After a break of several months, President Hip?lito Mej?a resumes his program of overseas visits. Departing by private plane on Saturday 9 May, his 12-day trip will begin in Rome, where Mej?a will attend a meeting of the Food Security committee of the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) and meet with Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Mej?a then travels to Finland, where he will meet with potential investors and government officials, including President Tarja Halonen. The next leg of the tour will see Mej?a in Germany, to attend meetings with businesspeople and government officials in Berlin, and will include a day visiting monuments and meeting with Dominicans residing in Germany. The European trip ends in Denmark, with a visit to Arla Foods in Aaborg. Before returning to the DR on 22 May, President Mej?a will call in at the White House in Washington, DC for a meeting with President George W. Bush on 20 May. The trip will mark Mej?a?s 36th foreign travel since taking office in August 2000.