Hillary and Gates on Australian Ministers Meeting

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon left for Washington on Tuesday for annual defence and policy talks with the United States.

"Australia's alliance with the United States continues to be an indispensable part of Australia's security and defence arrangements," Smith and Fitzgibbon said in a statement.

The ministers will discuss the renewed focus on nuclear disarmament, which has spearheaded by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last year and embraced by U.S. President Barrack Obama in a speech at the weekend.

"The talks will include Australia and the United States shared goal of a world free of nuclear weapons," Smith and Fitzgibbon said. People's Daily