Published: March 20, 2010

Secretary Clinton Offers Persian New Year Message - Nowruz

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today offered a message of friendship to all those who celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

For Nowruz, families and friends gather to rekindle old ties and make plans for the future. In the US, hundreds of thousands of Americans honor their heritage and history.

The spring equinox is a time of reflection and renewal across cultures and continents - signifying the hope of rebirth, health, and prosperity.

"On behalf of the American people, I offer best wishes to all those around the world celebrating Nowruz. For Iranians, Afghans, Kurds, Azeris, and people across Central Asia, Nowruz marks the beginning of a new year full of promise and possibility."
Secretary Clinton

Secretary Clinton said Nowruz is an opportunity to remember how much we have in common - the aspirations we all share for a peaceful and prosperous future - and to reaffirm the human rights and fundamental freedoms that are our universal birthright.

"We are all parts of the same body, similar in essence."
Iranian poet Simin Behbahani

On this Nowruz, we honor those common bonds.

Clinton said, "As we look to the year ahead, let us redouble our efforts to promote mutual understanding and respect. Working together, we can meet the common challenges and seize the shared opportunities of this new year and this still new century."

Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.