MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

IMF Managing Director visits South America.

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo de Rato, will be travelling to South America to participate in the 11th Finance Ministers' Meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which will take place in Santiago, Chile on September 1-3, 2004.

En route to Santiago, Mr. de Rato will also visit Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay; and after the APEC meeting he will visit Brasilia, Brazil. This trip marks Mr. de Rato's first visit to the region as Managing Director of the IMF.

Mr. de Rato will, in early September also visit South Africa and attend the African Union's Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Reduction in Africa, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.