President Fernandez met yesterday for three hours with competitiveness experts, Felipe Larrain and Michael Fairbanks. Edward L. Kundac, director of USAID, accompanied them in their visit to the National Palace. They spoke with President Fernandez on the competitiveness status of the countries in the region, and on the challenges ahead for the DR in a competitive world. Larrain, is professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Harvard. He has been an economic advisor to several Latin American countries. Fairbanks is the leader of Monitor Group and has advised leaders of governments in South America, Africa and the Middle East. The visitors had been scheduled to meet later with Dominican businessmen, but that meeting had to be cancelled when the President became enthralled in conversatoin with Larrain and Fairbanks.
