US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has outlined two initiatives to improve security throughout the Americas.

The proposals would foster regional naval co-operation and improve regional peacekeeping capabilities.

Mr Rumsfeld outlined the moves at a meeting of defence ministers from the Americas being held in the Chilean capital, Santiago.

It is the first meeting of the defence ministers since the hijack plane attacks on New York and Washington last year.

Democracy undermined

Mr Rumsfeld warned his fellow defence ministers of what the US sees as key threats to the region.

"In this hemisphere, narco-terrorists, hostage takers and arms smugglers operate in ungoverned areas, using them to destabilise democratic governments."

And he warned that individual countries would find it hard to solve these problems on their own.

"Today, the need for our nations to work together has not diminished. Instead, it has grown, as has the need for the institutions that facilitate hemispheric cooperation."

And he said the 11 September attacks on the US last year showed that "21st century threats transcend geography and respect no borders".

Mr Rumsfeld is due to travel on to the Czech Republic on Tuesday for a Nato meeting.

But he is leaving behind other senior US officials who will seek to gain agreement from the other countries at the conference.

Before the summit opened, Mr Rumsfeld denied that the US had been pressuring other countries in the region to adopt American anti-terror policies, saying he was not in Santiago to press any Latin American countries to do anything.

He said each country must take its own decisions.

Source: BBC News