November 17, 2003

Mayor Manny Diaz and the city of Miami will host the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Summit later this month to be attended by 34 trade ministers and 1000 business leaders from 34 countries throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and North America. The meetings and trade negotiations, which are the latest in a series geared towards the creation of the FTAA, will be held from the 17th to the 21st of November. The ministerial trade conference will take place from the 19th to 21st.

Miami, long recognized as the Gateway of the Americas due to its geographic location, its standing as the Latin America and the Caribbean transportation hub and international commerce and financial center has also applied to be designated the site of the FTAA's permanent headquarters. Miami is home to the one of the largest diplomatic communities in the United States after New York and Washington (DC).

The city, which hosted the Summit of the Americas in 1994, has been undergoing preparations for the prospect of violent protests by anti-globalization activists which have characterized high-profile international multilateral economic and trade meetings around the world. Other cities trying to get the headquarters designation include Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Panama City, Panama; Puebla, Mexico and Atlanta. The last round of negotiations, co-chaired by the U.S. and Brazil, is scheduled to commence in January 2005.