U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to leave yesterday for a tour of Latin America that is for now overshadowed by a massive earthquake in Chile, one of the five countries on her itinerary. Analysts said Clinton's trip is designed to revive the strong hopes President Barack Obama's administration had initially raised in the region, but it was not immediately clear how much the quake would affect her tour.Clinton spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters there was "no change at the moment" for her visit tomorrow to Santiago where she is to meet Chile's outgoing President Michelle Bachelet and president-elect Sebastian Pinera. But he said officials would reassess the situation today when the chief U.S. diplomat is in Uruguay.
The quake, which Chilean authorities said has killed at least 300 people, comes six weeks after a massive temblor flattened the Haitian capital of Port au Prince and forced Clinton to call off an Asian tour when she was in Hawaii.
On Jan. 17, she made a brief visit to Port-au-Prince airport to consult with Haitian President Rene Preval, five days after the quake struck.
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