Nuclear proliferation and the war on terror are expected to top the agenda for Condoleezza Rice when she visits six Asian nations next week on her first tour of the region as US secretary of state.

The state department announced on Tuesday that Ms Rice would visit India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, and China from March 14-21. Her visit comes at a sensitive juncture in efforts to persuade North Korea to rejoin six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear programme. Senior US officials recently voiced frustration that China, the host and mediator, has not put more pressure on North Korea.