UN General Assembly
1998

are conducive to economic growth, the creation of more and better jobs and improvement in the quality of life of our citizens. Other clear signs of this regional rapprochement and participation are the two presidential events held in our country. In November 1997 the city of Santo Domingo was the site of the extraordinary summit of heads of State of the Central American countries, including Belize, as well as of the Dominican Republic, and more recently, in August of this year, of the extraordinary meeting of heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Forum. Both meetings led to agreements and concrete positions regarding hemispheric and global challenges that our region must confront. At the same time, we have tightened our economic, political and development ties with the other nations of our region, through the presence of our President, Mr. Leonel Fernández, at the Summit of the Americas and the Ibero- American Summit through bilateral visits and exchanges at the presidential level with the United States, Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, countries with which we