U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met with the Yemeni women's rights activist who was awarded, along with two other women, this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Clinton met Tawakkul Karman Friday at the State Department, where she praised Karman's commitment to democracy and human rights. Clinton said the U.S. wants to be a good partner to the Yemeni people in their political revolution and to continue supporting the creation of a new Yemen with political and economic opportunities for all.

In reply, Karman said Yemen's protesters will surprise the world by making a new state, just as they surprised the world with their revolution.

She also praised the hundreds of Yemeni women who set fire to their veils this week to protest a government crackdown. She said Yemeni women will no longer hide behind veils or walls.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Karman the Nobel Peace Prize three weeks ago, along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee.

The 32-year-old Karman, an activist and journalist, was praised for playing a “leading part in the struggle for women's rights and for democracy and peace” in Yemen. Karman told reporters after winning the prize that she dedicated it to the “youth of the revolution in Yemen,” saying it was a victory in her country's uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.