American Defense Ministers in Nicaragua
Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños opened the seventh Defense Ministerial Conference of the Americas in Managua on Monday, amid strong security measures due to attendance of Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld.

In the opening speech, Bolaños urged the 34 defense ministers of the continent to go “from discussion to realization, from speeches to resources, from declarations to actions.”

The president asked the participants to support a proposal to create a Humanitarian Mine-Removing Center in Nicaragua.

According to announcements, Bolaños will also take advantage of the opportunity to present a $20 billion project to construct an inter-oceanic route through Nicaragua.

The defense ministers, who will attend the sessions behind closed doors for the three days of the meeting, will analyze hemispheric security, fostering trust, the struggle against terrorism, and drug traffic.

The action plan they expect to approve will appear in the Declaration of Managua, to be issued on Wednesday.

The “maras” or gangs flourishing in the Central American isthmus are among the issues in bilateral meetings between Rumsfeld and his counterparts from the sub region.

A wall of bodyguards and local security personnel, to discourage any attempt by the press to approach him, has surrounded the US Defense Secretary.

Five hundred soldiers stand guard at the event, restricting vehicle circulation and carrying of sharp instruments, fire arms, and chemical products in areas near the airport, the convention center, and the Presidential House, where Rumsfeld will give a pres conference on Tuesday.