Albright to be honored by world leaders

WASHINGTON, April 27, (AP): World leaders and a bevy of U.S. political and foreign policy elite are preparing to pay their respects to the late Madeleine Albright, the child refugee from war-torn Europe who rose to become America’s first female secretary of state.

Led by President Joe Biden and predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, the man who picked Albright to be his top diplomat and the highest-ranking woman ever in the U.S. government at that time, some 1,400 mourners will gather Wednesday to celebrate her life and accomplishments at Washington National Cathedral.

Albright, 84, died of cancer last month, prompting an outpouring of condolences from around the world that also hailed her support for democracy and human rights. In addition to the current and former presidents, the service will be attended by at least three of her successors as secretary of state along with other current and former Cabinet members, foreign diplomats, lawmakers and an array of others who knew her.

Biden, Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are all scheduled to deliver tributes at the service, while the current secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and former secretaries Condoleezza Rice and John Kerry are slated to attend. Other top current officials expected to be present include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director Bill Burns and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Foreign dignitaries slated to attend include the presidents of Georgia and Kosovo and senior officials from Colombia, Bosnia and the Czech Republic.