U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to Latin America Sunday, in what will be her second trip to the region this year.
The State Department says Secretary Clinton will begin her trip in Peru, where she will participate in the General Assembly of the Organization of American States.
Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela says Clinton will meet with President Alan Garcia, who met in Washington this past Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Clinton - the top U.S. diplomat - also will travel to Ecuador and Colombia to meet with government leaders in both countries.
Valenzuela says that in Ecuador, Secretary Clinton is due to deliver a speech that lays out a broad outline of the Obama administration's policies toward the countries of the Western Hemisphere.
Clinton wraps up her tour late in the week in Barbados, where she will discuss issues of mutual interest with leaders of Caribbean nations.
Earlier this year, Secretary Clinton visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Guatemala.