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On the occasion of the OAS General
Assembly, on June 9, 2003 thirty four Foreign
Ministers of the Hemisphere met for the Twenty-ninth
Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) meeting in
Santiago, Chile. The purpose of the SIRG is to take
note of progress in implementing the goals of the
Summit of the Americas and to plan for future Summits.
Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Soledad Alvear, opened
the meeting expressing confidence in the Summit
process and supporting plans for the Special Summit to
be held in Mexico before the end of the year. OAS
Secretary General, Cesar Gaviria, then presented
the Report
of the Joint Summit Working Group highlighting the
work of OAS, the Inter-American Development Bank and
other inter-American institutions in meeting Summit
goals. Secretary General Gaviria also underlined the
important role of ministerial meetings within the
Summit process. William Graham, the Foreign
Minister of Canada, reported on Summit progress as the
outgoing chair of the Summit process, giving special
attention to the Inter-American Democratic Charter and
new connectivity programs. Foreign Minister Graham
passed the Summit chairmanship to Rafael Bielsa,
the Foreign Minister of Argentina. Minister Bielsa
welcomed the opportunity to manage the Summit process
and prepare for the Fourth Summit of the Americas in
Argentina in 2005. Miguel Hakim, Undersecretary of Mexico
for Latin America and the Caribbean presented a draft agenda for the Special Summit to be
held in his country before the end of the year. The
Special Summit will address issues of economic growth
with equity, social development and democratic
governance. The meeting closed with remarks from Brazil,
Colombia, Guyana, Panama, Peru and the United States,
as members of the SIRG Executive Council, supporting
the Summit process and the Special Summit.
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