President Fernández Arrives in Mexico for Rio Group Summit Meeting

President Fernández Arrives in Mexico for Rio Group Summit Meeting

Dominican President Leonel Fernández arrived in Mexico on Sunday to attend the Rio Summit where they will discuss the future of Haiti, among other issues.

The President arrived at the international airport in Cancun at 5:45 PM Mexico time where he was greeted by Dominican Ambassador to Mexico, Fernando Pérez Memén and Mexican foreign ministry authorities, according to the President’s Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

Fernández left the DR at 4:55 PM aboard a private flight from the San Isidro Air Base accompanied by Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso; Presidential Secretary, César Pina Toribio; Minister for Economy, Planning and Development, Temístocles Montás as well as the Director of the President’s Press Office, Rafael Núñez and reporters Aristófanes Urbáez and Héctor Herrera Cabral.

Others in the presidential delegation included the Chief of the Military Assitance Corp, Major General Héctor B. Medina and the President’s personal and special assistants Víctor Crispín and Danilo Pérez.

The head of state was seen off at the airport by the Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Pedro Rafael Peña Antonio; Dominican Air Force Chief, Major General Carlos Altuna Tezanos; Chief of the National Police, Mayor General Rafael Guillermo Guzmán Fermín; National Department of Investigations, Major General Ramón Antonio Aquino García and the head of the Presidential Guard, Zenón Padilla.

On Monday February 22 beginning at 10:00 AM, there will be an inaugural ceremony to mark the opening of the Summit. Mexican President and currently President of the Rio Group, Felipe Calderón, will make the opening remarks. A half hour later the plenary sessions of the Summit will take up the topic of New Institutionalism and Integration. At 2:00 in the afternoon, according to the schedule established for the event, an official photo will be taken of those in attendance.

The heads of state of the Rio Group are beginning their work at the summit around the following theme: “Challenges and opportunities in the Economic Context.” They will later discuss Haiti and the support this group will be able to offer.

With these discussions, the first day of the Rio Group Summit will conclude. They will gather in the evening for a dinner being held in honor of the presidents, heads of state and representatives in attendance.

The following day, Monday February 23, they will meet again to take up the work of the Summit and will work on resolving several issues.

In the evening of the second day, a press conference is scheduled for the presidents of the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Chile.

President Fernández is expected to return to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday night.