Brussels  - The United States would invite Iran to a regional conference aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan in the coming weeks if the event goes ahead, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday.

"If we move forward with such a meeting, it is expected that Iran would be invited," Clinton said after talks with NATO counterparts at the alliance's Brussels headquarters.

At the meeting, Clinton proposed a regional conference with key players such as NATO, the UN, Russia, India and Pakistan aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan.

Brussels  - In a clear break with the unilateralism of the former US administration, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday pushed NATO to resume direct talks with Russia and said Iran could be invited to an international conference on Afghanistan.

"I came to deliver a clear message: the US is firmly committed to NATO, and the (Barack) Obama administration will work vigorously to renew real dialogue," Clinton said after her first meeting with fellow NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

Tel Aviv  - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Israeli leaders Monday, and almost immediately paved the way for for a possible spat between the Obama administration and Israel's likely next prime minister.

Clinton lost no time in emphasizing the US commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has refrained from endorsing, although he has spoken of Palestinian self- government.

Tel Aviv  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Israel Monday night for a 36-hour visit, during which she will hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

The trip, Clinton's first to Israel and the Palestinian areas as Washington's top diplomat, is a familiarization visit.

According to the Ha'aretz daily, Clinton's discussions with Israeli officials will focus on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and on the formulation of a ceasefire agreement with the Islamic Hamas movement, which administers the Gaza Strip.

Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday said the US was committed and she was "passionate" about building a lasting peace in the Middle East that is based on a two-state solution.

She was speaking at the end of an international donor conference for the Gaza Strip that was held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh.

"We are committed to a two-state solution," Clinton told journalists. "I feel passionate about this ... it's not just part of my portfolio."

Brussels - Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet top European Union officials next week during her first visit to Europe as US Secretary of State, diplomatic sources in Brussels said Thursday.

Officials said Clinton was expected to hold talks on March 6 with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country holds the bloc's rotating presidency.