Clinton leaves for Mideast, Europe to soothe allies

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has departed on her second major overseas tour, beginning with an international conference in Egypt.

On Monday she will announce a US pledge of up to $900 million in humanitarian aid toward rebuild war-damaged Gaza Strip, as well as going to the West Bank to see President Mahmoud Abbas.

Later in the week she visits the European Union in Brussels before meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, and finally a brief stopover in Turkey.