The ambassador for the United States to the D.R., Donna Jean Hrinak, met with the Secretary of the Presidency Danilo Medina and the Technical Secretary of the Presidency Eduardo Selman in order to discuss the themes of the second Summit of the Americas which will take place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Among the issues Mrs. Hrinak touched upon with Mr. Selman and Mr. Medina were development in the areas of health, education, the elimination of poverty, law enforcement and the consolidation of democracy. The first Summit was held in December of 1994 in Miami.
While speaking to reporters at the National Palace, Mrs. Hrinak explained that the U.S. government has not suspended aid to the D.R. through the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose potential for aid here had been questioned because of the budget standoffs in the U.S. Congress during late 1995 and early 1996.