US Secretary of State Clinton Invites President Lobo to Guatemala Summit

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Guatemala City on Friday for a planned summit with the presidents of Central America. President Porfirio Lobo was invited by Secretary Clinton to attend the meeting, and he has accepted. The summit will be hosted by Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom. The only president yet to confirm his attendance Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, which does not recognize the Lobo government. US Assistance Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela said yesterday that one of the topics to be discussed will be Honduras and its re-integration into the world community. The US has officially recognized the Lobo administration and restarted foreign assistance programs. Mr. Valenzuela also noted that President Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic may also attend the summit. Former president Manuel Zelaya is currently living in the Dominican Republic as a special guest of the Fernández government. (2/27/10) (photo of Hillary Clinton courtesy Internet)