Washington, Feb. 16 : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told reporters on her first trip abroad that she doubts whether North Korea's uranium enrichment program is really a threat to the rest of the world as is being made out.

Beginning a trip to Asia Sunday, Clinton told media persons accompanying her on the flight to Tokyo, Japan, that North Korea''s effort to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons should not have been used as a pretext to scrap a 1994 deal to freeze Pyongyang''s plutonium program.

New York  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday pledged to strengthen ties with Asia, offering North Korea normalized relations if it abandoned nuclear weapons and appealing to China for a more cooperative relationship.

During a speech at the Asia Society in New York Friday, two days before she leaves on a four-nation tour of Asia, Clinton said she would deliver a "message about America's desire for more rigorous and persistent commitment and engagement" in Asia.

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she plans to attend an international donors conference in Egypt next month to help rebuild the Gaza Strip following Israeli's military assault in the tiny enclave.

During a speech at the Asia Society in New York Clinton said that she will participate in the March 2 conference, one day after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit in Washington.

Washington  - The United States is prepared to normalize relations and sign a peace treaty with North Korea if the Stalinist state abandons its nuclear weapons programme, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday.

Clinton, speaking at the Asia Society in New York days ahead of her trip to Asia, said Washington would also provide economic and energy aid to North Korea as long as Pyongyang adhered to a 2006 disarmament agreement.

Washington, Feb. 13 : Three weeks into her new role as US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton seems to be enjoying her new status at the Foggy Bottom headquarters.

According to CBS, there are reports of her cruising the hallways and dropping in on people to talk about what they're doing, but it has been mostly a mix of briefings, meetings and policy reviews taking place out of the public eye.

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Tuesday the United States could "reconsider" placing a missile-defence system in Eastern Europe if Iran dropped its pursuit of nuclear weapons, but cautioned that the Islamic state is a "long way" from showing a desire to change.

Clinton met with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country has agreed to host the radar site for the system.