Ros- Lehtinen Delivers Remarks at Unveiling of Simon Bolivar Statue in South Florida

Christine Del Portillo Deputy Director/Chief of Operations The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs 2206 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-3931: Office 202-225-5620: Fax 

ADVISORY – April 12, 2011

Ros-Lehtinen Delivers Remarks at Unveiling of Simon Bolivar Statue in South Florida

Miami, FL – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with her colleague Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), will deliver remarks at an event Friday, April 13 sponsored by Venezolanos Perseguidos Politicos en el Exilio (Veppex) and other Venezuelan exile organizations to celebrate the Day of Venezuelan Exiles and to unveil a statue of Simon Bolivar.  The event will take place at 2:00 p.m. at El Arepazo Restaurant, 10191 NW 58th Street, in Doral.  Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“I greatly appreciate being part of a ceremony honoring the great Simon Bolivar, known among our community as ‘El Libertador.’ Bolivar is a critical figure in our Latin American history and celebrating his memory as a passionate freedom-loving leader serves as inspiration to us all, particularly exiles from Latin America.

“Further, commemorating a day for Venezuelan exiles is especially important since we are only months away from the presidential elections in Venezuela. I want to congratulate Veppex and other Venezuelan exile groups for their efforts to encourage the Venezuelans in South Florida to participate in the Venezuelan primary election in February.

“I truly admire the courage and commitment of Veppex and the Venezuelan exile community at large for using their efforts in support of democratic principles at a time when fundamental freedoms of the Venezuelan people are under assault by Hugo Chavez.”

When: Friday, April 13, 2012, 2:00 p.m.

Where: El Arepazo Restaurant

10191 NW 58^th Street

Doral, FL 33178

Event: Celebrate the Day of Venezuelan Exiles