Bachelet arrives in Santo Domingo to attend Rio Summit

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SANTO DOMINGO. -  A plane transporting President Michelle Bachelet arrived at approximately 5:30 AM this Friday morning in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The President is in Santo Domingo for the 20th  Rio Group Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled to begin today. This year’s summit is expected to be marked by the current diplomatic conflict between Ecuador and Colombia.   

The first activity on President Bachelet´s agenda is a bilateral meeting with the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón.  On Friday, the President has an unconfirmed meeting with Argentine Head of State, Cristina Fernández, in which it appears that the topic of energy will be one of the main issues addressed.

The 20th Rio Group Summit will undoubtedly be tainted by current tensions between Ecuador and Colombia following a Colombian military operation carried out on Ecuadorian soil, which resulted in the death of FARC leader Raúl Reyes.

According to Radio Agricultura, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez have already arrived in the Dominican Republic.  President Chavez has recently expressed strong criticism against Colombia and has threatened to begin preparations for a war.