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We are seeing the benefits of economic cooperation among countries" in the Western Hemisphere, he said. "Now, we need to strengthen security cooperation so we can see the benefits there."
"Security is the essential foundation for further progress for all of the people of the Americas."
Speaking on the eve of a meeting of defense ministers from North and Latin America, Rumsfeld said drug trafficking, kidnapping and criminal gangs south of the border were but an example of the instability threatened by international guerrilla groups apparently moving into the region.
He noted that both Hezbollah and Hamas, groups that have mounted bombing attacks on Israel and are labeled by Washington as terrorists, are raising funds in Latin America. But he stopped short of putting al Qaeda on that list.
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