U.S. hosts Central American defence ministers
United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is hosting a meeting of Central American Defence Ministers next week… but it is not certain who, if anyone from Belize will attend. The two-day gathering on October twelfth and thirteenth in Key Biscayne, Florida will focus on regional security issues involving Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize. Colombia and Mexico have been invited to send observers. According to a Pentagon spokesman, the possibility of forming a regional peacekeeping battalion is one of several items on the agenda. Others include regional security cooperation, the non-traditional threat of gangs and drug trafficking, maritime security, and rapid response to natural disasters. With the increased cooperation between the military of Belize and Guatemala one would have thought that Belmopan would be eager to attend, but at news time the C.E.O. in the defence ministry was not able to confirm if Defence Minister Vildo Marin or B.D.F. Commander Lloyd Gillett would be making the trip.