WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Moscow on March 18-19, accompanied by Senator George Mitchell, Philip Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs informed on Monday.

Secretary Clinton will participate in a meeting of the Quartet with United Nations secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton, and Quartet Representative Tony Blair, to discuss efforts to promote Middle East peace.

Senior Russian officials will also meet Secretary Clinton to discuss progress on a successor agreement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expired in 2009 and is expected to be renewed in the coming months. They will also talk about counter-terrorism, regional security issues, and the work of the Bilateral Presidential Commission.