US President George W. Bush will meet with leaders from the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) during a conference on the region at the US State Department June 18-21, his spokesman said Thursday. "The Conference on the Caribbean continues an important dialogue between the United States and CARICOM, and it forms an integral part of the president's Western Hemisphere Initiative," Tony Snow said in a statement. "Discussions will focus on economic growth, investing in people, and security issues," he said. Caricom, created in 1958, groups 12 former British colonies, one existing British colony, as well as Haiti and Suriname. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com