OTTAWA, March, 1 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet with Canadian diplomats to discuss the Canadian government's decision to stay out of the US ballistic missile defense system, it is reported here Tuesday.

    Canadian diplomats requested the meeting with Rice on the sidelines of a conference in London on Palestinian reforms on Tuesday. Rice is attending the one-day conference, as is Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew.

    According to a report by the Canadian Television (CTV), news ofTuesday's talks follows reports that Rice postponed a planned visit to Ottawa in mid-April because she was so displeased by Canada's decision to opt out of the missile program.

    A senior US State Department official, who was on board a London-bound flight with Rice, confirmed to CTV News that the cancellation of the Canadian visit was a direct response to Martin's decision. Enditem