US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will next week make her first trip to Asia since becoming the top US diplomat in January, US State Department announced Wednesday.

The trip will take Rice to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Japan, ROK and China from March 14-21, said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher in a statement.

Boucher said that Rice will "review with our partners our diplomatic efforts to convene the next round of six-party talks" on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Her trip to South Asia "will highlight positive momentum in the region, including our transformed relationship with India, our continuing commitment to Afghanistan's reconstruction and our long-term engagement with Pakistan," Boucher added.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2005)