http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/current/politics/stories/hillary.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)
HONOLULU (Reuter) - Despite the misgivings of aides and complaints from critics, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's decision to attend a U.N. conference in China ensures a strong role for the United States and herself in the debate on women's issues.
Mrs. Clinton, in Hawaii with President Clinton to participate in ceremonies marking the end of World War II, departs Sunday for Beijing and the Fourth World Conference on Women that is sponsored by the United Nations.
Officially, she will be the ``honorary'' head of the U.S. delegation -- but in reality all the other members of the high-powered contingent defer to her.
``This is something she really wanted to do, something she felt really strongly about,'' said one adviser to Mrs. Clinton in discussing the trip. ``This is her.''
The conference, and a related forum of nongovernmental organizations, will deal with a host of issues involving women's rights, including domestic violence, health care, illiteracy and poverty.
Mrs. Clinton wants ``the United States to be a leader on the issues before the conference,'' said a White House official, who noted that even the Chinese were concerned that the world's largest gathering of women would be diminished if the first lady did not attend.
Just weeks ago, when the arrest of Chinese-American human rights activist Harry Wu further aggravated already plummeting relations between Washington and Beijing, most White House officials were saying she was unlikely to attend the conference -- everyone but Mrs. Clinton, that is.
Mrs. Clinton recently said, ``The United States should do all that it can to make sure that barriers to women's participation are broken down and that training and credit and political involvement are available to all women.''
A highly successful attorney in Arkansas before her husband was elected president, Mrs. Clinton has not followed the traditional ceremonial role adhered to by most presidential spouses -- and has been caught in controversy because of it.
She led the administration's failed fight to overhaul the nation's health care system, frequently testifying before congressional committees and negotiating directly with key members of Congress.
In the aftermath of that effort -- in which opponents demonized her along with the proposals -- and the landslide election of rival Republicans in last November's elections, Mrs. Clinton assumed a low public profile. She began emerging earlier this year to champion such concerns as the effort to detect breast cancer.