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RUMSFELD: Strengthening Democracy is Work of All Free Peoples
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

"And most importantly, NATO invited seven former Cold War adversaries to become allies. For one who served as U.S. ambassador to NATO during the height of the Cold War, it was a moving experience to be there as the presidents of those seven nations spoke about what the day meant for them personally and for the people of their respective countries."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said strengthening democracies is the work of both NATO and the Inter-American System.

Rumsfeld spoke today about his recent trip to attend the Defense Ministerial of the Americas in Santiago, Chile, and the NATO Summit in Prague, Czech Republic. He then answered questions at the Foreign Press Center here.

"The two meetings took place a half a world apart, yet I was struck by the similarities of objectives," Rumsfeld said.

In Europe and the Americas, democracies are "seeking to consolidate democratic gains" and adapt institutions built during the Cold War to the threats of the 21st Century. "There were some who thought with the end of the Cold War, that NATO might be somewhat less relevant," he said. "Instead the opposite has taken place. More countries are seeking to join, and our decades of security cooperation among the NATO allies is paying off as new threats emerge."
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

Dan