Secretary of State

When the two sides in an important industrial dispute reach deadlock the Secretary of State may attempt to mediate between them.

The Secretary of State is trying to further advance the friendly relations between the two countries.

Shortly before I started at the State Department, a former Secretary of State called me with this advice: Don't try to do too much.

In April, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US was 'determined to make up for lost time both at home and abroad'.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U. S. government murder of four U. S. citizens are very upset and sad.

He remains, by virtue of his earlier work, easily the best memoirist of any American secretary of state or president in the modern era.

The president met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Saturday for a briefing on her meetings in France and Georgia.

At a regional Asian gathering in July 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the "United States is back" in Asia.

Secretary of State Dean Acheson told him to take his Quaker views to a more hospitable setting than he could possibly find in Washington.

For that alone, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice deserves credit for her months of arm-twisting preparation.

Secretary of State Rice said the world craves American leadership and looks to this country as a place of endless possibilities.

Jill Biden continued: "I said, Joe, if you're secretary of state, you'll be away. See you at a state dinner once in a while. "

China is ready to host U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will be making her first trip to Beijing in her new position.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton warns Iran is only trying to distract attention away from its own behavior.

Hillary Clinton said the decision to give up her seat in the U. S. Senate to accept the post of secretary of state was not easy.

The follow-up to the president's speech will have to be led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In the build-up to the war, then U. S. Secretary of State Colin Powell laid out the case against Iraq before the U. N. Security Council.

Secretary of State Clinton, in Seoul earlier this week at the end of a trip to Asia, said the world has a duty to act over the sinking.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says the US will not back down in the face of Iranian threats against the Jewish state.

Being Secretary of State was the best job in the world. But you know from the minute you start that you have to leave it.

China's choice of role, says Jim Steinberg, America's deputy secretary of state, is "the great question of our time" .

When Mr Baker moved to become secretary of state, he took Mr Zoellick with him.

If she could subordinate her ambition to the service of her new president and her country, then she could make a fine secretary of state.

After declining the post of Secretary of State, he took the role of advisor to the President.

Also appearing on This Week, former U. S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the New START treaty must not be allowed to languish.

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the threat was credible and involved al-Qaeda, but that it was unconfirmed.

On the surface, ranking Mr. Zhou ahead of the U. S. Secretary of State makes a certain amount of sense.

A year later, Clinton headed to Beijing as secretary of state with a conciliatory message seen as downplaying human rights concerns.

Like the first three American presidents, Madison had a small cabinet. There would be a secretary of state and a secretary of the treasury.

He said he had spoken to President Obama briefly and to his wife, the secretary of state, at greater length.

U. S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said the U. S. government will take action if the allegations are proven true.

The secretary of state has the power reasonably necessary to perform the duties required of him by this Act.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it a "transparent ploy" by Iran to avoid United Nations Security Council sanctions.

Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, was right last week to talk him out of declaring a state of emergency.

And I said, "Well I've been a woman for 60 years, but I've only been Secretary of State for a few minutes. "

It was to be given to the Secretary of State in March 2010, but was delayed until after the general election.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the two sides to settle the issue before it had a long-term impact on the region.

I have frequent touch with Secretary Of State Christopher of the United Statesand I might have a chance to meet with him next month.

It was Hillary Clinton, ironically, who gave the first whiff of this new reality on her first trip abroad as secretary of state in February.

The majority of the meetings will be held at the State Department and will be led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, he said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says it is too early to say if the United States' troubled relationship with Syria is headed for a thaw.

On Israel, the other chronic foreign policy issue that will bedevil the next secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton would bring baggage as well.

I am very pleased to be able to return to the U. S. -China Internet Industry Forum for the fourth time as Under Secretary of State.

The visit of Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, a few months ago, was in the spirit of such a new relationship.

Tonight, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said the US "deeply regrets" the release of the material by WikiLeaks.

The US secretary of state has said the US is considering imposing additional unilateral sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is still pushing for a peace agreement by the end of the year.

He gave Powell secretary of state and then began to box him up .

The secretary of state for Puebla says the explosion was triggered by thieves trying to siphon off oil from the pipeline.

Secretary of State is "inclined to a certain point to want to try. But there was an awful lot of pressure on the other side. "

The nuclear talks have been a key issue in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Japan, which ends Wednesday.

Obama is strongly supported in his international diplomatic outreach efforts by his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

While on a visit to Beijing, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted that she was seriously considering a visit to Pyongyang.

Mr Fox is no longer in government because he could not tell the difference between a secretary of state and a travel agent.

Secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the administration was conferring with allies about imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.

Edward Stettinius Jr. Becomes the last United States Secretary of State of the Roosevelt administration.

The last secretary of state Hillary Clinton headed east for her first trip.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has called for "a serious conversation about the principles that will guide us" in such a world.

On her first trip as secretary of state to China in February, Mrs Clinton called for a deeper US-China partnership.

One of the most notable recent realists is the former U. S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was a great fan of Metternich.

Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, has repeatedly said the promotion of free speech online is a key policy goal.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Russia to patch up the strained relationship between the two countries.

My job was to help him and his secretary of state discuss with China's communists what to do about other, even more problematic communists.

The Secretary of State also noted the Lebanese people have endured a great deal during 15 years of civil war and unrest.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits the West Bank town of Jenin. It used to be a militant stronghold.

And I really dedicated myself to that, both at the U. N. and then as Secretary of State.

It was the highest-level visit by an American since Clinton's secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, made a trip in 2000.

Hillary Clinton Secretary of State repeatedly stressed that the United States will not abandon Asia during the signing ceremony.

But he refused to say whether she was being considered for secretary of state, as has been widely reported.

During a speech in February, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Internet freedom "one of the grand challenges of our time" .

In a meeting with U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Lee's spokesman, Lee Dong-kwan, says the president looked for a new start.

Just last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made Tokyo her first stop on a week-long tour of Asia.

ONE of Barack Obama's riskiest decisions, on winning the presidential election, was to choose Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state.

When Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, visited India last week and appealed to her hosts to limit emissions she was rebuffed.

In March, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised two billion dollars through a government agency known as OPIC.

"The Syrian government must allow free movement and free access, " said the secretary of state.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says the situation is difficult in several Iraqi cities in an area known as the Sunni triangle.

Condoleezza Rice, America's secretary of state, said that the previous arrangement should not be the basis for a lasting ceasefire.

Mr Netanyahu said he had written to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to remove any doubt about the issue.

Hillary Clinton embarked on her first tour abroad as America's secretary of state, visiting Japan, Indonesia, China and South Korea.

He promised the visiting U. S. Secretary of State he would improve on the outgoing administration's ties with the United States.

As secretary of state (1945-1947) he tried unsuccessfully to ease postwar tensions between the United States and the U. S. S. R.

U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry has confirmed that he also will meet with members of Syria's opposition in London.

He was a congressman , senator, secretary of war, secretary of state and vice president of the United States.

In January Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, proclaimed it part of her country's mission to foster global internet freedom.

But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration would "work very hard" to prevent this.

She was the second female Secretary of State after Madeline Albright in American history. She speaks French, Russian.

Obama also quickly got on the phone with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who briefed him on the situation.

Secretary of State Webster was with the president when one of the letters of resignation arrived.

Secretary of State Webster sent his son Fletcher on horseback to tell Tyler of the president's death.

U. N. Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew from consideration to be the next Secretary of State.

Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the issue in an unusual set of appearances on five TV network morning programs Tuesday.

U. S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill says Pyongyang continues to insist it has not engaged in uranium enrichment activities.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a Friday speech pressed China to be more aggressive in helping tamp down the North's nuclear program.

A year later, Secretary of State George C. Marshall announced his plan for war-ravaged Europe under the trees of Harvard Yard.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will hold a key strategy session on Monday in Washington with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts.

During the transition, they say, Clinton allowed Nunn to believe he might become secretary of state.

Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, has repeatedly said she would not get dragged back into the cycle of talks and broken promises.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had telephone discussions on the issue Tuesday with her Russian and Chinese counterparts.

Today the Secretary of State gives mere lip service to human rights just as Secretaries in the past have done.

Hilary Clinton's status as an erstwhile Obama rival might undermine the traditional trump card of a secretary of state.

Secretary of State Colin Powell set out a scenario to bring the tug-of-war with President Saddam Hussein to a conclusion. Tug-of-war.

The American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Moscow today for talks aimed at bridging a wide divide in a range of issues .

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton no matter where all carry a purse, bag exactly what equipment is always the mystery.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has cited the competition for global influence as she argues against aid cuts.

Mr Bush is said to have written the note to his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says President Barack Obama will travel to Turkey within the next month.

Since the election, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has welcomed ICC prosecutions of persons responsible for atrocities in Darfur.

I see she's keeping pretty good company, with the Secretary of State, Colin Powell. It's good to see you, Mr. Secretary.

Second, I asked Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to call US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to explain the situation to her.

Not only was Laura Bush making jokes about the President, she was also making jokes about our woman Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice.

In unusually strident language, Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, said it would be "absolutely wrong" to free him.

On one level, the secretary of state's article was just a primer for November's crowded calendar in the region.

The President designated Mr. Sharp as the next Secretary of State.

Visiting U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her Japanese counterpart had asked for the U. S. to evaluate Tepco's proposal.

The document must be delivered to the office of the secretary of state for filing.

A key U. S. Senate committee has approved the nomination of Senator Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state.

In 2000 he famously asked Madeleine Albright, then America's secretary of state, for her e-mail address.

It was known that the President was not prepared flatly to overrule his Secretary of State on the Middle East.

The former U. S. Secretary of State has returned to public life as an ambassador to a foreign country.

The U. S. approach was enunciated clearly two weeks ago in a speech by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

Mister Ban, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Haitian President Rene Preval led a conference of donors at the U. N. Wednesday.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said his death was a "significant blow" to al-Qaeda and its operations in East Africa.

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said Abdullah's decision to withdraw from the election would not affect the vote's legitimacy.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join in a meeting of the U. N. panel on Monday in Geneva.

"By the way, " he says in praising Mr. Obama's foreign policy record, "he's got a heck of a secretary of state, too. "

The former American Secretary of State has returned to public life and taken the office of ambassador to a foreign country.

"Without Mrs. Parks, " the secretary said, "I would not be standing here today as Secretary of State. "

Speaking in Germany on Wednesday, U. S. Secretary of State C Rice dismissed the idea that the U. S. missile shield is a threat to Russia.

In Washington, U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened the U. S. A. Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo via a videoconference.

Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher told reporters recently that the two sides are quite close to reaching an accord.

The United States drafted the resolution, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice led the delegation during the vote.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said an invitation had been extended to Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan to visit New York.

Lincoln answered that he would be happy to make Seward ambassador to Britain, instead of secretary of state.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Georgia on Friday to secure Tbilisi's signature to a French-brokered peace deal with Moscow.

But the Secretary of State said the real damage to America's international relationships will be small.

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she supports a campaign by Saudi women to win the right to drive.

The U. S. delegation is led by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, while Pyongyang's is headed by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan.

Locke was nominated by President Obama March 9 at a White House ceremony attended by Locke and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Hillary Clinton, the American secretary of state, pointedly urged across-the-board reform.

Its leaders met U. S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson this month on the sidelines of a Darfur workshop in Washington.

So was John Foster Dulles, the American Secretary of State, when he flew to Egypt to conduct negotiations on the Aswan Dam.

Perhaps the most surprising, however, was the album, filled with glossy pictures of America's former Secretary of State.

President John Tyler wanted to make Texas a state in the Union. But his secretary of state, Daniel Webster, was cool toward the idea.

Hillary Clinton is expected to be formally announced as secretary of state after Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday.

She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and a remarkable work ethic. I am proud that she will be our next Secretary of State.

Coveting the China trade, the American Secretary of State circulated his "Open Door Notes" to the great powers.

Assistant U. S. Secretary of State Christopher Hill said earlier that he was hopeful the financial dispute would be resolved soon.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U. S. and South Africa plan to enhance their cooperation bi-laterally and beyond.

Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, said she would not allow Pyongyang to blackmail Washington.

China had already started checking North Korean trucks crossing its border, Nicholas Burns, under-secretary of state, commented.

US officials should avoid repeating secretary of state Hillary Clinton's description of the South China Sea as the "West Philippine Sea" .

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Kenya at the start of an 11-day tour of seven African nations.

Secretary of State Colin Powell visited the region a few months ago and got a first hand look at the tragic conditions there.

So was John Foster Dulles, the American Secretary of State, when he flew to conduct negotiations on the Aswan Dam.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would like an explanation from the Chinese about Google's accusations.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in earthquake-stricken Chile, the third stop on her six-nation tour of Latin America.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak held talks Sunday morning at the President's office in Seoul.

A third and certainly not unimportant factor was the character and attitude of the new Secretary of State in 1921, Charles Evens Hughes.

Kiesling was the first diplomat to go public with his dissent, publishing his resignation letter to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice concluded her two-day China visit and left here for Tokyo Wednesday morning.

Well, I am absolutely honored and thrilled beyond words to be here with you as our nation's 67th Secretary of State.

Under-Secretary of State William Burns was speaking as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to hold talks on the issue in Moscow.

REPORTER: Claudia McMurray is the U. S assistant secretary of state for oceans, environment and science.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after the summit that the aim of agreement was a government without President Assad.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spelled out Washington's policy toward Asia in an essay in Foreign Policy released earlier today.

For his part, former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger says the issues that need to be resolved are immense.

The secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, says that any test would be a "provocative act" .

Hillary Clinton offered the same public reassurance when she made Tokyo the first stop on her inaugural trip as secretary of state.

Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, where abortion is still illegal, was silent.

S. secretary of state, whom he professed to love. After he fled the compound, looters made off with a gold-plated cocktail trolley.

Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Makati at the U. N. to make the U.

In a Globe and Mail article, Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State hints that he may be an Obamacon.

Hillary Clinton heads to Asia on her first overseas trip as secretary of state.

His delta tour coincided with an official visit of Kurt Campbell, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs.

In her new role with the global focus, she'll work to the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has meanwhile said her main aim was to build momentum behind any action against Colonel Gaddafi.

Ronald Reagan's secretary of state has won the money war with donations from individuals and Silicon Valley.

The secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, pitched in, and their formal statements offered some cause for hope.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright may look like a pleasantly rumbled housewife, eyes round and bright as full moons.

Harry Truman's Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, decided Chinese Communists had become a mere satrap of Stalin.

Also on the last day, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent video messages to attendees in Vienna.

"Joe had a choice to be secretary of state or vice president, " Jill confided .

Secretary of state US, Condoleezza Rice and other American official visited India and Pakistan, tried to quiet down the tense situation.

InMichigan and Illinois, the Secretary of State's offices perform responsibilities which would be handled by the DMV in other states.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, has compared the challenge of fighting climate change to her own struggle to lose weight.

If approved by the U. S. Senate, Verveer will report directly to the secretary of state.

The Secretary secretary of State state was then asked about the outlook for a dialogue with Iran on its nuclear program.

Ms. Collins said she "would need to have additional information" before she could support Ms. Rice for secretary of state.

Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for International Development, will confirm in a speech today that his department is responding.

The court may summarily order the secretary of state to file the document or take other action the court considers appropriate.

Decisions are referred upwards to the secretary of state, and from him to the pope.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has launched the first direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in nearly two years.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, revealed that the American air force had flown in emergency supplies of coolant.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Washington will engage directly with Burma's military rulers in a bid to promote democracy there.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on other countries to join the United States in taking action.

He sent Cordell Hull, his secretary of state, as an almost silent emissary and declined to co-operate in currency stabilisation.

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has held a day of talks in Mexico on ways of fighting the powerful drug cartels.

The administration has supported change broadly, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did in a prescient speech in Qatar in January.

Should Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sign a permit this summer allowing a huge new pipeline to carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta?

And Deputy Secretary of State William Burns was in Beijing at the end of last week to meet with senior Chinese officials.

Mr. Obama, Mr. Calderon and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were scheduled to hold talks immediately following the ceremony.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton commended the Sudanese government in Khartoum for accepting the outcome of the referendum.

Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice led the American team to the eighteenth APEC Joint Ministerial Meeting.

The meeting on Monday and Tuesday will be co-chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

"We are going through systemic change, " Madeleine Albright, the former US secretary of state, says in an interview.

Livni spoke at the start of a meeting Sunday with visiting U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, reminded the two delegations of the "historic challenge" facing both sides.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the US and Iraq have agreed the timetables should be set for the withdrawal of US troops.

Madeleine Albright, then the U. S. secretary of state, wrote after meeting Mr. Kim in 2000 that he was 'smart' and 'well-informed. '

He's been so demoralised by the NIE and by Condi [Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State] telling him that the diplomacy is working.

The Deputy Secretary of State had been budget director under former President Bill Clinton .

'Our relationship is marked by great promise and real achievement, ' said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a speech on Friday.

Powell, a retired general, was the secretary of state during President George W. Bush's first term.

The articles of charter surrender shall be delivered by the corporation to the secretary of state for filing.

Not so fast, said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who had spoken with her husband after the pair was released.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the fourth leg of her seven-nation Africa tour.

The Secretary of State cautioned that terrorism would be countered by retaliatory action.

Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey will participate in the meeting and address a plenary session.

Together they attacked as appeasers, first, the Republican secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, then the Democratic president, Jimmy Carter.

The Syrian official also had a longer U. N. meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch.

"Fidel Castro remains a . . . controlling political presence, " Thomas Shannon, US assistant secretary of state, said recently.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the president's friends at Google are hectoring China on Internet policy.

This is an issue of great importance to me as Secretary of State, and I know the same is true for my colleagues and for our President.

Diplomats like U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have taken up the issue of improving English skills in China, as well.

The secretary of state insisted that the Europeans must act jointly, and that "a cure and not a palliative" must be sought.

This Act must require or permit filing the document in the office of the secretary of state.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to meet Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday.

Journalist1: Congratulations, now you are the Secretary of State. What do you think of being the Secretary of State.

The President-elect is expected to announce his choice for Secretary of State early in the transition period.

"We may not like them, " he is reported to have told James Steinberg, deputy US secretary of state, but "they are a neighbour" .

As Mr. (Robert) Zoellick, the former deputy secretary of state, said, we would like China to act as a responsible stakeholder.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most-admired woman for the ninth year in a row, edging out former Alaska Gov.

Yang Jiechi, China's foreign minister, met with Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

Israel has not commented on the issue, but U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Mr. Abbas' proposal is worth studying.

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday appealed for an end to the 'unacceptable bloodshed' in Libya.

U. S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill is in Asia to discuss a unified strategy in confronting North Korea.

Hillary Clinton, the American secretary of state, is the biggest believer in the EU's new but much-criticised diplomatic service.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling North Korea's plan to fire a missile a provocative act that would have consequences.

In India, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has wrapped up talks in New Delhi with the signing of two agreements.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has made his first official trip to Washington to meet U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Israeli settlement expansion topped the agenda as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

A recent opinion piece in the China Daily described the secretary of state's remarks as "a gambit aimed at containing China's rise" .

U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there is strong international support for that deployment.

Hillary Clinton, the American secretary of state, called these the most "significant sanctions that Iran has ever faced" .

Secretary of State Rice expressed regret about the incidents in phone calls to all three presidential candidates , including Senator Obama.

Assistant Secretary of State Seward tendered his resignation to the President last week.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer is behind the effort and is giving it her full attention, Courville added.

Rice had been mentioned as a candidate for secretary of state .

The secretary of state was then asked about the outlook for a dialogue with Iran on its nuclear program.