State Department tweets announcement of Clinton trip to Qatar, Saudi Arabia

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Clinton trip announced via Twitter

WASHINGTON — In a first for U.S. diplomacy, the State Department has used Twitter to announce an upcoming overseas trip by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Followers of the department’s “Dipnote” Twitter feed were the first to get official word of Clinton’s Feb. 13-16 trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia shortly before 1:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday. That was well before the formal announcement, which was not expected until later Tuesday.

Aides to Clinton said it was the first time the State Department has announced a secretary of state’s travel plans through Twitter.