GUYANA: Rio Group end their yearly summit in Guyana, pledging continued integration

Latin American leaders ended a one day summit on Saturday (March 3) of the Rio Group countries, pledging continued regional cooperation and integration. Although not all the Presidents made it to the yearly gathering - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was home with a cold - several notable names came such as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Officials spent the afternoon in a general meeting where they discussed issue common to the region. After the session, Calderon said Mexico would continue welcoming any world leaders who wanted to come to Mexico, including U.S. President George W. Bush who is scheduled for a visit next week. "There was not one issue laid out for Mexico in relation to the upcoming visit of President Bush, who we will receive as we will President Bachelet and President Lula da Silva and President of Spain Rodriguez Zapatero this same year, with the same hospitality that Mexico always has toward any country in the world and finally, we are proposing to respect and establish constructive relations with all the countries of Latin America, without exception, including Cuba and Venezuela," he said. Guyana was the pro-tempore secretariat of the group and handed over the position to the Dominican Republic on Saturday. The Rio Group, which was created in 1986 to strengthen political and economic cooperation, has set Millennium Goals which include poverty reduction. The Group consists of Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

ITN Source | March 4, 2007

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