Sarah Palin, vice presidential running mate
of US presidential candidate John McCain, held her first-ever direct talks with
foreign leaders Monday, meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe, dpa reported.
The talks were part of a series of scheduled meetings for Palin - an
effort to boost the one-term Alaska governor's foreign policy credibility - on
the sidelines of an annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.
The New York visits of both Palin and McCain, who arrives Wednesday, have been
tightly controlled by the Republican nominee's campaign. The media office would
provide no official details of their plans ahead of time.
Only a brief photo opportunity was allowed in both of Palin's meetings. No
print reporters, only a television crew and producer, were allowed in to cover
the Karzai meeting, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Uribe told reporters he had a good meeting with Palin. It showed there was
goodwill from the US on securing a free-trade deal, which has yet to be
approved by Congress, he said.
Asked by Colombian reporters what she thought of the South American country,
Palin only responded "beautiful, beautiful."
Palin has faced criticism for granting very few media interviews since being
announced as McCain's running mate four weeks ago. She has yet to hold a press
conference.
On Wednesday, Palin is expected to meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani,
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
according to US media reports.
McCain and Palin will reportedly hold talks Wednesday morning with Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili and Ukranian President Viktor Yuschenko.
On Thursday, McCain will address a foundation established by former US
president Bill Clinton. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who is
not travelling to New York, will address the same annual Clinton gathering via
satellite.
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