Weekly Summary

29 February 2008

29 February 2008 Hits: 223

Sunday

Peru: A working group on energy from the Extraordinary High Level Commission for APEC 2008 will meet.

Ecuador: Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa will visit Cuba to take part in an international conference on globalisation.

Monday

Nicaragua: Closing date for political parties to register electoral alliances for the November municipal elections.

Tuesday

Mexico: Mexican President Felipe Calderón will meet his Salvadorean counterpart Tony Saca to discuss US immigration and bilateral trade.

Wednesday

Mexico: Mexican President Felipe Calderón will visit Panama.

7 March 2008

07 March 2008 Hits: 150

The Week Ahead

Friday

Peru: Final day of the 35th meeting of the Energy Working Group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Dominican Republic: 13 leaders from the region will take part in the 20th Summit of Heads of State of the Rio Group.

Cuba: European development commissioner Louis Michel will meet Cuba's foreign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, during his trip to the island.

Saturday

Nicaragua: The ruling Frente Sandinista Liberación Nacional (FSLN) will hold elections to pick candidates for the municipal elections in the north of the country.

Ecuador: The Organisation of American States (OAS) will send a delegation to Ecuador to discuss the current crisis between Colombia and Ecuador.

Sunday

Nicaragua: The ruling FSLN will hold elections to pick candidates for the municipal elections in the Pacific region.

Panama: The ruling Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD) will pick its national executive committee.

Wednesday

Costa Rica: Presidents of Central America will meet to discuss the Association Agreement with the European Union.

Thursday

Haiti: Laura Bush will visit an AIDs clinic in Haiti to promote the battle against AIDs.

The Week Ahead - 4 April 2008

04 April 2008 Hits: 146

FRIDAY

Brazil: Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom will visit Brazil.

Bolivia: Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim will arrive in Bolivia to join diplomats from Colombia and Argentina mediating in the country's political crisis.

Argentina: Argentina's Minister of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation Lino Barañao, ends his visit to the UK.

Chile: Chilean President Michelle Bachelet will give a lecture at the London School of Economics (LSE) as part of her visit to the UK.

Region: The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) will hold its Annual Assembly in Miami (until 8 April).

Argentina: A Buenos Aires court will deliver its verdict on the first case in which a woman whose parents disappeared during military rule in Argentina (1976-83) wants her adoptive parents couple to be jailed for kidnap and concealment.

Colombia: The deputy United States Trade Representative, Susan Schwab, and a delegation of US Congress members will visit Colombia. They will meet President Álvaro Uribe, union representatives and business leaders to discuss the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between both countries.

SATURDAY

Paraguay: Deadline for publishing voting polls for the 20 April general elections.

SUNDAY

Chile: The Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile (PDC) will hold party leadership elections.

Region: A special meeting of the IADB governors will be held to present the representatives of Venezuela and Argentina.

TUESDAY

Costa Rica: President of El Salvador Tony Saca will meet his Costa Rican counterpart Oscar Arias.

The Week Ahead - 11 April 2008

11 April 2008 Hits: 299

FRIDAY

Honduras: Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega will visit his counterpart Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.

Argentina: US assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, Tom Shannon will meet Argentina's foreign minister Jorge Taiana as part of his trip to the country.

Region: The International Monetary Fund will publish its report on perspectives for growth in Latin America

SATURDAY

El Salvador: The ruling Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) will hold a general assembly in which it will ratify Rodrigo Ávila as presidential candidate for the March 2009 elections.

Brazil: Brazilian President Lula da Silva will travel to Prague in the first official visit to Czech Republic by a Brazilian president.

MONDAY

Brazil: Brazil's defence minister, Nelson Jobim, will begin the first leg of a tour of South America in an effort to drum up regional support for the proposed South American Defence Council.

The Week Ahead - 25 April 2008 ...

25 April 2008 Hits: 172

The Week Ahead

FRIDAY

Mexico: Final day of a meeting of international organisations including Unesco, Reporters without Borders and the World Radio Association to discuss attacks against journalists.

Panama: Final day of the third inter-sectorial meeting of Central American agriculture, environment and health ministers.

Brazil: IX German-Brazilian symposium to address "domestic security and democratic society in Brazil and Germany".

Peru: Spanish foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos will participate in a meeting of donor countries in Peru.

Argentina: Official data regarding Argentina's construction sector in April will be published.

SATURDAY

Argentina: Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos will visit Argentina as part of his tour of the region.

SUNDAY

Guatemala: Guatemala's President Álvaro Colom will travel to Washington for a three day visit during which he will meet his US counterpart, George W. Bush.

The Week Ahead - 9 May 2008

09 May 2008 Hits: 367

Friday

Chile: President of Mozambique Armando Guebuza will begin a two-day official visit to Chile where he will meet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

Venezuela: Vice Chinese Premier Hui Liangyu will continue his four-day visit to Venezuela where he is expected to sign agricultural agreements. He will then visit Uruguay and Argentina before ending his tour of the region on 15 May.

Argentina: Austrian chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer will continue his three day visit to Argentina before heading to Brazil on 11 May to meet with a group of overseas Austrians, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva. He will then travel to Chile on 14 May to meet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

Saturday

Peru: The meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will begin with the "Digital Economy Forum for Women 2008: Global Strategy and e-Development of Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sunday: Portuguese foreign minister Luis Filipe Marques Amado will visit Paraguay to meet his Paraguayan counterpart Rubén Ramírez where he is expected to firm up bilateral relations and sign a memorandum on trade and investment.

The Week Ahead

11 July 2008 Hits: 215

FRIDAY:
Venezuela/Colombia: Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Colombian president Alvaro Uribe will meet to try and “bury the hatchet" and smooth out relations between the two countries.

SUNDAY:
Colombia: Foreign Affairs minister Fernando Araújo travels to Seoul where he will meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Colombia: Ex-presidential candidate and recently released FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt will be greeted by Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and U.N. general secretary Ban Ki-moon in Paris.

Brazil: President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva will conclude his tour of Far East Asia in Indonesia

MONDAY:
Central America: The fourth round of negotiations concerning an association agreement between the EU and Central America will begin. The round will last until the 18th of July.

TUESDAY:
Paraguay: Inquest into President Nicanor Duarte's resignation scheduled to begin either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Week Ahead - 1 August 2008

01 August 2008 Hits: 294

FRIDAY:

Mexico: Amnesty International will release its report on “The struggle of women in matters of security and justice: Violence in Mexico".

Brazil: The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Srgjan Kerim, will begin his three-day visit to Brazil.

SATURDAY:

Mexico: The wives of Latin American and Caribbean heads of state will meet to discuss HIV/AIDS.

SUNDAY:

Mexico: The XVII International Aids Conference (3-8 August) will convene with representatives from 120 countries in Mexico City.

MONDAY:

Venezuela: Leading opposition member, Leopoldo López, will address the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on the subject of 'inhabilitaciones' - those who have been banned from running for office.

TUESDAY:

US/Mexico: Mexican national José Ernesto Medellin is due to be executed in Texas. He has been in prison for 15 years on charges of rape and murder.

The Week Ahead

08 August 2008 Hits: 120

FRIDAY:

Guatemala: Various indigenous organisations and Guatemalan peasants will march against racism, discrimination and the high cost of living in the country.

Cuba: The director of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Jean Maninat, will end his official visit to Cuba.

SATURDAY:

Brazil: Brazil's President Lula da Silva will end his official visit to China.

SUNDAY:

Bolivia: A recall vote on President Evo Morales, Vice-President Alvaro García Linera and eight of the country's nine regional prefects will take place.

El Salvador: Spain's Vice-President María Teresa Fernández de la Vega will begin an official two-day visit to El Salvador.

WEDNESDAY:

Paraguay: US economist Joseph Stiglitz will visit Paraguay from 13 to 15 August with the support of the United Nations Development Programme and the Spanish Embassy in Asunción , in order to design a “consultancy strategy" for the government of Fernando Lugo.

The Week Ahead

29 August 2008 Hits: 138

FRIDAY:

Ecuador: Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa, travels back from Venezuela where he held meetings with President Hugo Chávez yesterday (28 August) and signed an agreement on the joint exploration of Venezuelan oil reserves by the countries' state oil companies, Petroecuador and PDVSA.

SATURDAY:

Bolivia: President Evo Morales begins a two-day visit to Libya, followed by a two-day trip to Iran.

Mexico: Civic groups are staging anti-crime marches in Mexico City and cities across the country in response to the soaring levels of violent crimes, kidnappings and murders.

SUNDAY:

Venezuela: Venezuela's President, Hugo Chávez , begins a two-day official visit to South Africa, where he will meet South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki in preparation for an African-South American summit to be held in Caracas in 2009.

MONDAY:

Colombia: Former Colombian presidential candidate and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc) hostage, Ingrid Betancourt, will be received by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.

TUESDAY:

Costa Rica: Costa Rica's president, Oscar Arias, arrives in Belgium where he will hold meetings with European Union (EU) representatives regarding the Association Agreement currently under negotiation between the EU and Central America.

The Week Ahead - 19 September 2008

19 September 2008 Hits: 135

FRIDAY

Colombia: Final day of the meeting of the forum of presidents of the legislative powers (Foprel) of the Andean countries, to revise the Inter-American democratic charter and the role of congress in democracy.

Panama: Final day of the 39th meeting of the Central American council of human rights ombudsmen.

Panama: Executive director of the UN environment programme (UNEP), Achim Steiner, will pay an official visit to Panama, where he will meet Panama's vice president and foreign minister, Samuel Lewis Navarro.

Bolivia: Bolivia's President Evo Morales will meet his Panamanian counterpart, Martín Torrijos, in Panama's capital.

SATURDAY

Nicaragua: Civil society groups will march in León to protest the ruling by the supreme electoral court (CSE) which outlaws two political parties, the Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista (MRS) and Partido Conservador (PC).

SUNDAY

Venezuela: Venezuela's President, Hugo Chávez , will visit China before travelling to Russia and Portugal.

Guatemala: The president of the Judicial Yuan and supreme court of Taiwan will pay a three-day visit to Guatemala.

Week Ahead 3 October

03 October 2008 Hits: 152

SATURDAY

Colombia: The Colombian defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, will go to Russia to participate in the Interpol Assembly in St Petersburg and will meet Russian ministers in order to strength relations between the two countries.

Mexico: The closing of the Primer Congreso de la Cultura Iberoamericana, inaugurated in Mexico on 1 October.

Mexico: Inauguration of the sixth International Film Festival in Morelia, until 12 October.

SUNDAY

Brazil: Brazilians will go to the polls to elect 13,002 mayors and 59,302 councils.

MONDAY

Brazil: Foreign ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean will meet in Rio de Janeiro, in preparation for a head of states' meeting that will take place on December.

Ecuador: Deadline for the completion of vote-counting in the 28 September referendum.

Chile: The 20th anniversary of the defeat of General Augusto Pinochet in a plebiscite which ended his government.

TUESDAY

Brazil: Brazil's foreign minister will meet with foreign ministers from the Sistema de Integración de Centroamérica (SICA).

WEDNESDAY

Colombia: Honduras's President Manuel Zelaya will visit Colombia for two days. He will meet President Alvaro Uribe; Bogotá's Major Samuel Moreno; and the Supreme Justice Court.

THURSDAY

Guatemala: Fifth round of negotiations between Central America and the European Union for an association agreement will take place.

The Week Ahead - 10 October

10 October 2008 Hits: 114

FRIDAY
Colombia: Colombia foreign minister, Jaime Bermudez, will meet in London the Confederation of British Industries and the director of the International Coffee Organization, Nestor Osorio, on his last day in the UK.

SATURDAY
Brazil: Finance ministers and presidents of central banks of the G20 group of advanced and emerging economies will meet in Washington to discuss the financial crisis. Brazil, Argentina and Mexico are part of the G20 and Brazil is currently chair of the group.

Guatemala: President Álvaro Colom will finish his five-day visit to Taiwan in which he attended the national festivities, received an honorary doctorate, and worked to reinforce bilateral cooperation in security, commerce and investment.

SUNDAY
Ecuador: Ecuadorean vice-president, Lenin Moreno, will attend the canonization of the Ecuadorean Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran, in the Roman Vatican, Italy.

Brazil: President Lula da Silva will begin a week-long foreign tour encompassing Spain, India and Mozambique.

TUESDAY
Ecuador: The Andean Community Summit will take place in Guayaquil. Colombia's President Álvaro Uribe will not attend the meeting.

Ecuador: The Tribunal Supremo Electoral of Ecuador will announce the electoral results of the 28 September referendum.

Cuba: Cuban foreign minister Felipe Pérez Roque will visit Madrid for two days and will meet his Spanish counterpart, Maiguel Ángel Moratinos, in order to analyse the “positive" relations between the two countries.

WEDNESDAY
Salvador-Mexico: Salvadorean president Elías Antonio Saca, will start a two-day official visit to Mexico.

The Week Ahead - 17 October 2008

17 October 2008 Hits: 189

FRIDAY

Venezuela: The Venezuelan foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, will meet his Colombian counterpart, Jaime Bermúdez, in Caracas.

SUNDAY

Cuba: The Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Pérez Roque will travel to Mexico for talks on immigration and trade.

MONDAY

Brazil: The Brazilian government will launch an advertising campaign warning of the risks of dengue fever, at a cost of R$40m (US$18m).

TUESDAY

Ecuador: The constituent assembly will reconvene to name the five members of each of the new electoral authorities that will organise the elections in Ecuador at the start of next year. The new Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) and the Tribunal Contencioso Electoral (TCE) will replace the current Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE).

THURSDAY

Colombia-Honduras: The president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, will meet his Honduran counterpart, Manuel Zelaya, in Puerto Cortés.

Cuba: The EU Commissioner for emergency aid and development co-operation, Louis Michel, will begin an official visit to Havana.

Bolivia: The Bolivian government will hold a meeting with the United States Department of Commerce regarding the decision by the US government to suspend the ATPDEA (Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act) trade preference agreement with Bolivia.

The Week Ahead

14 November 2008 Hits: 250

FRIDAY

Germany-Chile: Chile's economy minister Hugo Lavados, will speak in Frankfurt about the financial crisis and its effects on emerging economies in Latin America.

Costa Rica-Guatemala: Guatemalan indigenous-rights advocate Rigoberta Menchú, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, will visit Costa Rica to take part in a youth forum and meet fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Ãƒâ€œscar Arias.

SATURDAY

US-G-20: Leaders of the G20 group of major industrialized and developing nations will gather in Washington for a special summit on the global financial crisis. Latin America's G20 members are: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

Ecuador: The ruling Alianza País will hold a national convention in which it will finalize the procedure for choosing candidate for next year's general elections.

SUNDAY

Algeria-Argentina: Argentina's President Cristina Fernández will commence a tour of North Africa with an official visit to Algeria where she will discuss bilateral cooperation agreements with her Algerian counterpart President Abdelaziz Boutefika.

Panama: Annual meeting of the Federation of Latin American Banks (Federación Latinoamericana de Bancos, Felaban) in Panama City.

Peru: Pre-summit consultation meeting in advance of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) CEO Summit 2008, which will take place in Lima on 22 and 23 November.

MONDAY

Costa Rica-China: China's President Hu Jintao will commence an official visit to Costa Rica where he will meet his Costa Rican counterpart President Ãƒâ€œscar Arias to discuss bilateral cooperation, including a possible Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.

TUESDAY

Argentina-Tunisia: Argentina's President Cristina Fernández will commence an official visit to Tunisia where she will meet Tunisia's President Zine Abidine Ben Ali and Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi.

WEDNESDAY

Costa Rica-US: Costa Rica's President Ãƒâ€œscar Arias will take part in an open debate on strengthening collective security and armament regulation at the United Nations Security Council in New York. Arias will promote the “Costa Rican Consensus", an initiative which encourages international financial support for developing countries that agree to reduce military spending in favour of social policy investment.

THURSDAY

Argentina-Egypt: Argentina's President Cristina Fernández continues her tour of North Africa with an official visit to Egypt where she will meet Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.

The Week Ahead - 28 November 2008

28 November 2008 Hits: 310

FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER

Colombia: March in Colombia's main cities and various capitals across the world to demand that criminal and terrorist groups free all the hostages under their control. The Federación Internacional de Comités Ingrid Betancourt (FICIB) and the International Federation for Human Rights will hold a solidarity rally in Paris to call for liberation of all hostages held in Colombia.

Russia-Cuba: Russia's President Dmitri Medvédev will conclude his Latin American tour with an official visit to Cuba, before returning to Russia.

Argentina: Former Argentine President Carlos Menem (1989-1999) will hear via a video-link the charges against him for his alleged involvement in illegal arms sales to Ecuador and Croatia in 1991 and 1995.

SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER

Costa Rica: Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias will travel to Qatar to attend the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (until 30 November).

SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER

Nicaragua: The Liberal and National parties hold primary elections to select candidates for general elections to be held next year (29 November 2009).

Argentina: Legislative and gubernatorial elections in the province of Santiago del Estero, in the north of Argentina.

MONDAY 1 DECEMBER

Costa Rica: President Oscar Arias will commence an official visit to Singapore where he will meet members of the country's government and business leaders (until 5 November).

Jamaica: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will conduct an on-site visit to Jamaica at the invitation of Prime Minister Bruce Golding. The visit will be the commission's first on-site visit to an English-speaking Caribbean country since 1994: the visit will last until 5 December.

The Week Ahead - 5 December 2008

05 December 2008 Hits: 73

FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER

Brazil: Meeting in Sao Paulo of culture ministers of Mercosur member-states.

Chile-Argentina: Presidents Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Cristina Fernández of Argentina unveil a plaque in Punta Arenas, Chile in honour of Pope John Paul II, whose intervention prevented a war between the two countries in 1978.

Ecuador-Iran: President Rafael Correa will commence an official visit to Iran (until 9 December), during which he will meet Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Honduras: Sistema de Integración Centroamericana (SICA) summit, to be attended by heads of state of all member-countries (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic). Discussion will focus on the impact of the financial crisis on the region.

SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER

El Salvador-US: El Salvador's President Elías Antonio Saca will commence in Washington a visit to the US to encourage Salvadoreans resident in the US to reregister for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Recently extended by the US until 9 September 2010 for nationals of El Salvador, TPS benefits include employment authorization and protection from removal from the US. Saca will also visit US cities Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles (until 9 December).

Venezuela: Tenth anniversary of the election of President Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela (Chávez was re-elected for a second term in 2006).

SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER

Cuba: Third annual Cuba-Caricom summit in Santiago de Cuba (until 9 December).

MONDAY 8 DECEMBER

Argentina-Russia: Argentina's President Cristina Fernández will commence an official visit to Russia, during which she will meet Russia's President Dmitri Medvédev and is expected to sign bilateral trade and energy agreements (until 10 December).

The Week Ahead - 12 December 2008

12 December 2008 Hits: 253

FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER

Brazil: President Luiz Lula da Silva will inaugurate a public works programme in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil.

SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER

Uruguay: Convention of ruling coalition Frente Amplio (until 14 December), at which delegates traditionally choose a presidential candidate unanimously (this is unlikely to happen this year due to disagreements within the party over presidential nominations).

Chile: The Junta Nacional de la Democracia Cristiana will decide its candidate for the country's presidential election in 2009.

SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER

Venezuela: Alba-Petrocaribe summit to be held in Caracas.

MONDAY 15 DECEMBER

Brazil-Region: Mercosur summit in Bahía, Brazil (until 16 December).

TUESDAY 16 DECEMBER

Brazil-Region: First Cumbre de Latinoamérica y el Caribe (CLAC) summit in Bahía (until 17 December). Representatives of 33 member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will attend the summit to discuss regional integration and measures to combat the global financial crisis.

WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBER

Uruguay-Saudi Arabia: Uruguay's President Tabaré Vázquez will commence an official visit to Saudi Arabia where he will meet Saudi King Abdullah.

The Week Ahead - 19 December 2008

19 December 2008 Hits: 226

FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER

Bolivia: Bolivia's human rights ombudsman, Waldo Albarracín, will present a report outlining his five years in office.

Brazil: Brazilian energy company Petrobras will outline its investment plan for 2009.

Mexico: Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt will visit Mexico, where she will meet Mexico's President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.

Nicaragua-Russia: Russia's President Daniel Ortega continues an official visit to Russia, where he will meet Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev.

SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER

Uruguay-Saudi Arabia: President Tabaré Vázquez will meet Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah as part of an official visit to the country.

The Week Ahead - 9 January 2009

09 January 2009 Hits: 197

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY

Panama: The Free Trade Treaty between Panama and Honduras comes into effect.

Nicaragua: FSLN allied health and workers' Unions will demonstrate in the capital, Managua, to protest the current paralysis in congress.

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY

Argentina-Cuba: Argentina's President Cristina Fernández begins an official visit to Cuba during which she will sign a series of bilateral agreements. She is the first head of the Argentine government to visit the country in 22 years.

MONDAY 12 JANUARY

Mexico: President Felipe Calderón will meet with US President-elect Barack Obama in Washington to discuss migration, security and the global economic situation.

Peru: The trial against the former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori for human rights abuses restarts after a two-week recess.

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY

Argentina-Venezuela: President Crisitina Fernández begins an official visit to Venezuela where she will meet President Hugo Chávez to discuss economic and energy cooperation.

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY

Brazil-Venezuela: Brazil's President Luis Inácio “Lula" da Silva begins a one-day visit to Venezuela.

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