The final leg of her visit will take her to Switzerland where she will be a guest of the International Olympic Committee ...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller left the island Thursday evening for a one-week official visit to Europe.

According to Lincoln Robinson, press secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Mrs. Simpson Miller's travel to Europe will include engagements in England, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland.

Highlights of the Prime Minister's itinerary are meetings with the President of the European Union, Jose Manuel Barroso, and Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium.

"The transportation sector is one area in which Jamaica currently benefits from its bilateral relations with Belgium through the provision of buses and the construction of depots and the Half-Way Tree Transportation Centre," Mr. Robinson said. The upgrading of the Kingston Transhipment port is also funded through the Commerz Bank of Belgium.

Address to J'can Diaspora in London

Mrs. Simpson Miller is scheduled to address the town hall of the Jamaican diaspora in London.

In Spain, Mrs. Simpson Miller is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, and meet with present and prospective investors. She is also expected to address the opening ceremony of the Conference of Women African leaders scheduled for International Women's Day on March 8. The Queen of Spain, President of Liberia and Prime Minister of Mozambique are among the leaders slated to address the conference.

The final leg of her visit will take her to Switzerland where she will be a guest of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and participate in the Worldwide 2007 IOC Women and Sport Award Ceremony.

Prime Minister Simpson Miller returns to the island on Friday, March 9. During her absence Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, will be in charge of the Government.