(Revised)

SECRETARY RICE: I'd just like to welcome my colleague and friend, Dimitrij Rupel, who is the Foreign Minister of Slovenia. We have worked together in many different fora, including, I think, a very consequential time when you were OSCE chairman and we'll have a full range of discussions about the issues before us in Europe and in the global environment. So thank you, Dimitrij, for being here.

FOREIGN MINISTER RUPEL: Thank you, Madame Secretary. As people say, this is interesting times and it's important to be in Washington in interesting times. I guess that there are plenty of things to discuss. One of them is the upcoming Presidency of Slovenia of the European Union. We'd like to go to the agenda. One of the items, very important ones, is also the visit of U.S. President and Madame Secretary to Slovenia in spring 2008. I would like to see what should be on our agenda and what are the dates as I had spoken.

SECRETARY RICE: Great.

FOREIGN MINISTER RUPEL: Thank you.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, is there any hard evidence to suggest -- is there any hard evidence to suggest that the Iranian Government is involved is shipping arms to the Taliban?

SECRETARY RICE: I'm going to have my meeting with Dimitrij, so thank you very much. Nice try.

2007/481