Click to play videoWashington: Former first lady and Democrat Senator Hillary Clinton was officially sworn in as the US Secretary of State on Monday by US Vice-President Joe Biden in Washington DC.
Hillary was joined by her husband and former US President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea and mother Dorothy Rodham on stage during the oath-taking ceremony held at Foggy Bottom.
Hillary is the 67th Secretary of State and replaces Condoleezza Rice of the previous Bush Administration. She said that the opportunity to serve was an "overwhelming honour" and that she would waste no time getting started.
"This ceremony takes place at a real hinge of history time, there is so much that lies ahead in terms of challenges, but also opportunities," the former first lady said.
"We are all on the same team and it is America's team, and we have in the leadership of President Obama someone who wants us to reach out to the world, to do so without illusions. Understanding that the difficulties we face will not be wished away but meeting them forthrightly and smartly, and that we want to seize the opportunities that exist as well," Hillary said after her swearing-in ceremony.
She also said that the Obama Administration will do everything possible to make the world a far more safer place.
"I get up every morning thinking about what I must do to make this world of ours safer and more prosperous and to make our country all that it can be. As difficult as the times are I am an optimist, I believe that we can do what we set our minds to do, and so it is the power of our ideals and the intelligence and dedication of our people," she said.
Reports suggest her first trip abroad after taking office would be to Asia.
Speaking on the occasion, Biden said he is confident that with Hillary as Secretary of State, the Obama Administration would be able to achieve its foreign policy goals in challenging times.
"In selecting Senator Clinton for this critical task, I think the (US) President selected a person of unrivalled talent and experience," Biden said.
"While serving as the first lady and as US Senator, she's already represented the US in over 80 countries, and is equally at ease in the great diplomatic halls of Europe as she is in small villages in Africa," he said.
"The national security challenge before this administration is great. We are engaged in two wars. We face a continued threat of terrorist attack by al-Qaeda and its allies. We face numerous transnational threats, including the spread of lethal weapons, climate change, disease, and that require common action," the Vice-President said.
"To meet these threats, our military might is absolutely necessary. But, to state the obvious, it is not sufficient. We must use the totality of America's strengths, starting with our diplomacy and the ideas and ideals that inform it," Biden said.
Others present on the occasion were the House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry and several former secretaries of states and Congressional leaders.
(With inputs from PTI)
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
 |
 |
 |
|
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.