Burns travels to Yemen, Mideast

US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, who just concluded a visit to Egypt, will be also visiting Yemen, Israel, the Palestinian lands and Lebanon, it was announced here Monday evening. The State Department said that Burns, who "just concluded a successful visit to Egypt, proceeded to Yemen." In Yemen, Burns is meeting with "Yemeni political leaders and representatives from civil society and the private sector to express the United States firm commitment to supporting the Yemeni Government and people in their democratic transition and full implementation of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative." Burns will also discuss "ways to further strengthen US-Yemeni partnership to advance our shared security interests, as well as to address Yemen's critical humanitarian needs." The statement indicated that Burns will then travel to Jerusalem, where he will meet with senior Israeli officials, as well as Ramallah, where he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. "He will also lead the US delegation to the US-Israel Strategic Dialogue, where both sides will consult on a range of important regional issues of mutual interest," the statement noted. The statement added that Burns "will also visit Beirut, where he will meet with leading Lebanese political figures to express the United States continued commitment to supporting a stable, sovereign, and independent Lebanon."