| Notice to the Press Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC May 24, 2002 Secretary of State Powell to Travel to OAS General Assembly in BarbadosSecretary of State Colin L. Powell will travel to the annual General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Bridgetown, Barbados, which will be held from June 2 to 4, 2002. The Secretary will depart from Washington on Sunday, June 2 and return Monday, June 3. The OAS foreign ministers will use this meeting as an opportunity to continue the Hemisphere's efforts to strengthen democracy, combat terrorism, expand free trade, develop a security architecture for the Hemisphere, and follow up the initiatives adopted at the Quebec City Summit last year. The ministers will address topics including a "Multidimensional Approach to Hemispheric Security," " Follow-up to the Inter-American Democratic Charter," and "The OAS, Democracy and Trade." In Barbados, the Secretary will sign the new Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism, which was negotiated as a direct result of the terrorist attacks of September 11. The Convention enhances hemispheric security by improving regional cooperation in the fight against terrorism, by denying safe haven to terrorists, and by facilitating the exchange of information, technical assistance, and training in a wide number of complex areas, including the prevention and eradication of the financing of terrorism, the improvement of border and customs controls, and the prevention, investigation and prosecution of terrorist acts. The OAS was the first international organization to condemn the September 11 attacks, and the OAS has been active since that time in developing practical and effective measures that can be taken to secure our hemisphere from the threat of terrorist attacks. The Press Office will notify those news organizations entitled to a seat under the new rotation system. |
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