FIRST LADY TO ATTEND DIANA'S FUNERAL; U.S. NOT SENDING OFFICIAL DELEGATION.Byline: James Bennet The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Hillary Rodham Rodham is an English surname which may refer to a number of persons or places. People Family of Hillary Rodham Clinton
Diana, Lady Diana Frances Spencer, Princess Diana in Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, originally the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery (closed in 1539) in London. One of England's most important Gothic structures, it is also a national shrine. The first church on the site is believed to date from early in the 7th cent. on Saturday in recognition of what the British royal family and the White House on Tuesday called the ``close personal association'' between the two women. But White House officials emphasized that the first lady will not be officially representing the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Because the ceremony will not be a state funeral  The perspective and/or examples in this article do not represent a world-wide view. Please [ edit] this page to improve its geographical balance. , no official U.S. delegation will attend. ``She will not be representing the government officially,'' said Joe Lockhart, a deputy White House press secretary accompanying the Clintons on their vacation in Massachusetts. ``But she will certainly take the condolences of her husband, the president, and we fully expect the American people will believe that she will be passing along the American public's condolences for them.'' The White House called the trip unofficial for reasons of protocol, aides said, because of the unusual service that has been planned for the princess. ``It just doesn't seem to fit into the categories that we're used to dealing with,'' said a White House aide in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity. The only other American official invited to attend the ceremony is Adm. William Crowe, the ambassador to Britain and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking overall military officer of the United States military, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States. . ``Similar invitations were issued to diplomatic representatives of places Princess Diana had visited during her life,'' Lockhart said. Hillary Clinton met with Diana a handful of times, most recently June 18 at the White House. But Marsha Berry, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said, ``They shared a commonality of interests in things like children and families, and interest in AIDS.'' The Clintons first met Diana in June 1994, during a commemoration of D-Day in Portsmouth, England. On Monday, the White House announced that the president would not attend the ceremony because it will not be a state funeral. The only funeral Clinton has attended abroad as president was that of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister, in November 1995. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Princess Diana at the White House on June 18. Associated Press |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion