also meet with civil society representatives. In Argentina, Under Secretary Burns will hold discussions with Foreign Minister Hector Timerman as well ascivil society leaders on issues of bilateral and regional importance, such as nuclear nonproliferation, human rights, and economic growth. In Brazil, Under Secretary Burns is scheduled to meet with representatives of the incoming and current administrations to discuss bilateral initiatives on economic, nuclear nonproliferation, and regional affairs, including the Global Partnership Dialogue launched by SecretaryClinton and Foreign Minister Amorim last March.