WASHINGTON — The State Department says U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to travel to Singapore for the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting July 23-24 and will stop over in Hawaii.

Rice also will travel to Australia, New Zealand and Samoa . The State Department did not release specific dates for the visits.

Spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters today that it is "entirely possible" that Rice could have side meetings with countries involved in negotiations meant to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs. The participants at the disarmament talks are the Koreas, Japan, Russia, China and the United States.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was founded as an anti-communist Cold War organization.

The 10-nation group is noted for deciding issues by consensus and not intervening in members' domestic affairs. It has faced intense pressure from the West in recent years to force Myanmar's military government to move toward democracy.