Miami, February 22, 2008 

All set for Caracas!
Register right away 

Dear members and friends of the IAPA, 

Caracas is all set and ready to welcome the IAPA at its upcoming Midyear Meeting, scheduled to be held March 28-30 at the Caracas Palace Hotel. 

We have just returned from the Venezuelan capital and we come back with a pledge from the Host Committee – which has spared no effort to bring about a first-class meeting – to give its full support. 

In addition, to facilitate last-minute registrations we are negotiating with a second hotel that could take additional registrants, as the conference hotel is now fully booked. 

That is why we ask you to register immediately to guarantee your accommodations. This hotel, near the conference one, will provide special transportation to and from the Caracas Palace Hotel. 

On the evening of Friday, March 28 we will have a welcoming reception at the conference hotel, hosted by Globovisión, and that evening the Host Committee will give a dinner for the IAPA Executive Committee and Advisory Council at the home of Miguel Henrique Otero. 

Spouses and other companions will have two charming tours that they can enjoy in total safety – one to El Aguila Peak and the other to the village of El Hatillo. 

On Saturday, lunch will be hosted by Banesco Bank at a restaurant two blocks away – a short and safe walk. That evening we will go to El Nacional for a dinner where there will be entertainment by well-known intellectual and comedian Laureano Márquez. 

The newspaper Notitarde will host the lunch on Sunday, at the hotel. The dinner that day will be given by El Universal at a beautiful location named Quinta Esmeralda, where there will be a high-level speaker whose confirmation is expected to be received at any moment. The Quinta Esmeralda is located in the Campo Alegre district in eastern Caracas and has become an icon of glamorous Caracas festivities. It was functioned since 1987 as an events center that is the scene of the city’s most important celebrations and happenings. 

To date we have 225 registrations and we calculate that we will surpass 350. Do register right away. 

Spouses program 

The Host Committee has scheduled two interesting excursions for spouses. One will be aboard the Caracas Cable Car, one of the best choices Caracas residents have to visit the fresh air of the capital – the El Avila national park. It was built during the administration of Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1955 and reopened in 2002. Starting out at Maripérez station the cable car ascends two miles in 20 minutes, reaching 6,900 feet above sea level – so we recommend you wear some warm clothing. At the summit there is a wide range of choices for entertainment – an ice stating rink, various shops and restaurants, souvenir kiosks, a children’s play center and the cylindrical Humboldt Hotel – currently closed – designed by Tomás Sanabria. From the summit visitors can admire the deep blue of the Caribbean Sea and at the same time the majesty of the city. 

The second excursion will be to El Hatillo, which maintains the charm of the old Caracas villages. Its cobbled streets and colonial-era architecture, with its tile roofs and bright colors, seem immune from the modern world. That is why this municipality has become one of the leading tourist destinations in the Venezuela capital. 

Opposite Bolívar Square in the center of the village is the Santa Rosalia de Palermo Church, which dates from the 18th century. It was a declared National Historic Monument in 1960. Inside there are colonial-era images St. Rosalia de Palmero, Christ on the Cross, Our Lady of Sorrows and St. John. 

The shops selling typical decorations and rustic furniture crowd the narrow streets. To walk peacefully through these establishments is a true delight for handicrafts lovers. It is a real pleasure to be in El Hatillo. The local restaurants are one part of its attractiveness. The gastronomy is varied, ranging from Mexican barbecues to the finest French cuisine. To go there without sampling a local dessert at one of the many pastry shops is a sin! 

Main activities  

An invitation has been extended to OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and another is expected to be made to the new president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Contact has also been made with former United States presidential candidate Bill Richardson and Italian intellectual Umberto Eco, whose attendance is not yet confirmed. 

Among the panel discussions will be one on the state of the press in the hemisphere, with invited panelists from Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela, and another on the energy crisis, with the participation of world experts. 

In short, all is set for Caracas and we hope you will let us know right away about your participation. 

It will be a great pleasure to greet you in the Venezuelan capital.  

Regards,

Julio E. Muñoz, Ph.D
Executive Director