Clinton vows to pay off women's World Cup bet

[July 23, 2011]  BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is lamenting America's soccer loss to Japan in the women's World Cup final, but congratulating the Japanese team on its victory and vowing to pay off a bet she made on the match with Japan's foreign minister.

Meeting with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts on the sidelines of an Asian security conference in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday, Clinton applauded Japan's "hard-fought victory" in last week's finale, which she called a "great game."

"We were not happy with the result but we were very impressed by the Japanese team," she said.

Clinton then said she would make good on her bet, which she noted had cost her "some very good New York apples." Japan's foreign minister had staked Japanese pears.

[Associated Press]

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