From Herald Wire Services

             SANTIAGO, Chile -- Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed other first ladies of the
             hemisphere Wednesday, calling for more women in positions of power.

             ``Democracy and prosperity cannot be attained or sustained in countries that do
             not value women,'' Mrs. Clinton told the gathering. ``Women still do not hold
             enough positions of authority, responsibility and power.''

             She added, however, ``We stand at a moment of great opportunity for women in
             leadership positions.''

             Mrs. Clinton, who was delayed by a trip to Puerto Rico to survey damage from
             Hurricane Georges, arrived for the final day of the Eighth Annual Conference for
             the Wives of Heads of State and Government in the Americas.

             The two-day meeting ended Wednesday with the release of a final document titled:
             The Americas Pave the Way Today for the Year 2000.

             The 20-point document addresses topics of women's leadership, education,
             economic development and human rights in the hemisphere.

             The text stresses specific measures like quality of life improvement for rural
             women, creation of legal resources for victims of family violence and children's
             education improvement.

             The participants declared that progress has been made since the previous
             conference in areas like early pregnancy prevention, cancer prevention and
             control, the fight against measles, elimination of violence and the protection of
             infants.

             Two health problems were addressed: an increase of AIDS cases among women
             and young adults, and the persistence of measles in the hemisphere.

             Concerning measles, the statement pledged efforts to eliminate the disease in the
             hemisphere by 2000.
 

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