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U.S. Seeks to Strengthen Inter-American Systems
Monday, November 18, 2002
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

"There's really no need for peacekeepers in this hemisphere. That's another remarkable sign of the progress being made."

SANTIAGO, Chile -- AFIS
The United States is seeking ways to strengthen inter-American systems, a senior DoD official said Nov. 18.

"The idea is to link the democratic progress and nature of the hemisphere with security," the official said, speaking on background. The United States is working with the Organization of American States, the signers of the 1947 Rio Treaty and other multilateral institutions to bring the inter-American system closer together, the official noted.

"What's happening right now is there is a big trend in the region to find ways to integrate national capabilities into broader regional capabilities," the official said.

This regional approach signifies a huge change in the way the American democracies have worked and negotiated together. "They've done an incredible job in the past 15 years at ... finding ways to build confidence," the official observed.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

Dan