In Bulgaria, First Lady Aids Women’s Rights
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Far from the pressures of Washington and talk of her husband’s impeachment, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton announced new American aid grants Sunday during a trip to promote women’s rights.
Although Sunday was the Clintons’ 23rd wedding anniversary, the couple marked the occasion apart, having celebrated Friday with a dinner. In Bulgaria, she mentioned her husband just once in a 20-minute speech.
The first lady, on a four-day mission to Eastern Europe, addressed the opening session of a conference titled “Women in the 21st Century,” focusing on the role of women in social issues confronting southeastern Europe, much of which is still recovering from a half-century of Communist rule.
“The American people, the American government and the president of the United States will stand with you as you press ahead to meet the challenges before you,” she said.
Her aides insist the trip has nothing to do with anxiety about the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal. The trip was long planned, they say.
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