WASHINGTON — Acting Assistant Secretary of
State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Peter Romero and White House Special Envoy for the Americas Kenneth “Buddy” MacKay will be among the U.S. officials speaking at the fourth annual “Americas Conference” September
14-15 in Miami, Florida, which has as its theme “Latin America in the Next Century.”The conference will also include Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Richard Fisher, and Luis Lauredo, U.S. Ambassador to the
Organization of American States.
Others scheduled to participate are Enrique Iglesias, president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Colombian President Andres Pastrana; the president of the Dominican
Republic, Hipolito Mejia; Canada’s Assistant Deputy Minister for the Americas, George Haynal; Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States, Richard Bernal; Sonia Picado, a member of Costa Rica’s legislative assembly; and
Rubens Antonio Barbosa, Brazil’s ambassador to the United States.
Dozens of bankers, economists and journalists from the hemisphere will also speak at the conference.
The topics for discussion include: investing in
Latin America; the Internet and electronic commerce in the Americas; the next U.S. presidency: U.S. Policy and Foreign Relations; Brazil in 2000; the changing roles of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and
the IDB; prospects for venture capital in Latin America; U.S. policy towards Latin America in the next administration; prospects for new Caribbean and Central America trade and development; and judicial transparency in
the region.
Miami, known as the “Gateway to the Americas,” will also host in September and October the fourth and fifth meetings of “Experts on Customs-Related Business Facilitation Measures,” as part of the Summit of
the Americas’ goal of integrating the economies of the hemisphere into a single free-trade agreement called the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
The meetings are designed to implement improved customs-related
measures, such as the establishment of compatible electronic data interchange systems between traders and customs administrations that foster expedited clearance procedures.
FTAA matters will also be discussed at the
24th annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Latin America December 5-8, which is organized around the theme: “The Challenge for the Americas: Transitioning to the Global Economy.” Policymakers and private sector
executives will travel to Miami to examine such issues as whether the region's emerging markets can effectively become part of the new world economy.
