The technical committee of the Grupo de Río approved the admission of the Dominican Republic and five Central American nations to that important Latin American forum for policy setting. The final decision needs to be ratified by the foreign relation ministers of the Grupo de Rio nations that will meet in March, and by the heads of state in the summer summit. The Dominican Republic has requested to be admitted with full rights, as the country does not belong to any of the regional trading blocks. The not belong to any regional blocks. The Grupo de Rio groups Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela.
