World leaders spoil Hillary Clinton
FORMER US secretary of state Hillary Clinton received more lavish gifts from foreign leaders last year than President Barack Obama.
Clinton received gold jewellery worth $500 000 (about R5.1million) from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The State Department said the gift included a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings. The white gold was adorned with teardrop rubies and diamonds. Clinton also got gold, sapphire and diamond jewellery worth $58 000 from Brunei’s queen.
Obama’s most expensive gift was a $16 500 gold-plated clock from Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Saudi defence minister.
The president, a big sports fan, scored a red, white and blue basketball from — and autographed by — Chinese President Xi Jinping.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, gave Obama a customised Dunlop table tennis table with US and UK decals and paddles worth $1 100.
The gifts were among a bounty of vases, watches, artwork and other items given to the Obama family and top US officials in 2012, according to the department’s office of protocol, which catalogues the gifts and publishes an annual listing.
Under law, most of the gifts must go to the National Archives or General Services Administration, unless recipients reimburse the US Treasury for them.
The gift list published in the Federal Register also included a present Obama received in 2009. It was package of artwork worth $124 000 from Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s flamboyant former premier. Included was a large book of art and photographs.
The State Department said its gift listings sometimes ran late because of processing. — ©