Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that Pakistan's political leaders must continue to make compromises to stabilize democratic rule and prevent unrest.

Clinton telephoned over the weekend with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif to help diffuse a political crisis after mass demonstrations brought Pakistan to the brink of widespread turmoil.

Washington - European demands for the closure of the Guantanamo prison should translate into helping the United States shutter the facility by accepting some of the detainees, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.

President Barack Obama has issued orders to close Guantanamo by January but needs European help because many of the detainees cannot be returned to their native countries out of fear they will be mistreated, Clinton said.

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Mexico March 25 and 26 amid increasing drug-related violence along the US border.

The State Department said Friday Clinton will meet with Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa for talks on a host of issues that focus on cooperation between the two countries in fighting narcotics.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon's crackdown on drug cartels has resulted in a jump in violence near the US border among trafficking gangs and retributions against police.

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks on the flagging global economy Wednesday, just days after the United States accused China of harassing one of its naval vessels in the South China Sea.

Clinton called it a productive meeting that brushed on economics, climate change, North Korea and Iran's nuclear programmes, Afghanistan, Darfur, as well as US concerns about China's human rights record.

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks on Wednesday, just days after the United States accused China of harassing one of its naval vessels in the South China Sea.

The meeting also comes less than a month after Clinton's trip to Asia - her first overseas visit as the US chief diplomat - which was viewed as a sign of the increased attention President Barack Obama is paying to the continent.

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Monday for the first high level talks between the two countries under the Obama administration.

US State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters before the meeting that the two leaders would discuss the conflict in Afghanistan and other issues, including the investigation into the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 170 people.