St. Kitts and Nevis’ Governor General in Mexico for Bicentennial

St. Kitts and Nevis Governor General Dr. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, SEPTEMBER 16TH 2010 (CUOPM) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Governor General His Excellency Dr. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian was among scores of foreign dignitaries and special guests in Mexico to commemorate that country’s 200th Anniversary of Independence.

As part of the celebrations for the Independence Bicentennial and the Revolution Centennial, His Excellency the President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, has welcomed Heads of State and Government as well as outstanding personalities from various countries, has been extremely positive. Mexico will welcome presidents, governors, generals, prime ministers, royal family members, vice-presidents, ministers, chancellors, heads of legislative bodies and legislators, heads of international organizations and distinguished personalities.

Events included in the programme will be attended by over 80 personalities from approximately 50 nations with links with Mexico who have come to this country for the specific purpose of participating in this celebration. Attendees include the heads of the most important multilateral organizations in the region, such as the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA), the General Latin American Secretariat (SEGIB), the Community of Caribbean Nations (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OEA). Approximately 60 diplomatic representatives resident in Mexico will also take part in this programme.

The celebration will be attended by the leaders of countries that are closely linked to Mexico, such as the Presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Colombia; the Governor General of Canada and the Prime Minister of Belize.

It will also be attended by top-level representatives such as the Vice-Presidents of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, the President of Ecuador, the US Secretary of Labor, the Chancellor of Chile, the Ministers of Culture of Spain and Portugal, the Minister of Justice of Brazil, top-level civil servants from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Other participants in the festivities will include the President of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the French National Assembly, the Prince of Belgium and the Vice-President of the Parliamentary Coalition in the German government and a former British prime minister.

The Caribbean Community, a region with which Mexico has forged increasingly strong links, will be represented by Governor Generals of the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia, a former prime minister of Surinam and the ambassadors of other Caribbean countries resident in Mexico.

Mexico is honored by the participation of leaders and representatives of countries that have chosen to travel from so far away to attend these commemorations, such as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, whose delegation will be led by its president, Georgia and Kuwait, represented by their respective prime ministers, and Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, President of the Council of the Nation of Algeria and spokesman for the Gabon General Assembly.

In addition to the personalities mentioned earlier, delegations from the following countries have also registered their participation: Cambodia, Cameroon, Slovakia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Mali, Mongolia, Poland, Qatar, the Holy See, Senegal, Syria, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunis and Uzbekistan.

The commemorative program will also be attended by International figures from various spheres such as Daniel Ortega, Executive Director of the US National Council of La Raza, Ren Zhengfei, Director and Presidente of Huawei Industries of China; Mr. John Geiger, Editor of The Globe and Mail newspapers of Canada; Paolo Rocca, President of Grupo Techint of Argentina; Mr. José Hernández, a NASA astronaut of Mexican descent; Mrs. Vera Cáslavská, Olympic medalist at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and the famous Mexican-American actor Edward James Olmos, among others.

During these commemorations, the President will award the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagles to three outstanding personalities whose work has benefitted Mexico or mankind. The recipients of this award are French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, 2008 Nobel Literature Laureate; minority rights defender Rigoberta Menchú Tum, 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate and US philanthropist, William F. Austin.

The program of cultural activities during the commemorative program will include a visit by the visiting dignitaries to the exhibition entitled Mexico 200 Years: A Nation under Construction at the National Palace and a tour of the National Museum of Anthropology and History. Both activities will be attended by the President’s wife, Margarita Zavala.

During the lunch to be hosted that same day in honor of the visitors by the Foreign Affairs Secretariat at the National Museum of Anthropology and History, performances will be given by the Mexican Children’s Choir and Sotero Ruiz’s Rincón de Marimba group.

The programme will end with an official dinner hosted by President Felipe Calderón and his wife for their foreign guests at Chapultepec Castle, National History Museum, which will include a show with a representative selection of Mexican music and dance. The show will include Celso Duarte’s Harp Ensemble of America Celso Duarte, the Symphonic Band of the Center for Musical Training and Development of Mixe Cutlure of Oaxaca, renowned Mexican flautist Horacio Franco, Amalia Hernández’s Mexican Folklorice Ballet and singer-songwriter Pepe Aguilar and his mariachi band.

Mexico became an independent nation from Spain on September 16th, 1810.