Hillary is the buzz

2008-12-02 14:06

Min Lee

Hong Kong - Former President Bill Clinton opened his foundation's first charitable conference abroad on Tuesday, but it was his wife's recent appointment as secretary of state that grabbed the spotlight.

The start of the two-day Clinton Global Initiative in Hong Kong comes just a day after the former president agreed to greater oversight of his foundation to pave the way for his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton's new post.

Bill Clinton did not mention his wife's appointment or how it would affect his charity work in his opening remarks, but foreign officials attending the first panel discussion offered their congratulations.

"As a woman, I am very proud of her," Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said. "I'm looking forward to our working together so the already strong relationship between the United States and the Philippines will become even stronger."

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said he is "looking forward to a very good working relationship".

The former president's international business connections posed potential conflicts of interest for his wife's post, and as part of the deal for her appointment, he agreed not to hold conferences overseas and to refuse donations from foreign governments.

He also agreed to disclose every donor to his foundation since its inception in 1997, step away from the day-to-day running of the initiative, and allow president-elect Barack Obama's administration to review his speaking schedule and new sources of income.

Bill Clinton issued a statement on Monday in support of his wife.

"She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities," he said.

Among the major pledges announced at the conference on Tuesday, Habitat for Humanity China promised to spend $12.5m over the next year and a half to build houses, nursery schools and health clinics in areas devastated by the deadly earthquake in China's central Sichuan province in May.

Indonesia's Putera Sampoerna Foundation pledged seven million dollars over three years to develop a varied, nonreligious curriculum for disadvantaged students enrolled in Islamic schools.

England-based charity Practical Action promised $27m over three years to help poor, rural communities improve agricultural techniques.

Discussions at the Hong Kong conference will focus on education, energy and climate change and public health issues in Asia.

- AP