Foreign-affairs leaders congregate in Warsaw for conference on democracy

Foreign-affairs leaders from the democratic world are meeting today in Warsaw to discuss how to strengthen democracy against threats posed by corruption, poverty and authoritarianism. United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will lead officials from more than 100 countries in two days of inaugural talks. At the end of the talks, the participants will sign a joint declaration outlining principles that organizers hope will strengthen weak democracies and encourage other states to entrust their future to free elections. Organizers want the democratic states to form a pressure group within other international bodies, such as the United Nations, and hope that being left off the invitation list, as have some countries such countries as Iran andPeru, will encourage them and others to move toward increased democratization. (Reuters) A.D.