WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has asked US overseas diplomatic missions to provide minimal support to visits by presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, officials said Monday.
In a cable sent Thursday, on the eve of presumptive Democratic candidate Senator Obama's visits to the Middle East and Europe, Rice forbade diplomats from holding events or arranging meetings for them, news reports said.
Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee, had already traveled to Europe and the Middle East more than four months ago.
But the State Department rejected any notion of favoritism by the administration of Republican President George W. Bush.
"This, from what I have, should not be considered anything new or surprising or out of the norm," department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos told reporters.
Such notices from the chief US diplomat were sent every election season, he said.
"I don't have anything that would give us a specific reason that because he -- this specific candidate -- is going out there, we now have to remind everybody...," Gallegos said.
Rice had also made clear in the cable "it is imperative that, in implementing these various requirements, we treat both major presidential candidates evenhandedly," according to the Washington Times which Monday published excerpts of her instructions.
Obama is in Iraq, meeting Iraqi leaders and US commanders in Baghdad on Monday, after vowing to pull out US troops by mid-2010 if he moves into the White House.
Rice told US diplomats to treat the candidates as "members of Congress visiting in personal or semi-personal capacities," but "with additional restrictions based on rules related to political activity."
It called for providing "de minimis assistance to the candidate with logistical arrangements."
"If the campaign staff wants to rent a bus for press, tell them where they can rent a bus," she said.
But she demanded "support to the candidate's Secret Service protective detail."
She forbade them, however, to "hold or arrange receptions or public events for the candidate," to "arrange the candidate's meetings" or to "use official funds and resources, beyond a de minimis level, to support a political trip."
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