THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503100353
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
Defense ministers from nearly every country in the Western Hemisphere are expected to meet in Colonial Williamsburg this summer to discuss cooperation and security issues, the U.S. Department of Defense said.
Defense Secretary William Perry will invite officials from every country in the hemisphere except Cuba to the July 24-16 meeting. Cuba was not invited because it is not a democracy, said Joseph Nye, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
Nye said Williamsburg's role in the struggle for American independence made it a natural site.
The meeting, the first of its kind, should draw more than 300 people from 34 countries, said a spokesman for Colonial Williamsburg.
The ministers are expected to discuss recent fighting between Peru and Ecuador, and how to work together to improve security and build confidence among the nations of the Western Hemisphere, Pentagon spokesmen said Tuesday. by CNB