The Listín Diario reported that the Dominican Republic and Central America seek to negotiate a free trade agreement with the United States. Ministers of Foreign Relations of Central America met in Washington D.C. this week with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to discuss this possibility. Ministers from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. The Presidents of Central American nations will meet in April in Santo Domingo prior to leaving for Santiago de Chile to participate in the Summit of the Americas. The Central American nations and the Dominican Republic seek bilateral trade treaties with Mexico, Venezuela and the Caribbean Community.
