On Tuesday US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice informed that she would remain in Washington to help tackle the global finance crisis instead of visiting the UAE this week.

Rice further informed that John Negroponte, her deputy will attend instead of her at the Fifth Annual Forum for the Future in Abu Dhabi, UAE from October 17-19. She further added that she was disappointed for not attending the event.

Rice informed, "President George W. Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are obviously leading this very important effort but there is an international aspect." "I am doing what I can to help out."

Last week, the State Department had reported that Rice would be traveling from October 18-19 to Gulf and would be stopping in Muscat before leaving for the forum in Abu Dhabi.  It was not confirmed whether Negroponte will visit the Omani capital.

UAE and Japan co chair the forum this year and the rotating presidency of Group of Eight (G8) leading industrial countries is controlled by it.

White House spokesperson McCormack told, "The deputy secretary will meet with regional and G8 counterparts, and engage with civil society leaders at the forum."

He further added, "The forum serves as an important platform to strengthen the partnership between governments and civil society of the broader Middle East and North Africa and to promote democratic reforms and respect for fundamental human rights. Rice changed plans because of the world financial crisis."

He also told, "This is quite clearly, an important period of time in the global economy."

McCormack added, "She decided it was the right thing for her to stay back in Washington, should she be needed and to pitch in, help out, with any of the international aspects of this."