American foreign policy issues to get Mississippi input

Contact: Sammy McDavid

Two officials of the United States Department of State will be in Jackson June 28 to lead a Mississippi Town Meeting.

Thomas Fingar and Seth Winnick will make separate presentations during the 9-11:30 a.m. public program at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 200 East Amite St. Fingar is principal deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and research, while Winnick is director of the Office of Russian Affairs.

Their visit is co-sponsored by the International Visitors Center at Jackson State University and Mississippi State University's Janos Radvanyi Chair in International Security Studies. The meeting is the third such forum organized in part by MSU's international security program over the past 12 years.

An ongoing national program, Town Meetings were created by the State Department to:

--Increase public awareness and understanding of current American foreign policy issues,

--Encourage public engagement in the department's policy process, and

--Provide an opportunity for citizens to exchange views with State Department officials who formulate and implement policy.

Winnick will examine the current state of relations between the United States and Russia. Fingar will focus on U.S.-China relations.

Preregistration for the meeting is required and registration forms must be submitted by June 21.

To request a form or additional information, telephone either Ally Mack of JSU at (601) 979-3792 [fax: 979-3388] or Janos Radvanyi of MSU at (662) 325-8406 [fax: 325-7291].