US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will meet counterparts from the Asia-Pacific in Singapore for three days from Friday to discuss the security challenges facing the region, organisers said.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, held annually since 2002 in the city-state, will open with a keynote address from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.
SINGAPORE (XFN-ASIA) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will meet counterparts from the Asia-Pacific in Singapore for three days from Friday to discuss the security challenges facing the region, organisers said.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, held annually since 2002 in the city-state, will open with a keynote address from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.
Rumsfeld will also deliver an address to delegates as will India's Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Japanese Minister of State for Defence Fukushiro Nukaga and Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono, the IISS said.
Other countries expected to send official delegations to the gathering include Australia, the UK, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, and host Singapore, it said.
"This summit will feature several opportunities to advance Asia-Pacific defence diplomacy," the IISS said in a statement.
A skeletal agenda available on the IISS website said delegates would touch on the role of China and India as key players in the region, the US-Asia security architecture as well as maritime security cooperation.
Bilateral meetings between defence ministers will also be held on the sidelines of the gathering, the IISS said.
