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The Bilbao Summit is being presented to local authorities and officials in several cities in Colombia and Argentina

The II World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society is being presented these days at different forums related with municipalities and regions of Colombia and Argentina, through direct contact with mayors and other local authorities, as well as with experts and other officials with responsibilities in the field of the Information Society in these two countries. These contacts will culminate with a presentation at the preparatory sessions of the Summit of the Americas, to be held in Mar del Plata on 4 and 5 November.

Ramón Peñagarikano, a technician in the Internationalisation Department of the Basque business development agency SPRI, is in charge of holding the different contacts anticipated. This representative of the Bilbao Summit first visited the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Manizales, Armenia, Tulúa and Cali, invited by the Colombian Federation of Municipalities and has held meetings with experts and other officials responsible for the information society, with academic institutions and with mayors and other local authorities. Peñagarikano has also held meetings with advisers to President Alvaro Uribe, so as to establish and strengthen links at all levels, with the intention of long-term permanence.

In Argentina, the invitation to present the Bilbao Summit was received from the Federation of Municipalities, which, as local administrations, have demonstrated their interest in the Summit which is going to take place in this Basque city on 9, 10 and 11 November. It just so happens that on 4 and 5 November, the IV edition of the Summit of the Americas, the meeting of heads of State and of Government of the entire continent is to be held in the Argentinean locality of Mar del Plata. The contacts held with the Bilbao organisation have made it possible for the presentation trip by Ramón Peñagarikano to culminate precisely with a speech at the preparatory sessions of the most important American political forum, which on this occasion will be taking place under the slogan “Creating Jobs to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance.”