President Leonel Fern?ndez’s first full day of his visit to France, Thursday, was full of honors and praise for the young Executive and interest and agreements for the DR. French officialdom and French industry appear smitten with Fern?ndez, and the Dominican is doing his best to capitalize on it to bring more French aid, trade and investment to the DR.The day started with a breakfast hosted by France’s top industry organization, informally known as the Patronat. In his introduction of the Dominican head of state, Patronat President Fran?ois P?rigot praised the DR’s investment climate and noted the intention of many Patronat members to invest there. President Fern?ndez then outlined why the DR has a far more attractive investment climate than it did when he took office, and he urged French industry to invest aggressively in his country. Those wishing to read the full English text of the President’s speech can find it at the hyperlink http://www.presidencia.gov.do/eng/spfrance1.htm At 11:00 am President Fern?ndez paid an hour-long closed-door visit with the Senate President Christian Poncel?. He next met at the Elysee Palace with French President Jacques Chirac. The two discussed various matters, including the political crisis in Haiti, the economic crisis in Brazil, and the Summit of Caribbean and Central American Heads of State and Government to be held in Santo Domingo April 26th. Fern?ndez invited Chirac to pay a state visit to the DR, which he accepted, with dates to be worked out later. He also asked major French participation in the next National Book Fair (Feria Nacional del Libro) at the National Conservatory in Santo Domingo, since it is to be dedicated to France. Chirac promised to promote heavy participation. Chirac proposed a cultural cooperation agreement between the two nations; the two Presidents agreed to have their respective ambassadors negotiate and conclude one. Chirac afterward hosted a lunch in the Dominican President’s honor and decorated Fern?ndez with the Legion of Honor medal, the highest award given by the French state to foreigners. Fern?ndez in turn decorated President Chirac with the Order of Duarte, S?nchez and Mella, the DR’s highest honor.In the afternoon Fern?ndez went to the Sorbonne, Paris’ famed university. There he was awarded an honorary doctorate, the first time the Sorbonne has given one to a Dominican. Sorbonne President Yves Jegouso praised Fern?ndez during the presentation, and then later told reporters that once the Executive leaves office that the Sorbonne would be happy to have him as a professor if he wanted the job.At 8:00 pm Fern?ndez met with French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin at Foreign Affairs Ministry. The two held signing ceremonies for several agreements, including those concerning (1) the DR’s purchase of five helicopters for non-military uses; (2) French Development Agency financing for the construction of a tramway in Santo Domingo; (3) a technical assistance agreement to help the DR modernize its judicial system; (4) an assistance agreement under which France will help the DR set up a diplomacy school to train career diplomats; (5) a technical assistance accord to help the Directorate-General for Aeronautics improve the DR’s civil aviation regime. Fern?ndez also decorated Jospin with the DR’s top honor, Order of Duarte, S?nchez and Mella. Their meeting was followed by a state dinner in Fern?ndez’s honor. Today the President’s schedule is as follows:8:30 am, breakfast with National Assembly President Laurent Fabius;1:00 pm, lunch in Fern?ndez’s honor hosted by the Assembly’s International Relations Committee Chairman, Jack Lang;3:30 pm, visit the Chief Magistrate, Pierre Truche, at France’s Supreme Court ("Corte de Casaci?n");5:30 pm, cocktail in the President’s honor at the Dominican Embassy, hosted by Ambassador Guillermo Pina Contreras.France is the first official leg of President Fern?ndez’s European tour, the longest trip abroad of his term of office. He left Santo Domingo evening. En route to Europe he stopped briefly in Puerto Rico and met at the airport with PR Governor Rossill?, whom he invited for an official visit in March. On Wednesday Fern?ndez passed the day in Madrid, Spain. Although not in Spain on an official visit, he nonetheless lunched with Spanish Prime Minister Jos? Mar?a Aznar and the two discussed various cooperation and aid projects Spain plans or has underway in the DR. Fern?ndez flew to Paris Wednesday evening, where he was met with full state and military honors.Fern?ndez will fly on Sunday, January 17th to Rome. On Monday, January 18th he will have an historic private audience with Pope John Paul II — it will be the first time a Dominican head of state has been received by a Pope at the Vatican since the dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1955. Also on Monday he will have meetings with Italian businessmen meet with President Luigi Oscar Escalfaro and Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema. He is expected to sign a BIT with Italy, a financial cooperation accord plus other unspecified cooperation agreements. His time in Rome will include signing an agreement with the United Nation’s Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the development of the Dominican Southeast.The President plans to return to the DR on January 20th so that he might attend the special mass scheduled on the 21st at the Bas?lica de Altagracia in Hig?ey. The 21st is a national holiday honoring the Virgin of Altagracia.On this trip President Fern?ndez leads a Dominican delegation of 30 – 16 high-ranking officials and 14 "special guests" (such as Baninter President Ram?n B?ez Figueroa and National Council of Private Enterprise head Celso Marranzini). Officials accompanying the President include Foreign Minister Latorre; Industry and Commerce Bonetti; Technical Secretary Tem?stocles Mont?s; Attorney-General Mariano Germ?n; Armed Forces Chief of Staff Manuel Florentino; Lom? Convention Coordinator Max Puig; Antonio Isa Conde, President of the Commission for Reform of Public Enterprises (CREP); Eddy Mart?nez, Director of the Office of Investment Promotion (OPI); and Hamlet Hermann, Director of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET).
