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President Arroyo and a 39-member delegation left on
Thursday for a three-day Europe trip that includes the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In Davos, the President will talk
on the topic “Asean’s 40 Years–A New Future,” and meet with
chief business leaders to draw world attention to investment
possibilities in the Philippines.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto
G. Romulo said the President will bring to the two WEF sessions the
“political and economic momentum garnered by the Asean Summit”
in Cebu on January 10-15.
“She will actively participate
in these two sessions as the President of a country that is steadily
strengthening its economic fundamentals, that is firmly and
effectively on the road to economic reform, that is resolutely
committed to fair and open trade and that is continuing to gain the
trust and confidence of the international business and economic
community,” Romulo added.
Mrs. Arroyo left about 8 a.m.
onboard Philippine Airlines’ Air Bus flight PR 001. Among her
companions are her husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, Trade
Secretary Peter Favila, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Palace
spokesman and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.
Vice-President Noli de Castro,
who headed the send-off party for the President was designated
caretaker of government with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.
President Arroyo’s first stop
over will be at Zurich where she is expected to arrive about 4 p.m.
The President and her official
party will stay overnight in Zurich, where Mrs. Arroyo will meet
with Maurice Amon, chairman and founder of SICPA Holdings SA.
She will also dine with Dr.
Stephen Zuellig of the Zuellig Group of Companies, a member of her
international board of advisers.
Day two of Mrs. Arroyo’s trip
will be in Davos, where she is scheduled to meet a business leaders,
including William Rhodes, chairman, president and chief executive
officer of Citibank; Richard Clark of Merck and Co. Inc. and
officials of the Credit Suisse.
The President will have an
official meeting with Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic
Forum and participate in a discussion on the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations economic roadmap.
Other Asean leaders expected in
the affair are Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Vietnam
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
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