This 19th Summit of the Rio Group was really the one that should have taken place in 2005 in Argen-tina. It did not because of summit fatigue and scheduling problems. The fact that Guyana could have pulled it off should not be underestimated. As Sir Ronald Sanders has pointed out: “A conference of Latin American countries in English-speaking Guyana as the representative of CARICOM has immense symbolic value”, especially in the context of Guyana acting as “a bridge between Latin America and the Caribbean”.

All twenty members of the Rio Group were represented. Seven Latin American presidents jetted in, including regional heavyweights, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Felipe Calder