Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien arrived on Sunday 13 April for an 11-day stay, to include three days of official visits and several days off for a family Easter vacation. Chr?tien with his wife Aline and will be joined by other family members for the holiday part of his stay.
On the official agenda are meetings at the Presidential Palace, a ceremony at which Chr?tien will receive an honoris causa doctorate from the Pontificia Universidad Cat?lica Madre y Maestra, a gala dinner at the Presidential Palace, a breakfast conference sponsored by the Dominican-Canadian Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel Embajador and a visit to the Placer Dome gold mine facility in Cotu?. While in the DR, Chr?tien is also scheduled to sign seven Canadian investment deals in mining, engineering and energy-efficiency projects, with a combined value of 619 million Canadian dollars, and will engage in talks on the proposed free-trade agreement with the DR.
The Canadian leader is staying at the Hotel Embajador and will vacation at Casa de Campo in La Romana, where he may tee-off with former US President Bill Clinton, who is also spending the Easter holidays there.
Chr?tien?s trip has received front-page coverage in Canada, after coinciding with the announcement that US President George W. Bush had cancelled his first state visit to Ottawa next month, blaming the war in Iraq.
http://www.globeandmail.com/BNStory/Front