European Reps in Latin America
European representatives will visit this week Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia and Dominican Republic, before a European Union Summit with Latin American nations, EC sources announced.

EU spokesperson German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as country representative of the bloc this semester, will visit Mexico on Monday.

Steinemeier will travel to that country accompanied EU Higher Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security Javier Solana. Both of them will talk with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa.

Steinemeier will then go to Panama, to talk with Panama President Martin Torrijos about the Panama Canal extension.

At the same time, European Foreign Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner will visit Colombia and Guatemala, to meet President Alvaro Uribe and President Oscar Berger respectively on EU cooperation programs progress in that region.

Solana, Steinmeier and Fererro-Waldner will coincide Thursday in Santo Domingo, at a ministerial meeting from Wednesday to Friday of the EU with the Group of Rio, countries of Dialogo de San Jose, the Caribbean, Andean Community and MERCOSUR.

On of the issues to treat in this ministerial meeting will be the agreement reached in 1999 headed to establish a free trade area between the two regions.