Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns to Visit Greece, France, and Iceland June 9-14

Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns will visit Athens on June 9-11, Paris on June 12-13, and Iceland on June 13-14 to join commemorations of the 60^th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and review our full transatlantic agenda with all three close Allies.

In Athens, Under Secretary Burns will meet with Prime Minister Karamanlis, Foreign Minister Bakoyannis, Minister of Defense Meimarakis, and other senior Greek officials. On June 11, Under Secretary Burns will give a speech at the Karamanlis Institute on "Greek-American Relations" and later in the day speak at the U.S. Embassy on the 60^th anniversary of the Marshall Plan.

In Paris, Under Secretary Burns will meet with Foreign Minister Kouchner and other senior French officials. He will also meet with several European Political Directors to review our efforts to resolve the final status of Kosovo and continue supporting UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari's plan. Under Secretary Burns and his counterparts will also discuss Iran and other issues. On June 12, Under Secretary Burns will deliver a speech entitled "The Future of Franco-American Relations" at the Automobile Club. On June 13, he will deliver keynote remarks titled "Sixty Years Later: How the Marshall Plan Exceeded Expectations" at a symposium hosted by George Washington University, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Marshall Foundation.

Under Secretary Burns will travel to Iceland for June 14 meetings with Prime Minister Haarde, Foreign Minister Gisladottir, and other senior Icelandic officials. Under Secretary Burns will lead the U.S. delegation to conduct our continuing Strategic Dialogue with Prime Minister Haarde and his government.