Secretary Rice (Sept. 27): "The people of Haiti, of course, have a long road ahead of them to prosperity and democracy, but the elections that they are about to hold can be a very important, vital and crucial step along that road. In my conversations today, I noted that all Haitians must accelerate preparations for the elections. I underscored also that these elections must be open and inclusive and fair."
Travel to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey
Under Secretary Hughes (Sept. 25): "We're going to be visiting, as you know, three unique and very important countries, three countries we have a very strong partnership with one of them. We also face very significant public diplomacy challenges in one of them. One of my missions is to go to listen. I hope to listen, to seek to understand, to show respect."

Hispanic Heritage History Month: Robert Torres
Robert joined the Department of State, Office of the Inspector General in 2000 as a Management Analyst for the Office of Audits, but has worked as an Inspector in the Office of Inspections since 2002. Robert has inspected over 20 bureaus and overseas posts.