Region’s Presidents to Analyze Integration

GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) – Thepresidents of Central America and theDominican Republic will meet heretomorrow through Tuesday to discuss therestructuring of regional integrationefforts, Guatemalan chancellor Jorge Brizannounced this week.“The fundamental theme of the meetingwill be Central American integration;it will analyze the proposal to restructureall of the organizations of the CentralAmerican Integration System (SICA),”Briz stated in a release.Briz said the leaders of other countrieson the isthmus that have initiatedmovement toward greater economicunity will try to explain the benefits toCosta Rican President Abel Pacheco.Costa Rica has lagged behind integrationefforts between El Salvador, Guatemala,Honduras and Nicaragua.“Panama has already expressed itsinterest in incorporating. It must be rememberedthat the negotiation of the free-tradeagreement between Central America andEurope will be from region to region, andto achieve that, (Europeans) want to seeresults in the integration of the area,” Brizsaid.Regional integration organizationssuch as the Central American Parliament(Parlacen) and the Central America Courtof Justice have been questioned for theirinability to cooperate.